I'm just starting to look for a good sound fishing boat for retirement. I generally fish in the puget sound area and maybe in the straits. I am looking for something in the 20 to 24 foot range that tows easy. I would keep the price reasonible since part the time it would be parked at the house. Like I said a "Good Fishing Boat". Does anyone have any advice/opinions they would like to share.

C-Dory, Arima, Boston Whaler.

I guess it all depends on what you think is "reasonable".

Here's a few suggestions:

1 - Bayliner trophy

2 - Sea Dory

3 - Arima Sea Ranger

4 - Striper (not sure who makes it, but it looks just like a trophy)

If you've got the big bucks,

Olympic hardtop 24'

Grady-White

I'm sure there are others, these are just the ones I could think of off of the top of my head.

I agree with 4Salt. What's reasonable....30K or 60K? Also, are you going to be cruising with this boat or spending much time sleeping on it. If so, something with a cabin is nice (afterall this is the NW). Assuming you are planning on doing lots of fishing plus some cruising my first choices are:

Sea Sport
Osprey
Boulton

New or used? Are you handy, so that you can "fix up" an older boat? About how much do you want to spend? Even the new Trophys nowadays aren't "cheap" for most of us -- 30-grand for a 2003 2052 walkaround. If you're made of money, you might could drop 80-big on a 24' C-Dory Tomcat with dual Honda 130's, which would be my high-dollar choice.

If you go used, you can get by for as little as 10-grand, but you have to make a lot of compromises. Forget about Arima, C-Dory, Whaler, etc. unless you can drop down to 17' or so, or are willing to do a bunch of work on the boat. Used Gradys and Whalers cost almost as much as new ones, or so it seems. They have a fanatical userbase.

Can you clarify "easy to tow?" If you are driving an F-350 diesel, you might think a 27' Skagit Orca is "easy to tow," whereas if you are driving a minivan, a 20' aluminum boat would be a stretch.

Did you really mean, "easy to launch/retrieve?" Waders, rollers, and an electric winch make most anything "easy to launch/retrieve."

Regards.

Mike

I like Little Fishes' choices. Those C Dory's are WAY too flat bottomed for me.

Also good boats are the Orca and Parker.

Striper is (or was) made by SeaSwirl - an OMC company. They may be out of business now.

I think Shamrock is most sea worthy for it's size.

I fish from a 24' SeaSport.

Seaswirls are still being made:

www.seaswirl.com

They are a Genmar component.

Regards.

Mike

SlabQuest,
I like the Parker's also....just haven't seen many of them out here in the NW. I'll have to take a closer look at the Shamrock and Orca.

Question about your SeaSport; does the small hump over the engine cause you many problems or is it pretty easy to get used to?
JMS

That hump aint so small.....a flush deck would be nice.

Actually, it get covered with ice chests and tackle boxes but if it were lower I think you would trip on it. There is good side clearance to access the riggers.

In Sitka, you see mostly SeaSports & Parkers. Bay Marine in Suquamish was or still is a Parker dealer and now Islands Marine Center on Lopez is a Parker dealer.

The Shamrock is a true inboard with the engine weight in the boat's center. Extremely seaworthy. They have a dealer in Gorst.

I hafta agree about the SeaSports and Shamrocks, two of the best IMHO -- IF you can afford them! One testament to their quality is how few used ones you see for sale. Hafta check into the Parkers, don't know nuthin bout em....

Thanks for all the feedback....

Some of the boats are out of my price range on what I want to spend... (under 40K) There are several boats that interest me. I have spend some time out looking on the web at just about every boat mention here today. Here is my list so far.... Lots of beautiful boats out there.....

1. C Dory 22'

2. Striper

3. Arima Sea Ranger

4. Bayliner Trophy

I agree with the C-Dory.

Your list covers a lot of ground insofar as the Trophy/Orca/SeaSport (deep-V) will ride VERY different than the C-Dory (flat bottom). Here's a couple important questions for you:

1. Are you content to "putt" your way to the fishing area at 15-20 MPH (flat bottom), or would you rather get an extra 30 minutes sleep and fly there at 30-35 MPH (deep-V)?

2. The flip side of this is, are you OK with a pronounced side-to-side rolling motion in a sea (deep-V), or do you need a more stable platform (flat bottom)?

So many questions ...

Regards.

Mike

Thanks SlabQuest.

RRR, another really well-built inboard boat is manufactured in your neck of the woods: Blackman.

I looked up Parker on the internet. The 25' extended cabin only draws 18". I too fish from a 24' SeaSport and I draft 39".

The 9'6 beam would be nice.

http://www.parkerboats.net/

"The 9'6 beam would be nice"

Up until you tried to tow it down the highway

Also, I doubt you could get close to a boat like that with "only" $40-big in your checkbook. That would get you the power, trailer, and electronics, but then you'd have almost nothing left for the hull

Regards.

Mike

Pitch Pocket, I would assume that the Parker hull draws 18" of water.

The 39" you refer to is the bottom of the SeaSport's skeg when powered by I/O.

All I know about saltwater boats is what I read and owners tell me and how other people's boats feel on the water, so take this for what it's worth.

You might check out Silver Streak welded aluminum boats made up in Sooke. We fished out of a 24' up in AK this summer and it was a sweet ride. And at least half the cost of an Almar. Your American dollar will go a long way and the aluminum makes for a lot less maintenance.

Silver Streak boats

They're worth a look.

Bruce

Finegrain,
Re: 9'6 beam, you're right, I'd hate to need a pilot car for the wide load when dragging it around.

Slabquest,
Noted. I wonder what the draw is on the Seasport?