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Advice on Sea Pro
Back again - after looking at several used boats and touring the boat
show I'm about ready to commit to buying a new Sea Pro SV2100CC. It appears to meet my needs of primarily fishing shallow bay water with occasional trips offshore (will be equipped with hydraulic jack plate and Lenco trim tabs). Anyone had any experience with this boat? May take a sea trial tomorrow but would appreciate shared experiences from anyone. Thanks - look forward to hearing from you. |
I owned the 19' SeaPro bay boat for five years, and it was trouble free. If it suits your needs, it's a great boat. The 21' is a better boat than the one I had. Thanks Harry - |
I once had a SeaPro. What a piece of crap it was. Never again. Seats fell
apart, transom rotted, floor buckled, cheap gauges fogged up. Took it to a dealer for warranty repairs on the above and was given the runaround. $5K later the boat still was not seaworthy. Ended up giving it to a charity for the tax writeoff. "Tom" wrote in message ... Back again - after looking at several used boats and touring the boat show I'm about ready to commit to buying a new Sea Pro SV2100CC. It appears to meet my needs of primarily fishing shallow bay water with occasional trips offshore (will be equipped with hydraulic jack plate and Lenco trim tabs). Anyone had any experience with this boat? May take a sea trial tomorrow but would appreciate shared experiences from anyone. Thanks - look forward to hearing from you. |
On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 17:05:52 GMT, "Ken Ibold"
wrote: I once had a SeaPro. What a piece of crap it was. Never again. Seats fell apart, transom rotted, floor buckled, cheap gauges fogged up. Took it to a dealer for warranty repairs on the above and was given the runaround. $5K later the boat still was not seaworthy. Ended up giving it to a charity for the tax writeoff. How long ago was that? Seat is flip-flop ice chest (unless I opt for the leaning post), transom and stringers are composite - rest of boat appears good quality. |
Find out if the dealer or factory will install a heavy duty stainless bow roller for you. If you go offshore and anchor, you won't enjoy yanking up that Danforth without a roller. I owned several Sea Pros and always installed a heavy bow roller. Rather have a winch (or wench) :-) May not be a bad idea without a bow rail. |
It was a 1995 model.
"Tom" wrote in message .. . On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 17:05:52 GMT, "Ken Ibold" wrote: I once had a SeaPro. What a piece of crap it was. Never again. Seats fell apart, transom rotted, floor buckled, cheap gauges fogged up. Took it to a dealer for warranty repairs on the above and was given the runaround. $5K later the boat still was not seaworthy. Ended up giving it to a charity for the tax writeoff. How long ago was that? Seat is flip-flop ice chest (unless I opt for the leaning post), transom and stringers are composite - rest of boat appears good quality. |
"Harry Krause" wrote in message ... Tom wrote: I owned the 19' SeaPro bay boat for five years, and it was trouble free. If it suits your needs, it's a great boat. The 21' is a better boat than the one I had. Thanks Harry - Find out if the dealer or factory will install a heavy duty stainless bow roller for you. If you go offshore and anchor, you won't enjoy yanking up that Danforth without a roller. I owned several Sea Pros and always installed a heavy bow roller. Forget the bow roller. It gets in your way when you're fighting fish that like to run around the boat. Instead, get an anchor buoy retrieval system: http://www.fishing-catalog.com/other...nchor_ball.htm |
Forget the bow roller. It gets in your way when you're fighting fish that like to run around the boat. Instead, get an anchor buoy retrieval system: http://www.fishing-catalog.com/other...nchor_ball.htm I saw that in a catalog - does it really work? I remember pulling anchors when offshore and I was 20 years younger then - and I'll bet the water hasn't gotten any shallower. |
On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 23:02:27 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote: Sure, it works, but it can be a pain in the butt in a crowded fishing anchorage, since you have to drive your boat beyond your anchor to retrieve the latter, and that might put you too close to other boats. I use one on occasion. =============================== I have my doubts that it would work on a chain rode either, since it seems likely the ring would hang up on a chain link instead of sliding towards the anchor. |
Sure, it works, but it can be a pain in the butt in a crowded fishing anchorage, since you have to drive your boat beyond your anchor to retrieve the latter, and that might put you too close to other boats. I use one on occasion. Shouldn't be a problem - most anchoring will be in shallow bay where it's not needed or offshore in 60' water and few boats. May have to give it a try. |
"Tom" wrote in message ... Forget the bow roller. It gets in your way when you're fighting fish that like to run around the boat. Instead, get an anchor buoy retrieval system: http://www.fishing-catalog.com/other...nchor_ball.htm I saw that in a catalog - does it really work? Yes. As long as it's not a real rocky bottom. I remember pulling anchors when offshore and I was 20 years younger then - and I'll bet the water hasn't gotten any shallower. |
"Harry Krause" wrote in message ... Tom wrote: Forget the bow roller. It gets in your way when you're fighting fish that like to run around the boat. Instead, get an anchor buoy retrieval system: http://www.fishing-catalog.com/other...nchor_ball.htm I saw that in a catalog - does it really work? I remember pulling anchors when offshore and I was 20 years younger then - and I'll bet the water hasn't gotten any shallower. Sure, it works, but it can be a pain in the butt in a crowded fishing anchorage True. since you have to drive your boat beyond your anchor to retrieve the latter, and that might put you too close to other boats. You drive at a 30 degree angle to your anchor line, and when you get past the point where the anchor is set on the bottom, you start to turn *towards* the anchor (ie--if you pass the anchor to your starboard, you turn to the starboard). If the line looks like it's going to go under the boat, turn even further *towards* (not away from!) the line. Once the anchor pops and the ball runs down the line to the anchor, the anchor floats from the ball. Just keep the boat going in a slow *wide* turn *towards* the buoy/anchor, and pull it in. Even my 5 year old can pull it in once it starts floating from the ball. |
"Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 23:02:27 -0500, Harry Krause wrote: Sure, it works, but it can be a pain in the butt in a crowded fishing anchorage, since you have to drive your boat beyond your anchor to retrieve the latter, and that might put you too close to other boats. I use one on occasion. =============================== I have my doubts that it would work on a chain rode either, since it seems likely the ring would hang up on a chain link instead of sliding towards the anchor. That's probably true of an all chain rode. But as long as the chain length is less than the scope, the buoy will slide down the rope, pop the anchor, and the buoy will slide the rest of the way down the chanin just fine (as long as your shackle size is appropriately matched to your anchor line and chain). |
"Tom" wrote in message ... Sure, it works, but it can be a pain in the butt in a crowded fishing anchorage, since you have to drive your boat beyond your anchor to retrieve the latter, and that might put you too close to other boats. I use one on occasion. Shouldn't be a problem - most anchoring will be in shallow bay where it's not needed or offshore in 60' water and few boats. May have to give it a try. It's perfect for that. |
On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 18:39:12 -0500, "NOYB" wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message ... Tom wrote: I owned the 19' SeaPro bay boat for five years, and it was trouble free. If it suits your needs, it's a great boat. The 21' is a better boat than the one I had. Thanks Harry - Find out if the dealer or factory will install a heavy duty stainless bow roller for you. If you go offshore and anchor, you won't enjoy yanking up that Danforth without a roller. I owned several Sea Pros and always installed a heavy bow roller. Forget the bow roller. It gets in your way when you're fighting fish that like to run around the boat. Instead, get an anchor buoy retrieval system: http://www.fishing-catalog.com/other...nchor_ball.htm I've never had a problem chasing a fish around the anchor roller. I think it's the best thing I've added to my boat. The anchor rode, on the other hand, has caused a few fish to gain their freedom. John H On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD, on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay! "Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it." Rene Descartes |
Picked up my new Sea Pro yesterday and took it for a test run. Only
ran it for an hour and was trying to adhere to the break in instructions so spent most of the time poking around the bay. Pretty windy with a good chop and only got a couple of drops of spray in crosswind. Gets on plane quickly and adjusting the jack plate and trim tabs definitely makes a difference - only tried it a few times at different settings so I'll learn more later. Boat didn't seem to like lower RPM levels (2600) - seemed to wallow a little but was improved by dropping the trim tabs a little. Really felt good at 3200 or so clipping along at 35 mph or so - real solid and responsive. I really like the hydraulic steering although it takes a little getting used to - not as responsive as cable but much more stable and effortless. Plan to leave for the bay later this afternoon and run it this weekend if it doesn't rain - supposed to be in upper 60's tomorrow and mid 70's Sunday so maybe I'll learn more. Hope everyone has a good weekend. Take care. Tom........... |
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Tom wrote:
I really like the hydraulic steering although it takes a little getting used to - not as responsive as cable but much more stable and effortless. Thats helpful regarding my hydraulic steering question. Do you mean that it requires a bit more rotation but has less slop or slack when changing directions? -rick- |
On Fri, 18 Feb 2005 21:00:12 -0800, -rick- wrote:
Tom wrote: I really like the hydraulic steering although it takes a little getting used to - not as responsive as cable but much more stable and effortless. Thats helpful regarding my hydraulic steering question. Do you mean that it requires a bit more rotation but has less slop or slack when changing directions? Different Tom here, but I can give you my experience. There is considerably less slack when turning and the changes aren't as abrupt as they are with mechanical steering - the changes are smooth and easy. Oddly, you do get some feedback from hydraulic steering - it's not a lot, almost ephemeral, but it's there. Rotation is about the same lock to lock. Later, Tom |
Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
Different Tom here, but I can give you my experience. There is considerably less slack when turning and the changes aren't as abrupt as they are with mechanical steering - the changes are smooth and easy. Oddly, you do get some feedback from hydraulic steering - it's not a lot, almost ephemeral, but it's there. Rotation is about the same lock to lock. Thanks Tom, I'm tired of the free play in my helm and cable setup and thinking of trying a hydraulic helm. Lack of slack is the goal. -rick- |
Put that jack plate through it's paces and report back. I'd be really interested in how that does in snarky wave action. Tom, Didn't want to do a lot with it since I'm still in break-in period but it definitely made a difference in getting on plane and speed. By adjusting the depth of the motor I could get on plane quicker at certain settings. While underway you could increase your speed by adjusting the depth. Haven't had any skinny water experiences but hope to in the next few weeks and hope to have better info on its performance. Haven't noticed any different handling characteristics with it - what do you mean by "snarky wave action" and what would you expect? Maybe I can try it next weekend. Tom............... |
On Fri, 18 Feb 2005 21:00:12 -0800, -rick- wrote:
Thats helpful regarding my hydraulic steering question. Do you mean that it requires a bit more rotation but has less slop or slack when changing directions? Rick - sorry for the delay in answering - just got home from the bay. With cable steering I always got an immediate response when the wheel was moved (even just a little). With the hydraulic it doesn't seem to respond quite as sensitively but there is no slop - just seems to be a more gentle turn- if that makes sense. This may have more turns hard over to hard over than my previous systems which may account for that. There is no resistance to turning the wheel like there is on cable steering but you still have a feel - just like power steering on an auto. So far I really like it. Hope that answers your question - if not hit me again and I'll try to explain it better. Take care. Tom.......... |
Tom wrote:
Rick - sorry for the delay in answering - just got home from the bay. With cable steering I always got an immediate response when the wheel was moved (even just a little). With the hydraulic it doesn't seem to respond quite as sensitively but there is no slop - just seems to be a more gentle turn- if that makes sense. This may have more turns hard over to hard over than my previous systems which may account for that. There is no resistance to turning the wheel like there is on cable steering but you still have a feel - just like power steering on an auto. So far I really like it. Hope that answers your question - if not hit me again and I'll try to explain it better. Take care. Tom.......... That's a fine explanation. It sounds like you had a good low slop cable unit, perhaps a rack & pinion helm and a low flex cable. I'm not so fortunate as I'm getting ~ 45 degrees slop at the wheel and don't have the lateral space for a rack & pinion helm. Thanks for the info, it's appreciated. -rick- |
That's a fine explanation. It sounds like you had a good low slop cable unit, perhaps a rack & pinion helm and a low flex cable. I'm not so fortunate as I'm getting ~ 45 degrees slop at the wheel and don't have the lateral space for a rack & pinion helm. Thanks for the info, it's appreciated. Yep - mine were rack and pinion. Are you using pulleys? So far I'm very pleased with the hydraulic. Good luck with your replacement. |
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Tom wrote:
Yep - mine were rack and pinion. Are you using pulleys? So far I'm very pleased with the hydraulic. Good luck with your replacement. Nope, it's a rotary helm and cable setup. There just seems to be an accumulation of slop in the helm, cable, and linkage to the pump nozzle. Thanks again for the info. -rick- |
On Mon, 21 Feb 2005 11:15:44 -0800, -rick- wrote:
Tom wrote: Yep - mine were rack and pinion. Are you using pulleys? So far I'm very pleased with the hydraulic. Good luck with your replacement. Nope, it's a rotary helm and cable setup. There just seems to be an accumulation of slop in the helm, cable, and linkage to the pump nozzle. Thanks again for the info. Out of curiosity, how old is the unit? Later, Tom |
I didn't catch any posts as far as its size but my 20' with the Teleflex NFB (no
feedback) steering is very responsive. It holds its position even if you give it full throttle from a stop. It's also about $450 cheaper than hydraulic. It's only a 115 HP 4 stroke and I know at some point you have to go to hydraulic for the bigger motors. Dan Tom wrote: Picked up my new Sea Pro yesterday and took it for a test run. Only ran it for an hour and was trying to adhere to the break in instructions so spent most of the time poking around the bay. Pretty windy with a good chop and only got a couple of drops of spray in crosswind. Gets on plane quickly and adjusting the jack plate and trim tabs definitely makes a difference - only tried it a few times at different settings so I'll learn more later. Boat didn't seem to like lower RPM levels (2600) - seemed to wallow a little but was improved by dropping the trim tabs a little. Really felt good at 3200 or so clipping along at 35 mph or so - real solid and responsive. I really like the hydraulic steering although it takes a little getting used to - not as responsive as cable but much more stable and effortless. Plan to leave for the bay later this afternoon and run it this weekend if it doesn't rain - supposed to be in upper 60's tomorrow and mid 70's Sunday so maybe I'll learn more. Hope everyone has a good weekend. Take care. Tom........... |
Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
Out of curiosity, how old is the unit? It's got about 4 1/2 years and a little over 300 hours on it now. The builder replaced the helm & cable the first summer due to the same problem and while the replacement was marginally better than the original it has slowly degraded since. -rick- |
Dan Krueger wrote:
I didn't catch any posts as far as its size but my 20' with the Teleflex NFB (no feedback) steering is very responsive. It holds its position even if you give it full throttle from a stop. It's also about $450 cheaper than hydraulic. It's only a 115 HP 4 stroke and I know at some point you have to go to hydraulic for the bigger motors. Dan It's a 20' inboard 5.7L with a Hamilton 212 pump. There's no torque steer and relatively little effort required to swivel the nozzle so hydraulic is not required. I just want to reduce the free play and don't have the lateral space for a rack & pinion helm under the dash. Thanks for the tip on the Teleflex NFB, maybe I'll try that first. I think the original is a Morse. -rick- http://www.northriverboats.com/model...hp?productid=3 |
When you run your boat in some wave action, I'd be very curious if you can effect how the boat enters waves and whether you have any spray or residual pounding. Or if you can change and smooth out the pounding in say 6 to 18" of wave action. Where I run my Ranger over in Narragansett Bay, it can turn from flat calm to 1 foot in a hurry. My Ranger, I readily admit, does not run very well in that kind of wave action and it's a slow ride back without taking a beating at speed. Tom - sorry for the delay - just got back in town. We're not going to the bay this weekend - forecast in 60's and possible rain but hopefully I can try that next weekend and let you know. I've had it in similar chop so far and it rides pretty smooth and dry. I've dropped the trim tabs and smoothed the ride but haven't tried affecting it with the jack plate but that's something else to experiment with. So far I've only piddled with it to affect the time to get on plane and the effect on speed. I'll try it and let you know if it makes any difference. Take care. Tom.............. |
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When you run your boat in some wave action, I'd be very curious if you can effect how the boat enters waves and whether you have any spray or residual pounding. Or if you can change and smooth out the pounding in say 6 to 18" of wave action. Where I run my Ranger over in Narragansett Bay, it can turn from flat calm to 1 foot in a hurry. My Ranger, I readily admit, does not run very well in that kind of wave action and it's a slow ride back without taking a beating at speed. The jack plate didn't work very well for me, but I'd be curious if it works well for you in that regard. It would help resolve a long standing debate. :) Tom - just got back from the bay but didn't get a chance to try out the jack plate in any chop - not much wind and very little chop. Did get to try shallow water a couple of times. Got into just about a foot and a half of water - raised the jack plate and lowered the trim tabs and shot onto plane - no problems. Then I got into less than a foot of water and that was a different story - managed to remove quite a bit of paint from the lower unit and dug a new channel for future navigation. I always thought the red buoys were supposed to be on your right when returning to port - apparently this doesn't hold true for orange buoys as someone placed them on the left side of the channel (so much for my assumption that they were faded red) :-). Anyway - I was pleased with the performance in shallow water - have to go out of town next weekend so it will be a couple of weeks before I put her back in the water but I'll keep your request in mind if it gets choppy. Take care. Tom........... |
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On Fri, 18 Feb 2005 17:20:07 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote: Put that jack plate through it's paces and report back. I'd be really interested in how that does in snarky wave action. Later, Tom Tom, I've added some hours to the boat and have really enjoyed it. Last weekend I ran it for a few days with some customers at Port O'Conner Texas in some pretty nasty conditions (25 gusting to 40) and it handled real well. Tried adjusting the jack plate but could see no difference in handling - I think its use is limited to prop adjustment for getting on plane in shallow water. I've adjusted it while underway and it seems to vary the RPM's but has little effect on speed. It does make me feel more comfortable loading the boat on the trailer as I can raise the engine and not worry about chewing up the prop on the ramp (don't ask how I know this can happen). The trim tabs help a lot in rough water as you can hold the bow down for a smoother ride. Ride in rough water was comfortable but we did take on some spray in crosswind (not sure there is a boat made that won't get you wet with 25-40 crosswinds though) but rode dry when headed into or away from the wind. Weight really makes a difference. With my wife and I and 1/2 - 3/4 tank of fuel I can bust 60 mph. With 5 fat boys and full fuel we barely could make 50 (this was in the inter coastal - not open bay with that wind). Finally got the rear seat installed last week (SeaPro had them on backorder for several months) and it came in handy this past weekend with my wifes aunt, uncle, son and daughter-in-law - almost turns it into a runabout. Haven't been offshore yet - hope to get some reasonably calm seas soon but it should do fine based on the performance in the bay under pretty rough conditions. As you can tell - I'm real pleased with the boat so far. It appears to be a pretty good compromise for the kind of use my wife and I wanted it for. Looking forward to a lot more use this summer. |
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