On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 14:44:41 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

I am buying my first boat (not counting my jon boat) to be used in
sal****er - primary use is fishing - Florida's Sarasota Bay and Keys
and Intercoastal. I will be using it with 1 to 3 passengers. Since I
get seasick I will not be going offshore and won't be going out in
rough weather (may have to return in it though). I've been looking at
Scout, Triumph and Proline in the 18' - 20' range and 75-130 HP
motors. I've looked at a couple of used boats but I'm not confident
in evaluating used boats and their prices. I anticipate using the
boat 3-5 days a week(weather permitting plus I do need time for golf)
for 3 months and lightly for the other 9 (occasional use in Lake Erie
and inshore NJ, Del, Md).

I would appreciate input/assistance in helping me through this
traumatic experience.

If you are looking at a Scout, take a look at the 2180 Bay Ranger.
About the same price and it's a quality boat.

Which is not to knock Scout or Proline. I would stay away from
Triumph - I'm not convinced that actual plastic boats are any good.

As to used boats, once you determine that the boat is in decent
condition (meaning clean, no major dents or whoopsies, everything
still fits properly, has the gear you like), it's all about the
engine. You need to check out the engine with another dealer. It's
basically paying for an hour of shop time because that's about how
long it takes to properly evaluate an engine. You want a compression
check, spark test, have the cylinders scoped out for scoring or carbon
buildup and have the lower unit pulled and pressure checked. Most
reputable shops will do the engine first, then the lower unit. As
long as they are in the lower unit, have them change the impeller if
the engine is in decent shape.

Hours aren't as important as the engines mechanicals.

The trailer is also important, but that's something to go over when
you purchase - have the bearings checked, tire pressure, make sure the
rollers or bunks don't have any wobble or wear - that kind of thing.
Trailers are something you can do on your own and you don't need
somebody to do that for you.

Hope that helps a little.

Later,

Tom

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 14:44:41 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

I am buying my first boat (not counting my jon boat) to be used in
sal****er - primary use is fishing - Florida's Sarasota Bay and Keys
and Intercoastal. I will be using it with 1 to 3 passengers. Since I
get seasick I will not be going offshore and won't be going out in
rough weather (may have to return in it though). I've been looking at
Scout, Triumph and Proline in the 18' - 20' range and 75-130 HP
motors. I've looked at a couple of used boats but I'm not confident
in evaluating used boats and their prices. I anticipate using the
boat 3-5 days a week(weather permitting plus I do need time for golf)
for 3 months and lightly for the other 9 (occasional use in Lake Erie
and inshore NJ, Del, Md).

I would appreciate input/assistance in helping me through this
traumatic experience.


I have a 21' 1997 Proline walkaround cuddy cabin. I've had absolutely no
problems with the boat whatsoever. I've had some problems with the engine, 5.7L
Mercruiser I/O, but I don't think Proline uses them anymore.Given a decent deal,
I'd buy another used one, if I'd had it looked over.

Good luck.


John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 20:38:26 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

Thanks Tom and John H for taking the time to reply. A local dealer
handles Trophy which appears to be OK and I've located a 2 year old
Grady White for what appears to be a reasonable price. I shouldn't
have so many choices - reminds me of buying my first stereo system!

I've only owned two stereo systems - one that I built from components
thirty years ago (although I have updated them from time to time) and
a, get this, Sansui receiver unit that I still have in working
condition.

Anyway...

Trophy is a good boat and the ones I've seen recently are fairly well
built if on the light side for their size. Gradys are a different
story - they have a great reputation which I feel is a tad overblown
and a left over from the days when they built unbelievably solid
wooden boats. Now before all the Grady owners get in my face about
their boats, I do not mean that they are junk - they are good boats.
Just a tad overrated. Personal opinion.

By the way, on the engine side of things, I would opt for a direct
injection engine rather than EFI or carbureted engine as they are much
more efficient and will give you better performance over all.

Finding a boat is a treasure hunt, but if this is the first boat,
guaranteed that it will not be your last. Part of the reason for this
is that you will notice all the things you don't like and look for a
boat that doesn't have those issues.

I really like my boats, but there are things about the Ranger that I
absolutely hate.

Later,

Tom

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 20:38:26 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

Thanks Tom and John H for taking the time to reply. A local dealer
handles Trophy which appears to be OK and I've located a 2 year old
Grady White for what appears to be a reasonable price. I shouldn't
have so many choices - reminds me of buying my first stereo system!


Well, let us know what you come up with. Tell us more about the Grady. I've
talked to a couple Trophy owners, and they have seemed pretty satisfied. I like
Grady's, but think they are ridiculously priced.


John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 05:55:15 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 17:19:41 -0500, John H
wrote:

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 20:38:26 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

Thanks Tom and John H for taking the time to reply. A local dealer
handles Trophy which appears to be OK and I've located a 2 year old
Grady White for what appears to be a reasonable price. I shouldn't
have so many choices - reminds me of buying my first stereo system!

Well, let us know what you come up with. Tell us more about the Grady. I've
talked to a couple Trophy owners, and they have seemed pretty satisfied. I like
Grady's, but think they are ridiculously priced.

Well, the Grady is an 18' 2003 with full electronics, trailer, and 4
stroke Yamaha for about the same price as a 19' Trophy.

Just took in the boat show in (near) DC and saw what appeared to be
a decent alternative for my needs. It was a 21' Sea Fox with
GPS/depth and VHF, trailer, Merc 150 optimax and other options for
significantly less than the 21' Trophy. Any ideas on this boat??
Only other "good deal" boat I saw were several Sea Pros but little
things like funky locker handles etc. made me a bit leery - but 2
lookers commented that their friends that had them thought they were
good boats. Anyone???

Sea Fox and Sea Pro used to be different boats, but they are both
owned by Sea Pro who is now a part of Brunswick who owns Mercury.

I've had the opportunity to look at one up close and personal - a tree
fell on it and the owner and insurance company opted to repair the
boat and replace the engine - it was fairly new. The shop that I hang
out in did all the repair work.

They are nicely built boats - solid - this was not a small tree. It
rides ok - I'm was not terribly happy with the hull shape as it takes
time to come up on plane and the ride was acceptable. The boat is
fairly stable - I'm kind of a big guy and when I stood on the gunwale
the boat tilted and I could make it bounce, but it took some effort.
As a comparison, I can stand on the gunwale of my Ranger and it won't
move at all.

You didn't mention if it was a cuddy cabin or center console. The one
I played with was a cuddy cabin model. The cabin had a reasonable
amount of cabin space, but I thought it was a little cramped. Then
again, not a lot of people are 6'3" and 250 either.

You could do worse than a Sea Fox. It's not a top of the line boat
but then it's not exactly the pits either.

It's a good choice if money is a consideration.

Later,

Tom

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 05:55:15 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 17:19:41 -0500, John H
wrote:

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 20:38:26 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

Thanks Tom and John H for taking the time to reply. A local dealer
handles Trophy which appears to be OK and I've located a 2 year old
Grady White for what appears to be a reasonable price. I shouldn't
have so many choices - reminds me of buying my first stereo system!


Well, let us know what you come up with. Tell us more about the Grady. I've
talked to a couple Trophy owners, and they have seemed pretty satisfied. I like
Grady's, but think they are ridiculously priced.


John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."


Well, the Grady is an 18' 2003 with full electronics, trailer, and 4
stroke Yamaha for about the same price as a 19' Trophy.

Just took in the boat show in (near) DC and saw what appeared to be
a decent alternative for my needs. It was a 21' Sea Fox with
GPS/depth and VHF, trailer, Merc 150 optimax and other options for
significantly less than the 21' Trophy. Any ideas on this boat??
Only other "good deal" boat I saw were several Sea Pros but little
things like funky locker handles etc. made me a bit leery - but 2
lookers commented that their friends that had them thought they were
good boats. Anyone???

bob

How was the show? I was thinking of running out there tomorrow (I live in
Alexandria).
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 19:16:47 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 13:40:55 -0500, John H
wrote:

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 05:55:15 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 17:19:41 -0500, John H
wrote:

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 20:38:26 GMT, bo jangles wrote:


SNIP

Just took in the boat show in (near) DC and saw what appeared to be
a decent alternative for my needs. It was a 21' Sea Fox with
GPS/depth and VHF, trailer, Merc 150 optimax and other options for
significantly less than the 21' Trophy. Any ideas on this boat??
Only other "good deal" boat I saw were several Sea Pros but little
things like funky locker handles etc. made me a bit leery - but 2
lookers commented that their friends that had them thought they were
good boats. Anyone???

bob

How was the show? I was thinking of running out there tomorrow (I live in
Alexandria).

Hard question to answer. Two buildings full of boats but it depends
what your interests are. There were +-40 dealers and with 2-3 lines
per dealer you can do the math. Based on my limited knowledge,
advertised prices were what I expected. Rinker, CG20 (?? not
completely sure of the # but it is a new retro look speedboat), deck
boats, a few offshore racers, mid size cruisers, cc, etc. were all
there along with 3 high end jon boats/bass boats. I found it
interesting and got a lot of questions answered but, since I don't
know much, that was to be expected. Admission was $8 and it was
comfortably crowded @4 - 7 PM.

Thanks. Sounds like something I can bypass. I'll wait for the Annapolis
powerboat show. That one is something.
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 18:11:35 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 11:26:02 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 05:55:15 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 17:19:41 -0500, John H
wrote:

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 20:38:26 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

Thanks Tom and John H for taking the time to reply. A local dealer
SNIP
Well, let us know what you come up with. Tell us more about the Grady. I've
talked to a couple Trophy owners, and they have seemed pretty satisfied. I like
Grady's, but think they are ridiculously priced.

Well, the Grady is an 18' 2003 with full electronics, trailer, and 4
stroke Yamaha for about the same price as a 19' Trophy.

Just took in the boat show in (near) DC and saw what appeared to be
a decent alternative for my needs. It was a 21' Sea Fox with
GPS/depth and VHF, trailer, Merc 150 optimax and other options for
significantly less than the 21' Trophy. Any ideas on this boat??
Only other "good deal" boat I saw were several Sea Pros but little
things like funky locker handles etc. made me a bit leery - but 2
lookers commented that their friends that had them thought they were
good boats. Anyone???

Sea Fox and Sea Pro used to be different boats, but they are both
owned by Sea Pro who is now a part of Brunswick who owns Mercury.

SNIP

Spoke with a Sea Fox person - he said Sea Pro and Sea Boss were bought
by Brunswick - Sea Fox was not. Don't think he has any reason to not
tell the truth.

I misspoke - you are correct, The internal editor missed that one,

Thanks.

Later,

Tom

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 14:44:41 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

I am buying my first boat (not counting my jon boat) to be used in
sal****er - primary use is fishing - Florida's Sarasota Bay and Keys
and Intercoastal. I will be using it with 1 to 3 passengers. Since I
get seasick I will not be going offshore and won't be going out in
rough weather (may have to return in it though). I've been looking at
Scout, Triumph and Proline in the 18' - 20' range and 75-130 HP
motors.

These are all good choices for a small entry level fishing boat. I
havnt been on a fishing boat smaller than 30' in 25 years tho.