PDA

View Full Version : Boat suggestions, with in reason



zaconb
12-11-2006, 05:25 PM
What would be your choice for a fishing rig for the Vancouver area? The only requirements, it should be able to be pulled behind a mid size SUV and not a Mack truck :lol:

MB_Boy
12-11-2006, 10:01 PM
zacon.....a few things to take into account.

Are you using it for fresh or saltwater fishing?

Do you want something just as a day fisher or overnighter?

Do you want a head on board?

Inboard or outboard?

How many people do you want to have space for?

You catch my drift.........there are a lot of questions to determine exactly what you want for your needs.

When I have some time tomorrow I will find some links on some local fishing forums that have gone through this exact question. Lots of answers and points to take into consideration.

Oh......and welcome to the forum! :smile:

MB_Boy
12-12-2006, 09:35 AM
Rick......here are a few links to some West Coast fishing forums. You may have to join to view them as I am not sure if you can as a guest??

These threads are all talking primarily about buying a boat for the saltwater and things to look for and take into account.

http://www.bcfishingreports.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2066

http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4819

http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4903

The following post is from the same guy as above on another site.

http://fishing.anglingbc.com/forum/index.cfm?frm=1&tpc=2805

And one last one.

http://fishbcforum.com/index.php?showtopic=29542&hl=buy+boat

Oh.....and just remembered about this one.....just a few comments about buying a boat for the central coast of BC.

http://huntshoot.coastangler.com/hunting/showthread.php?t=9394


There are a ton of dealers out here and I would suggest once you get out here a good publication to pick up just to get lists of BC boat dealers is the boat trader. There are plenty of sources to look in the lower mainland and over on the island but at least in the "trader" you can find a number of dealers and most have websites to view the boats.

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask any questions as there are few other guys who spend a lot of time out in the salt on here.

Now........if you are looking for more of a fresh water boat.....a lot of the above threads may not be all that helpful. :oops: :wink:

zaconb
12-12-2006, 10:44 AM
MB_Boy
Thanks a bunch, and to answer some of your questions:
I would like to have a boat I could do both salt and fresh water. But I do not know what your fresh water entails or if I should bother. I know my wife is leaning towards something we could have another couple on for the day, which will mean having a head maybe a small v-berth, I'm guessing in the 24-26 foot range. I on the other hand would love to get a center console in the same length range. When I lived in P.E.I. I ran a 24-foot Boston whaler with a 90hp, a little underpowered but it was a good boat. Here I have ran everything from a 22 foot bass boat with a 150hp, to my recent boat a 17 foot tracker with a 40 that I use for small water Bass and Musky fishing. Again I do not know what your freshwater fishing is like and if I should bother having a boat to do it.
Thanks
Rick

MB_Boy
12-12-2006, 11:05 AM
Rick....

In the lower mainland the "bulk" of the freshwater fishing you are going to do is river fishing and the rivers are always changing due to run off etc. 24 to 26 would likely just be too big for the loca rivers, but perhaps one of the "river folks" can comment. I just fished on the Fraser for my first time this year and it was in a 16' jet and it is a tricky river to navigate.

Again if you were wanting to head up to the interior a 24 or 26 may be a bit big on some of the lakes but there are some larger lakes such as Shuswap, Okanagan etc. The biggest issue would be towing a boat of that size up to these lakes as you have a pretty good elevation climb to get out of the lower mainland. We pulled a 20' Zeta (local boat maker) up to to Shuswap lake near Salmon Arm BC with a friends V-8 Yukon and it was a good haul getting it up the Coquihala.

I spend 99.99% of my time out in the saltwater. There are a lot of good boats out here and many good ones manufactured out here on the coast. I would recommend something with a good deep-V and a solid hull as there is a LOT of crap that floats in the water out here due to the logging industry. With the tides pulling wood/logs/stumps and debris all over the place you can run into a lot of crap including the logs that break free from booms being towed by the tugs.

Another thing to bear in mind is you are making a good call on having a boat you can trailer as moorage can be a lot of $$$ and difficult to find.

A good sturdy hull construction and a deep V are a couple of the key things I would look for that are more West Coast specific. If you are staying in local waters around Vancouver you can get by with a smaller boat, but it can get snotty. If you were considering doing day trips over to the inside of Van Island you may want to look at something at least 20' as it can blow up pretty well crossing the Strait.

I think the biggest thing you would want to take into consideration is the layout that suits you and your wife the best....budget.......and take into account a few points with hull construction etc and then go from there. Feel free to ask away either on here or via PM. I would also recommend chatting with some local folks who have some experience out on the salt water out here. Those fishing forums can be a good resource as well.

When are you looking at the possibility of heading out this way?

Scott

zaconb
12-12-2006, 11:17 AM
Thanks again,
My next question is do you think the fresh water fishing is worth changing my boat selection. Most of my fresh water fishing could be done with a fly rod, which would eliminate the need for the boat. Dragging a boat through your mountains is something I will not be attempting and realistically why would I bother when I have the ocean!!! I like the idea of a larger sea worthy vessel that I could drop in the water around Vancouver and head out.
I will know this week end if the move is on and I would be relocating before the spring. I am heading to the Bahamas to fish for two weeks over Christmas so when I get back from that trip everything should be in order!
One other question; Fiberglass or aluminum, this might be a strange question as I would have thought to go with fiberglass but it seems like there are a lot of great boats built on your coast in aluminum.
Cheers
Rick

MB_Boy
12-12-2006, 11:32 AM
Rick,

The aluminums "new" are pretty costly but you may be able to find some good pricing on a used one. They are definitely very solid and built for the west coast. Fiberglass is fine as the bulk of the boats out here are fiberglass, but take a good look at the core construction of the boat. Not to offend anyone on this board there are some makes out there that I may steer away from.:wink: The logs/debris can do a great deal of damage to yoru hull, but they can wreak even more havoc on the leg of your engine.

IMHO, if you wanted to fish in the valley (fresh water) you can access plenty of great salmon fishing by hiking along the Fraser, Vedder, Chilliwack river etc. I think for trout up in the interior you could easily get away on a lot of the good trout lakes with a belly boat or a pontoon boat.

Out in the salt a 24 or 26 would be awesome for both fishing and crusing. A cuddy would give you the ability to do some exploring and do some overnight or couple of day trips here and there. There is beautiful cruising through myriads of islands etc that most people comment is the best in the US and Canada. Very different from the east coast. There are moorages on all sorts of islands from the south end of Vancouver Island right up to the Northern part of the island....all between Van Island and the mainlaind so you are not exposed to the West side (rough side) of Vancouver Island. All of these areas are accessible from launching in Vancouver and in calm weather you can be across to the Gulf Islands within about 2-2 1/2 hours very easily.

So much I could tell you, but it is a boaters paradise out here in the saltwater.

zaconb
12-12-2006, 11:39 AM
Thanks for all the information, if this all becomes reality maybe I’ll have to enlist your help when I’m out there during my selection process. Over a few cool ones of course :lol:
You and other members of this board have convinced me that B.C. is the place for me!! So much so I’ve already purchased the digital marine charts for my Sonar/GPs and my hand held VHF/GPS :twisted:
Cheers
Rick

MB_Boy
12-12-2006, 11:42 AM
Well keep me posted Rick.......

I'll lend a hand wherever possible.

Good luck with the fishing down south over the holidays!

Scott

abbyfireguy
12-22-2006, 03:03 PM
I got a very good deal on my boat 3 years ago in Washington State...If you are looking for better selection and price go south...Our American cousins replace their boats every couple of years so there's alway great deals on fairly new boats down there.I'll try and post a picture of my boat,hope it attaches..

http://www.bcfishingreports.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=784&g2_serialNumber=2

BigD
12-22-2006, 03:42 PM
They can be hard to find but an aluminum rivetted Starcraft Islander sounds like it fits all your requirements. Go to Starcraftmarine.com and click on showroom and then islander. The boat is big enough for the saltchuck but light enough to tow into the mountains, has a cuddy, and can be turned into a fishing machine. They are popular out east but a guy I knew in Victoria took one out to Port Renfrew all the time and it was fine, also he they are apparently extremely tough, and cheap on gas because of the low weight. they are also quite a nice looking vessel. Does it sound like I want one? You bet.

you can find used in WA state for under $10,000

emkul
12-22-2006, 08:57 PM
I have a 19' campion center console i'm parting with it's a 2001 model bought new in 02 115 yamaha four stroke 8 hp yamaha four stroke kicker power down riggers garmin sounder standard horizion chart plotter vhf sterio and a bunch of other stuff about 34,000 rep cost asking 21,000 obo