I'm gonna open a huge can of (messy) old worms here but peaser and i need some imput from the guys that know. he wants to sell his 19' sea ray and buy a 22'-25' walleye boat. whats good? what's bad? are certain kinds of boats notorious for certain problems? we are pretty new in the walleye game but are dedicated to becoming good solid walleye wackers. we need a boat that we can grow into and one that can accomodate our copius amount of fishin gear. any help would be greatly appreciated
GOOD FISHIN,
D
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we will use it for trolling mainly. probably 3-4 guys, no sleepovers!!! (peaser snores like a mad grizzly). his budget is 10,000-ish depending on what we find. he has a brand new chevy 1500 and i have a 3/4 ton 2000 chevy. probably keep on trailer most of the time.we run boards off a mast and want to be in the 22' to 25' size range. i am a tool and die maker and can do all repairs from cosmetic to structural and my friend shane is a marine mechanic and can do all engine/drive repairs. hope this opens things up a little.
GOOD FISHIN,
D
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don't think so, but it might be a possibility in the future. have a guy at work that goes to luddington in the fall and we might try it with him before we rig the boat for it.10% chance of salmon fishing out of it.
GOOD FISHIN,
D
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1) Walk the docks around local marinas and check out the fishing boats. See how guys have them rigged. If the owner is present and not busy, ask them about their boats (what they like, what they don't like). Most of these guys like to talk about their boats and fishing. Guys at the launch ramps like to talk boats too, but are often in more of a hurry.
2) Do a little Clarkin' (boat whoring). Try to catch a ride on as many boats as you can. Bring some food, refreshments, and offer to help with gas for the trip. Even catching a ride on 2 different boats of the same make/model, will show you something about how their owners rigged them and how efficiently it works.
3) Make any offer contingent on a satisfactory survey.
It is a buyers market now for used boats and probably will be for a while yet. You should be able to find something pretty damn nice for 10k now.
Do you have preferences for... Fiberglass or Aluminum I/O or Outboard (few inboards in that size range) Are you looking for an enclosed head
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Looking for a Walley trolling boat, but may drfit once and awhile.
I would like to keep the boat at a dock instead of having to load and unload all of the time. But would still like a trailer.
I usually have to work until 3:00pm to 5:00pm, so I need something in the water and ready to go. Also, I cannot tow the boat to my worksite, so that option is out.
Douggun and I have seen a lot of 25' Sportcraft's for sale and they seem reasonbly priced.
Questions:
Do they just depreciate in value faster than others? Has there been a history of problems? Are there just a mess of them for sale (thus the lower price)?
Thank you to all that offer advice.
Douggun - A "Mad Grizzly"????
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Ok...coming from the Master Boat Whore himself (who is also in the market for a boat in the coming years)...
I routinely fish on 6-8 different makes/models of boats each year on Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. All have their benefits, some have less than others.
If you are looking at glass boats in the $10k range...one that will stay in the water, you are tracking correctly when looking at the Sportcrafts.
I've fished from several over the years, and they are roomy, solid, and ride very nice. There were issues in the 80's/early 90's with the stringers, but I've been told that is no longer a problem. There was also a few years where that company was out of business. I believe those boats are made in Florida, but you see a million of them on Lake Erie.
With the Sportcraft, you can either drift or troll. The majority of the charters on Erie run Sportcrafts..and the majority of them are drifters. I am starting to see more guys trolling out of them though in recent years. A guy that I went to college with runs a charter with his Dad out of Cranberry Creek Marina near Huron...and they run a 27' Sportcraft. Awesome boat..twin engines. Drift or troll...perch fish...whatever...it does very nicely. They use a kicker motor for trolling.
With the budget you indicated, you are likely looking at a mid-90's model in the 23-25' range. As Little Dandy indicated, a marine survey is probably your best friend when dealing with a budget around $10k.
The good news is that even though you may find a Sporty that is 15+ years old...it may NOT have a lot of hours on the engine (i.e. was used to drift fish). Another issue of which I hear people complain is that often the Sportcrafts are a bit under-powered.
You may find a decent deal on a Trophy or Proline in that price range as well.
One issue that I have with Sportcrafts is that the hard top is less than 6' from the floor. This eliminates that brand of boat for me, as I refuse to squat/duck down every time I would have to go to the helm.
Lots of boats for sale right now...call around to the boat dealers around Port Clinton. There is a MESS of boats for sale over there....
BFG
Official Ohio Delegate to Team Heavy Super-Sized Fishing Specialists bfg@educatedangler.com
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One thing to consider is fuel cost. I have a 21' CC with an outboard. I can run out to West Sister and back from Toledao Beach (16miles) on no more than 12 gallons of fuel. Its very trailerable. My boat is a little light which makes is less desireable in rough water. I would be looking for an older Grady or Mako CC with a heavier hull and if you can afford it, re-power it with a newer outboard. As Mike suggested, get a survey.
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A word of caution in Michigan surveyors are not required to be licensed and surveys are worth only what your attorney can convince a judge it is worth. I speak from a very bad experience 15 years ago when I bought a 24' Thompson that I had surveyed by a "reputable" surveyor (last name was Cousino) only to discover the transom was rotten and the boat had a problem saying afloat with out a very large bilge pump. My attorney basically said in Michigan a survey is not worth the paper it's written and the surveyor has no liability and my only recourse was to sue the seller but I would have to prove he knew the transom was rotten. The suit would cost more than the 10,000 I paid for the boat. I think in Ohio surveyors are required to be licensed and bonded. The moral of the story is a survey is a good idea but look the boat over yourself (or with as many buddies as you can muster) in Michigan it is buyer beware.
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thanks for the info on surveyors. we will probably buy in ohio. my buddy at work was a marine mechanic before becoming a tool and die maker. i definitely wouldn't buy a boat before he looked it over. i put a new floor in peasers sea ray last winter and can do alot of work myself but a rotten transom is something i want to stay away from. thanks again.
are rotten transoms something thompsons are known for?
probably gonna stay away from aluminum. looks like that one attracts cold fronts.
we are leaning toward a 25' sportcraft.
i fished off a co-workers 2003 30' grady white marlin last night. WOW! that is one sweet boat. unfortunately i don't have $125,000 laying around.
thanks again guys,
GOOD FISHIN,
D
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