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#935106 - 07/25/15 10:29 PM Re: Used Boat Advice [Re: MPM]
GutZ Offline
The Original Boat Ho

Registered: 02/08/00
Posts: 2954
Loc: Bellevue
None of the boats you have mentioned are Arima's wink
Imagine 4 on the Sea Kitten . It is a 15'11" Sea Chaser

Here is a 17' in Yakima, roughly double your $ but sounds nice and no salt. (If I sold mine I would have to say No Fresh wink )
https://seattle.craigslist.org/est/boa/5128787930.html

Check steering. Make sure cable is free. Or find something with hydraulic.
_________________________
It's good to have friends
It's better to have friends with boats
***GutZ***

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#935122 - 07/26/15 10:49 AM Re: Used Boat Advice [Re: ]
WN1A Offline
Spawner

Registered: 09/17/04
Posts: 594
Loc: Seattle
This is a copy of a post I made in 2008 on a similar thread. Seven years later and a new kicker motor I think it is still good advice unless you have money to burn.

"Lots of good advice in all of the posts but there is another approach to getting a good Puget Sound / lake fishing boat at a lot less cost. First you have to think of the purchase as three separate items, boat, motor, and trailer. For the kind of fishing you describe and your concerns the motor is the most important item because that is what you rely on to get you home fast when the weather turns bad. I think the trailer is also quite important if you travel any distance to launch because trailer problems can ruin a lot of trips. The boat is the least important item but does determine what size motor and trailer is needed. There are usually a good selection of old fiberglass boats for sale of all sizes and configurations, many times the motors are shot and the trailers are marginal so they are quite cheap. Often people want to get rid of them and will almost pay you to take them away. If it has a motor junk it and buy a new one. If the trailer works use it until you can afford a new one, it is easy to sell old trailers. Below is something I copied from a post I made on a similar thread from a few years ago.

"Back in 1980 when I was looking for a boat for Puget Sound I received some good advice from Puget Sound old timers. Any sturdy boat is OK, get a good trailer, and then spend more than you can afford get the best motor you can. Most motors will get you out fishing but if the weather changes you need a good motor to get you back fast or you can die. I don't recall all of the details but about 15 years ago at Port Angeles a surprise storm hit when several people were halibut fishing. I think 4 people and three boats didn't make it back. I talked to one person who was 2 miles west of Ediz Hook when he saw the storm coming from the west. He stopped fishing and headed for the harbor. By the time he rounded the hook the wind was 50 knots and he almost didn't make it to the ramp. I haven't encountered winds that strong but I have made more than my share of tense runs back to the ramp.

Finally, a tip, try to buy a used boat without a motor. Most of the time the motors are not in great shape and will require work. Boats without motors are in someone's way and they want to get rid of them fast. If you have the time identify the boat you want and then look for one with a junk motor and any kind of trailer. It should be cheap. New trailers are not so expensive, the cost of keeping a beater trailer fit for the road over ten years will probably be more than a new one. The boat I have today is the boat I bought in 1980, a 16-foot Pacific Mariner that was probably built in 1958. I am the third owner and yes the numbers are WN1A, supposedly the first boat registered when the Coast Guard begin registering boats in Washington. If you look aroud the ramps you will notice that people with the old fiberglass boats never use bumpers. The old hand layups are so strong that the only reason to use a bumper would be to protect the dock."

I am on the thrid trailer, thrid kicker, and third motor. The motor is a 60 hp 4 stroke Mercury that has been quite reliable. The kicker is a Yamaha 8 horse 4 stroke, a great motor, a 3 gallon tank of gas lasts for a week rather than days."

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#935123 - 07/26/15 10:54 AM Re: Used Boat Advice [Re: MPM]
Speyguy Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 07/09/01
Posts: 277
Loc: Bellingham
My first boat was a '78 19ft Olympic soft top, that after redoing the stringers/foam/transom, was planning on owning forever as it was a great boat(had it for 15 yrs). If you can't/don't want to do the work yourself, the bill can be staggering. Anyway, a 23ft Proline came my way with an offer I couldn't refuse, so had to sell the Olympic. I was asking $5500 or so with a healthy Yamaha 130 2 stroke/nice trailer, but ended up selling in October for $3800(as AP pointed out...it's the season). The boat was a sleek tank, and while I got wet a few times, never worried about making it home and I consider that hull to be somewhere in the top 10 best for our conditions. On the outboard hulls with the step down transom, the factory for some reason thought that putting an aluminum cap over the raw plywood transom was a good idea. If you see an Olympic that's still got the cap, you can assume theres at least some water in there, if not totally wet. A good sign is water weeping out of drain/transducer screws when boat is dry. We lived with ours being wet for years before the bowing with bigger motor made me nervous.
I've never been a fan of the hardtops as Olympic made them too short so you can't stand up on a bad day.....that said there's a solid 19ft Hardtop that was originally an inboard with that desireable full height transom/offshore bracket/05 Honda 130 4 stroke/etc in my neighborhood for $6000/obo and I see that in the motor/tandem trailer.
Sellers # is 360-853-6637. Good luck in your quest. Tom

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc268/blackmouth_photos/olyhardtop_zpszqdk5db4.jpg

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#935143 - 07/26/15 05:32 PM Re: Used Boat Advice [Re: MPM]
MPM Offline
Spawner

Registered: 12/09/08
Posts: 766
Loc: Seattle, WA
I appreciate all the advice. I ended up buying a 1999 Smokercraft Spitfire 162 (16.5 ft) with a 85hp Yamaha and 4hp Evinrude kicker. I'll probably sell the kicker and use a 2hp 2013 Honda 4 stroke that I've already got.

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#935445 - 07/29/15 11:13 AM Re: Used Boat Advice [Re: MPM]
WDFW X 1 = 0 Offline
My Area code makes me cooler than you

Registered: 01/27/15
Posts: 4549

Saw this one.


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#935449 - 07/29/15 11:36 AM Re: Used Boat Advice [Re: MPM]
TanTastic84 Offline
Juvenile at Sea

Registered: 10/21/11
Posts: 182
Loc: Seattle, WA
Originally Posted By: MPM
I appreciate all the advice. I ended up buying a 1999 Smokercraft Spitfire 162 (16.5 ft) with a 85hp Yamaha and 4hp Evinrude kicker. I'll probably sell the kicker and use a 2hp 2013 Honda 4 stroke that I've already got.


Congrats on the new toy. But I'll give you a little word of advice considering I just learned this lesson two years ago.

I purchased a 15ft Arima 3 years ago and at the Fisheries Swap Meet in Seattle I found a brand new 4 stroke 4 hp kicker. I thought that would be enough for a little boat like mine. But after actually taking it out on the water I found it was seriously underpowered.

I ended up getting a new Yamaha 8hp 4 stroke which I love and will never be on the water without. There's just too many things that could go wrong with your main and having those extra few ponies on the back of your boat will make the difference WHEN the time comes.

If I were you I wouldn't go anything less than 8hp. Hell, wait until the winter time/boat show and see if you can get a deal on a new 9.9 kicker. Or, do what I did and make your calls. I called a few places in OR and got a fair price for my kicker. Saved a few hundred dollars on tax as well since we were already going to Portland for a weekend trip.

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#935728 - 07/31/15 07:54 PM Re: Used Boat Advice [Re: MPM]
MPM Offline
Spawner

Registered: 12/09/08
Posts: 766
Loc: Seattle, WA
Well, I certainly won't sell the 4hp Evinrude until I've at least tried out the 2hp Honda to see how it moves the boat. I'm hopeful since it's a pretty light boat.

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