Arima and Grew Navigator boats

[dk119]

Does anyone have any experience or opinions on Arima boats? I was looking at the 19' or 21' Sea Chaser/Ranger soft tops. They seem to be described as a rough water boat but I have also heard them pound pretty hard in chop.

Also I have seen some pics of the Navigator boats by Grew. www.grew.ca
I have never heard of them, anybody?

 

[knucklebuster]

I owned a 1981 grew 18.5' for 11 years. Best boat I ever owned. Wish I still had it. A guy in Duncan owns it now and just loves it. If the new ones are any where near the quality of the old ones they should be great.

 

[salmon9]

Arima boats have a relatively shallow deadrise and are not too heavy, and as such have good stability, pretty good ride in a following sea and require less horsepower than a deeper V boat. I think their ride in a heading sea can pound. I think they make a quality boat and have a nice layout.

 

[dk119]

Thanks for the input. I have been considering the Campion 542 and Double Eagle 185 but came across ther Arimas that have a very loyal following. Price is higher but if it is worth it I would not mind considering the Arima.

Likewise with Grew, I will definitely check them out.

 

[salmon9]

A friend is looking over the same boats right now. The Campion 542's now are self bailing and seem to have more freeboard than they used to. I like Double Eagle's for their solid hull but the self bailing feature of the 542 is nice. I think the 542 would ride better in a heading sea, or in sloppy conditions over the Arima - maybe not a lot better. I would short list the Arima and the 542 and try to take each out for a spin (preferably on an afternoon when the wind is kicking up and you have some a chop or 2-3 foot seas and a swell). Easy to resell a 542 while it might be a little harder for an Arima.

 

[Rob Warren]

Have a look at this boat. I have the 255 model. Very good riding boat. Truely the boat of my dreams. I looked at all the different models before I choose this one.

http://www.whaler.com/Rec/default.asp?content=boats&family=conquest&number=205&type=Conquest

 

[dk119]

The Boston Whaler definitely speaks for itself, awesome boats and quite honestly one of my dream boats (along with the 24' Skagit Orca and a custom welded tinnie). However they likely are understandably more money and I have 2 small kids we are getting into fishing and the Boston is a 2 seater (by helm and coverage wise with canvas). This is common for all walk arounds, which is my favourite design but not practical for me right now. Will definitely check one out though.

Yes the self bailing hull is a major attraction for the 542, the Double Eagle is not and it also does not have a fish locker! Apparently the 2007 is redesigned and will have one. Never thought about resale, Arima is definitely less common around here.

I have a Johnson/Suzuki 140 fourstroke I was hoping to use for one of these boats, I think it would be fine for all these boats except maybe for the Boston, don't want to be underpowered. The other thing is the 542 now requires a extra long shaft, I am not sure if my motor can easily ($$) be changed from long to extra long.

I am definitely going to make myself a pest and try to get test rides in all the boats.

 

[Time]

Have you checked the Arima user group?
Go to the Arima web site and on the bottom of the first page is a link to the Arima Boat Owners Group.
There are some 'members' with 19- 21 footers from around the south Island. Maybe you can link up for a trial.
I have a 16 foot Arima Sea Chaser, and much prefer it over the Double Eagle or other boats of a similar size for its layout and storage.
A bit beamier and flatter at the back, makes for a roomy, stable fishing platform. Seems very well made. That said, taking a sea at speed on the bow, the boat doesn't cut the waves as well as a true deep V, but throttling down a bit makes it all manageable. Hence the Arima's reputation for pounding a bit in a head sea. To me, the tradeoff was fishability versus going fast in all seas. I chose fishability.

 

[the runt]

Hi folks saw a small boat display at the fair yesterday,I saw the 19 ft. arima,The salesman said he went 75 miles off shore with one.[bigger balls than me]it came with a 150 merc.$41 grand.The boat i liked was the 20FT trophy walk around cuddy.It had a 116 hp.cummins diesel.The salesman told me they are not made by bayliner anymore.They look pretty solid anbody have one.It has a 500 mile range.This boat was $31000

 

[marula]

Now i'd like to see that cummins in the trophy. Can you imagine the fuel economy to go to the banks. I have 3/4 ton dodge ram weighing about 7000 lbs with a six cylinder cummins, tons of power and 25 miles /per gallon on the highway.

Trophy is now made by the Brunswick family of companies http://www.brunswick.com/boats.html.

Anyone know what year they started making the trophy?

 

[Tigger]

Well i,ve been following this site for several months and have learned lots. Time to jump in. I have a Campion 1995 1880se which is the predeceasor to the 542. It has been an excellent boat for my family - fishing in the chuck and water sports on the lake. No break downs just regular maintenance. If there was one thing that I would change it would be a little more HP for the water sports. I have been comptemplating selling lately - got a bit of footitis.

 

[dk119]

I was close to buying the same boat (campion 188) with a Volvo 4 cyl. I had heard they were great but a bit soft on power. Most new 542s I see have the Yamaha 115 and it seems to be enough power. Of course the 150 would be better! The local Double Eagle dealer says the fibreglass shop next door does alot of work on Campions. Not sure if this is sales talk.

Yes I have checked out the Arima group and will give them a serious look. Like I said the Arima owners seem to love them, so there is likey good reasons for this. The layout and storage Time mentions are important to me but performance and safety in rough seas are also.

I think the Trophy fist came out around the early 90's, alot of them outfitted with the Force engines. $31k for the diesel Trophy sounds cheap. Was the Arima 19' a soft top? Where was this display/fair? Would it still be going on?

 

[salmon9]

I do not own either a Campion or Double Eagle, do not have any affiliation with either manufacturer; however, noticed when looking at them each Campion/Double Eagle dealer is critical of the other. I looked very close at a Double Eagle 185 and noticed exterior house (not marine) exposed plywood, no resin nothing, backing the gunnel beside the driver. Also noticed exposed wood underneath the gunnel above the wiring - some resin/coating missing. The wiring seemed OK, short on tie downs though (2.5 - 3 ft between tie downs). Wiring was not selaed at terminal ends (ie. heat wrapped). The bolts are all through bolted but they seemed to use some galvanized washers on some(not stainless), few backing plates used. When stainless was used it seemed of low quality. A good through bolt backing strip supporting the rub rail. The through bolt holes were not sealed, or had very little sealant. The canopy screws were not sealed. I hull looked solid and no wavy sides, no dead spots, good quality gel coat. I think Double Eagle are good boats; however, their quality can be improved on and I think it's time they offer the 185 model as self bailing.

I have not looked at Campion's closely so can't compare. I looked closely at a Arima 22ft hardtop. Very well made, no exposed wood, very good use of sealant, quality hardware and bolts, wiring well laid and secured, nice floor plan, quality glass and gelcoat, no wavy sides or dead spots.

 

[the runt]

Yes the fair goes on till sat.The Arima was a hard top,it was a really nice boat with a lot of cockpit space.you could go tuna fishing in that boat.Olympic boat center in bellingham had the diesel trophy.It's not fast but has a great range google it.

 

[explorer185]

I of course have a 95 Campion Explorer 185 which is the older version of the 542. Excellent boat. The 115 hp is sufficient but something bigger would be better. Have had it since new and would recomend Campion. I went in to buy a Double Eagle but from my comparison years ago, the Campion was more for the money.

 

[scott craven]

lemonhart, saw your new ride while walking around the wharf
a couple weeks ago. she's a good lookin' boat !
does she catch fish ?

Scott

 

[SeaWolf]

I got my new model 542 last year. Just put over 400 miles this week, running Port Hardy to Shearwater, and fishing out of there. Averaged 22 mph's and 5.5 hours, yesterday. Hardly saw a Double Eagle out there. So far 2 trips past Cape Caution, and I never felt unsafe. The Deep V handles the rough stuff well. My Power is a F115, and numbers are about the same as lemonharts with a 3-Blade prop. My top-end dropped 2 mph's with a 4-Blade stainless but the middle range is better.

If your buying the boat for the Saltchuck, the F115 is more than adequate as I usually run 4500-5000 rpms in the 22-28 mph range.

As for the Dbl Eagle dealers comments. Just take a look at how many Campions vs Double Eagles are sold. Double Eagles may be nice riding boats, but they look like they are 20 years old. There is nothing wrong with the Fibreglass and that's a load of crap.

 

[dk119]

Thanks for the feedback on the 542. Glad to hear the fiberglass comments are fluff. My big thing is how it handles to rough water both while running and when fishing/pulling traps, and you guys seem to have addressed that. I don't have to go super fast when running in the chop, just moderate with a feeling that the boat is not past its capabilities. The new hull looks really solid.

I do not mind the double eagle 185 look (better than some of the other models) but am pretty dissappointed with the lack of self bailing hull and fish locker. However definitely plainer looking than the 542.