Boat recommendations

[WV Mountaineer]

I guess it depends on the sea ark, I have one and it dosent cut through waves at all, it’s a flat bottomed skiff so it slaps hard when the waives pick up.

No skiff type hull is going to be at home on the ocean. The way I understood his post, he intends to fish inland a lot more. My guess in reality is, once he fishes both he’ll see that unless he lives at the beach, he can charter a fishing trip cheaper then he can pull his own and run it.

 

[SDHNTR]

So funny you said that. I’m looking at those right now, along with sting ray 186CC center consoles both used. That and how are key west boats?


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So a Stingray is just a small step up from a Bayliner. Quality is suspect. Key West is a solid mid tier boat. One of the best bits of advice I’ve ever been told when boat shopping (I’m on my 5th one now) is to look at the hardware. That’s the first stuff that falls apart. The hinges, hatches, handles, struts, knobs, fasteners, etc. are they stainless steel or plastic? Are they through bolted with nylock nuts or lock washers? Or just screwed? These types of things will tell everything about a boat’s quality as this is where manufacturers will skimp on outsourced part and labor costs.

More than anything, you get what you pay for with a boat. If any sort of ocean going is in your future, don’t skimp. I’d take a gently used quality boat over a cheap new POS any day.

Stick with a 4 stroke outboard. Yamaha, Honda, and Mercury, in that order.

A thorough Pre purchase inspection by a qualified marine surveyor is strongly recommended too.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

No skiff type hull is going to be at home on the ocean. The way I understood his post, he intends to fish inland a lot more. My guess in reality is, once he fishes both he’ll see that unless he lives at the beach, he can charter a fishing trip cheaper then he can pull his own and run it.

my sea ark is a river runner for sure, that’s all I really do with it, take it trout fishing And moose hunting.

 

[Shraggs]

Anything but a Bayliner! Seriously a simple Google search will tell you all you need to know.

I would buy a used Boston whaler 19 foot Montauk. Yes, before anybody tries to take me to task, they did make a 19 footer. It would check all your boxes nicely. Safe, quality and capable.

I agree completely with this, for what you described the montauk is stable, fun, nimble and easily handle light chop - and much more if needed. Yes the made many sizes.

i run a whaler outrage offshore center counsel. Love it, but the aggressive hull not suited for your needs.

 

[Fatcamp]

This thread sucks without pictures.

 

[Unoboats]

I hate Not to jump in here. Ive been in the boat business for 44 years on the east coast and a lot of what you have heard on here is correct. SC is a unique area due to all the Boat manufactures in that state. Boats have a tendency to shrink when you put them in the water, so try not to buy under 20’ and there are some models with bay boat hulls and regular center console features They are called hybrids. Will try and help where I can and give you the best advise I possible can. I‘m in new boat manufacturing. But helping you find a nice used boat should not be a huge undertaking Since i live in NC and also lived And worked in SC lowcountry for years before that
Chip

 

[Wapiti1]

Grady White 21 foot dual console with a 125-150 fourstroke of some ilk. A 21 foot Proline would work too. These would be used to get into your price range.

If you want to go out deep more often, a power cat like a World Cat or Glacier Bay. But they aren't as good in the flats as a v-hull.

Jeremy

 

[BroodBuster]

I’d find an OLD used hull from a quality manufacturer and slap a new outboard in it. I prefer Suzuki’s but all of the newer outboards are pretty good now. Get it hung by a local shop so preventative maintenance is easy and convenient.

 

[Dunndm]

I hate Not to jump in here. Ive been in the boat business for 44 years on the east coast and a lot of what you have heard on here is correct. SC is a unique area due to all the Boat manufactures in that state. Boats have a tendency to shrink when you put them in the water, so try not to buy under 20’ and there are some models with bay boat hulls and regular center console features They are called hybrids. Will try and help where I can and give you the best advise I possible can. I‘m in new boat manufacturing. But helping you find a nice used boat should not be a huge undertaking Since i live in NC and also lived And worked in SC lowcountry for years before that
Chip

I think at this point I’m going to look at lightly used old boats. Something 3-4 years old, center console around 20’... what brand, that’s another story. I’ve got it narrowed down to at least what I just stated. So it’s a start, I’m brand new to the state and I’m not entirely sure who to call or where to look. I’ve looked at boat trader and the other websites but no such luck. Any other options or people to call?


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[Dunndm]

Like some of you had said, I’ll be doing 90% of my fishing inland. I won’t be going out into heavy ocean/chop all that much. Only time I might is if I’m going somewhere else and doing some spear fishing. Other than that I’ll be doing inland trout/redfish.


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[burlap]

Like some of you had said, I’ll be doing 90% of my fishing inland. I won’t be going out into heavy ocean/chop all that much. Only time I might is if I’m going somewhere else and doing some spear fishing. Other than that I’ll be doing inland trout/redfish.


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Are you trying to get skinny? Like in Bull's Bay/sub 2'? If so, do a bay boat, that has a low draft, and likely a wide beam. If your'e fine in 3'+ and limiting yourself a little bit while inland, do a deep vee. If you go with a bay boat, you're limiting your capability in the ocean.

I'd still go with a deep vee, because if you want to get skinny, and play the super shallow game, you could get a kayak and bring it with you on your bigger boat. That's really not a big deal.

As far as brands, I'd look for a Century or Robalo deep vee. I think you might be able to find a used one in your range. If you want the bay boat, my dad's tidewater is pretty nice, and it's around 20 years old.

As a side note, make sure you buy a pressure washer, a deck brush, and some oxalyic acid (aka wood bleach). It really keeps the boat clean, and will get off that brown grunge you get from the water.

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

I’m not sure if you have any interest in diesel center consoles, I got mine for well below your budget it burns 3+mpg cruises 20-22 kts and diesel is dirt cheap at the dock the most I paid was 1.59 last season. It’s an 87 Hull original 210 cummins, it’s a heavy boat and crushes just about anything I’ve put it through. I keep saying I’m going to upgrade but she keeps making me money and it paid for itself within a week of owning it. It originally had a tower but I ripped it off and made a pilot house and it’s not nearly as top heavy, draws 18 inches of water I striper fish the rocks no different than all the outboard CC’s I’ve had before it. This has a little V berth up front I’m not crazy about I wish it was open bow but the wife and kids love it for nap time on beach days, it’s a solid boat and doesn’t owe me a penny, not everyone’s cup of tea but works for me

 

[Mike Islander]

Lots of good advice here, except the silly comments against dual console. A huge number of offshore FISHING boats are not center consoles. As someone who has owned and fished both right here in Charleston waters since 1981 and grew up on a Louisiana lake before that, the anti-dual console crap is bullshit. If you are serious about having your wife or family with you, the slight flexibility you give up with a dual console is well worth it. Everyone can pile behind that full windshield when it's choppy, cold, and wet. Center console is far less family friendly. So it depends on your goals.
Just reference all the sport fishermen boats if you wonder about fishing without a center console.
Recommend you join the boat club and rent several styles first. Then you can make a judgment based on what works best for you and your family.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Many years ago an older gentlemen, obvioisly wise beyond his years, told me "If it flies, floats, or fornicates it's going to give you nothing but problems and your better renting it". YMMV

 

[menhaden_man]

My wife and I just recently moved to SC. We are planning on getting a boat that I can use to fish the river, and more inland fishing. I will do some bay/off shore fishing but pretty rarely. She wants to lay out on it, and cruise around to restaurants and do the cruising scene. Well we both do haha. I’m just curious what do you guys and gals recommend? I was looking into bayliner E18(hard to go out in any sort of chop because the M haul), sting ray(but they are expensive) and then some other random boats. My price range is preferably 18-24k 25 if it’s a nice boat.

I’m not a complete beginner with boats. I have driven my fathers boat many many times. I had my own aluminum 16’ fishing boat, so I’m by no mean experienced but have a good idea of what boating is about.

Thanks in advance.


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Lots of solid advice here. I live out west (since '07) but grew up in the mid-Atlantic... used to work on the water about 10 months out of the year on the Pamlico Sound. If it were me, I would:

1. Pass on the Bayliner or anything with Evinvrude/Johnson/Mercury on the back.
2. Reconsider the center console rigs with a T-top - flexible, easy to work around, lots of deck space for fishing, crabbing, clamming, company, and cruising with family.
3. Sniff around the classified ads for a decent used >20' fiberglass v-haul with >115 HP 4 stroke.
4. Stick with Honda, Yamaha, Suziki outboards - and remember that no one has ever said "I wish my engine was a little bit smaller."

Some guys really like the bigger boats, but it comes at the expense of trailering, accessing skinny water or shifty boat launches, price, etc. My old work boat was a Jones Brother with a 250 (maybe a little bigger than the one pictured below; not me). That thing was a damned beast and I've been up to my knees in water at the helm in a storm pulling gillnets ahead of a hurricane without a worry.

Other makes I'd look out for are Privateer (out of Belhaven NC - a really solid boat in the 19' range) and maybe Carolina Skiff. Grady White makes a badass boat but too pricey for the average guy. Some guys really like the Parker Boats but the ones I've been on always felt a little sluggish out of the hole and in the turns.

I've got a 20' Hewescraft here in the Pacific Northwest... awesome rig but nothing I'd own in the Carolinas. The v-haul fiberglass would be the ticket.

Good luck - boat is a fun thing to have on the coast.

 

[Fatcamp]

Awww, man. You guys have some cool boats. We went to the Keys last January and I fell in love with it. Too bad I am poor.

Trying to find a bigger fiberglass center console but they are limited in SD. I will just have to live vicariously through my internet friends.

 

[burlap]

Lots of good advice here, except the silly comments against dual console. A huge number of offshore FISHING boats are not center consoles. As someone who has owned and fished both right here in Charleston waters since 1981 and grew up on a Louisiana lake before that, the anti-dual console crap is bullshit. If you are serious about having your wife or family with you, the slight flexibility you give up with a dual console is well worth it. Everyone can pile behind that full windshield when it's choppy, cold, and wet. Center console is far less family friendly. So it depends on your goals.
Just reference all the sport fishermen boats if you wonder about fishing without a center console.
Recommend you join the boat club and rent several styles first. Then you can make a judgment based on what works best for you and your family.

Apples to oranges, my dude. A sport Fisher is so much larger than a sea ray/seadoo/Chris craft style boat. It is going to have a huge stern fish fighting/landing area. Typically has a rear door. That's like comparing a cruiser to and aircraft carrier. They're wildly different sizes with different usages.

A split windshield is going to be really hard to get a fisherman and a gaffer side by side to bring a big fish on board.

Also, the split windshield bows are typically not very accepting to a bow mount trolling motor or bow casting.

I haven't seen a boat built for salt water that also is able to easily handle what I've described. A walleye boat would probably work, but I think it would rust out in a season or two. So buying a used walleye boat to put in the marsh is living on borrowed time.

Will a split windshield work for fishing? Yeah, poorly. Is it really dumb for offshore fishing? Yeah, very. Is it really dumb for inshore fishing? Yeah, very. Is really dumb for cruising/water sports? No, that's what it was designed for-not fishing.

You can make a split windshield work, it's just not designed for fishing. The center console is just superior for the OPs wish list.

 

[Crowmangler]

I'd recommend a Carolina Skiff 218DLV .. most will have a 115 - 140 HP. These are the F150 of inshore boats .. great all around boat & you can find several used ones on Craigslist / Boat trader.
If you want something a little nicer / more expensive check out the Sea Hunt BX 22 BR

 

[Antarctica]

You clearly need two boats.

A 22 foot Seark with a 200 yamy and a bayliner. An old Bayliner should be about 3-4k. Let her do the layout and pull up to bars on that. The Sea-ark is yours...

 

[roadrunner]

The boat you want will handle rough water well and have enough foam flotation to add structural stability and lessen the pounding of a rough water ride.

If you will be fishing shallow waters or anything with flooded flats/timber, you need a low draft boat, but a flared v hull to handle the rough water.

In a fishing boat, you will want a sizeable deck to move around on without tripping over benches, chairs, or whatever seating.

Nothing wrong with a dual consol, especially on colder or stormy days.

I don't have a bay boat or a "walleye" boat. The one I have was made for two things; fishing and getting there quick.