hewescraft vs northriver vs smokercraft

[saltyseadog]

ok so iv been talking about buying a boat for awhile now and i really just need to buck up and do it. what I want is welded. hewescraft northriver raider smokercraft. is it worth the extra doe for the extended transom, pretty nice on the hewes.a buddy of mine tells me to get the phantom 20 by smokercraft i just dont see the same quality that I do in the hewes or north river but it is eight grand less has alittle more storage and a nicer dash than the comp I could go on but I would like some other input thanks alumaweld????

[A9]

I'd avoid Smokercraft if your looking at a heavy welded boat...

You gotta figure out what you wanna use it for, length of boat, type of boat (open tiller vs windshield) and how much you can afford...

Their are other options just then those you mentioned
-Hewescraft
-Alumaweld
-North River
-Weldcraft
-Boulton
-Raider
-Duckworth
-Custom Weld

You just have to figure out what model of a boat you want and how much you want to spend. All of these boat manufacturers have a lot to offer in terms of lineup and even customization, and their are good deals out there.

Extended transom is awesome, it gives you a lot more room in your boat.

Seattle Boat Show would be an awesome place to go look at some boats. It's going on now until the 1st of February. Their will be a lot of models and manufacturers there, so go take a look and compare em all.

Also, they'll advertise a lot of the boats at shows like this with smaller motors so the cost on the sticker is low, but often times these motors make the boat pretty gutless when you get a full load of people and gear out on the water...For example they'll put a 115 on a North River Seahawk to make the cost look a lot better to potential boat buyers. But you would be much better off going with a 150hp motor...Nothings worse then an underpowered boat....

[swedefish4life1]

:compress: Length, width, side height , bottom design, how bigs the work bench/fishing area, HP and all the thickness, bottom, sides, hardtop, canvas, type of integrity of the build fit and finish, pre/flex hull and your bottom line your Personal needs and future wants and room for expansion, storage and is it a day tub, overnighter, salt or fresh waters or both.
Out of all the lists maybe 1 but not for me:cheers:
One mans dream boat:cyclops: is anothers bottom feeder:colors: but today is the time to spank a sweet deal:cheers: PM me anytime if you want big blue, rivers , bigger lakes I have a list of studs who work to the limits of the Industry which is changing very fast and its deals on wheels and many going south soon!:brilsmurf

(A-9 makes a Good point):compress: most entry level (Flaggers):colors: at Boat shows are way under HP , wrong pumps, wrong Outboards and props and much more.
There brought in in volume numbers and built in volume$ cheap to be moved by the guy with Sucker:cyclopsan on his back from not having help, little research and time spent doing and more.

Buyer beware but a guy with vision could steal tubs as we speak until the Industry heals or falls.:bball:

This one had your name all over it!!! LOL

Lean on Hp and style:colors:

[Liquid metal]

Salty, remember you get what you pay for!! check out the fit and finish of the brands you want. have the dealer take you out in the model you want. Like said here before "max the horse power" for what ever boat you do finally get it will pay you in the longh run.

[sickbayer]

I agree with the above engine thoughts... My Thunderjet has a v8 with a 309 pump and loaded with 4 guys and gear it is definitley slower,less responsive and takes that little longer to plain. Alumaweld always seemed to shove a 90hp motor on their lowest priced models. When i was looking to buy a few years back. Personally i really like Northriver center console 21'.
my advice whatever size you think you need add a foot. I wish my TJ was 21' not 19'.5. and dont forget thunderjets some might say theyre not as good as your Northriver etc. But after 1 year of research bang for buck used was the best deal i could find. Also remeber kicker motor, gps, fishfinder and all safety equip mininuim requirement when buy a new boat. goodluck lets us know what you get.

[saltyseadog]

yeah a buddy of mine has a TJ a real nice boat im just not that fond of the jet. i would like to find a 20 foot sea runner with a extended transom with like a 135 horse i found one a 2005 20 foot sea runner with no power just the boat for 15 grand? 27 with a 135hp i wont be gettin a brand new one

[G-Man]

I went through this exact same situation a few years ago. My list contained the usual suspects: Hewescraft, North River, Duckworth, etc. I went to the boat show and looked at all of them, took pictures and got general pricing info. I’ll tell you right now, if I had the room in my garage I would have seriously considered the “off-shore” or “gil” bracket. The room it gives you and the way the rear deck can be finished is just awesome. Many manufactures were quickly eliminated due to poor workmanship or design. A special note to buyers, Alumaweld has gotten sloppy in its design and workmanship and nickel and dime you for anything other than the bare necessities so this was one of the first I eliminated. I was looking for a boat that could handle the Puget Sound and larger lakes comfortably and found that the deep “V” boats from Raider, Hewes, North River and Duckworth were all basically the same in specs. For me it just became a matter of how they were outfitted and what type of engine the dealer was going to hang on the back of the boat. I was looking to put an Evinrude E-tec on my boat so this eliminated just about everyone back then. I finally found a dealer that sold the type of boat I was looking for as well as the engine I wanted, it ended up being a Raider 185 Pro Fisherman from Inland Boats and Motors located in Ellensburg. This boat has been a real joy to operate and can pull double duty as a pleasure boat for the family. For engine size, don’t skimp on the power. I’m not saying max out what the boat can handle but don’t expect to be satisfied with the bare minimum, you’ll regret it later on when you have a bunch of gear and or people on board or if you like water sports such as wake boarding or tubing. Also, get full canvas, even if you don’t think you’ll ever use it, you will. And if you need to sell the boat later on, having the full canvas package helps. Another thing to look at is the trailer. Make sure you are getting a quality product with your boat. There is no reason for anyone to use non-led lighting or not provide the following: a good tongue jack, surge brakes, galvanized wheels and full sized radial tires with a spare. In this economy you should be able to get this all at no additional cost.

[saltyseadog]

thanks for the input the thing is it must have a kicker four stroke of course, full canvas with drop it will be in the sound most of the time and the 36 inch seats would be nice for over night lingcod in the jauns, scottys i would like to put on the electronics, lights,and other goodies. at the show I seen alumaweld had this removeable almost hard top that was preety cool the thing is the hewes has what they call the extended transom sea drive it is really part of the hull not just a bracket its more planing surfuce salesmen said "so when your buying a 18 foot boat your really gettin a 20 foot" it sure is nice though

[swedefish4life1]

Kingfisher/Harborcraft pre flex hulls= if you talking only metal with Alaskan Bulkheads hard tops far better tubs then all of those :bball: and one 4 stroke Kicker above all the (Yamaha T-8 High thrust power trim and tilt, electric start) the Finisher:cheers:
If your talking glass = Seasport, Osprey, Grady white and bigger Boston Whalers:cheers:

[wolverine]

Being a retired boat industry guy I'll throw in a few tidbits. I'll make the assumption that you are going to buy new rather than used. First of all be sure you know what you are really going to use the boat for. A lot of guys want an all purpose boat, but then you have so many compromises that you will never be happy. Figure out what your primary fishery is and buy accordingly. Flat bottom or 10 degree vee or less may be great on the shallow rivers but utterly suck on big water as they will pound the fillings out of your teeth and pound your butt into roids. Open bow boats give you a lot of fishing room and easy bow/shore access but when the wind starts blowing the tops off the rolling swells you only need to take one over the bow and you are in serious doo doo. Full or cutaway transom? If its a cutaway does it have a splashwell? Again you want to keep the following waves out. Tunnel hull? Great for running the really skinny stuff but will cavitate horribly in series waves. Extended transoms on OB's are great as they give you a lot more deck space to utilize. However, they are going to add 4'-6' in length to the boat. You will need to go to longer rods to get around all that metal hanging off the back when a fish circles the boat, and if you fish with down riggers you'll need extended booms to keep the wires out of the prop(s). Pump or prop? Makes a big difference in fuel economy which you choose. If you go with a prop on an alum boat you'll pay the price when you sell as most tin boat users are pumpers. Bilge pumps. Boat builders always go cheap on pumps. Most installs are 300 gl/hr. Sounds like a lot but one big wave over the transom can put that much in. Put the biggest pump that will fit in the stern (2 are better) and figure out how to get another in the forefoot in the bow. It's not a good feeling to have a boat sink away under your feet. Been there done that. Scuppers. Bow and stern, make sure they are big enough to drain serious water and are located where they will actually work. Again the first wave in fills you up and the second wave puts you down. Power. Always buy the max rated or close to max. As others have said the dealer always puts on minimum HP to keep the price down. By the time you add full fuel tanks, all gear, and a few warm bodies, a boat that sea trialed pretty good empty becomes a wallowing pig when loaded. Min Hp also equals low resale value. Engine brand choice. You can always get Mercury and Yamaha service anywhere you go. Suzuki, Honda, E-Rude have far fewer qualified service locations. If you go with an inboard jet make sure that you have a pump thats properly sized to the engine HP, and weight of the boat. Way too many people have the wrong pump and get crappy performance because of it. Now the real biggie. Resale value. Low volume "niche brands" are going to be a tough sell as the potential knowledgeable customer base is a lot smaller. A smaller, lesser known brand may fit you're requirements to a "T", but remember that unless you plan a long marriage to the boat you'll pay the price in resale value. Nuff said, I'm going to the boat show and help some friends.

[Reel_Nut]

Salty, It was just a year ago that I was in the same place you are in with buying the boat and getting the best for my money.
I decided that I wasnt going to purchase my boat until i looked at the Boat Show. I knew that the Upper End boats (North River, Ductworth, Thunderjet) were way out of my price range yet I was looking for a SLED that would get me anywhere I wanted to fish. The thing you have to decide is What are you buying the boat for? Pleasure boating=water skiing, rafting ..ect. Salt water Fishing and large lakes or River fishing. Dont get me wrong I think the upper end boats are absolutly beautiful but Im a fisherman and i didnt want a boat for the luxuries I wanted a boat to get me to the fish.
I bought a Rogue Marine from King Salmon Marine out of Tacoma. This Boat has been absolutly the greatest purchase. and I saved myself almost $10,000 from the sticker price on the Hewscraft, which is anouther very well made boat.
Tough choices, but my only advice it buy the boat that will due everything you want.
Ohhhh by the way Make sure you go with Honda if you get an outboard.6 year warrenty top to bottom.

[saltyseadog]

yeah for sure dont want a pump i never thought of longer rods and booms but thats no biggie would like to find a used but you just dont see many used hewes i like how every thing is welded like all the cleats on a smokercraft are screwed on...where we fish area 8-1 8-2 and 7 i think a twenty foot sea runner could just about take anything out there? but that four foot deep ten foot around hole that we hit through deception was a little hairy in a 17 foot olympic! my buddie says "those tin boats will beat the crap out of you" I went from camano to orcas in a thunder jet pump and it was a little hard on the back i mean for the 25 grand that I spend on a tin I could get a used seasport hard top olympic or a ton of other glass boats fully rigged just so many things to keep in mind . plus aint pulling a 22 foot seasport with my ranger and a boat comes way before a new truck right. the glassply i have now is a great heavy deep v that rides like a champ runs like a top never a problem I just dont like goin out unless im with another boat its thirty years old

[saltyseadog]

thats a nice keeper! we caught a bunch of stugies on the stilly in stanwood and livingston bay

[saltyseadog]

sweedy a buddy of mine from boat country the owners got a 18 foot outrage and its strickly a fair weather boat tough but no cover at all. 8 foot seas on the out side of san juan caught 2 silvers but it rained the hole time fun boat and will get ya where ya want to be fast but i hate salmon fishin in it sweet for lingin though

[Reel_Nut]

Ya, This is my fav fishery. There are some places that get Very shallow so thats why i went with a sled.

[swedefish4life1]

2nd to none in metal (All tappered Radius hulls):cheers: and (enforced intake areas):cheers: and light years ahead of the pack in paint, fit , finish and ride in almost any conditons (Bruce Wassom tubs)= (ROGUEJETBOATWORKS) www.RougeJet.com

He has been a Industry leader for 45 plus years works with police, work tubs and 1 only customs and as we speak building a= 1 only Landing Craft that will flat line the industry on that application and will be leaving Wa State in late May push the inside passage and all waters in between and set foot in the GREAT STATE OF Alaska:compress:

All will be filmed Lings, Halibut, Salmon and all of mother nature in a 28x11 fter mated with 475 ponies Diesel Turbo/ Hamilton 274 pump!

Here are 2 of Bruces real (Jetcraft) tubs I owned in the 90's never saw a shop once and were both worked out of.

[swedefish4life1]

Here is some of a recent tub of Bruces Tappered Radius:compress: boat 6.0 liter V-8= Hamilton 212 turbo loaded with fishing gear and options and I was on the start to finish of her and the owner Bob and I are good buds and this thing runs the chop and runs skinny and runs on rails!:chef:

(Salty)= we love Lings to ding and Flatties fish only!:colors:

[SmokinAces]

I've always been a fan of the North River Seahawk OS. I'm sure many others would agree that this boat is kick ass for offshore salmon/halibut/tuna fishing. Swedester, you gotta have some love for this boat with all the saltwater fishing you do! Am I right?!?!?!

http://www.northriverboats.com/boatmode ... overview/9

[Bodofish]

All of them are nice boats. It all depends on the money one wants to spend. That's the bottom line. You buy a high end welded boat and they warranty the hull for life......... all of them do. All the engines have the same warranty, buy more if you want. It all boils down to what you can afford and what you want to spend. You can catch just as many fish fish with Lund or a Crestliner as you can with a Rogue, a P-weld or a CW and NR for that matter. It's not the boat it's the fisherman.
I've caught so many fish out of a 13' zodiac there is no argument as to what brand is a better fishing boat. Just get out on the water and be safe.

[swedefish4life1]

NR once Grand and better= now mass produced and less materials used period:colors: Buy what you want then ask what you need:colors:
I disagree with Bodotubby building a tub around a bigger work bench gives you more ability to do so much more as well as how you set up your gear.
I am not really talking sleds and in most cases in the Big Blue the Correct Glass application is a far better ride and performer:cheers: but there are 2 or 3 metal tubs I love as well in the salt NR not one of them= but guys that have them enjoy them!!!

You can fist fight, square dance and more Great things:colors: in the back of a Custom Seasport and we do all and fish, crab and shrimp and worse on any given day:cheers:
Buying any tub =78 inches in the rear to set up the correct work bench and gear and dont forget the rear transom fish and depth finder in the bang zone not just the helm!
More productive and keeps the downriggers pinn pointing fish!:cheers:


The boat in the rear of the picture= floating Junk and with Pride named the Floating (cork)=too short, to narrow , to high and way lean on power needed in the big blue:bball: