Northwest Fishing Reports

Been looking at boats since I sold my last. I never owned a glass boat. Are Trophys good boats? Are there anything to look out for in particular with them?

I have one friend that has a 2000 20'Trophy and another with the 18' model around the same age, both with Merc mtrs.. Both have had decent experience with their boats. Some of the older models have a Force motor. Stay away from those or figure you'll have to re-engine.

Ok, I consider myself a bit of a Trophy expert if you will. They can be great boats. Just do not get one older than a 2004 without a survey. I had a 1992 trophy 2002 WA, with a rude 175 hp 2 stroke on the back. It was a FANTASTIC boat. problem is, before 2004, they use wood in the transom, cuddy and stringers. Wood is not bad on them, but their lack of sealant is. Bayliner sold trophy in the late 90's to genmar ( I believe ) and they still made good boats but still had some of the wood sealing issues. 2004 on up they sold and eliminated wood and you have an all glass boat. I personally loved our Trophy. I just started to find rot in the transom through the garbourd drain and some other areas. Then I had to replace the cuddy floor with glass as it is just wood with gel coat and was rotted. Would I get another Trophy? Yup. Just newer and I would have a survey done. Would I get another boat over a Trophy? Yup. Striper would be my first round draft pick

There is a Striper for sale at Limit Out. I have no idea what model, year, as I didn't see it, just heard them talking about the equipment for it.

I have an '05 1952WA and have been quite happy and impressed with it. It has a 3.0 Mercruiser I/O and is super roomy and a capable fishing boat that the family enjoys hanging out on it as well.

If you're interested: http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/boa/4649220204.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are a ton of "Bayliner Bashers" out there, so I'd only seriously consider comments by previous owners and boat mechanics. I have owned an '86 Trophy 2460, and a '96 2858, the Trophy's big brother. I found the hull to be very solid in both boats. I found less quality in the "brightwork": stainless rails and line cleats. I found it was necessary to spend a bit more time to keep the rails "stain less" than with some more expensive boats. I ended up replacing the plated line cleats with solid stainless ones. FYI, all of my use was in saltwater. I used the 2858 in my halibut/salmon/sightseeing charter business and never felt I needed a different brand of boat.

I prefer "tupperware" instead of "tin" boats, which is another matter of personal preference: quieter, no welds to crack, and they don't sweat inside like aluminum.

Reference the above posts concerning the transoms, I never had any issues with mine. Both boat's had Mercruiser inboards with Mercruiser outdrives. That's where maintenance, if not quality, was an issue. If you are comfortable working on older automobile engines, you can do a bunch of your own engine maintenance. There is a learning curve with outdrives and a few specialty tools required to pull outdrives, replace "u" joints, seals, etc. Lots of fishermen prefer outboards to inboards to supposedly avoid those maintenance issues. However, outboards can present their own suite of troubles!

As mentioned...unless you are very familiar with boats and can do your own inspection...get a qualified surveyor to point out potential problems. If the boat needs all new interior fabrics and/or carpet, for example, try to get a quote to have it done BEFORE signing on the dotted line. Good luck!

dutchman2858 wrote:There are a ton of "Bayliner Bashers" out there, so I'd only seriously consider comments by previous owners and boat mechanics. I have owned an '86 Trophy 2460, and a '96 2858, the Trophy's big brother. I found the hull to be very solid in both boats. I found less quality in the "brightwork": stainless rails and line cleats. I found it was necessary to spend a bit more time to keep the rails "stain less" than with some more expensive boats. I ended up replacing the plated line cleats with solid stainless ones. FYI, all of my use was in saltwater. I used the 2858 in my halibut/salmon/sightseeing charter business and never felt I needed a different brand of boat.

I prefer "tupperware" instead of "tin" boats, which is another matter of personal preference: quieter, no welds to crack, and they don't sweat inside like aluminum.

Reference the above posts concerning the transoms, I never had any issues with mine. Both boat's had Mercruiser inboards with Mercruiser outdrives. That's where maintenance, if not quality, was an issue. If you are comfortable working on older automobile engines, you can do a bunch of your own engine maintenance. There is a learning curve with outdrives and a few specialty tools required to pull outdrives, replace "u" joints, seals, etc. Lots of fishermen prefer outboards to inboards to supposedly avoid those maintenance issues. However, outboards can present their own suite of troubles!

As mentioned...unless you are very familiar with boats and can do your own inspection...get a qualified surveyor to point out potential problems. If the boat needs all new interior fabrics and/or carpet, for example, try to get a quote to have it done BEFORE signing on the dotted line. Good luck!

X2! I've been in contact with a few Trophy's and all have been very nice boats, not your typical Bayliner, in fact they came from a different mfg plant. If you're looking at a nice one, grab it! If you get looking a bit bigger, the Bayliner Motor Yachts are really tough to beat for the money and very comfy!

Hey new guy here who happens to own a 93 Trophy. It's a 20' footer with a cuddy. The fish deck is bit on the small side. But other than that it's treated me well. The biggest water I had it in was 8 foot swells with wind and it handled just fine. Mine has a 175 HP Mercury 2 Stroke. When it's cold it takes a few rotations of the starter to start but then after that it's money for the whole day. If you plan on owning one be cautious of the Force outboards, I have heard lots of complaints about those engines.