Striper vs Trophy

capt. crunch

capt. crunch

Member
What are the differences between a striper and a trophy? Pros/Cons Which do you like better and why?
Thanks for any input guys. Boat shopping fun and frustrating all at the same time.
 
Seaswirl put more quality into their boat's, there's nothing wrong with a Trophy
just not comparing apples to apples.
 
That's why I asked the question. Similar style but Stripers seem to sell for more. just wondering what the difference is.
 
Owned 2 Stripers (1851 OB, and 2600 Sport Cabin I/O) and one Bayliner 288 (same company as Trophy). Both are mass-produced boats - good in that mass-production keeps the cost down but these are not custom hand laid glass in a small production high quality shop. That said, both will suffer from quality control issues boat to boat, but both are large builders who tend to stand behind their products. Both offer a 10-year hull warranty.

One of the features that attracted me to the Striper was that the stringers are foam-cored not wood cored -- means no rot. Trophy have also moved to foam cored stringers in their more modern boats -- don't quote me but I think it was after about 2000.

Both boats are in the low to mid range price market and their features/fittings and comfort reflects that price point. For example, things like stainless railings will not generally be a welded solid piece, but use couplers and elbows and smaller diameter materials. Internal cabinets will be a lower grade material (generally laminated MDF or something similar) with adequate hardware -- but not top-end. If you look at either manufacturer in the past say 5-10 years, you will likely find some differences, but they won't but huge in terms of their build quality.

I'd say that around here, the Striper has the better reputation and as a result, higher resale value. That said, the Trophy/Bayliner tends to bring a bit more value for your dollar (either you can spend less, or get more boat for your money). Bayliner/Trophy had a reputation in the 80's and early 90's for some poor quality workmanship which has tended to stick to them like sh*t on a blanket. Both are fine hulls however and both will take you safely into our locals waters and can usually withstand more than the operator.

Striper's parent company Genmar went bankrupt in 2010 and they were sold at auction but are still making boats. Trophy is still owned by Brunswick who in turn own Mercury/Mercruiser so you will more often see those engines in those boats. Interesting, Brunswick also owns Boston Whaler and SeaRay. Both manufacturers have substantially cut down the number of hulls they are offering -- with Trophy only selling hulls in the 23' range and below. Striper still offer their 2901 but only in limited design (they had gone as large as a 3301 for one or two years, and made a fantastic 2901 pilothouse but it seems to be gone now). That's more a reflection of the market as that's where most of the sales of new boats are these days...

I'd suggest that both manufacturers make some excellent hulls, and both make some dogs. No question you will get some guys crapping on one hull or the other -- just understand the price and quality level that these boats are aimed at. These are the General Motors / Hyundai / Volkswagen equivalent of boats. Not the Mercedes/Acura/Infinity etc....
 
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10 mile has really nailed it. Between older trophies and older Stripers there were some quality differences, Stripers have a terrific hull design and were known for a better quality hull lay-up. Wiring still left lots to be desired and that has not changed. Trophys were known for a very mediocre hull lay-up and were considered an entry level boat with a thin hull. Since Striper was sold to Genmar, a lot of owners have complained about quality deterioration. I can`t really comment on Trophys since Brunswick separated them from the rest of the Bayliner line. I love my Striper, but I think its more about getting a decent quality platform and then customizing it the way you want. The hulls are quite different. You will find that Stripers are a very fine entry (really pointy bow) whereas the Trophys are wider across the bow and as a result have a slightly larger cuddy cabin for the same size(23`)

Personally I prefer my Striper to the Trophy design, but then again I am a little partial ;-)
 
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the 2301 Striper vrs the 23 trophy
a long story short , the smoothness in rough water is NON comparable ,
striper hands down blows it away , my neighbor and i have both
i upgraded almost every garbage part that striper had factory installed ,
absolutely love my ride now , i have had alot of compliments on how smooth she runs in bigger water,
far from the best boats on the market , but i have zero complaints
shes fishy...

m2b

fd
 
Would also add, that both lines have fantastic owner communities.

I am still an honorary member of the Striper Owner's Club (SOC) www.seastriper.com and an active member of the Bayliner Owner's Club (baylinerownersclub.org). I use the same username in both spots as here. Of the two, the SOC is a bit more friendly and personal in large part due to the organizer Dick as he tends to get to know each of the members. For engine help -- the BOC is very Mercruiser centric and the SOC is Volvo centric (and then almost every brand of OB). Some excellent resources in either spot that will willingly jump on any question you might have on any of the hulls, engines or anything else. Both organize local get togethers and I have attended one of the SOC ones, and made some great friends. The BOC scares me sometimes -- particularly when you read the threads about who's packing heat, where they store it, and what rounds it shoots - all good fun.
 
^^^^^ Remember you Tenmile from the Seastriper site. I use the same forum name as well. They are my first choice default on any related topic. I am on lots of 4x4 forums plus a few fishing/ boat forums.
Hands down Seastriper forum for Seaswirl boats is the gentle mans forum, lots of support. Kudos to BCSF forum, member helped with with an autopilot part Sunday from a post , nice to know you are in a community.
 
The Fog Ducker said:
the 2301 Striper vrs the 23 trophy
a long story short , the smoothness in rough water is NON comparable ,
striper hands down blows it away , my neighbor and i have both
i upgraded almost every garbage part that striper had factory installed ,
absolutely love my ride now , i have had alot of compliments on how smooth she runs in bigger water,
far from the best boats on the market , but i have zero complaints
shes fishy...

m2b

fd
Click to expand...
What do you consider to be "garbage" parts. What did you swap out?
 
I moved from an '03 Campion 542 to an '03 Striper 2101WA with an Alaskan Hardtop that I found in Oregon 2 years ago. The Striper was in great shape, but had several issues primarily related to lack of use over the past 10 years. I've (hopefully) gotten those resolved now, with a lot of assistance from the fine folks on the stripers.com forum and quite frankly can't say enough good about my striper. It's got a cuddly that I can sleep in (6'4") and cruises quite well at 28kts in seas that I was lucky to be able to deal with at 18 kts with my Campion. Two guys bringing in a fish on one side of the Campion - you were afraid you were going in the sea. Barely tilts the Striper. 400 litres of fuel provides a hell of a lot of range.
As others have said, the wiring on the Striper is a bit of a challenge, but it isn't crap...just requires a bit of patience and clean up.
Can't comment on the Trophy - but sure happy with my Striper!
 
Hey the trophy is a fine boat as long as you don't ride in the striper. You can find some great deals on them and generally speaking they all catch fish. The trophy will ride smoother than a lot of other boat but comparing a trophy to a striper is like a Kia to a ford IMO. If you have a budget to stay in you maybe able to buy a bigger trophy I would do that.
 
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Jeep09 said:
^^^^^ Remember you Tenmile from the Seastriper site. I use the same forum name as well. They are my first choice default on any related topic. I am on lots of 4x4 forums plus a few fishing/ boat forums.
Hands down Seastriper forum for Seaswirl boats is the gentle mans forum, lots of support. Kudos to BCSF forum, member helped with with an autopilot part Sunday from a post , nice to know you are in a community.
Click to expand...
Yep I remember 10 Mile on SOC (Stripers Owners Club) as well. was sad to see him go to the "dark side" but she's a spectacular looking Boat. A regular contributor on the SOC, and still pops in every now and then to say hi. I tried to use "Finaddict" on the Striper sight, but it was already taken. Had to settle on "Morfin" instead.

Apologies for the thread hi-jack......
 
Trophy's are known for thin hulls... Not all but some of them old ones are...That's why I generally have stayed away from them myself..... Tuff call but stripers definitely have higher resale value.
 
I own a 2004 trophy 2002 it's not the best quality boat, especially the gel coat, which is porous and has lots of little pin holes in certain areas many of the component are cheap and it has some design flaws. But for the price it’s unbeatable, my trophy can do everything I want it to and it catches fish just like a boat worth 5x its value. In terms of rough water ride, I usually give up way before the boat does. I have been out in some pretty rough stuff and have yet to feel unsafe. There are a lot of Trophy haters out there but if you’re on a budget there is nothing wrong with it, it’s still way better than shore casting :)
 
Captain PartyMarty said:
I own a 2004 trophy 2002 it's not the best quality boat, especially the gel coat, which is porous and has lots of little pin holes in certain areas many of the component are cheap and it has some design flaws. But for the price it’s unbeatable, my trophy can do everything I want it to and it catches fish just like a boat worth 5x its value. In terms of rough water ride, I usually give up way before the boat does. I have been out in some pretty rough stuff and have yet to feel unsafe. There are a lot of Trophy haters out there but if you’re on a budget there is nothing wrong with it, it’s still way better than shore casting :)
Click to expand...
CPM, I remember when I finally converted my old 1976 Hewescraft 18' Riverrunner to jet (total cost for everything, boat, motor, trailer and jet leg about 6 grand) and we were on the Fraser. I watched a beautiful 19' Thunderjet rumble past with its 350 Kodiak, and I was "jonesing" for a new jet boat. My buddy whowas with me asked what the hell I wanted that for, since I was standing on the same river and had access to the same locations and was catching all the same fish for about 1/10th the money. Ever since then, I have had no issue with budget craft that accomplish the same outcome. ;-)
 
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