boat opinions

[dicinu]

I will be in the market for a Boat this year sometime this year I need a house and a truck first but I do plan on buying a Boat.

I need opinions on boats I am looking for a good all around boat lake, rivers and ocean. I want to buy new as I like warranties on things I buy. and also looking under 30k perferrably around 20k but willing to go as far as 30k!

any imput will work open to Alum or glass which ever.

[saltyseadog]

i hate to say it but i dont think your ready to buy a boat yet:cyclopsan :cyclopsan

[G-Man]

Have a search through the forum regarding this same subject as several memebers have gone through this process in the past couple of years. I'm sure others have their opinion regarding "all-around" boats, mine is that they don't exist. Get one that is designed to do the type of fishing you do most often. When conditons are perfect, most boats can be used in a multitude of settings. It's when the conditions are less than perfect that a boat will show it's limitations.

[dicinu]

G Man how about better one for lakes and ocean, I can do with out the rivers how about that! would you have a recommendation then I looked into them all sorts but I rather get opinons from folks on here then feeling I am getting my leg pulled but a dealer tring to make a sale.

and saltyseadog why would I not be ready to buy a boat yet? as that comment isn't helping me any! lol

[Matt]

Like said above finding a TRUE all around boat is very difficult, although you can come close. Something over 18' would be ideal, and 20' is pretty solid. If you want to go up river you're going to want a pump, I would say go with a sportjet as they are better in the salt than an outboard pump. Wooldridge makes a model they call SuperSport that have a nice deep V up front, high sides, and a flatish bottom suitable for running pretty shallow stuff; I say get that one in 20' :safe: But what do I know, haha.

[saltyseadog]

because no house or vehicle and can i assume savings? , dave ramsey would kill youlol

G Man how about better one for lakes and ocean, I can do with out the rivers how about that! would you have a recommendation then I looked into them all sorts but I rather get opinons from folks on here then feeling I am getting my leg pulled but a dealer tring to make a sale.

and saltyseadog why would I not be ready to buy a boat yet? as that comment isn't helping me any! lol

[kidkodger]

A hewescraft sportsman or better yet a searunner in 18-20ft is a great NW boat. Raider makes a comparable boat at a reasonable price. Like others have said it's always a compromise. What do you mean by "ocean" are we talking the sound or the coast. You might get a little sticker shock, good salt boats pretty much start at 30K and still need to be rigged. I would ask more specific questions or list places you'd use the boat.

[saltyseadog]

i heard raider is made by hewes nice boats being that you dont have a truck either mabye you should get a aluminum and get a truck with a v 6 to save some coin

[dicinu]

Matt: Thanks as size is something I was thinking of also 20ft is a good starting point, I am getting from your post also deep front, higher side walls and Sportjey i assume this is the motor. Boats are a New area for me I never owned one personally Parents have I used that boat before.

Salty: I am going to call the cops on you drinking and typing is not aloud on the forum! and who is Dave Ramsey? right now I live in my car I have a bathroom and shower all in my pinto as for the major changes in mylife. so I been saving as my bills run me 30 bucks a week and thats for Gas. And now I looked up Mr. Ramsey I am not sure if I should Hire you or not to be my motivational speaker or the opposite?

Kidkodger: as for the ocean I am looking for mainly the sound areas, as I'm would take it all the way to Westport or anything. But if I was would the same apply? from yours and Matts Post?

Salty: I see the TUI as wore off!!!! thank you lol but the truck is not going to be some 60k rig just a truck to haul quads and also a boat around and use for hunting when the season is here. for trucks I am looking at the Toyo and GM line right now. has to be 4x4 and the truck and boat are not going to happen all in the same day. my House is more important as sleeping in the pinto with a family of 4 is killing me. space is limited.

[G-Man]

My 18.5' Raider gets me around pretty good in the chop and slop and it wasn't as pricey as some of the other more "finished" boats. Just about all major players in the Pacific Northwest make a ocean worthy craft. Just look for a wide beam, extra high gunwales and good looking welds. The boat show would have been your best bet on comparing makes and models. In an aluminum boat, the entry level makes that I would look at are Hewes and Raider. Spend a bit more and you open yourself up to a dozen more manufactures that make a quality product. I chose to go with aluminum to save weight as I would be pulling it behind a camper at times. The length I chose was pre-determined by the size of my garage. If I would have had the room, I'd have gone with a 20' or the 18.5' with the extended transom. Both sizes are just about the max one person can handle launching by themselves.


Check out these two threads:
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/ya ... tions.aspx
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/ya ... craft.aspx

[dicinu]

thanks G-man thats a lot of helpful info. now I have something to think about.

[scott080379]

I understand you like warranties and who doesn't but try to find a used boat with low hours that has everything that you will want or need. Downriggers, fish finder, gps and all the goodies. That is the best thing you can do IMHO.

Now finding a good sea worth river boat...they don't make them. sure they make boats that can fish the sound and the straights and I have even seen a few 21 foot jet sleds 38 miles off shore pounding bottom for halis. They are not ideal for the "ocean" though but they do work. So if you are looking for a good boat for salt and rivers i would stick to a sportjet and buy used because once you outfit your boat with everything you want, you will be over what you wanted to pay to start with.

My .02 on out boards pump or prop........do not but a boat with a half transom or a cut out in the transom for the motor if you plan on fishing it in the salt. The waves will swamp the boat faster if you have to back down collecting crab or shrimp pots. Your best best again is going to be a sportjet now if you really like fishing the salt for salmon, Hali, ling or even tuna I would skip even thinking about buying a boat that you want to take in the rivers except maybe the Columbia.

I want a boat I can fish off shore with for deep water hali, lings and tuna but a boat like that is way out of my price range for a long time. So now I am on the hunt for a drift boat and from there I will go to a sportjet and then to a off shore capable boat. So I have friends with boats and I help pay for fuel, bait and ice and help with anything else that I can so I can fish off shore.


Bust
Out
Another
Thousand

[dicinu]

Yeah I been looking at a few boats on Craigslist to see what price range I am loooking at some of the boats they want close to asking price Although I do know they put high to get where they want the sale price to be. if I could find a used boat still with a warranty or something I can pay cash and extend the warranty I am all for it. as getting everything I want that will always be adding and saleing until I am happy with the set up. buying a complete system would probly not be Ideal for me as I like to save my money and buy cash that way I am not helping the folks(credit card and banks) Screwing us folks (common foke) out of hard earned money the less things I finance the better. I have money set asside but I am also not trying to burn through that too. so I live pay check to pay check so to speak. anything I buy will be a nice down payment, if buying New! if I am going to the deep blues I want something that will hold up and I am not sure I want to spend that kind of money on that type of rig yet as most I looked at are in the 40-60 range

[sickbayer]

I have a 20' TJ and i do love it. It is an inboard 350 with 309 pump. shoots outta the hole very fast. Ive taken it to the snoquolime, big c, the sound and lakes it can do it all, however if there was no suspension seats ive would have got rid of it a long time ago. Now since it is a flat bottom boat be prepared to have it blown everywhere by wind or wake. I use a auto pilot to correct that problem. I found my boat with 20 hours on it it also came with a kicker motor and got it for half its value. I did spend a year looking, Ive added bigger fish find broadband sounder, electric down riggers, stereo, autopilot washdown pump and that is just the tip of the iceberg mate. Oh and you need a half ton to pull it. My boat weighs in at 5000lbs and my dodge dakota dosent like it at all. but the ford f `50 doesnt miss a beat, and stops quick too. Hope this helps.

[dicinu]

yeah this thread is just to give me something to look for during the year i am not planning to run out and spend the money we are going on another vacation here in a few weeks back to vegas and LA and when LA comes we end up shopping so... all Ideas are good ones for me to think offand since my work load is slowly winding down I have time to think and do things I need to for the house I should be in a new house by the summer are my goals and new truck by end of the summer. I have a company car so I saved alot of money up with out having to buy another car for the last 3 years but 16 year old daughter turning 17 soon I have to get the wife a new car so we talked and thought a truck would work out good for us. being all the toys in plans for the year we do not plan on leaving the northwest for a while. but I should be able to get a boat for the sound local lakes and columbia river I am guessing since it is deeper there in that river but if not I will have to exclude the river option. so right now I am looking in the range of 18.5 minimum and above! from what I am getting from most on the thread.

[Beardog]

I really like my Raider 192 Pro Sport. Looked at many boats before buying it . A Raider is built by Raider Boats in
Colville and a HewesCraft is built by HewesCraft in Colville also, 2 differant companies. The owner of Raider Boats
used to work for HewesCraft about 20 years ago.
The reason I went with the Raider over the Hewes is it came with a full set of cokpit gauges and more storage
boxes in the bow all for about $1200 cheaper. Thats quite a few tanks of gas.