looking for new boat ideas

[qzfisher]

Am looking for ideas/suggestions for a new boat for larger interior lakes and Kitimat chuck fishing. Kinda narrowed it down to Thunderjet Hawk 18 or 19/ RiverHawk 180 / Kingfisher 180/ Duckworth 18 or 19. Do not want any boats that have back seats. This is for fishing only blood guts hooks etc dont go well with seats and folded up they take up too much room. 80% trolling 20% flycasting/jigging bait casting. All suggestions will help make up my mind

[Sitkaspruce]

Cannot go wrong with any of them.

I had a Hewescraft 180 Searunner and really liked it. Not ton of room as I had the 36" bench seats, but loved the storage they provided, so it was a compromise.

Go for the extended transom if you really want the room, but the trade off is if you have a kicker, you will want to electric trim as it can be a PITA to pull your kicker up in a chop or following sea!!

I would never buy another "Tupperware" boat again, only tin for me!!

PM me if you have any questions.

Cheers

SS

[hutch]

I have a 20 foot thunder jet and love it, actually went to buy a hewescraft but once I saw how much more room and transom height the thunder jet had for 2000.00 more and bigger engine there was no comparison for comfort level in rough water. And 12 feet of deck space from front seats to transom.

[guest]

Do a pod if possible ....... Way more room on the dance floor for fun

[Rattler]

I have a pod on my 20' kingfisher and love it. Lots of room for fishing. Now if it just had a hardtop I would be super happy.

[qzfisher]

Like the idea of extended transom (pod) seems like Riverhawk gbx19 and the Thunderjets only have them. The option of having a fish storage ice container at the back of the boat makes sense. Seems that a 90 or 115 are the only power that comes stock with all these boats. Anyone familiar whether this is enough power with a couple/three guys and a couple dogs :)???

[Sitkaspruce]

I had a 115 yammy and it was plenty for two people, full tank, kicker and a boat loaded of gear, could cruise at 30 mph at 4200 rpm and top speed was around 41 at 5500, which is fast enough for me. I would have loved to put a 140 Zuk on it...but sold it before I could do that.

If you went with a 19-20', I would look at at least a 140+ as it is nice to have the extra power when you need it.

I ran a yammy 8HT kicker and it was more than enough to troll and even run the boat if the main died.

Cheers

SS

[Vladimir Poutine]

I wouldn't touch a Blunder Jet- lousy hulls, and no thought of their own into the product. They simply copy what someone else has done before them.

[Vladimir Poutine]

Like the idea of extended transom (pod) seems like Riverhawk gbx19 and the Thunderjets only have them. The option of having a fish storage ice container at the back of the boat makes sense. Seems that a 90 or 115 are the only power that comes stock with all these boats. Anyone familiar whether this is enough power with a couple/three guys and a couple dogs :)???

The Hewewscraft was the leader in extended transoms. Blunder jet copied by hanging a piece of aluminum off the stern, throwing some gussets on it and calling it an ET. Hewes extended the transom, but also the hull below the transom. BJet has copied it now. The 115HP is a standard on the 18' Hewes, but is rated for up to a 150. But how fast do you really want to go, especially on the chuck. I have an 18 Sea Runner with the 115 Yamaha, 9.9 kicker. It takes 140L of fuel. With 4 adults, dog and gear for a full day I can be on the step at 4200 RPM and am going 24 mph. That's with trim tabs. Comes standard with live bait well in stern (14" x 52") I use it as a bait/fish tub. Comes with a removable divider so bait can be kept separate from fish. I've stuffed a 64lb hali in with no problem. If I did it over again I might consider the 150 just cuz but keep in mind that's shitload of coin you're talking about. A new 150 Yamaha will run you somewhere over 20K.

[Rattler]

I have a 150 yammy on mine and with 5 guys it can comfortably cruise at 34mph. Lots of power but wouldn't want anything smaller. Has a 45gallon tank and a live well. The 9.9 kicker is great, although I recently started using a separate gas tank because the kicker's fuel pump was working too hard to pull the gas from the boats main tank.

[hutch]

Have a 115 on mine and wish I had gone bigger but will do mid 30's with 2 people and gear

[qzfisher]

Good idea Rattler will keep that in mind when i hook up my kicker. Will look more into Hewes Read some reviews about rough ride and seat comfort problems but may have been on older models. Also am retired so if it takes me awhile longer to get there no problem, know the extra HP becomes expensive.

[Vladimir Poutine]

Good idea Rattler will keep that in mind when i hook up my kicker. Will look more into Hewes Read some reviews about rough ride and seat comfort problems but may have been on older models. Also am retired so if it takes me awhile longer to get there no problem, know the extra HP becomes expensive.

The seats on my Hewes are the adjustable spring type. I'm no lightweight in the lardass department, and I don't bottom out when off the West Coast of VI. They have an air seat option but that's an extra K per seat. I honestly can't speak to other welded boat's rides as I bought the Hewes for it's layout and reviews. I'm real happy so far as it's a great fishing boat and all round lake boat that I can drag up on any beach.

You can get lots of good info here- including problems

http://www.hewescraftowners.com/

[scott h]

I have a 21 foot North River Sea Hawk with a Yamaha 150 and couldn't be happier with it. High sides and tons of open space at the back. I HATE boats that are loaded up with too much crap at the expense of fishing room. Both my fish boxes are built into the floor and and the seats are hydraulic. I've also set my Yamy hi thrust 8 up so it's controlled from the front. I've got a semi hard top that's fully open at the back so you are under cover for the rain but not cut off from your gear. I regularly fish with 3 or people and up to 5 with NO problems or crowding. It's also VERY easy on fuel compared to a glass boat.
I took a friend out one time who was very suprised that the ride was so smooth. He went out then and bought a 20 foot Sea hawk with a Honda 130 and loves it.

[qzfisher]

been looking at hewes searunner 18 and 19. looks like a nice ride. lots of room for fishing. trying to find dealers with prices. think the 19 is a new design. anyone know of canadian dealers. Clemens in Oregon has a good inventory but u.s. dollars killing us up here

[Sitkaspruce]

Galleon used to, thats where my boat came from, but now they just carry HC.

If you are going to use it in more open water on the ocean, I would look at the 20'ET. A buddy has that boat it was night and day difference in comparison of the fishing room between our 2 boats.

I really liked our boat, but I had 2 footitis after the first year......and you will too!!!

Any of the Welded boats will do you, the Duckworth is a really nice boat, but also more $$$ than most. I really liked the Northriver Seahawk as a great fishing boat. Another buddy really likes his Alumaweld in a 20'. The Kingfisher/Harbourcraft are built in BC and have a great rep. Also, there is Silverstreak boats in Sooke, one of my favourites, and a really nice boat built in Courtenat is Wolf Boats, they are sweet boats built like a tank for BC oceans. Both will be more than the Hewes, but they are not cookie cutter boats either.

Go to this site, a ton of good info on all the different boats.

www.ifish.com

Cheers

SS

[Vladimir Poutine]

been looking at hewes searunner 18 and 19. looks like a nice ride. lots of room for fishing. trying to find dealers with prices. think the 19 is a new design. anyone know of canadian dealers. Clemens in Oregon has a good inventory but u.s. dollars killing us up here

Don't know where you reside but when I ordered my Hewes I found the best deal at Boathouse Marine in Salmon Arm. The dealers in the LM were to put it bluntly assholes. We ordered the boat in April of 2011 and got it in late June. We had been provided with a 2010 price list from the dealer and when we ordered the $ had risen since the winter. They took that into account when we ordered. Things are the reverse now, so if you can find a boat on the lot that suits your needs then use that to your advantage. If the boat was built and shipped when the $ was closer then you should not pay the extra now that the $ is lower.

I have a Sea Runner and couldn't be happier. The new design has some extras that are pretty nice. There are some decent used out there, but like any aluminum boat used in salt watch for corrosion. It's going to happen no matter what you do or how well you take care of the boat.

[Ride Red]

Don't be afraid to look at Thunderjet boats, well built with great fit, finish and ride quality.

[qzfisher]

getting prices on TJ's. Like the hewes 18et and 19et. see one for sale in maple ridge for 35 with 115/kicker gps/ff etc. trying to stay around the 32-38 range but difficult with TJ's. Boat show coming up so maybe good prices then or good trade ins available. anyone know of someone upgrading and has something good available let me know

[Ride Red]

You get what you pay for. I have a Thunderjet jet boat and am really happy with it. I've been through their factory and they have state of the art equipment and the welds are top notch. They are the only company where the reverse chine actually has 3 points of weld making this vulnerable spot a lot stronger(mainly for jet boats). Here's a beauty to look at;
http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/bod/4779114555.htmlg Don't be in a rush to buy, do your homework and I'm sure the right boat will stand out for you, no matter the brand. Make sure you don't buy a shallow entry boat as it will pound the piss out of you going through the chop. I just sold my other boat that I used for big water which had an 18 degree entry and it cut through the waves making a nice smooth ride. Nothing more tiring and frustrating than a rough ride.

[emerson]

My brother uses a Crestliner 1850 Commander on Great Slave Lake with a 150. Bought it for the east coast when he retires. He is very happy with it, and other the the addition of trim tabs has not changed much. We have been out multiple times with 3 guys all day, quite comfortable. He got it from Free Spirit Marine in Edmonton, best price country wide at the time.

[fuzzybiscuit]

...and a really nice boat built in Courtenay is Wolf Boats, they are sweet boats built like a tank for BC oceans.

SS


I had a 17 foot Wolf Welded aluminum with the extended transom and a 115 Yammy. Great boat and I couldn't say enough good things about them.

I'd look into the present situation at Wolf before plunking a bunch of money down to have a new boat built though. The owner has had a few legal problems and there was talk that the shop may be shutting down for a bit while he was sorting them out.

[qzfisher]

yur correct ride red. will take my time and be sure. definitely going to boat show and look at the top three or four and hopefully some of them will be at false creek on the water. I have to keep in mind that 90% of my fishing will be on interior lakes. 75% of the time trolling

[Sitkaspruce]

Go to the Seattle Boat show to see ALL boat makers.

This was going to be our next boat. Amazing stable boat for fishing, diving, swimming etc. The deck space was bigger than any other boat we were interested in for the same size. We wanted to do a sea trial, but the weather was not co-operating.

http://www.stabicraft.com/Default.aspx

These guys also had a very nice boat.

http://www.motionmarine.com/modeloverview.asp

This is why you need to go to Seattle as there is so many boats to go look at and compare.

Cheers

SS

[qzfisher]

Bit the Bullet Bought a Thunderjet Falcon 21 Limited Edition. Yamaha 150/9.9/2106's/Elite 5
would post a photo but dont know how

[Franko Manini]

Bit the Bullet Bought a Thunderjet Falcon 21 Limited Edition. Yamaha 150/9.9/2106's/Elite 5
would post a photo but dont know how

Awesome boats. I have the same boat in a 20' (that's the biggest rig I could put in the parking spot I have at home). You will be blown away with the hull design the first time you do a tight turn at speed. These things track like they are on rails.

[qzfisher]

Ended up buying a 2015 Thunderjet Falcon 21 Limited Edition from River City in Abbotsford. 150 Yamaha along with 9.9 high thrust. scotty 2106's
came with it/tandem trailer etc. Damn near broke me but think it will be worth it. Maiden voyage will be Shuswap at Easter cant wait. thanks for all the input Guys.:)

[1/2 slam]

Have a look at the Silverstreak boat line out of Sooke. They had 2 at the tradex. The 17 footer looked awesome