Arima-May have found a boat

C

Charter Tofino

Well-Known Member
I know i have posted a number of questions on boats/motors but there is a ton of info on this site and i have been trying to get as much as possible on them. So far theres three were still considering.A 16 foot double eagle with a camp return 50 yamaha, an 18 foot olympic with a pod and 2002ish 90merc 4strk and now arimas in washington. The 16,17foot arimas seem like the best size for the price.Ill add the link to the one we might go see.Looks like its been well taken care of and is in great shape.I know suzukis have a great rep now but what about the first 4strokes they came out with pre 2000.Any ideas on the boat? Time has the 16 as well and says he loves it. Most arima owners i talk to cant say enough good things the only downside is they say they are bumpy head on into seas.
 
I have a 17' Arima Sea Chaser. The one on display at the boat show (Pearks arena). The boat is very well set up for fishing. One problem
with the boat is weight distribution - with 2 four stroke engines, 27gallon fuel tank and 2 batteries all located in the stern, the boat has a tendency to porpoise, or bounce when on plane. i have to constantly adjust trim to keep it happy, at wot it likes to be trimmed way up at around 4-5 on the yamaha trim gauge. Having said that I still love this boat. It goes 45 mph with 2 people and all gear on flat seas. My opinion is that this is still a small boat, and therfore does not like rough weather. The benefits are:
1 - small light boat - easily trailered, launched, upkeep
2 - cheap on fuel
3 - best small boat setup for fishing 8'beam on a 17' hull
4 - lots of storage, fish tub with liner - 2 baitwells etc etc...
downside:
1 - fair weather only.
Good luck on your purchase!
 
Thanks alot for the input. So overall you like the boat? Have you ever taken it out in rough stuff? I dont mind a rough ride but might be a problem if it cant handle some decent chop
 
I love this boat. I have been out recently, 4-5 foot seas 20+knots of
wind. Just have to go slowly, avoid taking water over the bow or stern. Travel at a 45degree angle to the swells. I personally don't like fishing in rough weather anyways. I find it difficult to keep the gear set properly, and dangerous to be leaning outboard to tend the downriggers or net fish.
 
Thanks again i agree its not as fun but nice to know it can handle larger seas if they come up. Going to go look at them tommorow and possibly pick one up the following week.
 
I do agree with sookeaholla, I don't like the lumpy weather either so the boat is perfect for me.

The guy with the '99 SE in Edmonds on Craigs List is also listed on the Arima user group For Sale listings and has dropped his price by 500.00. Sounds like he has found another boat he wants to buy.
http://groups.msn.com/ArimaBoatOwne...essage=17735&LastModified=4675670168064860047

Price still seems a bit high to me, but then, the price of everything seems outrageously high to me.

To get a "dealer" opinion on pricing of used Arimas you could check with King Salmon Marine or Verle's (listed as dealers on the Arima web site). Bith these outfits have had positive opinions expressed about them on the Arima user group web site.

Good luck.

ps
The 16 suits me fine as I like to fish alone or with one other aboard.
If you'll be fishing 2 or more regularly, maybe look for a 17.
Do stop at SG Power in Victoria and compare the various lengths and models. The bigger cabin on the Sea Explorer lets you securely store more stuff than the cabin on the Sea Chaser models. Usually about a foot difference in deck space.

For porpoising, lots of owners seem to like moving their batteries up to the front cabin.
 
Time thanks alot for the link and info might haved saved us money. My dads going down tommorow to take a look. We might just put in an offer and see what happens.If we do decide one of them is the right boat im going to go down next weekend and pick it up.
 
i have heard a lot of good things about these boats, a buddy sold his double eagle and bought one of these, but he was unhappy with how they handled under power, especially in the rougher stuff, but he said that in normal situations that it was a really stable fishing platform but still slow under power
 
Said it was in perfect shape but small which is expected in a 16. It only came with the two swivel chair setup which is fine 90% of the time because its rare theres more than 2 on it.Sometimes we want to take 4 people out on the water for a cruise though.Any ideas? Bigger boat only or change the one passager side to a sleeper or even lawnchairs with rubber so they dont slide behind the two pedistle seats? We wouldnt be fishing 4 people so its alright if theres not alot of deckroom.
 
Kelly took a clent out today and there on the way out saw one tied up to a boathouse!!he says I had that same model the (19 ranger)
and this is what he said so dont shoot the messanger please!!!!!


He said worst boat he has ever had I asked why of course said it was too light and bobbed like a cork and was tippy and beat the s%&t out of him he sold it just after 1 year he hated it that much and he even said he took a loss because the wife wouldnt go out in it anymore (didnt push that)

replaced it with a double eagle and likes it way better.

just thought you would like to know from someone who had one. I think they look cool especially the 22or23 nice a big with lots of windows but guess it is one of those things try any boat in different conditions to know what you really want.

Ill be using a new boat up at the lodge this year its a custom 19 hourston with a pod and a 115 4 stroke yammy so I am looking forward to that new unit!!!!!

Good luck Wolf
 
Wolf thanks for the info.So many opinions out there most i have heard are good but it seems all say they are rough riding.Buying a boats sure a rough process. Hard to figure out whats the best call.
 
Kelly- I was looking at Arimas for awhile last year--there was a 19 ft for sale at Pedder that interested me but I backed away as I had heard a few things about the handling in the chop. I decided that I would wait til I actually rode in one before making up my mind. Since then I have cooled off on buying another boat and decided to stick with my old tried and true 17.5 dble eagle. Let us know what you decide.
T2
 
Kelly, i would not be scared off the Arima's...
they are a good boat, well built and lot's of them out there.
they have a nice wide beam which makes a great fishing platform.
If you're looking at a 16-19' boat, it's not likely you will
want to be offshore in ugly condtions anyway.
Just my H.O. but i think they are a good choice especially
fishing the inside where you are protected.
 
The Arimas caught my eye last spring, good deals down south made repowering my 16' Hourston seem not so great an option, when could get a whole lot more boat in a 16' Arima for not much more money.

However, after spending a lot of time on them at SG Power visualizing, I decided the 16' Sea Chaser was too small for 4 people, and the cabin not really useable. The 16' Sea Explorer has a useable cabin, but you lose space to the point that fishing will become crowded. So then you move up to 17', which are pretty functional, but the $ snack bracket has upped a lot too.

The final stake was concerns about seas...I don't like fishing in the rough either, but sometimes you end up having to travel in it. I think they are safe, just not that comfortable in seas, from what I hear.

I also found the Arima prices were generally pretty high -- a good sign in some ways, they hold their value, people who like them love them. But harder to get into the market, if you want it used.

I ended up looking more seriously at Trophy 1802 and Campion 542, both 18' walkaround cuddy's, similar in function to the Arimas, but at a better price (keeping in mind some people HATE trophy's with a passion). I bought a 1999 Campion in Washington.

Here's a good deal that arrived my inbox yesterday for another 542 http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/boa/655384811.html

(maybe already bought by TMIT22?)

Good luck!
 
I can fish all day for $20. worth of fuel. Makes the lumpy ride somewhat more acceptable. Plus if you get the boat up on plane and
trim out and back off on the throttle right down to around 20-23 mph
the ride smooths out.
 
Not at these prices of fuel you wont go out for 20 bucks maybe a 9.9 on a 12 ft tinny LOL:D:D:D
 
Hey Wolf, throw a pic or two of the new boat up if you have the time!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

kaelc
Off shore small boat or jet ski as second boat
Replies
34
Views
4K
Thunder21
Thunder21
Dave H
Another NFR Memory And Some Info You May Not Have Known.
Replies
8
Views
2K
RiverBoy
RiverBoy
Hot-Streak
Rescued a broken down boat and boater - some lessons learned.
Replies
60
Views
7K
Matthias
Matthias
S
Port Alberni Charter Boat
Replies
14
Views
2K
searun
searun
ElectricDyck
Surf n Turf Ideas?
Replies
3
Views
790
ElectricDyck
ElectricDyck
Back
Top