Boulton Boats

[riverboat2003]

Looking at buying a used 20' Boulton powerboat seas skiff can anyone tell me about there experiences good and bad.:meme:

[Hookset]

Looking at buying a used 20' Boulton powerboat seas skiff can anyone tell me about there experiences good and bad.:meme:

I used to own a 22' sea skiff open boat and enjoyed the boat a lot. As long as the motor and hull design meet your intended needs, you shouldn't have any problems. Mike builds a quality boat that will stand up to any of the other popular Northwest built aluminum boats.

good luck,

Gregg

[fish_on]

They seem like a great company, never heard anything bad. Except for North River I don't think you can go wrong with any of the aluminum boats.

[Pirate]

Except for North River I don't think you can go wrong with any of the aluminum boats.

I own a NR and like it a lot. It's a good boat and since you opened the can..... what gives?? :cheers:

[fish_on]

personal experience, won't buy a NR ever again.

[Flatfish]

personal experience, won't buy a NR ever again.
Right click, save as.....

[Pirate]

personal experience, won't buy a NR ever again.

Sorry to hear about your personal experience with NR...mine on the other hand has been excellent, regarding quality and service. I've owned my current boat since 02 and another prior to that. I'm sure a lot of other NR owners would agree. My :twocents:

[justfish]

I personally don't own a boulton, but through extensive research in shopping for a boat, I believe they are one of the best ones made.

[King Kong]

I am the proud owner of a 22' Boulton Rivermaster. I have only owned the boat for a few months but have been very impressed with the boat overall. It outperforms my previous boat , 21' TJ Alexis Classic, in just about every way. Ride, planing speed, tracking etc. Dont get me wrong I loved my TJ but..............I like my Boulton a lot better. Just my :twocents:.

If you have any questions just pick up the phone and call Mike Boulton. I went down and toured his shop. Very impressive is an understatement. If it has the hull, motor and features that you want you cant go wrong in my opinion.

[deadstick]

My wifes Uncle has a 20' with a 115 Yamaha 4 stroke. I think he wishes he had a 150. I think the boat look awesome on the water and handles the chop much better then my Sportster. I know I know they are totally different and he cant go where I can go. Nice tall sides and clean, simple and well thought out inside.

His only grip is while on anchor the waves really make the boat rock and roll. Everytime he fishes with me I hear him say how much more stable he thinks mine is.

[Raining_Kings]

Sorry to hear about your personal experience with NR...mine on the other hand has been excellent, regarding quality and service. I've owned my current boat since 02 and another prior to that. I'm sure a lot of other NR owners would agree. My :twocents:

Being a newer owner of a 19' North River Seahawk I'd agree that it's an excellent boat. I'm surprised to see the negative feedback on NR, most everything I could find on them was very positive when I made my decision to buy it. However, it only takes one employee/issue with a product to get a bad wrap.

Regaring Boulton, when I was shopping around for my boat, they were on the short list. In comparing build quality between the two I was very impressed with Boulton. For me it came down to price, the Boulton I was looking at was around $5k more for similar size/capability that I was looking for, but I think that was due to a really good deal I worked on the NR.

Based on what I was looking for and my percieved quality, my short list of boats was:
1- North River
2- Boulton
3- Duckworth
4- Hewes (Trailing a little)
5- Alumnaweld (Trailing a lot)

I didn't look at everyboat, and only my :twocents: worth when looking at what I thought was important to me. YMMV.

Good luck,

-= Scott

[Halfhooked]

I think it is posible to have a bad one but my 6month buying expierence has been right on:D. I have had questions for thier service department wich have been ansewed quickly and correctly. Personally, until a person actually plunks down his hard earned $ and then begins the journey down the road of ownership with that boat and that specific dealer, any other opinion on that make of boat isnt worth a red cent. My :twocents:.

Rule #1 of retail is that no matter what, someone will pitch a fit no matter what you say or do as a retailer. Some people just cant be made happy.

And yes, that does go both ways.:noway:

Most all of the big names make quality products......NR, Boulton, Willie, Hews and Alumaweld just to name a few.

To me, the after the sale sevice and ownership experience are HUGE. You almost cant put a price on that.....A dealer who will stand behind the product they sell and work through an issue with you means the most to me.

ANY boat will have issues at some point.

[mykai2]

I bought my 24' pilothouse new in '01 and now have 1100+ hours on the boat. I still get comments on how nice the boat is. Mike still builds them one at a time and will customize anyway you want the boat. It is kind of nice when I call the manufacter with a ? and the owner of the company answers the phone and answers all my ?'s. How many companies can you do that? Good luck on your choice.

[fish junky]

I came really really close to buying a 21 ft Sea Skiff. The only thing that kept from it was they said they don't sell to the public any more. (Maybee still Oregon but not California)? They referred me to a dealer that was 4 hrs away and they dinked me around. So I went North River. If I had a good dealer or Mike would have sold me one I'd be driving a Boulton though.

[bgfire]

I have owned a 20' Sea Skiff for about a year. I bought the boat used (four months old) from a guy who needed to sell the boat due to work-related issues.

My boat has been excellent! I have the 36" sides, white water front deck, soft top, and rear platform. The boat came with a 115 Yamaha, and an 8hp Honda kicker. I run out of Humboldt Bay in Northern California. Since there was no salmon fishing this year, my pursuit has been some halibut fishing and bottom fishing. The run for bottom fishing is 20-25 miles one way when you leave the harbor. I also ran last year for crab in December.

The boat has performed flawlessly for me. I have watched my fuel consumption, and on the 50 mile average round trip bottom fishing, I will normally burn 10-12 gallons of fuel. That is with 2-3 guys on the boat, tackle, ice, etc. Last trip was definately the worst weather we went down in. We had a 4-5 foot swell with 2-3 foot chop for the ride down. I ran most of the trip between 15-20 mph; the boat did bang a few times, but not much.

When we got there to fish, the forcasted 5-15 knot winds were blowing 15-20, with a pretty sharp chop. I backtrolled the entire time, idling into the wind. The boat stayed very dry (no water from the bilges back on land when I pulled the plugs) during the 3-4 hours of fishing. I really love the full height rear transom.

Prior to this boat, I had a Gregor. The two are worlds apart! The wide bow of the Boulton rises much faster in choppy seas and swells that the sharp Gregor bow. It also does not cut like the Gregor did when crossing a large wake. It is far wider than the previous boat (102" vs. 84"), and more stable. I really like the 36" sides when fishing in choppy seas. I also have the wrapped around rail that goes along the side gunnels part way around the transom; these are great for mounting rod holders and for handles.

The boat seems pretty stable to me. It has also been great at the lake with the family. It has lots of room for the kids, and the high sides keep them safe. It towed a tube with up to three kids (with two adults and 2 more kids in the boat) great.

I have no experience with North River. When I was looking, I looked at Boulton and North River pretty exclusively, as both seemed to be very camparable. I would not complain about either.

On my boat, I have added a second bilge pump on a separate curcuit, six stainless rod holder tubes, a stainless folding lay flat ladder on the platform (HUGE plus at the lake, and a way to bring somebody in in an emergency), and a stereo with speakers. The boat was outfitted with VHF and chartplotter/fishfinder by the previous owner. I like the storage options I have with the under bow space and the bench seats mid boat. I also like the two fish boxes; the one in the rear transom area is huge. I hope to add an arch this winter and radar.

I am completely happy with the performance of my 20' Boulton. I would have been equally happy with a North River, I believe. The boat is well built. If the used boat is in good shape, the price is right, and it is what you want, I would go for it. I don't think you will be disappointed.

[timinthegorge]

Being a newer owner of a 19' North River Seahawk I'd agree that it's an excellent boat. I'm surprised to see the negative feedback on NR, most everything I could find on them was very positive when I made my decision to buy it. However, it only takes one employee/issue with a product to get a bad wrap.

Regaring Boulton, when I was shopping around for my boat, they were on the short list. In comparing build quality between the two I was very impressed with Boulton. For me it came down to price, the Boulton I was looking at was around $5k more for similar size/capability that I was looking for, but I think that was due to a really good deal I worked on the NR.

Based on what I was looking for and my percieved quality, my short list of boats was:
1- North River
2- Boulton
3- Duckworth
4- Hewes (Trailing a little)
5- Alumnacraft (Trailing a lot)

I didn't look at everyboat, and only my :twocents: worth when looking at what I thought was important to me. YMMV.

Good luck,

-= Scott


And Alumaweld didn't even make the top 5? Huh...... My top 5 list would differ somewhat......

[Blue Seaduction]

Here is my :twocents:

I have a 2006 21' N/R Seahawk that I purchased new. My wife and I looked at a lot of boats before deciding on a N/R.
The second in line for us was the Boulton and then a Hewes Craft.
I still think the N/R is built well, but I would think twice about buying another, just because of the poor service and incompetence that we have received from them.
But, I wouldn't give Clemens Marine a dollar either. :D

[Raining_Kings]

And Alumaweld didn't even make the top 5? Huh...... My top 5 list would differ somewhat......

Mebad, I meant Alumaweld not Alumacraft. I get those mixed up a lot. I'm sure others list would be different though.

-= Scott