New boat advice...

ask anyone whos owned a boat for a while and they can tell you a story of a boat motor blowing up.... doesnt matter the brand.
sure there are lemons out there but the big 3 or 4 manufactures will all do well.

If you have a shop that you want to do your service work, ask them what they would like to be working on.

ie you live in XXXX river town and nobody sells/services yamaha there but merc and evinrude are sold there then pick one of the later two
 
Here is an affordable kingfisher 24 feet before the pod and 250hp Yami which are great when paired with the Lowrance HDS series if your heart isn't set on the G2's. Add a Lowrance autopilot for about $1,400. One thing I would look for on your great list are the bench seats that convert into a big bed. Would be great for overnight trips, Hewescraft has them and likely the other brands. https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/boa/d/2017-kingfisher-2425/6387860455.html Might be worth the drive!
 
A
if you contact kingfisher direct and want a build done, they will accomodate , but through one of their brokers... mercs are the fords of the marine industry. yuk.
And yet I get 3000 hours out of every pair of Merc I owned since 2000 except for 1 that threw a rod at 2300. Regular maintenance works for any brand.

That doesn’t sound Ford like to me
 
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Here is an affordable kingfisher 24 feet before the pod and 250hp Yami which are great when paired with the Lowrance HDS series if your heart isn't set on the G2's. Add a Lowrance autopilot for about $1,400. One thing I would look for on your great list are the bench seats that convert into a big bed. Would be great for overnight trips, Hewescraft has them and likely the other brands. https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/boa/d/2017-kingfisher-2425/6387860455.html Might be worth the drive!


i thinks the 24' is not a washdown deck.
 
Kingfishers to me defeat the purpose of an aluminum boat. They grind welds and fair in with bondo or some other substance to prep for copious amounts of paint so the look good new. Then, they bolt on stainless railings with stainless hardware as well as bolting on other things that could have been fabbed out of aluminum and welded on. End result? Bubbling paint that looks like crap in a few years. Do yourself a favor if considering alloy, buy only from a builder that will offer it sans paint. Northwest Aluminum is a good one to consider although he is a small shop and has a pretty healthy back log. That is a good sign of his quality workmanship though. North river, Armstrong, Crozier Craft, Eagle Craft, Silver Streak are others that come to mind that build great aluminum boats. Good luck with your search.
 
A

And yet I get 3000 hours out of every pair of Merc I owned since 2000 except for 1 that threw a rod at 2300. Regular maintenance works for any brand.

That doesn’t sound Ford like to me

I would agree with that, especially the big Merc Saltwater Series Optimax. If your boat will be worked hard and left in the marina where it does not get pulled and flushed all that often, the Opti will be going strong long after some other brands are corroded piles of crap. Perhaps why whale boats get 3000 hours out of them. If you ever spin the prop under high load and the motor instantly spins up to 8000 plus RPM, all you are going to need for the Opti is a little prop work, not a new power head what with all those fragile valves etc. If they are Fords then there are a lot of Hugo and Lada motors out there. Maintenance and service is everything.

All the main brands produce quality motors. What would be important to me is the reputation of your local dealer, that you get parts and quality services at fair prices, that they stand behind their motors and work and will go to bat for you on warranty work etc. with the manufacturer. If the dealer/mechanic keeps a lot of used parts motors on hand for out of warranty and do it your self work, to me that’s a bonus.
 
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Just remember to factor in the cost of all the extras you don't think of. Heaters, autopilots, electronics, trailers, not to mention your 12% sales tax is going to blow your budget right quick. If you are serious about the 140k budget, most of the boats mentioned in this thread are unlikely.
 
Just remember to factor in the cost of all the extras you don't think of. Heaters, autopilots, electronics, trailers, not to mention your 12% sales tax is going to blow your budget right quick. If you are serious about the 140k budget, most of the boats mentioned in this thread are unlikely.

If you live in AB then the sales tax is only 5%. That's what I have been told anyways.
 
Just remember to factor in the cost of all the extras you don't think of. Heaters, autopilots, electronics, trailers, not to mention your 12% sales tax is going to blow your budget right quick. If you are serious about the 140k budget, most of the boats mentioned in this thread are unlikely.

Not to mention the larger/heavier the boat and trailer, the larger, more costly and higher operating cost you will have with the truck needed to tow it.
 
Hey guys,

I'm beginning to narrow my selection of boats. I'm hoping to get one on order before the end of the month. this is what I've narrowed my selection down to at this point. Please offer any advice or info that you might think will help me. There are some options that I need in the build. I fish mostly on the ECVI but want the ability to head west and perhaps try for tuna down the road. (This is what has me leaning to the 26' RH). I REALLY don't want to spend over $140,000. I have 7 years left until I retire and want to have it paid off by then. I excluded Kingfisher as they ONLY sell boats with Merc's. I have not looked into North River at this point.
  • 24-26' (not including motor/pod)
  • Fully enclosed
  • Transom door entry
  • I like the walk-through design but am not adverse to a cuddy.
So far I've considered the following:

Duckworth Pacific Pro 24' with single Evinrude G2 - 300HP (Dry weight 3500lbs)
Thunderjet Tyee with 2' extension to make 24' with single Evinrude G2 - 300HP (Dry weight 3500lbs)
Riverhawk Sea Hawk Pro Walk-through 24' with single Evinrude G2 - 300HP (Dry weight 4500lbs)
Riverhawk Sea Hawk Pro Walk-through 26' with dual Evinrude G2 - 200HP HO (Dry weight 5500lbs)

The fit and finish on the Duckworth and Thunderjet is pretty awesome. The Thunderjet kills you with options which make it super expensive. The RH seems like a tank compared which I guess is good and bad? Same size boat is 1000lbs heavier so that should handle bigger water better. I guess I just wonder how they get that extra weight in there as they are very similar builds.

I'm kind of set on the G2 platform for engines. The fuel economy, torque, 10 year warranty and they only require 87 octane have me sold.

Some other things I'm looking to have as a part of the install:
  • Evinrude G2 - 15hp HO Kicker
  • Evinrude iDock system
  • Intellisteer (Control for kicker with key FOB) Any feedback on these?
  • Lowrance Carbon 9 with Airmar chirp transducer (considering two of them to simultaneously run two chirp frequencies at the same time)
  • Aftermarket curved LED Light Bars. Does anyone have feedback on a good brand?
  • Shockwave suspension system with Corbin seats
  • Portapotti
  • I don't know much about Auto-Pilots. I've watched videos of guys using the Auto-Pilot to backtroll while jigging which seems like it would be awesome.
Down the road I would like to get a radar setup. Have any of you successfully been able to consistently mark birds on a radar unit? I would think that this would be good for tuna fishing.

Thanks in advance for your time,

Curtis
Hey guys,

I'm beginning to narrow my selection of boats. I'm hoping to get one on order before the end of the month. this is what I've narrowed my selection down to at this point. Please offer any advice or info that you might think will help me. There are some options that I need in the build. I fish mostly on the ECVI but want the ability to head west and perhaps try for tuna down the road. (This is what has me leaning to the 26' RH). I REALLY don't want to spend over $140,000. I have 7 years left until I retire and want to have it paid off by then. I excluded Kingfisher as they ONLY sell boats with Merc's. I have not looked into North River at this point.
  • 24-26' (not including motor/pod)
  • Fully enclosed
  • Transom door entry
  • I like the walk-through design but am not adverse to a cuddy.
So far I've considered the following:

Duckworth Pacific Pro 24' with single Evinrude G2 - 300HP (Dry weight 3500lbs)
Thunderjet Tyee with 2' extension to make 24' with single Evinrude G2 - 300HP (Dry weight 3500lbs)
Riverhawk Sea Hawk Pro Walk-through 24' with single Evinrude G2 - 300HP (Dry weight 4500lbs)
Riverhawk Sea Hawk Pro Walk-through 26' with dual Evinrude G2 - 200HP HO (Dry weight 5500lbs)

The fit and finish on the Duckworth and Thunderjet is pretty awesome. The Thunderjet kills you with options which make it super expensive. The RH seems like a tank compared which I guess is good and bad? Same size boat is 1000lbs heavier so that should handle bigger water better. I guess I just wonder how they get that extra weight in there as they are very similar builds.

I'm kind of set on the G2 platform for engines. The fuel economy, torque, 10 year warranty and they only require 87 octane have me sold.

Some other things I'm looking to have as a part of the install:
  • Evinrude G2 - 15hp HO Kicker
  • Evinrude iDock system
  • Intellisteer (Control for kicker with key FOB) Any feedback on these?
  • Lowrance Carbon 9 with Airmar chirp transducer (considering two of them to simultaneously run two chirp frequencies at the same time)
  • Aftermarket curved LED Light Bars. Does anyone have feedback on a good brand?
  • Shockwave suspension system with Corbin seats
  • Portapotti
  • I don't know much about Auto-Pilots. I've watched videos of guys using the Auto-Pilot to backtroll while jigging which seems like it would be awesome.
Down the road I would like to get a radar setup. Have any of you successfully been able to consistently mark birds on a radar unit? I would think that this would be good for tuna fishing.

Thanks in advance for your time,

Curtis
a lot depends what you want besides fishing:eek:vernight-great to have a table to sit at where you can look out (have a beer,glass of wine,meal),galley, most women will want a head with shower, a fly bridge gives you that with a cuddly forward. I checked the Evinrude iDock for $7,900-makes sense that we should all master docking esp on a boat under26' without bow thruster or iDock. It doesn't usually work to creep into a dock as there is usually wind,tide so have the boat underway (1 kn or so) angled to the dock then at the last minute angle the OB or outdrive to the dock and reverse (this seems basic but we've all seen some hilarious docking). you can also save $20-$30,ooo by buying 1-2 yr old.
 
When push comes to shove, I'd ditch the docking option first. Next would be the RADAR for seeing birds, or anything else related to taking a 24' boat Tuna Fishing; probably not enough fuel capacity & definitely not enough fish/ice capacity. Either that or tow the boat down to Oregon where they come in closer.
 
Y
ask anyone whos owned a boat for a while and they can tell you a story of a boat motor blowing up.... doesnt matter the brand.
sure there are lemons out there but the big 3 or 4 manufactures will all do well.

If you have a shop that you want to do your service work, ask them what they would like to be working on.

ie you live in XXXX river town and nobody sells/services yamaha there but merc and evinrude are sold there then pick one of the later two
Totally agree. If you own a Yamaha Or Suzuki in my town and have a motor failure you are towing to Port Alberni or paying for a mobile mechanic when he has time

RPM and it’s Mercurys own Tofino
 
Curtis,

I just learned that I have a contact at Ecko marine in Alberta Beach in you need something from an Evinrude perspective locally.
 
Very bad reports on River Hawks out there. I owned a Kingfisher 2525 and traded in towards a Weldcraft. Would not recommend a Kingfisher to anyone. PM me if you want more info with my experience with owning a Kingfisher.

You mentioned Duckworth on your list. Duckworth, Weldcraft and Northwest Boats (not the Northwest from Vancouver Island) are all the same manufacturer: Renaissance Marine Group. http://www.renaissance-marine-group.com/

You can get into a new, rigged up 24' Weldcraft for $112,000: https://www.rpmgroup.ca/view-details.php?id=594
That one sold but you could inquire with them about seeing if it's possible to order one in to where you are located with a different brand motor if you don't like Mercs. I've owned Verado's on both my aluminum ocean boats and had no problems with them. I keep them maintained on schedule. I run 94 octane in them unless I have to fuel up on holidays at a Marine that doesn't have the high test stuff.
 
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