Northwest Fishing Reports

I am looking for a boat for some of the larger lakes, the sound, fish and crab, and to fish the jetty at westport when it is calm. Would a 13 ft Boston Whaler do for that or is that to "lightweight" to handle that or should I look for a little larger. Deep V or tri? What would a good all round be.

Thanks
Mike

A 13 foot Whaler will go just about anywhere you want to go and come back. Is it going to beat the crap out of you if it gets rough? You bet, in spades! Judging by your name on here, I'm going to go out on a limb and say if you want to go out in the salt, you probably want something a little bigger than 13 footer. Size and draft matter.

A good used whaler is really expensive. Whalers are also not very deep. For what you would pay for a whaler you could find a 14 to 16 foot welded aluminium open boat with a newer 4 stroke between 15 and 25 hp. An aluminium like i am talking about would be a lot deeper and more sea worthy. If you found one with a 4 stroke, it would be very economical to run. Most of the whalers i have seen of the size your talking about have old 35 or 40 hp 2 strokes that are gas hogs.

Thanks, I am looking now, I will find one in the next few days
Mike

Would the tri hull be less stable than deep V. Does Aluminium have any advantage over Fiberglass?

Frist part of your question, in my opium, no. Aluminum can be lighter, but Fiberglass will give you a better ride. And with Aluminum you have the salt always eating away at it.

Thank You,You confirmed my thoughts

Now for your next contradictory "internet expert" opinion...

A tri-hull will be more stable than a deep V of similar size and have less draft and get on plane easier.

The deep V will ride better/smoother than the tri-hull in rough water but have more draft and need more power to get on plane. It wont matter if its aluminum or fiber glass. Its the shape of the hull as it cuts through the water that matters - not what its made of.

Fiberglass does tend to be less noisy than aluminum.

As far as saltwater and aluminum boats - as long as you're not storing the boat in a slip full time, it probably doesnt matter.

Either way, you need to have zincs that are properly installed and maintained or your aluminum outboard's skeg and aluminum prop will corrode away just as fast even if you have a fiberglass boat. The outboard and prop are actually far more subject to galvanic corrosion than the hull. If the outboard is protected, so is the hull.

On fiberglass boats, the gel coat fades in the sun over time and gets hairline cracks in it.

Fiberglass boats often have wood stringers and wood in the transom that rots over time.

On the other hand, riveted aluminum boats are more likely to develop leaks over time at the rivets.

So - its some of this and some of that for both.

I loved my old tri-hull fibreform lake boat - as long as the water was smooth. The rougher the water got, the worse it was to ride in. I would never have a tri-hull in the sound. On smooth days it would be fine, but that limits you a lot around here. Same thing on larger lakes where wind waves can build up. It can make for a miserable, slow ride if it gets choppy and you're in a tri-hull.

If you only plan to go out on smooth water, no wind days or on smaller lakes. then a tri-hull is an excellent choice for a smaller boat because they are more stable.

So now you have another free, internet opinion

Good luck with what ever you choose and boat safely out there. Any boat is better than no boat

I picked one out. A 1980 Seaswirl Cuddy 19'



Still need to install swivel seats, find a kicker and figure out the damn surge brakes.

Congrats and good luck!

Enjoy!!!! Gotta love the Detroit iron!!! really good seals on the IOs these days. If you're not up to it have someone service it and make sure it's good. It's sort of a five year deal.... She should get you there and back for many years!!!! Is it a six or an eight? Both are very well proven engines, born from the stationary crowd.

Most important, have a huge amount of fun!!!! Get some Boat USA if you're going in the salt. One tow and you'll be a believer.

Can anybody recommend a boat repair shop in the Olympia Tumwater area for me to have everything checked out to make sure it's ready to go?

Thanks for all your input

I dont know anyone down that way but be prepared for a significant bill. Its going to run you around $100/hour for a good tech to go over the boat.

If they do a thorough inspection - including seals and impeller and engine cooling system, etc, its going to take at least 3 or 4 hours of tech time plus parts - minimum.

A marine surveyor may be able to get that done more reasonably. I was quoted $250 when I inquired about a inspection, just double check it covers everything you want, but it sounded pretty thorough, compression checks and looking over, hull, transom and other known trouble spots.. They also would not have a vested interest in racking up a long list of repairs so they may be able to give you a better independent inspection. Most of the ones I work with only do commercial vessels so I do not have a specific recommendation.

The only way to check the outdrive seals and impeller are to disassemble them and look inside. Same for the cooling system parts on the engine. While everything is apart, you pretty much have to replace the seals and any gaskets. You may as well replace the impeller as well even if it looks good. The parts costs are going to be minor unless there are problems with the heat exchanger or risers or some other major component.

A surveyor isnt going to look at that stuff.

If you are handy, you can do a lot of those things yourself with a good manual and some time.

What do they say? A boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money. I would rather have a little peace of mind. Supposedly in this case all this was done. For the price I paid for it I figure I have a little wiggle room. I will do a lot myself.

Mike, look around online there are a few boat shops in your area. Tanglewilde marine from what I hear is a good shop. There is also Puget Marina try giving them a call if they can't help they might now a shop that can. Good luck and congrats on the boat!!

never2old2fish wrote:I picked one out. A 1980 Seaswirl Cuddy 19'



Still need to install swivel seats, find a kicker and figure out the damn surge brakes.

I had the 18 foot outboard seaswirl cuddy. Great biat. We had many wonderful salt and freshwater adventures. Congrats!

I thought I would give a report on a Boat Service shop in Olympia that I am happy with. I took it to US marine sales to be checked out. It was declared healthy needing only a tune up and normal service at the end of the season, charged only an hour shop time. 4 cylinder Mercruiser in 19ft Seaswirl. No Pressure for unneeded repairs.

Good to know!