My 14' Gregor is too small for the kind of fishing I want to do and the amount of people I'd like to bring with. My family has a place just South of Port Gamble so I'll be fishing water that my tiny Gregor just can't handle safely(Point No Point, Oak Bay, Mid Channel, ect).
We live on a rocky beach and I like the convenience factor of being able to run it up on shore to unload pots, passengers, ect without damaging the hull. I also plan on towing whatever I get with my 2010 Nissan Xterra so lighter is better. For both of those reasons I'm leaning more towards aluminum. I know the ride quality with aluminum is nothing compared to a fiberglass hull, but I willing to sacrifice that because of what I listed above.
I've got between $15k-$18k in my budget. I'd like it to fish comfortably with 4 people, be as stable in rough water as possible for aluminum and have a canopy(because none of the girls will want to fish in the rain...which will significantly reduce my time on the water.)
Anyone have suggestions on boats they're fond of/had great experiences with? Thanks in advance.
Boat Purchase in the Near Future...Suggestions Needed
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FishingFool
- Commodore
- Posts: 902
- Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:17 pm
- Location: Kent
Re: Boat Purchase in the Near Future...Suggestions Needed
I've been toying with the idea of putting my 2005 Lowe FM165 with a matching galvanized trailer and 2005 Mercury 60 4-stroke motor up for sale....
I don't know if it will work for your boating situation though. I've had 4 full adults in my boat before. If I had to guess, maybe 700lbs worth of people. It got a little crowded than I'm use to. I typically fish by myself. Anyways, I had to shift people around to get on plane. I had the heaviest person sitting passenger side next to me. 1 person sitting on the deck facing the passenger and the last person on rear seat. When I moved people to these positions, I was able to get on plane quickly.
WOT speed with myself and full tank of gas is 30-31 MPH on GPS. Don't remember speed with the full group.
It has a 12v MinnKota Terrova 55 i-Pilot on the bow with 6 AWG cable running from battery to bow connection. Lowrance 522c unit on the bow. Hummbird 798ci on console. Aftermarket water/fuel separator. Replaced fuel lines from tank to engine connection with new Mercury ethanol resistant fuel line and bulb.
Significantly cheaper than your budget. But no canopy. Can always add one I guess.....
I don't know if it will work for your boating situation though. I've had 4 full adults in my boat before. If I had to guess, maybe 700lbs worth of people. It got a little crowded than I'm use to. I typically fish by myself. Anyways, I had to shift people around to get on plane. I had the heaviest person sitting passenger side next to me. 1 person sitting on the deck facing the passenger and the last person on rear seat. When I moved people to these positions, I was able to get on plane quickly.
WOT speed with myself and full tank of gas is 30-31 MPH on GPS. Don't remember speed with the full group.
It has a 12v MinnKota Terrova 55 i-Pilot on the bow with 6 AWG cable running from battery to bow connection. Lowrance 522c unit on the bow. Hummbird 798ci on console. Aftermarket water/fuel separator. Replaced fuel lines from tank to engine connection with new Mercury ethanol resistant fuel line and bulb.
Significantly cheaper than your budget. But no canopy. Can always add one I guess.....
Re: Boat Purchase in the Near Future...Suggestions Needed
FishingFool wrote:I've been toying with the idea of putting my 2005 Lowe FM165 with a matching galvanized trailer and 2005 Mercury 60 4-stroke motor up for sale....
I don't know if it will work for your boating situation though. I've had 4 full adults in my boat before. If I had to guess, maybe 700lbs worth of people. It got a little crowded than I'm use to. I typically fish by myself. Anyways, I had to shift people around to get on plane. I had the heaviest person sitting passenger side next to me. 1 person sitting on the deck facing the passenger and the last person on rear seat. When I moved people to these positions, I was able to get on plane quickly.
WOT speed with myself and full tank of gas is 30-31 MPH on GPS. Don't remember speed with the full group.
It has a 12v MinnKota Terrova 55 i-Pilot on the bow with 6 AWG cable running from battery to bow connection. Lowrance 522c unit on the bow. Hummbird 798ci on console. Aftermarket water/fuel separator. Replaced fuel lines from tank to engine connection with new Mercury ethanol resistant fuel line and bulb.
Significantly cheaper than your budget. But no canopy. Can always add one I guess.....
FF...the offer is much appreciated but I'm looking for something bigger in size, and with more power for the water I intend to fish.
Re: Boat Purchase in the Near Future...Suggestions Needed
I'd start looking on boattrader.com, or go look at new boats see what features you like/don't like and then look for a used one. But with a family of four yeah I think you'd want something in the 17'5"-20" range. Keep in mind the wet weight of the boat (gas weighs 6.1 lbs per gallon, I googled it), the trailer, and your gear. Going into 4x4 is a good idea to help keep traction when pulling your boat out of the water on wet concrete. I don't think your Xterra will have too hard of trouble pulling a boat in 17-20 ft range.
Re: Boat Purchase in the Near Future...Suggestions Needed
I just purchased a Lowe 1672 HD from Cabelas and it is fantastic! 25 hp motor that pushes 2 adults and gear about 35 mph and it is 72 inches wide (6 feet). Perfect for out at point no point and such yet small enough for any small water. 16.7 feet long. I was also looking at the crestliner 1650 sportsman when I bought this one. Both are great boats but the lowe peeked over 