Dawson Boats

[go boater]

I've noticed a lot of these dropping in price on Yachtworld and claiming to be as solid as a 38 Bert... I like the layout but am curious to know if any of you more experienced folks have any thoughts or insight to em! What is Dawson? Any good?

Thanks!!!

[Capt.Troy Crane]

I have seen quite a few of them around over the years. Most recently here in Wanchese there was one that was being painted in the boat yard this Fall.

I have never been on one but they look to be pretty solid with the same lines and bottom shape as the Bertram. It would make a good hull I'm sure.

Good luck,
Troy

[go boater]

I have seen quite a few of them around over the years. Most recently here in Wanchese there was one that was being painted in the boat yard this Fall.

I have never been on one but they look to be pretty solid with the same lines and bottom shape as the Bertram. It would make a good hull I'm sure.

Good luck,
Troy

Thanks Troy. Any thoughts on the actual build quality of Dawson boats? There have been many decent hull designs over the years with very poor Quality Control in the build process with several well known builders such as: Blistering, Stress Cracks, Delamination, Rot, etc... Can't find much of any information on Dawson.

Anyone else out there?

[Questsportfishing]

why would you not buy a bertram then if everyone compares other boats to them? even re-powering an old boat is cheaper now than getting a problem boat...

[jawz12]

I've noticed a lot of these dropping in price on Yachtworld and claiming to be as solid as a 38 Bert... I like the layout but am curious to know if any of you more experienced folks have any thoughts or insight to em! What is Dawson? Any good?

Thanks!!!

been on a 33 express,pain killer,330 cummins engines,fast rig,but it would beat you to death,tower kept breaking,combonation of bad design on the tower and terrible ride on the boat.
these rigs were built in nj,jack dawson,i wasn't aware of them being a deep v hull like a bertram ??? seen them out of the water,they appear to be modified v hulls.not a whole lot of them around ??? there's a 38' tied up next to my old bertram 31,and the 33 i mentioned,it was on brokerage for a few years,not sure if it sold??? i remember one of the members here being interested in it ???
i'm allways a little leary of "off brand" boats being compared to big name builders,like bertram,just like ol' quest said,why buy something that's like a bertram,when you can get the real thing.it's a buyers market right now,why settle for an off brand when you can get the real thing...

[Bligh]

This is probably a wealth of useless knowlege? but here goes. First lets get rid of jimmys problem. that 33 dawson was based on a stretched sea fox hull from vineland. The 33 dawsons were built in lower bank by J and J boats or something like that, But called Dawson.Now that 38 and I believe all the hulls and house deck were built in Northern Florida,{I heard out side,not in a building???} by its namesake,Dawson. Then J;J builders had it shipped to lower bank N.J.and completed almost all boats there. I was told that it was based on a 38 Magnum hull. I feel as everone else does, it is a 38 bertram hull.Maybee a smoke screen to hide the truth. Dawson in lower bank was the old pace maker buiding that Jack Leek owned years ago. Now that Wayne of Jersey Cape has the site, It is a first class boat yard as is his 36 and 45 opps almost foregot 31.

[thomas70]

I've worked on several, they seem to be well built.

[perfectscore]

i bought a brand new 29 express with twin cummins. For a long time I fished it 4 months out of pirates cove and the rest of the time out of cape may. Soley fished in canyons and fished it hard. As far as the boat: i would say that it is a good boat, probably not great, in ten years i had to change out fuel tanks, and do alot of upgrades but i did fish it pretty hard. They are good in most seas but are wet like most boats. They wont hold value as well as branded boats, but they have good hardware in them. In my opinion i wouldn't purchase another simply for the resale market. The 29 and 33 came from sea fox hull, the 38 was designed off a bertram hull, Dawson was orginally built in florida, then J & J bought the 38 hull and started building in lower bank, then they started with 33 and 29, then they had Jimmy lai build a new carolina type hull for a 36 but that went no where and they sold that hull off. I'd keep looking b/c there is basiclly no more dawson, just a lot of headaches and problems. good luck

[Halfseas]

I heard the 38 Dawson hull is now an OutIsland. I don't know if there is any truth to that. It was from a Dawson owner.

[sclancy]

I heard the 38 Dawson hull is now an OutIsland. I don't know if there is any truth to that. It was from a Dawson owner.

we visited the dawson "shed" in NJ (I believe on Egg Harbor's lot) in '98/'99 to look at their first 36 express that was almost complete (this was a a completely different Jersey/Carolina blended hull as compared to their old 38) . We visited again a few months later when the boat was complete and a marlin tower installed. The boat was for sale for many many months. About 1-2yrs later we saw an identical boat in the intracoastal on the way to FL...it was a brand new 36 OutIsland...I m pretty sure that OI took over dawson's shed and the mold for the 36 for their early boats...