[615218]

opinion

prblmslv, I had a 22ft Grady w/a for years and went out 40 to 60 miles routinely. It had a large outboard and a kicker for emergency. Offshore,larger usually means safer, but if you keep an ear to weather reports a 23 footer will be fine. Obviously twins also would be more desirable. One more thing, I don't know if they're true or not, but I've been hearing some bad feedback on the new Proline boats on some other forums. Like I said, I do not know if they are true, or not. Just a heads up.

 

[SummerBrz]

I have a 22' Wellcraft w/a. I use it both in the bay and ocean. My ocean trips are 10 mile runs at the most. Thats as far as I need to go to catch fish. In the bay I fish from the flats to the channel's by myself without a hitch. With a 150 OB it is not too bad on fuel, and it moves the boat at 33kts top speed.

I am very satisfied with this setup.

 

[615045]

I run a 24' robalo with twin outboards out of moriches inlet for several years. It is a perfect size boat to fish the shallow bay or 40 miles offshore. just watch the weather

Kimmy

 

[rastamon]

23' W/A

I have a 23' Mako & fished it to the HA buoy. Cholera on some days when water broke over the bow on the anchor. Never had a problem

Bill

 

[MakoMike]

FWIW, I fished a 23 ft sea ox w/a in the oceans and sounds for year. It had a big single with a kicker. You just have to watch the weather.

 

[Mad Mahi]

More of a Dilemma?

Problemslvd-

A lot of good advice here.

If you are buying a NEW boat, be advised that Robalo has changed/merged twice in the last 2 years. While I was looking, I discovered that they are about to become part of Chapparal boats.

I have seen 2 actual crack related problems (gel coat) on new ProLines as well as heard other disappointing stories on them.

I would suggest, if you haven't done so, to add Seaswirl to your list. I've been fishing my buddy's 21'cc for 3 seasons and really like what it has to offer. We have been out as far as 19 miles in a 2-3' ocean and was fairly comfortable. His friend just got a new 23" WA that is laid out real well. I was looking at their 26' WA and their 26' Sport Cabin. These last 2 are available as single, twin, regular transom, bracket or even I/O. Good value for the money and a good warranty.

Good Luck!

 

[614690]

I run a Proline 22 sport. 200 HP Merc Optimax Blue water. Love the boat but I'm in the same boat you are when it comes to going too big to fish the smaller areas. It is a trade off. Personnaly I would go with the bigger boat and just fish offshore more and maybe the occasional drift inside the bays or rivers. If you are looking for a boat that can handle 4 footers at 20 knots or better, the larger is the choice. But the price is considerably more. The 22 Proline, in my opinion, is one of the top boats for it's size. This is the reason why I purchased one. Resale value is high and they have a 10 year transferable hull warranty. They stand behind their product. Regardless of which boat you choose I would power it with a 4 stroke. All the boats you mentioned are good boats. Some ride dryer and smoother in rough waters. It then comes down to what the boat has to offer. Livewells, etc. Good luck.

 

[bassman909]

prblmsslvd
I have a 21Ft seaswirl Dual Console, so it is lighter that the 23ft W/A your talking about. I do take if out as far as 15 miles or so, and have no problems with a three foot chop/swell. You should be able to handle a four foot swell fine(it may take a while to get out/back). I would go further it I had a kicker, but with no backup, I won't risk it. Also, I do think your better off with spending a little more to get a larger engine. Mine has a 130HP on it, and I wish I had spent the extra on a 150.
I do think it will be tough to do any light tackle bass fishing (plugging) up against the banks with that size boat. A lot of that is in water of 30"s or less. Check how much the boats your looking at draw. You will have no problem bay fluking with a boat like that.

 

[618280]

BOAT SIZE

Buy the biggest,fastest boat you can afford to operate ,a larger boat can fish under many more circumstances,with more comfort,stability and range.26'is fair size boat that can remain cost efficient

 

[Striper77]

4 Stroke

I am thrilled with my 4 Stroke ( honda 90 ) and have friends thrilled with the 4 Stroke Mercs. I will never even consider a 2 stroke again. The economy of gas / oil savings alone are enough to make it worthwhile, but you will also extend your range by at least double, maybe more ! No smell, no smoke ( and I mean none! ) plus it is amazingly quiet. It is so economical and quiet at idle speeds you won't even need a trolling motor. It is not as quick from the hole, but the difference is minimal, not enough to worry about.
Besides the major increase in range due to the economy, you will spend much less time at the gas dock. I leave my boat in the water, so gas prices are a major consideration, I bring a 5 gal can with me to top off with "land gas" and as a result hardly ever have to go to the gas dock.
With my last motor ( 94 Merc 225) a 5 gal can barely got me out of the harbor, with the honda I can fish for hours on it. I also keep a little 2 gal gas tank in boat in case my gauge lies and I run out, I know the 2 gal tank will let me come home from miles away at a low speed. As you can tell I am a big fan of the 4 stroke. SO far three years, 200 + hours, 1 set of plugs ( 3rd going in this year ), never did one other thing to engine besides oil change and gear grease. Only thing I would do different if buying again is to go up to the 115hp.
GET THE 4 STROKE !

 

[618487]

sorry guys

I hate to offend the seaswirl owners out there but I must strongly advise against them for anything offshore. A friend has one (oops...had one now my friends ex-wife has one). He brought it back to the dealer regularly for the first two seasons. The dealer, also a friend dropped the line. He told me many many horror stories about them.

 

[619115]

4 strokers

Well, someone has to be the odd man out.
I run a starcraft 20' aluminum w/ merc 115 four stroke. Was thirty one miles out last Sun. not the best off shore choice but a good compromise for lake and ocean.
I do want to support the four strokes though. Aside from: economy, quiet and
smokeless. They aslo idle down to troll at lower speeds like 2mph and won't sputter out on ya.

G

 

[614606]

Parker just put out a new 25 Walkaround. This is a oceangoing boat, no questions. You have the dual capacity of a nice bay boat, with the luxury of being able to handle the ocean, no problem.

Price I think is under $50,000, with the unreal 250/ 4 Yamaha.

I have been watching boats off of Montauk for years, have upgraded myself......and upgraded. To take a standing wave in the rips off of Montauk you need a exellent hull. I personally think 24/25 is entry level off of Montauk to be able to fish when it gets sloppy. And, only the best will suffice.

What you do, is watch. Sit off of the Shagawong Bouy, when its 5 to 6, nice steep short waves. You will only see Parker, Osprey, Contender, and Gradys offshore. The others turn around...with fear, and yes..these are also 22/24/25 ft. boats.

 

[614859]

wow what a great question and some great
responses.i personally have been running a inboard 23' chris craft lancer in the sound.it has stood up to everything i am will to go out in and also fished the back bays with it THIS IS TRULY A GREAT FISHING BOAT.but i am considering a new boat because i want speed that i can't
obtain with the lancer.i have fallen in love with the aquasport 25 explorer .it will approach 50 mph which i want to run from the western sound out to the port jeff or farther out east areas.i like the boat because the cuddy seems to be a little more up front leaving more fishing space on the gunnels.if any body has any feelings about the aqua sport please post it

thanks
vinny f

 

[617921]

I can attest to the 2520 Parker- I have owned one for 4.5 years & fished it hard from Montauk to the Hudson Canyon. Something I will say is that by design the pilothouse is more sea-worthy than a WA. I doubt that even a Parker WA would take a breaking wave in the windshield too well, whereas the pilothouse can hold up. My boat draws about 2.5 feet so I cannot get into really skinny water. Parker also offers a modified Vee. On engines: I would rather have one Yamaha than 2 Mercurys, Yamahas are just THAT good. Two motors provides a false sense of security in a small boat- you still have one fuel tank & one electrical system. If you go with Mercury, stay away from the Optimax- they are subject to loads of field recalls. My bubby always had one out of the water during the very brief ownership of a 30' Proline. If you look at a boat with a Johnson or Evinrude, make sure you get one manufactured by Bombardier, not a pre-bankruptsy OMC leftover. There are many good boats out there, and many bad ones. A simple test:

Start with a supposed "offshore boat".
(Deep Vee, self-bailing ****pit, enclosed bow)

Bang on the side of the hull halfway up between the keel & gunwale. If it reverberates like a bathtub, forget about it. Then look at the power. In larger motors, Yamahas are the best. Merc EFI is decent. Then look at the hardware. Make sure deck hardware is stainless & thru-bolted, etc. The boats mentioned above (Parker, Osprey, Contender, Grady White) are great boats. Also check out Scout, Shamrock, Mako, Boston Whaler. Remember that when you head out into that big ocean that skill is even more important than the hull you are riding in. Join a fishing club & go out with some experienced members first.

-Bill

 

[617921]

I should add that up to 25'. the Prolines are very nice boats with excellent resale value. I have a friend in Florida who regularly takes his 25' Proline out about 30 miles into the Atlantic.

-Bill

 

[Scalawag]

Whats the reasoning for not wanting a " bracket" ?

Inboards, splashguards, eurotransoms, I/O 's all do the same important thing & thats keep the following seas out.
Number 1 reasons for boats sinking and people getting killed out there?
boat gets swamped over notched transom, batts. short out and boat flips or they die of exposure.
Nothing wrong with notched transoms but it is the weak link as far as saftey goes and your more limited as far as range on snotty days.
If your setting up a 23' er for sharkfishing/chunking go with a bracket.
One of the best 23's on the market is the Kencraft 23 bracket outboard. Ive been checking out the boys @ my yard rigging a new one now and have researched it , boats awesome . HUGE gunnels, quality, not overpriced.
later, Alan

 

[618696]

Screw the walkaround, and get a center console. Get the 23 regulator and you can fish wherever the **** you want. And take my advise, get the 4-stroke. The 2's are a little more gas efficient, but I had twin 150 yamaha hpdi's last year and I spent over $500.00 in oil. At $12-$18/gal it gets quite expensive.

 

[Hipshot]

OFFSHORE BOATS

Just remember guys, the true test of the boat is in the inlet, not necessarilly offshore. You can have good conditions offshore but have a **** of an inlet. It's not usually the other way around!