Hewescraft or Kingfisher

Steve95

Member
Hi guys, new member here just found this forum while doing some research. Looks like lots of good info here but can't find any on what I'm looking for. My prior experience has been on lakes and a lot shallower boats and walleye fishing but now I moved to Vancouver Island and want to do some fishing here I am in the midst of deciding between a Hewescraft Sea runner 210 HT or a Kingfisher 2025 Escape HT. New boat as searching for a late model used boat has been a waste of time. Main power will be F200 Yamaha. Mostly fishing east side of Vancouver Island but maybe further afield once I gain more experience. The specs on both boats are similar, The Kingfisher seems to be missing a few things but no big deal. I know the Kingfishers are harder to find but that is irrelevant. Kingfisher says their boat handles better but I can't find any actual reviews as it's a new model. Found a few on sea runner and they seem positive. Any feedback is welcomed, good or bad.
 
Major differences are the sea runner has no reverse chine (downside) and no paint on the sides (upside or downside, depending on your perspective). The Kingfisher has a stepped bracket higher speed, the Hewes an extended bottom bracket more floatation, lower planing speed. Personally I'd go with the Hewes, for all the above reasons plus it's probably a bit cheaper.

Both will beat you up in the chop.
 
I assume it's bottom width you guys are talking about? The Hewescraft is 78" and the Kingfisher is 82" But the Hewescraft is longer and wider under the motor bracket at 23'8" vs 22'4" Kingfisher. The Hewescraft has a few extra options as well as a better trailer (disc hydraulic vs elec drum) Close in price but Hewescraft is a better deal. According to the specs the Hewescraft is quite a bit heavier 2800 dry vs 1930, not sure why that would be, seems a little odd, same hull and side thicknesses.
 
I edited this to add a bit more info that I learned today, this has been a bit of an education process for me. I took the wife to go take a closer look at the Kingfisher (getting her involved in choosing might lessen the impact when sees the bill, lol) I did notice that the hull does not extend all the way to the back of the motor bracket, like it does on the Hewescraft. I suspect the longer, full width bottom on the Hewescraft may be more stable as it's a full 23'8" vs 20' on the Kingfisher and then a step up narrower pod under the motor for another 2'4", although its 4" narrower at the wide part ? Beam is the same on both but I understand that bottom width is more important than beam, I don't have experience with these deep vee ocean boats and don't know much about hull designs. The kingfisher is a new model with a reverse chine, whereas the Hewescraft hull was redesigned a couple of years ago with changes to the chine and the bottom width to improve stability, along with variable deadrise to improve the ride. How big of a deal is the reverse chine on this type of fishing boat?
 
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That one is a narrower boat with a 72" bottom width. I saw it advertised elsewhere. It's only a little more money than I priced a new wider one with a bulkhead and bigger motor for. But it does come with a pair of downriggers, a radio and fishfinder/gps. The way the market is, someone will buy it. At this point I'm just going to buy new and get what I want.
 
I assume it's bottom width you guys are talking about? The Hewescraft is 78" and the Kingfisher is 82" But the Hewescraft is longer and wider under the motor bracket at 23'8" vs 22'4" Kingfisher. The Hewescraft has a few extra options as well as a better trailer (disc hydraulic vs elec drum) Close in price but Hewescraft is a better deal. According to the specs the Hewescraft is quite a bit heavier 2800 dry vs 1930, not sure why that would be, seems a little odd, same hull and side thicknesses.
With for sure but also shape...if her bottom is too wide and too flat, sooner or later you'll get sick of the way she bangs and ditch her for a new model.

Double entendres aside...that reverse chine will make her drier, more stable, and probably plane off a little better. The full keel bracket will ride a little better in the chop; the bracket with the step will be a little faster for the same power. Wetted surface is a pretty important factor in ride and will do better at lower speeds but then it's also more drag.

I think the differences between them, taken all together, would be subtle enough that without trying them each out for a month I doubt I could pick one from specs alone. Put another way, if the welds look equally good, the materials are the same, and they're similarly equipped and priced, you'll probably be happy with either.
 
Steve I have a kingfisher 2425 and fish the inside of Vancouver Island. I was doing the same boat search you were doing and I decided on the kingfisher. I went to the boat shows and all the dealers to check out the brands.

If you have any questions or want to check out the boat let me know. I have been considering selling to go bigger.
 
Steve I have a kingfisher 2425 and fish the inside of Vancouver Island. I was doing the same boat search you were doing and I decided on the kingfisher. I went to the boat shows and all the dealers to check out the brands.

If you have any questions or want to check out the boat let me know. I have been considering selling to go bigger.
I sent you a msg. Should be in your inbox. New on here so hopefully I did it right and you get it.
 
I sent you a msg. Should be in your inbox. New on here so hopefully I did it right and you get it.
I purchased a KF 2025 Escape last year and I'm quite happy with it and was just wondering which way you ended up going with either the KF or Hewes and how your season was with your new boat?
 
I purchased a KF 2025 Escape last year and I'm quite happy with it and was just wondering which way you ended up going with either the KF or Hewes and how your season was with your new boat?
Went with the Hewescraft. The KF I was looking at was missing a few things as it was an early production model. I ordered a new Hewescraft and then a month later I found a one year old with the same specs and less than 40hrs, so jumped on it and saved some money. I used it quite a bit, added everything else I wanted and really enjoyed it. Very pleased with the ride and handling too. Looking forward to getting back out there, assuming they let us fish...duh
 
Went with the Hewescraft. The KF I was looking at was missing a few things as it was an early production model. I ordered a new Hewescraft and then a month later I found a one year old with the same specs and less than 40hrs, so jumped on it and saved some money. I used it quite a bit, added everything else I wanted and really enjoyed it. Very pleased with the ride and handling too. Looking forward to getting back out there, assuming they let us fish...duh
Nice and good to hear you're enjoying your boat. I had also gave the Hewes and Thunderjet in the same class as my Escape some serious thought and research but ultimately ended up ordering the KF mainly due to the deal, dealer proximity and power that I wanted, I'm an Interior guy so hopefully by the time I make it to the chuck (hopefully this summer) we're still aloud to fish it for salmon as that's something I haven't experienced yet, happy boating and fishing!
 
Went with the Hewescraft. The KF I was looking at was missing a few things as it was an early production model. I ordered a new Hewescraft and then a month later I found a one year old with the same specs and less than 40hrs, so jumped on it and saved some money. I used it quite a bit, added everything else I wanted and really enjoyed it. Very pleased with the ride and handling too. Looking forward to getting back out there, assuming they let us fish...duh
We were taking the the company rep for hewescraft at the Vancouver boat show and he told us they outsell there closest competitor 2-1.. last year was something like 600-300 .. i think you made the right choice. Enjoy the new boat!
 
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