Take any boat you are serious about buying out in some weather for a test run. IMO Arimas are calm water boats that will beat the crap out of you in chop. My brother had a Seaswirl that rode great in rough water.

I've had a 21' Trophy and now have a 20' North River Seahawk...I liked the Trophy when it came to getting to and from the fishing areas. But I like the fishing room and the stability of the North River once I am fishing....Also the North River is easier to maintain.

Buddy had a 16' Arima, loved that boat...

+1 For Arima. I have a 17' Sea Ranger. I've been in rollers out of Barkley that I could not see over when standing up and it did just fine. Keta is right in that they are a bit rough in the chop we see here when the tides and the wind get snotty. Just slow down.
Some good advice I received when looking at boats was from Arnie out at Verle's in Shelton - "Buy a boat you can launch and retrieve by yourself. That way you can get maximum use.".

agree with the "buy a boat you can launch and retrieve by yourself"

that's why I purchased the North River, way easier than my Trophy..

just my opinion, if you buy a North River, Alumweld, Boulton etc...spend the xtra doe and get suspension seats, makes a huge difference

Arima's are a modified V hull. A deep V hull will cut the chop when running better but the Arima isn't going to be rolling around while fishing like the deep V will. Apples and oranges. Most of my time is spent fishing versus running so that's where I put my money and I slow down on the way in if it get's rough.

+1, .....except I typically just dont slow down, batten down the hatches, and punch it! :p

The day I sell my Arima it will be for the purchase of a bigger one.

Went through this two years ago, looking for my first boat (after 'ho-ing for 15 years).

Ended up with a 19'-0" Arima Sea Ranger Hardtop, w/ 115 Merc(aha) 4-stroke. I dig it.
Nice and dry underway, and extremely stable/level while trolling. Roomy, wide dance floor. Cuddy is long enough to sleep (2) 6'-2"-ers.
Top speed: 34mph, Cruise: 26-28mph. Great mileage.

As others have said, it's a bit poundy in medium chop, but big enough that it comes down soft so as to not pulverize your kidneys.
Slow down, no problemo.

This boat will do anything I need, for the foreseeable future. Would not hesitate to take it offshore--with standard safety and common-sense factored in, of course.

Really looking forward to getting it out to NB, WP, Ucluelet, Bamfield, etc. when I get a few more hours under my belt...

Glasply or Arima.

For you arima guys. I launch and retrieve off a gravel beach, no dock. Would it be too much to try and do this with a 17' or 19' arima?

I have but it depends on the site. I've also scratched up the bottom on barnacles but, while I didn't want to do that, it's part of the deal around here.

Nope. Bailed after a call from TJ.

Summerrun also bailed.

It's a small coho show down there now due to the tides. No thanks.

I caught wind that the bank is operating North River and is accepting custom orders.

I've heard the same thing.

does that mean the bank is up holding any warranty stuff

do you want to sit in back and control the trolling motor or steer from the front. do you want a CC or small cabin.
18' will fish any where in sound and safe in the ocean bays.
I went to the boat shows the past few years looking for a newer boat, but nothing out there allowed me to control the trolling motor from the back. So I put a new motor on my '93 boat 18' CC. For the rain and cold you just buy good dry/warm gear

No Trophy fans out there? Sure see a lot of them on the water,

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I got a 1981 17 ft glaspy with a newer 115 2 stroke, smashes thru the chop, is a bit tipsy for my liking. fished on my buddys arima sea chaser and man those are nice boats. mainly fish out of my 14 ft sea nymph aluminum because I can launch it with ease at primitive launches by myself.

I have a 22 C Dory Cruiser. I have to say I was impressed with the way the boat just slipped over the waves, as opposed to blasting thru the chop, which was a much more pleasurable ride while coming back to Everett last Thursday afternoon when the water got pretty stirred up. The C Dory's plane at about 6-8mph, which allows the bow to stay low in the water at 10-16 mph. While I liked my previous Fiberform deep v boat would top out at 40+ with a 200 HP yamaha 2 stroke, the bow would rise up while trying to get on plane at a comfortable speed during rough water.

+1 for Arimas!
I have a 19ft Sea Ranger that I have put over 300hrs on the big motor in the past two summers chasing salmon.
Just as mentioned above, they can beat you up in chop, but you get a boat that planes easily and is stable as heck.
I have been 25 miles out of Lapush in some pretty nasty stuff and it rides really well.
Easy to tow and launches in little water.
Nice cuddy cabin that my wife and I spent 5 nights in the San Juans in this summer and the kids have a place to hang out when the rods aren't exploding.

I love my C-Dory 22 Cruiser and fish out of it lots. I agree with all that was said about the fuel economy, the ride and the chop. However, if I were to use a boat solely for fishing, I would get either the 19' or 22' anglers, not the cruiser. Having said that, I would also look at the Arimas for purely fishing. You still get the fuel economy and stability on a boat designed for fishing.