Best thread EVER!!!!!

I do not know from experience as mine is limited to a Whaler.

Have heard the Pursuits are a nice alternative to the Grady, exceptionally well built for rough Great Lakes conditions, but there are not many around.

Fished out of a Wellcraft Coastal once and thought that was also a nice boat.

I purchased a 223 used Grady Seafarer in 1996 for 35k. I sold the boat in 2003 for 35k. You will feel safe in this boat, and it was the right size. Had the motor bracket which added a lot of room plus a livewell to the equation. 200 hp Yamaha with a 9.9 high thrust 4 stroke kicker. I say Grady.

How bout one of these?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/2294546788.html

Reinell has made a few boats.

I would be interested if it had outboards.
Not really a inboard kind of guy. Thanks though, how do guys feel about trophys I notice guys used them how is the feeling for this brand of boat?

Grady over Trophy anytime in my book. An Osprey or Skagit would be as good as a Grady if you can find one. Sea Sport is okay, too. I forgot about those makes....

I worked on trophys at US Marine for years and there have been some exceptional boats from Trophy but the newer styles are not classic (even though some of the new hulls like the 2302 dual outboard are pretty dialed) and I think that detracts from the resale value. Also you have merc instead of Yamaha and the vendor products are not as nice as on a grady. Things like the wheel and cleats etc. A 96 Grady looks a lot like a 2006 Grady with a little more wood but the same great layouts. Thats a plus. Grady uses better hoses for bildge pumps and most things are done the way you or I would do it if it was our last boat. Trophy INBDs have the hump over the engine you ahve to deal with (I never cared on my 2352 but others did) and a bracket takes care of that but you are really really long on the trailer and backing up is a pain. I like the 19 dual console grady thats shows up on craigslist all the time. I have fished it a few times and although its not set up for the gals to go to the bathroom, its a low to the water, windshield boat that doesnt get blown around in high wind while trolling and can handle a 200 plus HP OB. I looked for an 18 to 20 center console for our cabin and in the end, after two boat shows and countless hours on the web I ended up choosing Grady 18 sportsman. I couldnt get jacobsons to budge on the 40k price, so we ended up buying a 2005 17 montauk (love it) for our cabin boat but if the deal had been a little sweeter Id have bought the Grady. I know your looking for a cuddy boat but for the money, most NW private boat searches lead to Grady. Good luck!

Anything is better then Parker

Got to ride around a bit in a buddies in sitka and I thought parkers were actually cool ass comfy boats. cant tell you much more then that cause I wont pretend like I know sh!t about salty stuff

My boat looked a lot like this with the addition of the kicker.

http://www.boatingbay.com/listings/photos/uUAiP9ev_171775_p_t_6.jpg

IMHO...Sea Pro = Bayliner Trophy.

Grady and Parker = Quality and craftsmanship.

INOW...no comparison.

Grady beats them hands down. Grady is also still in business FWIW.

Triton is still in business building C-Dory, Skagit Orca, Osprey and Tomcats (but mostly C-Dory and not a whole lot of them). The Sea Sport molds were lost to the bank and went up for auction a few months ago (no one bought them - will probably hit the auction market again). The C-Dory's they are making are very high quality builds. That's another option for a fishing boat with an enclosed cabin and a number of 22' C-Dory boats can be bought on the used market. I bought a used 2008 TomCat in Sept. and sold my 2003 22' C-Dory in Dec. The C-Dory - with a nearly flat bottom - needs to be run slow (12-14kt's) in anything over about 1' chop, BUT you get nearly 4MPG with a newer 4-stroke on it. In big stuff where everyone slows down, the flat bottom keeps you on plane at 12-14kts when the deep V's are wallowing (and getting 1-2MPG). In big following seas, the nearly flat bottom hull is very nice as it floats over swells like a cork and doesn't dig in/broach. However, it's not for fast runs out in the chop. You just have to take your time and be happy with the fuel mileage. As gas prices are increasing, it's a good option to consider. I fished 20-30 miles offshore of Neah Bay in my 22' C-Dory many a time and managed it through some fairly nasty seas. So if fuel economy AND a nice warm and dry cabin are of interest, it's worth thinking about.

I swapped up to the TomCat to get the combination of good speed (35-40MPH) in chop up to 3', still pretty decent fuel economy (2.3-2.5MPG at a 25kt cruise) and the enclosed cabin and larger fishing space. But the TomCat costs about 3x what a 22' C-Dory costs.

I not sure I agree with that 100% - the Sea Sports were pretty sweet boats and they are very well built. I agree on the other brands and Sea Sports aren't being made anymore. Still, one can find some on the used market (but not in the 20-25k range).

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/boa/2297972623.html

How bout Arima, people seem to like them. No wood.