New Boat Search Thoughts And Opinions...

Capt Josh · 02-05-2008, 10:42 PM

Yup it's a hard decision kids, there's no denying that...i just got back to Pta de Mita after a whirlwind trip back east...after test driving and inspecting more boats than i thought we'd have a chance to examine in such a limited amount of time i have to admit it's going to take a few days to mull everything over...the good thing is there are a lot of boats out there...and of course ironically the bad thing is there are also a lot of boats out there...

While i did have my sights narrowed on several production manufacturers before this trip i have to say that after visiting service centers and running a lot of boats during VIP clinics i have definitely changed my mind and decided to cross a few manufacturers off the list...while some do build a great production boat, in my opinion they pale in comparison to the boats coming out of a few carolina custom manufacturers...i'll probably wish i hadn't said that one day but there it is...

The boats they are pushing as the latest and greatest sportfishing machines this year suffer from some serious design flaws...due to the mezzanine and it's apparent need for serious shade some designers elected to do away with cockpit visibility from the helm in favor of more comfortable, shaded passengers sitting on the mezzanine below...BIG MISTAKE in my opinion...as a fishing boat the captain should have clear line of sight and open communication with the people in the cockpit below and one of the first things i noticed about these newer mezzanine production boats is the diminished visibility looking aft...

Another major flaw i noticed, particularly in one boat, was when i slammed the trim tabs all down simulating rough water running conditions the boat did not turn right...as funny as that sounds...some performed a little better during a hard over turn to starboard but not much...there is definitely something there they need to address as hindered or poor steerage with bow down trim is going to cause some serious problems in real life situations in the future...

Another major draw back with some manufacturers is that they are only offering particular models with MAN power...which as we very well know is like a Kryptonite power package for anyone thinking of spending serious time in latin america or beyond...

Some other things to consider about these boats is the price and performance you are subjected to with all fiberglass production hulls...first of all, some manufacturers are capable of building a 55' boat in something like 8 weeks...while i am in no way trying to undercut the craftsmanship and art that building any boat of this caliper demands, i fail to see the reason why they are priced so high when you compare build times and craftsmanship with that of the custom market...

Regarding efficiency, there is a very real and justified concern out there about fuel burn and viable cruising speed...when you compare the weight of a production boat to that of a custom in the same size range, the power required to push that production boat around at the same speed as that custom equates to a hell of a lot more dollars initially thanks to larger engines, and a hell of a lot more dollars after the fact thanks to a dramatically increased fuel burn...a 59 custom we looked at burned 59 gallons an hour with C-18 cat's and pushed that boat at 33 knots...the smaller but heavier 54 production i drove powered with Common Rail MAN 1550's sucked down 101 gph at the same speed...that's over 40 gallons more per hour thanks to the weight of all that fiberglass...

No boats are ever perfect...that's for sure...but for this skipper i saw a lot more attention to detail and performance fishing driven enhancements displayed by those Carolina custom manufacturers than by any production boats i looked at on this trip anyway...and with a broader understanding of efficiency and performance i have to say that if it were up to me, which largely it is, i'll be narrowing down the search to focus on Carolina custom's from here on out...it's definitely a move that effectively paints us into a corner because the bottom line is there are not a lot of custom boats out there compared to the number of factory production clones hitting the market on a daily basis...but so be it...i'd rather take my time to find that perfect boat than settle for something less...

The beat goes on...and so do my travel arrangements to the Carolinas....

lazyfatass247 · 02-05-2008, 10:54 PM

Hope it all goes well man!!!!! keep us posted, its nice to other styles of fishing.

good luck with the search and the season!!!

Sea Draggin · 02-05-2008, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capt Josh

The beat goes on...and so do my travel arrangement to the Carolinas....

My first stop would be Wanchese, only because you can visit a bunch of builders in one day. Then maybe a day in Morehead, Core Creek, Harkers Island.

Capt_John · 02-06-2008, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sea Draggin

My first stop would be Wanchese, only because you can visit a bunch of builders in one day. Then maybe a day in Morehead, Core Creek, Harkers Island.

What he said!!

TROPHY SPORTFISHING · 02-06-2008, 07:51 PM

Josh 2 words Paul Spencer best handling, running and efficiency for the size. 59 with c 18's about 58-60 gph at 32-33 kt cruise at 1925-1950.

Capt Josh · 02-06-2008, 10:10 PM

Yup, yup, yup! Spencer is definitely high on the list...Sculley, Bayliss, Johnson, the list goes on and on...can't wait to find the right girl...

Just got off the water back here in Puerto Vallarta...nailed em!!! Dorado, tuna, and striped marlin...BOY OH BOY IT'S NICE TO BE HOME!!!!

Roddy Hays · 02-07-2008, 08:09 AM

Josh,

Spencer would be high on mine too - mebbe the first stop. Lots of reasons why, but I'll tell ya more at Miami.

Don't forget the first two rules.

1. Seaworthiness
2. Engine room

The rest just kinda falls into place. especially the third rule - build quality. If you have the first two you'll have the third.

Rodksi

PS: mezzanine ? What's a mezzanine ? is it a pizza or something ?

PPS : if all else fails you can buy a 54 Bert and paint it green or something....

flatbottom · 02-07-2008, 09:13 AM

hope you figure this out.

not as easy as shopping for jeans

a helm pod facing aft would be nice on any sled with a master bedroom size bridge.....hint Viking

weaver, mann, ocean, baylis, ...................

Capt Josh · 02-07-2008, 12:27 PM

You crack me up Roddy..."paint it green" HILARIOUS!!!

See you in miami for sure...boat shopping will be the last thing on my mind next week...Miami is pure party mode only for this cat who is in desperate need of a vacation from this vacation!

I completely agree...seaworthyness and engine room have always been the first places i start...

Anyway...i'm just super stoked to be doing all this...we don't get to see all of this custom craftsmanship out here on the west coast...traveling Florida has opened my eyes as to just how amazing sportfishing boats can be...these boys out here on the west coast need to STEP UP!!!

marlineer · 02-08-2008, 09:17 AM

Look hard a F&S boatworks. The boats are finished beautifully and are known to be very fast with exceptional seakeeping abilities. She runs on a very unique bottom which is a cross between a SeaCraft and a Spencer! Sounds funny , I know......but!

02-05-2008, 10:42 PM	#1
Capt Josh Crab mustard is good Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Posts: 674 Credits: 6,316.7 Occupation: Making Dreams Come True...One Massive Detonation At A Time...	New Boat Search Thoughts And Opinions... Yup it's a hard decision kids, there's no denying that...i just got back to Pta de Mita after a whirlwind trip back east...after test driving and inspecting more boats than i thought we'd have a chance to examine in such a limited amount of time i have to admit it's going to take a few days to mull everything over...the good thing is there are a lot of boats out there...and of course ironically the bad thing is there are also a lot of boats out there... While i did have my sights narrowed on several production manufacturers before this trip i have to say that after visiting service centers and running a lot of boats during VIP clinics i have definitely changed my mind and decided to cross a few manufacturers off the list...while some do build a great production boat, in my opinion they pale in comparison to the boats coming out of a few carolina custom manufacturers...i'll probably wish i hadn't said that one day but there it is... The boats they are pushing as the latest and greatest sportfishing machines this year suffer from some serious design flaws...due to the mezzanine and it's apparent need for serious shade some designers elected to do away with cockpit visibility from the helm in favor of more comfortable, shaded passengers sitting on the mezzanine below...BIG MISTAKE in my opinion...as a fishing boat the captain should have clear line of sight and open communication with the people in the cockpit below and one of the first things i noticed about these newer mezzanine production boats is the diminished visibility looking aft... Another major flaw i noticed, particularly in one boat, was when i slammed the trim tabs all down simulating rough water running conditions the boat did not turn right...as funny as that sounds...some performed a little better during a hard over turn to starboard but not much...there is definitely something there they need to address as hindered or poor steerage with bow down trim is going to cause some serious problems in real life situations in the future... Another major draw back with some manufacturers is that they are only offering particular models with MAN power...which as we very well know is like a Kryptonite power package for anyone thinking of spending serious time in latin america or beyond... Some other things to consider about these boats is the price and performance you are subjected to with all fiberglass production hulls...first of all, some manufacturers are capable of building a 55' boat in something like 8 weeks...while i am in no way trying to undercut the craftsmanship and art that building any boat of this caliper demands, i fail to see the reason why they are priced so high when you compare build times and craftsmanship with that of the custom market... Regarding efficiency, there is a very real and justified concern out there about fuel burn and viable cruising speed...when you compare the weight of a production boat to that of a custom in the same size range, the power required to push that production boat around at the same speed as that custom equates to a hell of a lot more dollars initially thanks to larger engines, and a hell of a lot more dollars after the fact thanks to a dramatically increased fuel burn...a 59 custom we looked at burned 59 gallons an hour with C-18 cat's and pushed that boat at 33 knots...the smaller but heavier 54 production i drove powered with Common Rail MAN 1550's sucked down 101 gph at the same speed...that's over 40 gallons more per hour thanks to the weight of all that fiberglass... No boats are ever perfect...that's for sure...but for this skipper i saw a lot more attention to detail and performance fishing driven enhancements displayed by those Carolina custom manufacturers than by any production boats i looked at on this trip anyway...and with a broader understanding of efficiency and performance i have to say that if it were up to me, which largely it is, i'll be narrowing down the search to focus on Carolina custom's from here on out...it's definitely a move that effectively paints us into a corner because the bottom line is there are not a lot of custom boats out there compared to the number of factory production clones hitting the market on a daily basis...but so be it...i'd rather take my time to find that perfect boat than settle for something less... The beat goes on...and so do my travel arrangements to the Carolinas.... __________________ Capt Josh Temple Puerto Vallarta, Mexico & Beyond 57 Dean Johnson "MAXIMO" 40 Cabo Express "CONQUISTADOR" www.primetimeadv.com captjosh@mac.com Last edited by Capt Josh; 02-06-2008 at 12:56 AM.

02-06-2008, 10:10 PM	#6
Capt Josh Crab mustard is good Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Posts: 674 Credits: 6,316.7 Occupation: Making Dreams Come True...One Massive Detonation At A Time...	Yup, yup, yup! Spencer is definitely high on the list...Sculley, Bayliss, Johnson, the list goes on and on...can't wait to find the right girl... Just got off the water back here in Puerto Vallarta...nailed em!!! Dorado, tuna, and striped marlin...BOY OH BOY IT'S NICE TO BE HOME!!!! __________________ Capt Josh Temple Puerto Vallarta, Mexico & Beyond 57 Dean Johnson "MAXIMO" 40 Cabo Express "CONQUISTADOR" www.primetimeadv.com captjosh@mac.com

02-07-2008, 09:13 AM	#8
flatbottom Fish the Edge Team Sportfishermen.com Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bear, DE Posts: 8,038 Credits: 16,961.8 Boat: 232 center console Home Port: Indian River, De Best Catch: off the shot gun Occupation: jackleg	hope you figure this out. not as easy as shopping for jeans a helm pod facing aft would be nice on any sled with a master bedroom size bridge.....hint Viking weaver, mann, ocean, baylis, ................... __________________ New Rules To Live By Don’t invade Russia in the winter, and don’t conduct a short raid on Goldman Sachs when the former CEO is the Treasury Secretary. Last edited by flatbottom; 02-07-2008 at 09:16 AM.

02-07-2008, 12:27 PM	#9
Capt Josh Crab mustard is good Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Posts: 674 Credits: 6,316.7 Occupation: Making Dreams Come True...One Massive Detonation At A Time...	You crack me up Roddy..."paint it green" HILARIOUS!!! See you in miami for sure...boat shopping will be the last thing on my mind next week...Miami is pure party mode only for this cat who is in desperate need of a vacation from this vacation! I completely agree...seaworthyness and engine room have always been the first places i start... Anyway...i'm just super stoked to be doing all this...we don't get to see all of this custom craftsmanship out here on the west coast...traveling Florida has opened my eyes as to just how amazing sportfishing boats can be...these boys out here on the west coast need to STEP UP!!! __________________ Capt Josh Temple Puerto Vallarta, Mexico & Beyond 57 Dean Johnson "MAXIMO" 40 Cabo Express "CONQUISTADOR" www.primetimeadv.com captjosh@mac.com Last edited by Capt Josh; 02-07-2008 at 11:19 PM.

02-08-2008, 09:17 AM	#10
marlineer Sit down Shut up And fish Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: South Jersey Posts: 540 Credits: 1,502.0 Boat: Intrepid 289 Home Port: Stone Harbor, NJ Best Catch: Bonnie! Occupation: Yacht Sales Suck! So I am puttin' out fires.	Don't overlook F&S Look hard a F&S boatworks. The boats are finished beautifully and are known to be very fast with exceptional seakeeping abilities. She runs on a very unique bottom which is a cross between a SeaCraft and a Spencer! Sounds funny , I know......but! __________________ I love a good WAKE!

02-05-2008, 10:54 PM	#2
lazyfatass247 Anthony's Ark is a blowboater Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Westport, CT Posts: 265 Credits: 1,398.0	Hope it all goes well man!!!!! keep us posted, its nice to other styles of fishing. good luck with the search and the season!!!

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