Just ordered a Stabicraft 2050 Super Cab with 150HP Yamaha Outboard.

[Kiwi Canuck]

Hello all, I have been researching Stabicraft boats for the last few months and have finally committed to purchasing a 2050 Super Cab.

I ordered it from Galleon Marine in Richmond, who have been excellent to deal with.

I've gone with the Sport Fish Model which includes a few premium upgrades plus I ordered a few additional options, Transom Mounted Live Bait Tank, U-Dek Flooring, under seat IcyTek Coolers and Rear Drop Clear Curtains.

The other models that I considered was the 2250 Ultracab and the 2500 Ultracab XL which had more amenities to suit the family, like plumbed toilet, fold down table and kitchen sink etc. but they required a serious upgrade in towing capacity which would necessitate a new truck as well as a price premium that gave me pause to consider starting with a more manageable boat until my skills improve.

I have not ordered a trailer yet so will be looking for a tandem trailer with disc brakes, they have Highliner Trailers available at Galleon but I still have time to look around and see if there is anything else that might work better.

As I'm completely new to fishing boats, I'll need to get myself educated on marine electronics as well , Galleon sell Garmin and have given me some suggestions on some products, which I'll probably go with as I've always used Garmin products for car and motorcycle navigation and have been pleased with the performance.

Don't have a delivery date yet but probably early summer 2023

OK now I need to get busy getting my Pleasure Craft Operating Permit and get myself enrolled in a Power Squadron Course or something equivalent.

David.

Edit, added picture, image by Kev & Ian"s Marine NZ , this is the colour I have ordered, but will have Stage 1 paint which only goes down to lower rub rail.

 

[Aquaholic]

Nice starter boat, you're killing a lot of us here! Power Squadron is much more knowledge based than the PCOP, not sure if getting both is needed.

 

[zurk]

how much cash ? or did you finance ?

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

how much cash ? or did you finance ?

I have paid a deposit to secure the production slot which is scheduled for late March 2023

The boat is around $87,000 plus motor, rigging, and controls gauges etc.
Total all in $115,000, plus taxes.
I have allowed $20,000 for a trailer and electronics package which are not included in above numbers.
I always pay cash for personal toys, so no financing.
All numbers in CAD$

This seems like a really good deal for the boat I'm getting, so I'm pretty happy.

David.

 

[Dogbreath]

No need for live tanks given the paucity of live bait options anywhere in BC we just don't use the stuff and that tank will end up as storage.

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

No need for live tanks given the paucity of live bait options anywhere in BC we just don't use the stuff and that tank will end up as storage.

That's an interesting comment, I've seen most US dealers add the US Fish Box and not go for the live bait tank option where-as most boats in NZ and Australia have the live bait tank option.

I was thinking that in addition to using it as a live bait tank, I would mostly use it to keep seafood alive while out fishing/diving for mussels, oysters, crabs, prawns, sea urchin etc. so I could eat them fresh on the boat or get them home alive. But I've never used either so I don't know much.

Probably not too late to change it but maybe I should do some more research on the topic.

David.

PS. I had to Google that word, "paucity"

 

[sasqman]

That's an interesting comment, I've seen most US dealers add the US Fish Box and not go for the live bait tank option where-as most boats in NZ and Australia have the live bait tank option.

I was thinking that in addition to using it as a live bait tank, I would mostly use it to keep seafood alive while out fishing/diving for mussels, oysters, crabs, prawns, sea urchin etc. so I could eat them fresh on the boat or get them home alive. But I've never used either so I don't know much.

Probably not too late to change it but maybe I should do some more research on the topic.

David.

PS. I had to Google that word, "paucity"

Keep your crab cool and moist and your prawns cleaned and refrigerated and all will be good.

 

[CBsqrd]

That's an interesting comment, I've seen most US dealers add the US Fish Box and not go for the live bait tank option where-as most boats in NZ and Australia have the live bait tank option.

I was thinking that in addition to using it as a live bait tank, I would mostly use it to keep seafood alive while out fishing/diving for mussels, oysters, crabs, prawns, sea urchin etc. so I could eat them fresh on the boat or get them home alive. But I've never used either so I don't know much.

Probably not too late to change it but maybe I should do some more research on the topic.

David.

PS. I had to Google that word, "paucity"

I use mine all the time when prawning. Put the prawns in and run the livewell on the the way back in and it gives your a much cleaner product. Its amazing how gross the water gets if you don't run the pump. Good for crabbing too and as a secondary fish box (much easier to clean out in my case than the in-floor fish box, but it is not insulated so it only gets used in the winter or for short periods of time).

We also used it as our bleed / chill box tuna fishing. It's nice with the lid in that it keeps all the blood contained when the tuna are thrashing about. And at the end of the day just pull the plug to drain.

I thought it was going to be a waste of space, but if I was building a custom boat I'd definitely include one.

 

[Bifmalibu]

That's going to be a great boat. Where do plan to use it primarily?

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

That's going to be a great boat. Where do plan to use it primarily?

Not sure yet but probably around the Gulf Islands and I suspect a few trips up to Desolation Sound, I would like to explore the West Coast of Vancouver Island as well.

For fishing/diving, I prefer salt water, but I would be happy to go for a trip or two up to the Okanagan to explore the lakes and relax.

I need to figure out the best spots for launching the boat, so hopefully I can get all that figured out before the boat delivery.

I've got a few neighbours with Aluminum trailer boats as well, so I'll be chatting with them over a few beers to see what info I can get.

Cheers, David.

 

[zurk]

i wold suggest upgrading with a wet head/plumbed toilet. for multi day trips the primary thing holding me back is a good toilet. i know it will result in an upgrade to your tow vehicle and its a huge pain but it makes a difference between a boat which does multi day trips vs a boat which doesnt. It may feel intimidating but the extra couple of feet to handle isnt much compared to the benefits of toilet and kitchen. youre going to need an offshore package for the west side of vancouver island anyway. the pacific is huge and has correspondingly huge waves.
for your electronics i suggest you go simrad. minimum 2 nss12 evo 3s, rs100-b, halo 24, forwardscan sonar and downscan sonar and a FLIR m323 for night driving (or si onyx nightwave). this is from a former garmin guy. i assume you have a kicker if not get a 9.9HP and tie it to the existing steering with separate throttle/shift on console. get a lifepo4 setup for batteries and throw a couple of flexible panels on the roof and you should be all set.

 

[kaelc]

Great boat and super efficient for long missions. What tow vehicle do you have, not much difference in weight for the 2250 Ultracab I would think with both you will want a dual axle trailer. Are you going for suspension seats? I believe Stabi can put in Shoxs made here on the island https://allsalt.com/products/seats/shoxs-saltcaster-l3

I'm currently drooling over their 1450, but I'm sure your boat will be much nicer for what you are doing with it.

My good friend has Garmin and I have lowrance and it is pretty cheap to buy https://www.radioworld.ca/low-15891001 You can't go wrong either way. Sometimes the Garmin Radar packages are more affordable if you can find a discount code.

 

[pescador]

I think once you’ve done Power SquadRon. you get your PCOC. At least it used to be at way. Do PS. You won’t regret it.

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

i would suggest upgrading with a wet head/plumbed toilet. for multi day trips the primary thing holding me back is a good toilet. i know it will result in an upgrade to your tow vehicle and its a huge pain but it makes a difference between a boat which does multi day trips vs a boat which doesnt. It may feel intimidating but the extra couple of feet to handle isnt much compared to the benefits of toilet and kitchen.
for your electronics i suggest you go simrad. minimum 2 nss12 evo 3s, halo 24, forwardscan sonar with depthsounder and a FLIR m323 for night driving (or si onyx nightwave). this is from a former garmin guy. i assume you have a kicker if not get a 9.9HP and tie it to the existing steering with separate throttle/shift on console.

Zurk, thanks for your input and recommendations.

When I first started looking into Stabicraft boats, I saw a Youtube video introducing their new 2023 boats at the NZ boat show, I loved the Supercab 2050 as soon as I saw it.

Galleon Marine showed online that they had a Yellow 2022 Supercab 2050 in stock, but it was sold by the time I went in to look at it. Here's a clip from the sea trial.

They had four or five other Stabi's in stock, an 1850 Fisher a couple of 2250 WT's and a 2500 XL, I spent weeks flip flopping back and forth between buying the Ultracab 2500XL they had in stock versus ordering a new 2023 Supercab 2050.

I even went down to Boat Country in Everett WA to check out their Stabi's, that's where I saw the Orange boat and it's almost an exact colour match for my companies logo, so that was an easy decision for me.

The 2500XL with the "Weekender Package" got sold last week, so that decision was made for me, it was also at the top end limit of my current boat budget. ($259,000 plus taxes) plus another $100,000 for a truck, so that made my choice to go with the 2050 a bit easier.

My plan is to find a portable toilet that will fit under the squabs up in the Vberth as a backup if needed.

If it becomes an issue and my wife wants to come on trips with me I can always trade up after a year or so.

I did not order a kicker motor or the optional bracket, I'll need to explore that more, but for now I'll take delivery with just the single 150Hp motor.

As for electronics, I'm not locked in on any brand but Galleon sell Garmin so would make sense to buy from them unless there is a compelling reason to look at another Brand.

I have my 19 year old son working with me on that, he works in IT for my company, so he's pretty tech savvy and whatever brand we buy we intend to install it ourselves, my company installs building automation and low voltage systems for new buildings, we've also installed control systems for a new lathe and mill in my home shop, so should be a fun project to do with my son.

This rabbit hole goes deep, so thanks for your time and guidance, I can use all the help.


David.

 

[zurk]

so couple of questions :
1. what happens when the single 150HP dies ? are you planning to row 3500lbs of boat back to shore ? summon help with smoke signals aka VHF which will take a few hours to get there while your boat is bashed against rocks ?
2. If you plan to trade up (porta pottys are terrible, i have one on mine -- just try and use it on rolling seas without things sloshing around) how are you going to take the depreciation hit ? remember once it rolls off the lot you just lost $30,000.
3. A used truck is not $100,000. why not buy a crappy old towing only truck for $20,000 ?
4. What does stuff which "got sold" have anything to do with your purchasing decision ? just order it from the factory and wait.
5. Why base equipment purchases on what your dealer sells if youre going to install it yourself ? just order it from whoever has the cheapest prices aka amazon.

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

Great boat and super efficient for long missions. What tow vehicle do you have, not much difference in weight for the 2250 Ultracab I would think with both you will want a dual axle trailer. Are you going for suspension seats? I believe Stabi can put in Shoxs made here on the island https://allsalt.com/products/seats/shoxs-saltcaster-l3

I'm currently drooling over their 1450, but I'm sure your boat will be much nicer for what you are doing with it.

My good friend has Garmin and I have lowrance and it is pretty cheap to buy https://www.radioworld.ca/low-15891001 You can't go wrong either way. Sometimes the Garmin Radar packages are more affordable if you can find a discount code.

Kaelc, thanks for your comments and input, both my current vehicles that are available for towing have a max tow weight of 5,000 pounds, which is adequate for the 2050 but the 2250 comes in at 5555lbs without anything onboard so would need a minimum 6,000 lbs, a Toyota Tacoma truck has 6,800 lbs tow capacity IIRC but may not be enough for the 2500 XL.

I bought a Tacoma and then a Forerunner new about 20 years ago, liked them both but always wanted to buy another Tacoma, so maybe that's a possibility.

That 1450 looks like it would make a great fishing platform, I think my brother still has one of those, he lives on Stewart Island about 50KM from the Stabicraft Factory.

David.

Edit, I forgot to respond to the seats question, the new 2023, 2050 Supercab Sportfish model comes with the premium bolster seats mounted on blade rails (so the coolers fit underneath) not sure if I'd want to change them out and reviews have shown they are really comfortable even in rough seas.

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

so couple of questions :
1. what happens when the single 150HP dies ? are you planning to row 3500lbs of boat back to shore ? summon help with smoke signals aka VHF which will take a few hours to get there while your boat is bashed against rocks ?
2. If you plan to trade up (porta pottys are terrible, i have one on mine -- just try and use it on rolling seas without things sloshing around) how are you going to take the depreciation hit ? remember once it rolls off the lot you just lost $30,000.
3. A used truck is not $100,000. why not buy a crappy old towing only truck for $20,000 ?
4. What does stuff which "got sold" have anything to do with your purchasing decision ? just order it from the factory and wait.
5. Why base equipment purchases on what your dealer sells if youre going to install it yourself ? just order it from whoever has the cheapest prices aka amazon.

Some good questions there.

1/. The single engine versus twin or in this case a kicker, is widely discussed online and I've watched a few youtube videos on the topic, my current choice was based on that research.
The dealer also suggested it's fine to forgo the kicker motor as the Yamaha 150HP motor can operate fine at trolling speeds when needed, he could have up sold me but didn't.
I also didn't want to clutter up the back of the boat too much as we intend to scuba dive from the boat and it's nice to be able to have either side of the motor available for re-entry and passing up gear and catch bags etc..

2/. Good point on the porta potty in rough weather, didn't consider that.

I usually always buy new, motorcycles, cars, motorhomes etc. and I don't sweat the premium I pay over used, it's worth it to me.
BTW I never pay retail either and by combining everything I can usually negotiate a better deal as a package.

I also know that I don't know everything, so buying through a good dealer, they will give me advice regarding the purchase including options to buy, that advice is invaluable, yes they probably make commission and have markup, but as a business owner I understand that.

3/. I don't buy crappy and old, not my style. (unless I'm buying an old classic motorcycle as a restoration project)

4/. Maybe I didn't make myself clear, I was considering the 2500XL as it was in stock and I could get it now, but once it sold I was able to do a gut check and (a bank balance check) which confirmed that I actually wanted the 2050 and it would be just fine for my needs.

5/. Package deal and long term relationship building with dealer, resulting in better support etc.
I do buy off Amazon, but for a technical purchase I'll pay the premium and buy from a dealer.

David.

 

[zurk]

you should know the following and have a rethink about your choices. I have owned a boat continuously (and sometimes more than 3 at the same time) for well over 15 years now and have covered 7680nm on powerboats as of last weekend (so says my chartplotter):
1. I too have a single engined boat bought new in the same range you bought (yammy, 18-20ft). the first thing i added was a kicker. the single engine was fine for 3 years until it died due to bad fuel (from a chevron 94, premium) in the middle of a busy shipping lane too deep to anchor. if i didnt have a kicker i would have likely been run over -- or the boat would have been bashed against rocks and destroyed. it took me 5 minutes to start up the kicker (with an aux tank) and that was 5 minutes too long as the boat was drifting in high waves and wind. consider that while an engine failure is no big deal on land boats are more like aircraft. an engine failure means you - personally - could die or your vessel be destroyed. I bet your youtube videos didnt discuss that. in a boat you need one of everything you like, two of everything you need and three of everything you will die without. (yes i do keep emergency collapsing paddles on board as my third and final option and i had to use them once).
2. When I upgraded/added to my fleet from my existing boat I moved to a 40ft catamaran (also new). It has full stand up showers x 2 and 2 full toilets with extended toilet seats. I paid extra for the extended flushing toilets in the region of $15K with separate holding tanks. There is lots of things you can do without on a boat. Good toilets in extended trips are not one of those things.
3. I too dont like buying old, but sometimes a vehicle for a single purpose - in this case towing boats - which is used 20 times a year and sits idle the rest of the time - is pointless to buy new. its better to just buy an old vehicle and have a dealer maintain it so it runs for the 20 X a year when it has to run. I do a full service on mine for $500 every 6 months and just replace everything which is even slightly wonky (and the dealership has standing instructions to just replace the parts even if its remotely questionable because in 6 months of idle sitting time its going to be rusted out anyway).
4. A long time ago i bought a smaller boat which i wanted to take from vancouver to victoria. i got called out here for being completely daft. and it was correct advice. i heeded it the first time i tried going out and got slapped by the ocean. then i upgraded. in my current boat i go and its not an issue because its big enough. your boat is too small for the west coast of VI with full pacific ocean waves if that is what you want to do. its also too small for extended multi-day cruising. take this advice as you see it and try not to die when your boat gets slapped by the ocean.

 

[Gong Show]

Hi David,

Welcome to the forum and to boating in BC.

Your are being prudent with your decisions on your boat thus far.
I appreciate you sharing your journey with the forum.
Even in asking specific questions here, some will take that as permission to tell you how to spend your money. That said, this forum has a good signal to noise ratio.

Get yourself signed up with Power Squadron and ask us specific questions. Enjoy!

 

[profisher]

Get a kicker....too many things that can happen even to a new motor....hit a log at speed and breaking something, , kelp blocking water inlet causing an overheated engine that quits and won't restart...the list is long....a kicker is not just a trolling engine..it is insurance that will get you home...eventually without having to ask for help and ruin someone else's
day.