seeking advise on open water fishing boat

[puphood1]

Well it is getting close to retirement time for me and the wife and I would like to spend a lot of it out fishing. So I am starting my quest for a boat.
I would appreciate any advise on what one should look for in a well equiped salt water ready 22-34 footer open water fishing boat? This would include makes, electronic equip.,fishing gear, outboard vs inboard. This will undoubtable produce more questions later.....puphood1

[wolverine]

Sweet Jesus man! A 34 foot open fishing boat??? :shock:Really??:shock: Weld two herring skiffs together.

[7mag700]

Grady White without question. Suzuki four-stroke power.

7m7

[vanislehunter1]

Well, it depends. if you have no spending limit, go get a custom-made eagle craft. can't go wrong with that!! there are also other boats, like the sea sport. those are good, solid boats. a little on the pricey side but cheaper than an eagle craft. http://www.seasportboats.com/alaskanpilot.php that's my favourite looking boat. Now, it depends on whether you want comfort, or you want an all out fishing machine. if you want a mix of both, go for this one: 28ft. http://www.seasportboats.com/commander.php There are also the C-dorys. www.c-dory.com They are great in the water and sip fuel. There are also the mid- priced silver streak aluminum boats. those are also good as well. www.silverstreakboats.com Here they are, make your choice.:smile:

Now for engines, all i've gotta say is either an evinrude e-tec, or a honda. inboards, well ya cant go wrong with a volvo diesel.


electronics: so many choices. if you've got the money, pick up a raymarine combination unit, you won't be sorry.:wink: If money's tighter, look at a Lowrance HDX - 8 or similiar. For a Radar, I would again suggest the raymarine. but there is also Furuno, which is a great one, or a JRC radar, for 1500 bucks.

Whatever you do, make sure you do tons of research, this is an investment, a very large one. but it will pay off with years of great fishing. Post pics when you buy!!!!

[puphood1]

Well, it depends. if you have no spending limit, go get a custom-made eagle craft. can't go wrong with that!! there are also other boats, like the sea sport. those are good, solid boats. a little on the pricey side but cheaper than an eagle craft. http://www.seasportboats.com/alaskanpilot.php that's my favourite looking boat. Now, it depends on whether you want comfort, or you want an all out fishing machine. if you want a mix of both, go for this one: 28ft. http://www.seasportboats.com/commander.php There are also the C-dorys. www.c-dory.com (http://www.c-dory.com) They are great in the water and sip fuel. There are also the mid- priced silver streak aluminum boats. those are also good as well. www.silverstreakboats.com (http://www.silverstreakboats.com) Here they are, make your choice.:smile:

Now for engines, all i've gotta say is either an evinrude e-tec, or a honda. inboards, well ya cant go wrong with a volvo diesel.


electronics: so many choices. if you've got the money, pick up a raymarine combination unit, you won't be sorry.:wink: If money's tighter, look at a Lowrance HDX - 8 or similiar. For a Radar, I would again suggest the raymarine. but there is also Furuno, which is a great one, or a JRC radar, for 1500 bucks.

Whatever you do, make sure you do tons of research, this is an investment, a very large one. but it will pay off with years of great fishing. Post pics when you buy!!!!

Thanks will look into it. Also they sound like alternatives to what I was looking at. Started looking this winter and was thinking used 10-15 years in US dollars 20-35K Grady White, Pursuit, Striker....puphood1

[lilhoss]

Double Eagle boats are my favs.16 ft right up to the 23 ft mark.Outboard Yamahas for sure.If you go really big,and have to trailer it,then be wary of your truck size.Buddy of mine has an oyster farming business for years and swears by the Yamahas.Happy fishing !!

[Buck]

God i'm gonna love this thread

[Salty]

Bloody hell, where do I start to explain my other uncontrollable fetish :confused:

High speed deep V quality boats like Grady White, Skagit Orca, Pursuit, Sea Sport and the like are the most comfortable way to get there fast. Fast costs. Big time. Even with a good 4 stroke outboard (which is the only way to go in this class of boat IMO) or twins of the same you're going to be burning around 6 to 10 galons of fuel an hour for anything over 20 feet. And boats like this suck at going slow, like 12 knots which is what you want to do when you get really caught in some nasty stuff.

For a trailer boat for retirement I think I'd be going with something with less radical V shape, which burns much less fuel and behaves very well in bad seas at slow speed. Something along the lines of a C Dory (but I'd install a skeg), Arima or some old Hourstons and K and C hulls that aren't "deep V". For whatever reason there's not many boats built this way anymore. ..

[Piperdown]

North West Aluminium, have one and absolutely love it. ole Doug will make what ever you want, no two boats the same!

[SAVAGE300]

What ever boat you choose, just make sure its a deep v and beemy with lots of draft

[RJ]

34 foot is absolutely massive out of the water. My old man has a 28 foot Grady with twin Yamaha outboards, and it is huge. Grady makes an amazing fishing boat, but the thing holds a thousand dollars in fuel, and burns 16 gallons an hour cruising. He ended up getting it out of Florida, saved about 40 grand, even with the exchange and haul to get it up here. And then of course needed a new diesel to haul it for the fishing trips. I think he planned that out right from the start.

[Johnnybear]

Without knowing all your particulars and knowing that you are looking a used (smart). I would look seriously at a Sea Sport. They have a forward sloping windshield which means tons of roof space for inflatable etc. They are one of the oldest family owned fiberglass boat companies around. They only make so many a year and are quality built. They seem to hold their value quite well. I have crawled around in quite a few of them and they are build tuff for a glass boat.

If I wasn't such an aluminum type guy and I had an itch to buy a glass boat the Sea Sport would be it hands down.

IMO some other must's for an open ocean boat.

Self bailing cockpit or decks
Positive floatation
Low center of gravity
A deadrise that makes the boat steady at rest and fishing and will allow planing at slower speeds.
Powered accordingly for performance (i.e enought to keep planing on the way in with 3-4 people with all your gear, coolers, ice, fish, etc.).
Good windows like Diamond SeaGlaze etc.
Trim tabs (absolute must)
Out board on a pod preferred to an inboard (I don't like holes in the hull).
And one last quick one enough cockpit space to hold coolers, traps, and other gear and still have room to walk around them all.

Good luck in your search for a boat. Keep us posted.

Jb

[Salty]

What ever boat you choose, just make sure its a deep v and beemy with lots of draft

I couldn't disagree more. Unless you're talking a displacement hull designed for 8 knots. But unless a guy owns a 5 ton commercial truck I wouldn't call that boat very trailerable.

No offence offered here, its the mainstream view. You need a deep V planing boat for the ocean! On a decent day for sure, I'm there. But I'll still be pissed at coughing up huge bucks for the fuel. And when it gets real nasty the smart deep V owners are long gone and at home. And if not, you have a boat that has to stick its nose way up between about 7 knots and 14 knots to get on plane. Try that noncence when you need to creep along in huge seas. BTDT.

Almost all of the old designs, say pre 1950 had flatter sections aft. And as low as 25% beam to length ratios and few over about one third. This style doesn't need to "get out of the hole". It just steadily increases speed tracking straight. No, you can't knife through small chop and do 30 knots like the ubiquidous deep V does. But you can dangle along comfortabley at moderate speeds in good or bad weather.

I'm well aware that I'm going against the grain here. Look at the boat shops, they're mainly high powered deep V hulls. They're just not my bag.

There's some good aluminum builders that make old school hull types like I'm talking about. Lifetimer in Duncan, Broadwater in Prince Rupert to name a couple make boats with shallow sections aft. (Less than 12 degrees or so V at the stern is what I'm talking here.) If you want to check out some nutzo seaworth boats google Bartender or browse old plans and comentary from the Atkins plans for old rescue boats.

OK, rant off :p

[Johnnybear]

I couldn't disagree more. Unless you're talking a displacement hull designed for 8 knots. But unless a guy owns a 5 ton commercial truck I wouldn't call that boat very trailerable.

No offence offered here, its the mainstream view. You need a deep V planing boat for the ocean! On a decent day for sure, I'm there. But I'll still be pissed at coughing up huge bucks for the fuel. And when it gets real nasty the smart deep V owners are long gone and at home. And if not, you have a boat that has to stick its nose way up between about 7 knots and 14 knots to get on plane. Try that noncence when you need to creep along in huge seas. BTDT.

Almost all of the old designs, say pre 1950 had flatter sections aft. And as low as 25% beam to length ratios and few over about one third. This style doesn't need to "get out of the hole". It just steadily increases speed tracking straight. No, you can't knife through small chop and do 30 knots like the ubiquidous deep V does. But you can dangle along comfortabley at moderate speeds in good or bad weather.

I'm well aware that I'm going against the grain here. Look at the boat shops, they're mainly high powered deep V hulls. They're just not my bag.

There's some good aluminum builders that make old school hull types like I'm talking about. Lifetimer in Duncan, Broadwater in Prince Rupert to name a couple make boats with shallow sections aft. (Less than 12 degrees or so V at the stern is what I'm talking here.) If you want to check out some nutzo seaworth boats google Bartender or browse old plans and comentary from the Atkins plans for old rescue boats.

OK, rant off :p

Rant on Salty. The public is forced down the throat with magazines and ad's with deep v this and deep v that attitude and is mostly aimed at the rich who can afford the fuel.

Good post and I fully agree. My boat is designed as a Sportsfisher made after a Commercial design. My aft deadrise is around 12 degrees with a delta planing pad build into it. I have never measured my bow (or entry degrees) as it is usually out of the water anyways. I can trim down in chop and plow through quite comfortably.

The big thing with my fishing boat is the stability at rest(i.e. fishing:roll:) that impresses me the most. You cant get that with a super deep V design. I can walk with 2 others to each side of the boat depending on what side the fish or traps are on and notice barely any roll in the vessel.

I love the C-Dory design and I would highly recommend them to those that are fuel mizers. I almost bought a brand new one just for that reason. I endend up finding this very rare aluminum hull design in the States and purchased it instead because of the self bailing decks and I am rough on stuff:redface:.

[boxhitch]

I've often wondered how the trade-off works , when it comes to fuel costs.
Is consumption directly rated to speed ?
High speed = 3times the cost but is it 1/3 the time ?
Is a 6 hr cruise actually half the fuel of a 3 hr. speed run, given the different boat types ?

I talked to one guy with a Bell Bouy and twin v8s. "Time is money" so he had to get out and back in fast.

[Salty]

Sounds like a cool boat you've got there Johnny. ..

Back to boxhitch. All boats have a sweet spot for the best fuel economy. To figure it out you need to figure out how much fuel you're burning at various rpms. Then gps your speed at the various rpms and convert that to miles per gallon.

For instance the Sea Lion, a 30 foot ex troller that a buddy owns has a 453 Jimmy in it. At 2000rpm you can push her a little over 8 knots or close to 9 miles per hour. At that it burns over 2 galons an hour.(4.5 miles per gallon) Slack her back to 1500rpm and she goes around 7 knots but only burns 1 galon per hour, (7 to 8 miles per gallon) So its a no brainer we loose the noise, sit at 1400 to 1500 and get there a little slower with waaaay better fuel economy.

Its the same kind of deal with any speed boat I've been around too. Usually at say 60 to 80 percent of top rpm you will find the sweet spot. After that you gain a little speed but it costs up to twice the fuel to turn the engine near or at full throttle. ..

[boxhitch]

I guess my point wasn't clear
I am trying to get a handle on the comparison of the two hull types in relation to economy.
The trawler style has a slower speed and lower fuel burn rate, and is down in the water.
The v hull planer type has a higher speed and higher burn rate but less resistance once on the step.
Can't hope to get 4 times the speed with 4 times the fuel, but have been interested in the relation.

When I finally get my boat, it will be old school takes all day to get there type, because I will have all day.

[dryflyguy57]

I have a 22 foot C-Dory and like Salty said , in rougher seas just slow down and the ride is fine to a point . Nice to be covered while cruising for my gang . Good on fuel with a 90 horse Honda and a nine horse kicker . Check out C-Brats on -line . First Dory that I have had and really enjoy the boat .

[Buck]

Lost of interesting points so far.Changed my line of thinking.Particularly hull design and rough water a Delta type hull seems a good choice i would have thought deep V was the way to go.So if i understand correctly with a Delta type hull it is easier to get on plain with less motor yet still a very seaworthy boat.What size of boat would be a good minimum for 10 or 20 miles of the west side of the island? Good to hear the differant points of view.I knew i would love this thread.

[Johnnybear]

Lost of interesting points so far.Changed my line of thinking.Particularly hull design and rough water a Delta type hull seems a good choice i would have thought deep V was the way to go.So if i understand correctly with a Delta type hull it is easier to get on plain with less motor yet still a very seaworthy boat.What size of boat would be a good minimum for 10 or 20 miles of the west side of the island? Good to hear the differant points of view.I knew i would love this thread.

I am by no means an expert on hull design. I do know that my current boat was built for a fellow to run Tuna out of Newport Oregon and had it built for that purpose. He used to run upto 50 miles offshore with it. I have been to the outerbanks of WCVI about 5 times with her with zero problems. She does get on a plane fast and is rock steady while fishing. I dug up a photo that the previous owner sent me as she was being built.

You can see the delta planing pad that runs about 4 feet or so (I've never measured) up the hull and tapers to a point.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/misc272.jpg

The entry is sufficient enough for cutting wave etc.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/misc029.jpg

It is a very veratile hull design. She's quite a bit cheaper than a really deep vee. My buddy runs a 23' Striper with 22 degrees deadrise out back. When we both leave the same launch and both fish the same grounds for the same time and come in. His fuel bill is around 250 and mine is around 200. We both run Honda 225's. My boat is a bit lighter than his glass boat as well which probably helps a bit.

[JRG94]

king fisher or eagle with twin yamaha's or merc verados

[puphood1]

Thanks for all the input fella's.
Have all ready learnt a few new things and will be compareing options more carefully now with those in mind. The cost at retirement becomes a big factor in my case and my looking at boats. I still need lots more ideas to ponder though. How big a boat (min.)to get off shore and back comfortably say 10-20 miles and what about power needed.? Twins? Kicker? Make of motors Honda vs Yam. ect reliability and serviceing by dealers? Advantivages of Glass vs Aluminium? more input please I need more to mull over........puphood1

[Salty]

Hard questions to give a firm answer on pup', but for instance I'd take this 20 footer with a 50hp outboard offshore on a decent day and I'd be more comfy than the common 24 foot deep V boats with 3 times the horsepower.

http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/7816727/sn/1187233319/name/n_a

Its a bartender. Its got a healthy amount of deep V shape up front to knife through the slop, then tapers to an almost flat shape to the bottom aft. And as you can see the boat is double ended (pointy at both ends) so a following sea causes you virtually no trouble at all. These aren't a production boat, but built with marine ply and glassed in epoxy. If you google bartender you will find Bill's site where he sells plans and frame kits in Washington state. They are done in different lengths up to 26 feet which would need way more power than a 50 but man, there is a seaboat. Alaska here we come, no problemo. ..

For production boats, there's lots of deep V boats that would get you there OK. But you probably have figured out that I won't recommend any. :lol:

Production boats I would consider though are some of the Lifetimer offshore models, Broadwater in Rupert, Silverstreak in Sooke. All aluminum builders that offer some boats that have flatter stern sections. I'd probably want 22 feet plus of this type. For glass the C Dorys, and Arima in the 19 or so foot lentghts would be good bets for offshore use. Of course there's nothing wrong with going bigger in any of these. It will just cost you a lot more fuel.

[Sitkaspruce]

Tuperware boats ride nice, have a nice smooth finish, have that "warmth" feeling about them, but are more upkeep, and you do need to "baby" them a little bit.
Beer can boats are rougher looking and riding, colder feeling, lighter and are not always the greatest finish, but you can beach them and bang them around and are very low maintenance.

I have owned both, drove both and I personally will never go back to a Tuperware boat. I love my Welded Aluminum 18' w/ a yammy 115, She can run 60 miles, fish for 8-10 hours trolling the yammy 8 HT kicker and when gas was $1.50, she cost me ~$60 a day. No, she is not an offshore boat, but on those nice days when I do go, she has no problem. I fish Winter Harbour a lot and the Highway is only 5 miles off the beach.

I already have 2 foot itis and the wife says that when the truck is paid off, I can start looking for another boat.

Are you experienced in running offshore?? If not then I would suggest that you spend sometime out there, as it is a completely different world than inshore. You might find that you do not really enjoy not seeing land and bobing around in 10-15' swells might not be your cup of tea.

In what ever you choose, make sure that it fits your needs and then some, as most people who buy a boat usually want something bigger right away....like me:eek::smile:.

Check out there two sites, there is a ton of info out there

www.ifish.com (http://www.ifish.com) - great site that has tons of info on offshore fishing for tuna and such on the west coast. JB bought a boat from a guy on that site.

www.thehulltruth.com (http://www.thehulltruth.com) - any and everything you need to know about boats is here. Electronics, motors boat and hull designs etc.

Have fun and good luck on your choice...

Cheers

SS

[Johnnybear]

Tuperware boats ride nice, have a nice smooth finish, have that "warmth" feeling about them, but are more upkeep, and you do need to "baby" them a little bit.
Beer can boats are rougher looking and riding, colder feeling, lighter and are not always the greatest finish, but you can beach them and bang them around and are very low maintenance.

I have owned both, drove both and I personally will never go back to a Tuperware boat. I love my Welded Aluminum 18' w/ a yammy 115, She can run 60 miles, fish for 8-10 hours trolling the yammy 8 HT kicker and when gas was $1.50, she cost me ~$60 a day. No, she is not an offshore boat, but on those nice days when I do go, she has no problem. I fish Winter Harbour a lot and the Highway is only 5 miles off the beach.

I already have 2 foot itis and the wife says that when the truck is paid off, I can start looking for another boat.

Are you experienced in running offshore?? If not then I would suggest that you spend sometime out there, as it is a completely different world than inshore. You might find that you do not really enjoy not seeing land and bobing around in 10-15' swells might not be your cup of tea.

In what ever you choose, make sure that it fits your needs and then some, as most people who buy a boat usually want something bigger right away....like me:eek::smile:.

Check out there two sites, there is a ton of info out there

www.ifish.com (http://www.ifish.com) - great site that has tons of info on offshore fishing for tuna and such on the west coast. JB bought a boat from a guy on that site.

www.thehulltruth.com (http://www.thehulltruth.com) - any and everything you need to know about boats is here. Electronics, motors boat and hull designs etc.

Have fun and good luck on your choice...

Cheers

SS

Great post.

Off topic: is that you and your boat in this months Island Angler newsletter? There is a photo in the what salt water gear worked in 08 that looks like your boat.

puphood1 if your looking into aluminum Sitkaspruce pointed out the main benifits of beaching banging them around etc.(I don't even have bumpers on my boat the wharf says ouch first:-D). Another good one is they are easily recyclable. If you are looking into the aluminum thing check out this site. A great bunch of guys that own all kinds of aluminum boats. Alot of builders post up as well and it is full of information about aluminum boats.

http://www.aluminumalloyboats.com/

[Johnnybear]

http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/7816727/sn/1187233319/name/n_a

Its a bartender.

Hey Salty. I really like those bartenders now that I found this......

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2224262286738811810&ei=uigoSsnYCJ7WqAOzxZiPCQ&q=bartender+boat+aluminum

Now that's my cup of tea:grin:

[Salty]

Cool video Johnny I'd like to see that sucker in some sea. Mind you its house is pretty ugly :???:

These boats were invented to get out from the Columbia bar in Oregon. A nasty stretch of shallow delta. Plans for marine ply expoxy glass construction are still available. And as your vid shows they can be done in aluminum without much trouble :cool:

http://www.bartenderboats.com/

[Johnnybear]

Cool video Johnny I'd like to see that sucker in some sea. Mind you its house is pretty ugly :???:

These boats were invented to get out from the Columbia bar in Oregon. A nasty stretch of shallow delta. Plans for marine ply expoxy glass construction are still available. And as your vid shows they can be done in aluminum without much trouble :cool:

http://www.bartenderboats.com/

That Columbia bar is a nasty one. Makes Nitinat look like a playground (Although many a boat have sunk at the Nitinat).

I love these C-Dory shots at the Columbia bar!!!!!!!

http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014358.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014358&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

This one was was desktop for the longest time:-).
http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014414.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014414&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

Yahoo!!!!!!!!!

Serious pucker factor going on.

http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014421.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014421&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

Gotta love the name of that boat.

http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014463.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014463&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

Who says a flat bottomed boat can't handle sea's???
http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014508.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014508&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

You have to be an ocean fisherman to appreciate the "Salty" look of these boats. If I were to own glass it would probably be a Sea Sport or a C-Dory
http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014535.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014535&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

I was so close to buying one of these new from Port Boat House it wasn't funny. I looked the night before buying it on ifish and saw the Edwing for sale and bought it on the spot. If I hadn't I would be fishing a 22' angler C-Dory right now!

[proguide66]

4 stroke power without a question....NON electric start for a kicker...if its a serious sport fishing boat , try to get a cuddy walkaround so the angler can follow the fish all the way around the boat with the rod....good luck !

[Dannybuoy]

That Columbia bar is a nasty one. Makes Nitinat look like a playground (Although many a boat have sunk at the Nitinat).

I love these C-Dory shots at the Columbia bar!!!!!!!

http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014358.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014358&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

This one was was desktop for the longest time:-).
http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014414.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014414&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

Yahoo!!!!!!!!!

Serious pucker factor going on.

http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014421.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014421&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

Gotta love the name of that boat.

http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014463.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014463&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

Who says a flat bottomed boat can't handle sea's???
http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014508.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014508&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

You have to be an ocean fisherman to appreciate the "Salty" look of these boats. If I were to own glass it would probably be a Sea Sport or a C-Dory
http://www.c-brats.com/albums/album362/070324_014535.sized.jpg (http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album362&id=070324_014535&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

I was so close to buying one of these new from Port Boat House it wasn't funny. I looked the night before buying it on ifish and saw the Edwing for sale and bought it on the spot. If I hadn't I would be fishing a 22' angler C-Dory right now!
Heck ya ! that first pic loks alot like the stuff I was in with mine last summer on Kootenay Lake .....