Boat Talk

[Christian]

Over the past years I’ve been jealous reading the posts about the huge lunkers caught from boats just out of reach from my shore casts. Now I’ve got the opportunity to buy a boat and wanted to get the general opinion(no BS) of the boat I was interesting in purchasing (via loans).

Right now I’m on the fence. Tell me what you think. And do you think it’s the right boat for Boston Harbor, mouth of the Merrimack and Cape Flats?

Thanks for your help and maybe we’ll see you on the water!

Christian

1890 SE Action Craft Flatsmaster 2000, Merc 115, w / trailer
GPS, all the safety gear, gator trolling motor, two live wells
The engine has less than 100hrs. Great condition

A buddy of mine in FL is selling his house and boat.
Paid $34,000 (boat and trailer)
Asking $15,000

Is this a boat you would fish with in these areas?

Picture of the boat
www.bollingbridgemarine.com/Action%20Craft/AC18901large.htm

[Quicksilver]

I am probably amoung the least knowledgeable here when it comes to boats. I have a sense the craft you are looking at might be a great boat for Florida. There will be many opportunities to purchase good boats at great prices in the next two months.

[Sagebrush]

That looks like what I'm considering. I'm debating a 23ft multi purpose boat versus a 19 something flat's boat.

A friend and guide I know has 18 ft (18-11) hewes light tackle. He tested various lengths and preferred this size. It's a broad unubstructed platform and can handle reasonable offshore trips including bluefin. He does very well for himself and clients.

I find that smaller lower boats are much more agile, tending to ride over rather than stradling and punching through swells. Of course it's not the boat for bone dry rides and maximum safety when things get rough. The lower profile allows more seamless interaction with water and fishing plane, improving the experience in my opinion.

Finally I don't have a lot of above cape experience so your location is a key consideration.

[the wife]

may be 'the wife' but I grew up on the water on the North shore- I think you would spend a lot of time getting wet and the mouth of the Merrimack in that might be a bit too exciting. We have an Aquasport that seems a bit beamier
- if the wind changes you get soaked, and we've had a bit too much fun a few times at the mouth of the Merrimack.

[Sagebrush]

the wife,

Good relevant stuff. Glad to hear your informed opinion.

[the wife]

it's nice to have a center console as they make a fine fishing platform. but when the wind changes..... just something to think about depending on where you like to fish.

[Sagebrush]

Ok I did take my whaler out during the Ipswich tournament a number of years ago. We slipped around the western breakwater of Parkers Island, toward the sandy points inside. Some most imposing waves rose up from those outer edges.

[Bob Parsons]

You see that style of boat around NE waters more frequently these days.
They are great fishing platforms. As far as getting wet... that's why I wear a bathing suit in the warm months and full rain gear in the cold months. (note I have a cc aquasport)

[jeffsod]

Nice looking boat. Can you stand and drive the boat comfortably? It's ok to sit down when it's smooth but if it gets choppy I prefer to stand. Also, fishing in the ocean when there are rollers I like having a rail to brace my knee on while fishing. Just a couple things to consider I guess. Nice v on that hull. I got to go fishing on a Jones Bros skiff in Chatham last spring. Now that is a nice combination design for new england.

[mdglaw]

My first choice for the mouth of the Merrimack would not be my first choice for the Cape Flats. You need to decide where most of your fishing interest lies, and go with a design biased for your interest.

I do not think that would make a good boat for the Merrimack or offshore, by that I mean more than a few miles out on a nice day. You want to be able to run standing up most of the time.
A. You can see birds and fish action better.
B. You can handle the seas with less stress on your back.
C. You can see the junk in the water and lobster pot buoys prior to introduction to your prop.
Might be a nice boat for the Cape and some days in the harbor.
I own an 18 Lund Alaskan, but that is because I duck hunt and it is better dual purpose. It is the perfect boat for me, but perhaps not for you.

If I was strictly fishing and did not worry about one handed handling or pushing around in the trailer or rocks or crappy ramps then I think I would get a Aquasport, or GW, or Parker CC with a 4 stroke to match in the 18-20 range. Rig up a front casting deck and add some type of electric trolling motor.
Mike

[rockfisherman]

Christian, first off, welcome to RT.

As mdglaw so aptly put it, you need decide what kind of fishing you will mostly do and make your choice based on that...a flats boat and a bay boat are two different things.

Looks like a great boat for the flats...but in the bay you would probably want a mod-V center console with gunnels to brace against in seas, as well as rails. In any sea, you would be overboard pretty quick from the casting deck in that flats boat. And, as already said, you really want to stand.

Before you spend your hard earned cash, try and track down a copy of "Guide to Saltwater Fishing Boats" by Joe Skorupa, Hearst Marine Books, publisher. It is out of print, but you might find one on half.com or abebooks.com. It's a terrific little book.

[bfb58]

Christian,

As rockfisherman sez, welcome to RT! I started a responce to you last night but then the wife had chores for me to do--our fall week in the Cape starts tomorrow.

Great looking boat and I'm not familer w/the Merrimack but if you plan on fishing off the flats and want to pound around in the Nantucket sound, Cape Cod Bay, off Monomoy in the Atlantic, I would truly recommend a more traditional CC. There are great boats out there--Aquasport, Grady's, Whalers, Key West and MaritimeSkiff just to name a few. When I upgraded to my 19' last year I shopped a lot and decided the Key West was best for me. Aquasport and MaritimeSkiffs were a close second and the dealer being 10 miles away helped. Grady's, Parkers and Whalers are all pricey but great, great boats.

Any of these boats in the 18-20' range only draft 10-12" and you can easily get into 2' water with TrimTilt. If you really shop it you could get a new 19' in the same price range as your talking about with a trailer. Flats boats are not inexpensive as there are fewer companies making them--with traditional CC's there is competetion. Should you desire the casting platform, it is easily installed and many manufacturers offer this as an option.

The used AC is a beautiful boat but as mdglaw sez, spec the boat to the type of fishing you do/want to do.

Christian, good luck! Boat shopping is fun and no matter what you end up buying, remember the price is always negociable. Your shopping at a good time as the 2003 are out and the unsold, new 2002's, are collecting dust this time of year!!!!

Brian

[bfb58]

Christian,

A couple of links I used in shopping:

http://www.boattraderonline.com/

http://www.boats.com/

The second has NADA trade in, outright sale, etc. values. Good sites w/lots of info--even specs on the boats.

Brian

[striperman13]

Having boated around this area for the past 15 years in small boats I can safely say that there would be many days that that flats boat would be useless. Small boating is a excercise in compromise. You give up one thing, maybe a shallow draft, to gain another. I have been in many boats and for a multi purpose boat for flats that you can also feel comfortable on out on the bay, I would take a 20' Maritime Skiff. I am not saying Maritime is the best. There are hundreds of different boats out there and Maritime is just one of them. I have been Tuna fishing on Stellwagen in both the Maritime 20 and 18 and both of these will get you home safely even if the wind blows up. I have been fishing for stripers in an 18 for two yeras and they are great, low maintenance , bare bones, fishing machines. They are very dry and ride softly. Just my 2 cents worth. Also the 4 strokes are very nice. I personally own a 22 Center Console with a t- top. I opted for more stability and protection from the wind as I fish from March- December.

[bfb58]

Christian & striperman13,

Just popped back on. Maritime's are fantastic boats. They are made by a small company who's owner used to work for the Boston Whaler corporation. When Whaler left NE to go to Florida (I believe ?), he and his wife, stayed in NE and started the Martime Skiff Boat Company.

I've spoken with them and they have a very high quaility boat at a very reasonable price. Each one is a custom built boat to your specs--console, etc. As of last year, the 18' had a fuel tank you had to keep in the boat--duck boat style--not internal. But a super boat.

The boat industry has been consolidating and Genmar (Corp) and Yamaha have been buying everyone. Genmar is now Lund, Chriscraft, Seaswirl, Aquasport, Larons, Ranger, Wellcraft, etc.--they're huge. Their webiste is;

http://www.genmar.com/

Key West is a small, owner owned company and they have great boats, and I can attest to that (ihave one--19 CC). Their website is;

http://www.keywestboatsinc.com/

MaritimeSkiff is at:

http://www.mskiff.com/

I love my Key West. But boats are personal and "what floats my boats" may not float yours.

Happy hunting! And now I have to pack--tight lines all!

B

[NoAgenda]

I know the mouth of the Merrimack very, very well. I wouldn't go anywhere near the mouth of the Merrimack in something like that (especally called a flatmaster) and anyone who does should be locked up for recklessly putting their lives (and our insurance) in jeopardy.

The Merrimack has a 5-6 knot current and sometimes swells in the 4 to 6 foot range as well (on an outgoing tide, SE or NE wind). Add to that 5,000 boat trips in and out of the river each summer weekend, and you have a potential casualty in that boat.

I agree with the poster above, the Lund or Key West would be a much better choice for the Merrimack, although a "Flatmaster" might be fine for many parts of the Cape. If you decide to buy the boat, please, please, please keep it out of the mouth of the Merrimack.

[gf2020]

It should be pointed out that until last year, Ferry Landing Marine in Newburyport was an Action Craft dealer and there are several Action Crafts on the Merrimack River. That said, however, none of them are in use at the mouth of the river. I presume your use might be at Joppa Flats for light tackle or fly fishing. You will also find many Hewes flats boats plying the waters around Cape Cod, Bayside Marine in Duxbury is the dealer.

$15,000 for that boat is a good price, but there are plenty of good boats available for $15,000 that might be more appropriate for your mixed use. In fact, there are two 20' Hydra-Sports Bay Sports for sale at dealers in Newburyport right now. This boat has a deeper vee like a conventional center console, but does not have a bow rail to get in the way of fly fishing. One boat has an Evinrude 115 FICHT and is listed at $14,900; the other has a Johnson 150 and is at $15,500.

[sandy]

If you are wondering why Christian isn't responding to your posts, it's because he has been catching landlocks up at the Rapid River in Maine all weekend (lucky bastard). Let me speak for him and give some more specifics on where he plans on taking this boat. By "mouth of the Merrimack" I believe Christian is talking about the area between Newburyport and the end of Joppa (I realize that isn't technically the mouth). We have seen the mouth in all of it's glory and it is definitely not a place to take a boat like that. I would think that on a nice day, it would be a great boat for Joppa. Correct me if I'm wrong. I guess "nice day" is a key phrase in this talk. The boat will be trailered so when it isn't a "nice day" the boat can stay on dry ground. There are days in Boston Harbor when this boat would work and days when it wouldn't work. That goes for every spot I guess. I have only waded around Monomoy but I would think this boat would work there. That also goes for other protected bays such as Duxbury and Barnstable. I do not have much boating experience in these locations (Barnstable, Duxbury, Joppa, Chatham). The question is, how many days out of the season in those locations are too rough for a boat like this. That is a good place to start in deciding whether this boat is worth it.

It seems like there are a lot of reel-timers with Maritimes. What is the price range for these boats?

[Bob Parsons]

Barnstable would rarely get too ruff. Strong east or west winds can kick up parts of the harbor but there is usually somewhere you can find some protection to fish.
But during the summer most winds are out of the SW so that not only is the entire harbor fishable but you can travel along sandy neck towards scorten ledge to look for fish as well.

[Christian]

Wow….Thanks for all the great replies. I’ve got a lot of research ahead of me. I’ll keep you posted if I end up springing for one. One thing is for sure, I’ll be at the boat show this weekend sucking in more information.

As a first time boat buyer I think the most important quality that I should look for is safety. Although it’s great to be able to have a low profile casting area for those huge stripers I want to catch, I think it might be more important to have a more seaworthy boat and to have access to more diverse areas.

I think I've spent too much time daydreaming at Jappa picturing myself polling along nailing huge fish.

Thanks again and screaming reels for the rest of the season!

P.S. The Rapid River in Maine is a great spot to get the salt out of the waders. Even better when you hook into a few.

[DuffyB]

Consistent with others on the thread, I would opt for a deeper v-hull. I bought a Key West 2 seasons ago (a 20' dual console). I love it and think it was a great value (boat, 150 yamaha hpdi motor, other options for 22k).

I have not been in the bay boats, but would be skeptical of performance in conditions prevalent in 60 to 70 percent of the time I am out fishing.

Good Luck!

[tmillerzzz]

I like a boat around 17 to 18 feet. trailer easy, launch/load easy and most importantly for me are easy to manuver with an electric trolling motor.... nothing like being on the flats alone with a foot controlled trolling motor, slinking around and casting or working you way down a shore and being at the perfect casting distance at all times...

I have posted before regarding the Nitro brand boats with no replys,

For the money ($13K), I have been considering the Nitro Bay boats.
http://www.nitroboats.com/bay.cfm

Their price seems good for all-composite materials? I assume that means no wood.

[titleguy]

Two choices that I have fished on:

1. Sea Pro 21 CC- posts as mojowire- boat is a great all-around boat, will get sort of skinny- nice platform and will take some ferocious seas in relative comfort (such as the sat. AM of Labor Weekend) Fished on North Shore all around Cape Ann in all sorts of weather, good all around- pretty high sides and with tabs pretty dry as well

2. Cape Codder 19- Not currently being manufactured by were built up until 2000? in Chatham. This the boat for bay(pleasant that is) and near-shore. Have fished it in some big swell and chop- a little wet, but very nimble and sea worthy- not real fancy, but fast and tough

[C. Moniz]

Et al -

Three years ago I started my search for a boat, a versatile boat. One that I could fish with friends, fly fish alone, and go out with the family. There is a boat out there for every situations / person. I looked at whaler, mako, robalo, key largo (similar to key west), and gw. The mako 17 was too small 19 too much money. robalo was a nice boat. Key Largo... afraid what it would be worth in 5 years when I out grew the 19. gw $$$$$. The whaler, i got soaked. Went out in 2 - 3 footers in the 18 dauntless. came back wet and disappointed. I looked at a few other boats whose names escape me. but went with the wellcraft 180 fisherman. She has an 8 ft beam (7'11" to be exact) and is 18' long. She has high gunnels (almost mid thigh. Drafts 12" of water. and is as dry a boat as I have been on for her size. I have been out with 4 people fishing and one at the helm and no one ran into each other. She has many features not found on many other 18 fters. Live well, fish box ... wash down... In the two years i have owned her I have spent little on maint. bottom paint, and winterization. beyond that low cost. She holds 50 gallons of fuel and with a 115 on back i get several weekends out of her before she hits the 1/4 mark. I have been caught in 5 - 6 footer with the occasional 7 -8 foot swell and have remained bone dry. One occasion a wave broke the bow, that was cause of my father in-laws lack of helmsmen ship skill. Only water that comes over the bow is blow back on really windy days. All this and I paid under 17k new with a trailer. I take her out by myself many times, never a problem. With the boat show coming, there will be many deals on 2002 leftovers that they are itching to get rid of for a discount.
My bit of advice, look at many, ride the few you like, and get the one that will give you what you want now and in 5 years. There are plenty of good boats out there take your time and research.

Good luck