New to Seattle - Boat Advice Please

[Freddy_V]

Hey folks,

I just moved to the beautiful pacific NW from Texas and I'm thinking about getting a boat for fishing the Sound and large lakes within 1-2 hr drive from Seattle. I had a 23' Robalo cuddy cabin back in Houston and would fish mostly offshore (20-30 miles out). I've been Halibut and Lingcod fishing out of Westport and took a Salmon Charter in the Sound in August but other than that I have little to no experience fishing in this part of the world. My question is what would be a good boat for me to start with if I want to learn to fish the area?

These are my top priorities for the boat:

1) Fishing - main use for the boat will be fishing. Comfort is nice but this will not be a cruiser or ski boat and no kids to think about.
2) Versatility - Since I don't know what kind of fishing I'll dig the most I want something that is just at home trolling for Salmon in the sound as it is fishing lake stevens or lake washington.
3) Size - I want to garage the boat and will pull it with a 4Runner w/ V6 power so I'm thinking I'll have to keep it to 16-18 foot range

Should I go with Fiberglass (I like the 17' Arimas) or a dual console welded aluminum boat (Alumweld, smokercrafts, etc...). My buget is around $10K

Thanks for your help!!!

Fish-on!

[Amx]

Well, you NEED to know what you 4runner is rated to tow, and NEEEEED to know how much weight it can STOP!

Then reaserch what type of fishing there is in Washington State, decide which specie you want to fish for, and figure out which type of boat will be best for the fish you want most to fish for.

Then look up specs for the type of boat you want/need and go from there.

There should be a boat show in Seattle in Feb., but it might have changed to Jan. or March. Do a search for 'Seattle Boat Show'.

[Amx]

Call Russ here;

http://www.limitoutmarine.com/

He can help you. He use to have a 4runner back in the early '90s, knows different boats, and use to live in Texas.

[Freddy_V]

Thanks Amx, maybe I should've been a little more specific.

My 4Runner is rated to tow up to 5,000 lbs and I've pulled (and stopped) a 17' Montauk with it very comfortably. The real size limit is the garage, can't fit anything much longer than 17 or 18', I don't think I'll have trouble towing the boat.

As far as fish species go, I grew up fishing the salt so that's what I prefer but then again back in texas all we have is bass and catfish in our lakes. I would like to fish for cutts, kokanee and other trout / land-locked salmon in lakes and of course go for Salmon and maybe even Lingcod/Halibut in the sound.

Is it crazy to want a boat that can do both?

Also, would fiberglass or aluminum make more sense and why???

Thanks again,

[Anonymous]

Your question comes up quite often, and searching through past forum posts should yield some great info. I have an 18.5' Raider that I use on the Sound, Coast and local lakes. It just fits in my garage and the swing tounge on the trailer makes this possible. There are several makes of boats that will satisfy your requirements with one exception, the $10k price tag. Because they are so popular in this area, the type and size of boat you are looking for are not usually for sale on the used market, and when they are, command a hefty price. I spent many years looking for the same boat you are looking for and finally broke down and bought new. The price tag was $24K, which was at the low end a little over 4 years ago.

Here are a couple of links to prior posts:
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/ya ... tions.aspx
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/ya ... craft.aspx

Aluminum boats are popular around here as they are typically lighter in weight and tow easier than fiberglass boats. Also the thing that I think is key in the kind of boat you are looking for is freeboard. I'm sorry but a typical Boston Whaler doens't cut it in the Sound with the gunwale topping out at mid shin. Arimas are nice boats and you may be able to find a used one in your price range, just be sure to check the trailer weight and also make sure the windshield will clear your garage door!

[jerrysgonefishing]

If you decide on fiberglass my vote would be Arima. I have the 16ft Sea Chaser with a 75 hp Honda. More then enough power. Capable of doing the water at Sekeu and Neah bay and still at home on the local lakes. I pulled it for several years with a Chevy S10 4.3 leter with no problem. Arima is a good all around boat fishing ski and tubing (mostly fishing). You should be able to find a very good Arima used for $10K to $12K. If you go to there web site or check out King Salmon Marine in Auburn You can get the weights of all their boats. My boat (1050 lbs), motor (385 lbs) trailer and fuel (27 gallons) and gear scales out just shy of 2000 lbs. If you want aluminum I'd look at Alumi weld. Both boats are local built with local water in mind. Just my opinions. Good luck on your choice and welcome to the northwest.

[BARCHASER10]

Really, to get the boat you need, 10K wont make it. Prob double that for a decent used boat. I love my 2005 18 foot North River Seahawk. It is my 6th trlr boat. It fits in my garage although just barely with a swing away tongue.

I was raised in Portland but moved to Seattle in 1980. I think what you need is a versatile boat that can be towed easily, prob aluminum. My Seahawk has a Yam 115 and T8 kicker. Its dry weight is about 1900 for boat/mtr. I tow it with a 2000 Tundra with only 250 HP, tows easy. I'm retired and well, the fishing around Seattle isnt all that hot. You need to travel. This year is typical. Four trips to Oregon to fish the Columbia or Willamette (in 2009 I moored it down there for 3 months), one trip to Ucluelet BC to fish offshore 5-10 miles in July. Usually I go up there twice each summer, I've been going there since 1990. Two trips to the Strait (PA for Halibut and one trip to Sekiu for salmon). And prob 20-30 days on Puget Sound plus sometimes (like yesterday) I run up the tidewater Snohomish for Silvers.

Equip it with the usual stuff, two Scotty electric downriggers, mapping GPS, fish finder etc. My Seahawk is seaworthy enuff to handle the ocean, although it has limits and there are rough days when larger, glass boats go outside but I cant, On really rough days at Ucluelet I have to fish in Barkley Sound which is protected. I have had some rough days over on the Strait but I've never not been able to fish there. It is small enuff that it is easy to launch for one person and can be taken up shallower, but still tidewater places in the Sno. Even Puget Sound can get downright nasty at times.

Ideally you need two boats. A larger boat for the ocean etc. and a jet sled for the rivers. But I cant afford that so the Seahawk is a decent compromise.

There are many, many welded Alum boats made in the northwest, North River, Bolton, Alumaweld, Fishrite, Hughes, Thunder Jet, many,many others. They all make an 18-19 boat of some kind capable to handle rough water. There should be some used ones around and given the economy, prices should be decent. My Seahawk has a transom mount. A lot of the makers are going to offshore brackets but thats too big for a garage. But there should be used boats around with transom mounts.

[scott080379]

Well too bad you want to throw in the garage...since you like to fish offshore...........we have a great albie season up here off the coast of WA. Plus some of the best salmon fishing will be out of the same port. Now if you get folding toung trailer or and one to the trailer you buy you can go up a foot or two in size(if the 4runner can handle it).

Now I have seen 17 foot boats go off shore for tuna on great weather days as well so it can still be done if you have the fuel range.

as barchaser stated the seahawk is great boat if you are buying a alumi boat I would suggest something with an off shore bracket, makes a huge difference for stability and not as much worries about waves coming over your transom.

17 to 18 foot sounds like the most ideal for you, maybe a 20 alumi with the folding tongue you might be able to fit in your garage but if off shore bracket that is going to add another foot or two.


my .02

[Freddy_V]

Dang, sounds like I need to rethink my budget! The Seattle boat show in January might be a good time to check out different boats and compare brands in one place. I still think I want to go used though and keep an eye out for good deals on craigslist.

I have to say this is one of the most complicated areas to fish that I've ever seen. I'm used to having two options: shallow water boats for fishing the bays and big fast deep-V boats for making 25+ miles offshore. It's a lot harder to wrap my head around the options here. Maybe I should do a few more guided trips over the next year to figure out what I want to focus on. Either way, this board seems like a great way to get started.

Thanks for the tips!

[BARCHASER10]

The boat show is OK, but they tend to favor larger boats. The outdoor show at the Puyallup Fair grounds features fishing boats more, particularly alum boats.

[steelheader]

alum boats are lighter than fiberglass so you burn less fuel, in your truck and outboard, and you can bang out dents or weld up a hole, 'from a bad day on the water'.in texas you did alot of offshore, here we fish closer in and alot on the rivers so you might want to think about a jet sled for here,one i fish both fresh and salt from my sled and alot of others do also. just try to get a 15 degree or greater hull so when you fish salt you don"t get beat up so bad, and then start to learn the rivers.a few guys i know bought a prop lower unit to swap the lower units back and forth from jet pump to prop depending on the time of year

[Freddy_V]

Thanks Steelheader, I didn't know lower units were interchangeable like that. What are the pros & cons of a prop vs jet pump? I assume jets are used in rivers to avoid damaging a prop on rocks and such but why else would you use a jet?

Thanks

[BARCHASER10]

Thats it, jets, most guys call them "pumps", are all about fishing the rivers. Just need to decide what you want to do. Like steelheader said you can use pumps in open water also, but even those with 15 degree or greater hull rise will give a worse ride in rough open water than a hull designed for open water. With pumps you lose about 35% of the horsepower. A 115hp prop becomes a 80hp pump. Might be better to go out with a guide that runs a pump, like on the Sky or Cowlitz maybe, and check it out. Both take some time and experience to catch fish but I would say a pump on the rivers is a longer learning curve than a prop on the Sound, Strait or ocean.

[Anonymous]

Hey Freddy, I was in a similar situation as you are now. My suggestion would be look into a Tracker. That is what I bought. A Targa V185 muti-species. I fish the sound. I fish Washington, Sammamish. Tapps all of the lakes. It is a deep V hull fully equipped with a trolling motor live wells (2) Electronics, Which I upgraded. I add 3 rod holders and 2 electric downriggers, A GPS sonar unit (Lowrance). And I upgraded to a 115 Mercury 4 stroke. You can go up to a 150 on this boat. I love. It can do everything I want. It will even go off shore a little on good weather days. I take it on the Columbia for salmon and sturgeon, at the mouth or up stream near Portland. Bass fishing Walley all of it. I also added a conopy with curtains. Great boat. Camano Marine is the only dealer in the state now. You might think about adding a kicker. Wish I did. Oh yeah, Did I mention it is all welded aluminum. Not one rivet in this boat.

[TomD]

Not sure what the used market is these days, but I love my 1991 17' Arima Sea Ranger. I bought it used with a 100 Merc on it and it has done fine. Very safe boat. We've had it to Neah Bay and Westport. You have to be careful on what days to go, but that is probably wise with any boat. I've been in some pretty nasty water and never felt unsafe.

Arimas do tend to pound at speed in medium rough water, so depends on what you plan to do... They are very stable when stopped or drifting like for halibut.

Mine only has a 23 gallon tank, but they have some with saddle tanks for more fuel. We sometimes carry 5 or 10 gallons under the passenger seat when we think we might need it...

Good luck!