OK. Here's the deal. I have a great '96 North River 19' sled and I'm thinking of changing over to a deep V. So I thought I would post here to see if I could bum a day of fishing from those of you who have what I'm thinking about to get an idea of what I should look for.

Here is what I'm thinking about. Something in the 20-24 foot range with a VBirth. So that means something like a Trophy, Arima, Wellcraft, Striper, etc. I also know I will probably want to have a heater as I have used the heater in my boat A LOT.

So having said that anyone want to go fishing? I'll pay my way for gas/ice/food of course! And if you like we can hit up the waters with my boat too.

BTW: I plan on being at Sekiu this weekend for some silver fun. Gotta see if I can get a few more on the fly rod! That was a kick 3 weeks ago at Neah!

have you considered lookig at a north river seahawk it is a really good saltwater boat with a good v to itand they make it up to a 24 footer I think you would like it better than a glass boat especially a bayliner !!!

Arima is not a deep-V, not by a long shot. Nice boats to be sure, but not deep-V.

Trophy is a really nice boat. If you don't believe me, go look at a late model 23-25' Trophy. They can't touch Seaswirl or Wellcraft for styling, but they are well-built.

I hope you have done some preliminary pricing. If not, you might be in for a big surprise.

If money were no object, and sticking to the size range you gave, I would be in a Seaswirl Striper 2301, Merc 6.2L MPI, Bravo III, 15 HP kicker with power everything and remote steering, enclosed hardtop, Raytheon integrated GPS/radar/fishfinder, all the options, and a trailer. That would make me a very happy camper. Too bad I don't have $80-big kicking around. For $45-big, you can get the basic 2301, but no trailer, no electronics, 100 less HP, and no kicker.

punch in Aquasport to http://www.boattraderonline.com/newadsearch.html They may be a little hard to find in the northwest but you can get them new and used. For glass boats on a trailer its used Aquasport or wellcraft next for me and my budget.

Thanks for the responses guys. Yes I've been pricing things out. And yes I know the Arima is not really a deep V. But I would still like to see how it is in the water.

The problem with getting a North River Seahawk is that I would have to order it and I'm sure that it is out of my budget (I'll have to call Tacoma and find out tomorrow). All the boats I have listed I should be able to afford in either new or used configurations. Unfortunately there just aren't enough used North River's around to get a used Seahawk Cuddy.

My NR has really served me well. I've used it all over the place and never had any trouble going where I wanted to go EXCEPT when I felt the seas were just too rough out at Sekiu and Neah. Of course it would be nice to have a little softer ride in rough water too! Hence the reason I want a different boat. I would like to have something with a bit more freeboard as I don't like having the waves breaking over the bow like it does on mine. I know I'll miss having a jet though. I've gotten so I really like the fact that I can turn the boat around without going forward or backward by just turning the wheel when in "nuetral".

As I side note I'll also miss that nice V8 Rumble!

Achewater,

I actually test drove a Wellcraft 22 WA I/O last weekend and I wasn't completely overjoyed. I may actually try driving the 25 just to see if it's different. The 22 just felt like it was being thrown around too much. Of course that could be due to my inexperience using motor trim too. The water wasn't overly rough though it was pretty choppy and we had a lot of current (we were basically under the Narrows Bridge most of the time).

Overall it did have a fairly soft ride. However it hooked really bad a couple of times and that concerned me. It just doesn't feel solid like my sled does. We were of course going pretty quickly too (35 mph+). I don't have a speedo on the sled but I do know that I don't push that hard in that kind of water! Without suspension seats it would kill my back! I actually caught myself thinking it would have been nice if the Wellcraft had suspension seats! Also, at idle it was not nearly as stable as my NR.

Hey Finegrain,

Your dream boat is probably $10k less than that Seaswirl actually has an online pricing guide for their boats.

I looked at the 2101 at the show at Shilshole and it was a nice boat. It was a wee bit out of my price range so I would have to find a used one. I have seen a few used ones in Boat Trader though so that is not impossible.

I actually really liked the Trophy 2359 but it was way over my limit. I'm still looking to find a used one though. That is by far the one my wife likes the best! You certainly seem to get more for your money with the Trophy and the Wellcraft.

BTW: What do you have?

Some good choices there. I own a 17ft Arima and I will also say it is not your typical deep v, it will slap alittle more than some of the other boats you mentioned and may not have quite the top end speed as some of the other boats.
I have found them to be very stable fishing platforms, very easy to move around on without alot of pitching side to side. They are very economical to run, usually needing less horse power than boats of equal length. The 17 is a pretty bumpy ride at times, but the longer lengths seem to ride much better. I have been for a ride in a 21 SeaRanger and the ride was very nice, I imagine the 22 Sea Legend would be even better.
Good luck, nothing better than searching for that new boat that you can fall in love with!

Look at the classifieds over at I-Fish.Looks like they have what your looking for, posted right now

Gary,

As you are probably aware by now, the trade off when going to deep-V is stability. A deep-V will definitely rock-n-roll when at rest, it's like trying to balance an egg. It is also a lot more subject to side-to-side water movement, and will "catch and edge" in a sharp turn. If you want to make 30 MPH in 2-3' seas, though, the deep-V is the only way to go. My first boat was a Maxum 20' with 21-degree deadrise and 7'6" beam, and it had a creamy-smooth ride at speed in 2' seas. It was, however, somewhat puke-inducing when we fished on the salt, because it was tipping back and forth the whole time. Right now I'm in an 18' x 8' beam boat, with maybe 18-degree deadrise. It is noticeably more stable at rest, but I have to really work the throttle when the water picks up.

How about the Harborcraft Kingfisher?

THATS a NICE BOAT!

A modified-V might be order. Decent rough water permormance and fairly stable while fishing.

There are some deep v's available on the other coast but they are all center console. You have to go to 32' or over to get the benefit of the V with a transition back to a more stable platform. They are built for running full throttle out to 200 miles and fishing and running back in. I have been researching them and I think they are the perfect NW Salt boat for fishing our coastal waters . With the right motors you can pick the sea conditions you want to limit yourself to instead of being limited by the boat. Some good deals to be had with gas prices the way they are.

Where Glasplys considered a deep V ????

Thanks for the responses guys! I'm still very undecided and have to get in some boats to decide what I want to do now. It looks like I'm going to have to put buying this on hold for a few months too. So I'll continue looking and will make a careful decision when the time comes.

Having said that... Who wants to go fishing?

Gary-

I'll go with you any day. Flip me an email when you want to go.

Dee