custom weld boats or north river

[sonofafish]

Hi going to buy a boat with my oldest son im looking at custom weld cobra se he likes the north river trapper any info would be very helpful thank you

[WaterDog]

Custom Weld builds a great boat. Very solid and well built. Might want to also check out NW Jet as well.

If you get an AT pump look at getting the new reverse bucket. It's a bit spendy but it will give up better reverse and low speed control similar to a hamilton but at less cost.

I'd look at the Commander in a NR instead of the Trapper since it can be had a little widers.

Lots of great boats out there. Have fun looking and good luck!

[crabdaddy]

Have you looked at Weldcraft boats?? They look like a pretty well built boat.

[RODACTION]

I own a 2004 North River Trapper, I really like the boat. It has serviced me well and and I have yet to have any problems (knock on wood) yet. I looked at several different brands before landing on the North River. The selling point for me was the fit and finish. I think today with the aluminum boat manufactering so big that all of the major brands build a good boat. Enjoy you new boat !! :cheers:

Also the Commander series of N/R is only wider or bigger beam in the 22'model (102") beam. 19' to 21' models are 95" beam. :wink:

[troutdaddy]

Got a customweld viper(highly customized) in Feb., LOVE IT! I looked at all of the makers for 5 years. What sold me--company's willingness to build the boat I WANTED! 18 ft. to fit in my garage,Wider 6 ft.bottom,high deck(flyfishing), trim tabs, trolling motor, paint scheme. Other big thing service before, during and after the sale! (I never could talk to anyone at North River-always had to leave a message with customer service)Owner of Custom Weld and sone delivered my boat! Finish impeccable, performance-awesome. Alot of good boats out there, but more to it than that :dance: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y142/troutdaddy/114-1465_IMG.jpg http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y142/troutdaddy/114-1461_IMG.jpg http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y142/troutdaddy/114-1471_IMG.jpg

[Tacklebuster]

Have you looked at Weldcraft boats?? They look like a pretty well built boat



Mine was built so well that every year I owned it, it went back to the factory every September for 4 weeks because the hull kept cracking :hoboy: I had it for three years, was without a boat for 12 weeks during that time span due to cracks, and finally had enough and sold the thing. They agreed to build the buyer a new boat at no cost.

Not bad mouthing Weldcraft, just sharing my experience.

[ripthevolcano]

I have a NR Trapper and yes they are as wide as the commander as stated earlier. If I were looking for a hard top in 21' or longer I would have considered the Storm. However I like to side drift the hard top wouldn't have given me much room. My NR has never given me any problems on the Columbia, Deschutes, Lewis, Cowlitz, Willamette, Ocean, ect. It sounds like you have enough dough to purchase what you want and suggest NR. Recommend the v-8 though. I think they are comming out w/ a new 360 HP 350 cubic inch motor in '06. I would wait for that. :applause:

[Green Machine]

0

[Softball Dad]

They both build good boats. The two things I did not like about the North River were that the front seats seemed much closer together then the NW Jet and the Custom Weld.

Also, for the life of me why in the world does North River put paint in the bow of their boats???? That alone caused me to look elsewhere.

[Mr. Carp]

My cousin bought a 21ft Custom Weld Storm and he initally had a lot of problems. Brand new the boat leaked like a sieve. Sent it to the factory twice in Lewiston and they "couldn't find the leak". Finally after having enough, he had me and my brother try to find the leak. Within 15 minutes, we found it (well one of them). We hauled it to Lewiston to the factory once more and told them we found one leak but to check it for any others. They said they did and we hauled it home to find out it still leaked.

Custom Weld finally fixed it, but they were very rude in Customer Service and for building boats, didn't have much common sense in how to find leaks in an aluminum boat for being in the "boat building" buisness.

[jimh]

I have nothing but good things to say about my Custom Weld. I've had it 3 years and used in in Rivers, Lakes, and Puget Sound. Since I bought it, I've looked at other brands more than once, but if I bought one today, I'd still buy a Custom Weld. I'm in Puget Sound more than I originally thought, so I'd probably have a few changes if I ordered one now.

The design of North Rivers and Custom Welds are quite a bit different. Generally speaking, the jet boats made East of the Cascades have different traits than the boats made West of the Cascades. In my opinion, East boats are a little better for bigger rivers and West boats are a little better for smaller rivers. The bow angle and length of transition is different for the hull as well as the layout of the boats is different especially in regard to the deck options. Of course, every boat is a compromise.

As far as customer service is concerned, I've only asked questions and bought minor parts. Mr. Carp's experience was definitely not optimum...maybe they learned from it.

[Tacklebuster]

Yo Green Machine,
I am pretty sure that my last sentence consisted of words that went a little something like this. "I am not bad mouthing Weldcraft, just sharing my experience." Not saying anything bad about the company or the product. Yes I have had my NR back as well. You wanna make something more out of that sentence as well :shrug:

[HOOKUP]

not a knock to custom weld but I have seen some questionable welds while inspecting their boats.

go with what makes you happy, demo them, talk to thier customer service etc. If you do buy a customweld buy it from riverview marina in Lewiston, those guys are customer service pros

[wdlfbio]

I whittled my choice down to CW and NR and finally went with NR. Both were more than willing to build what I wanted, but NR had most things stock. CW kept upgrading everything to match what the NR had. Also, the NR has much more "extra" support in it than the CW. I asked CW about this and they said it's not really necessary. Probably so, but it shows the NR is there to build STRONG boats. I rather have it and not need it, than the other way around.

I also looked at NW, ThunderJet, Weldcraft, and Duckworth and none of those were finished off (little interior details) like CW or NR. I looked into the front storage on the Duckworth Magnum and I saw lots of spray foam just sitting there open to everything. The least they could have done was to cover it so that any gear up front didn't ship it into pieces.

The guys at CW (woodenville) were very nice to deal with though!

I ended up with a 22' Commander, semi-hardtop, 6.0L and Hamilton 212.

[Killertraylor]

Have you looked at Weldcraft boats?? They look like a pretty well built boat



Mine was built so well that every year I owned it, it went back to the factory every September for 4 weeks because the hull kept cracking :hoboy: I had it for three years, was without a boat for 12 weeks during that time span due to cracks, and finally had enough and sold the thing. They agreed to build the buyer a new boat at no cost.

Not bad mouthing Weldcraft, just sharing my experience.



I had the exact same experience as Tacklebuster (sorry, Chris, just can't get used to "almost perfect" :grin:) with my Weldcraft. It was my first "real" boat and I owned it for 3 years - it went back to the factory 4 times and it never did stop leaking. I had transom cracks, cracks in the hull in the bow, pop-can dents in the hull from Estuary trips, holes drilled in the hull by innattentive seat installers at the factory...you name it. That's one of the reasons I've been so happy with my Northriver - once you have a bad boat experience, getting a good one is such a blessing! The only other Weldcraft owner I know also has a boat that leaks - that makes 3 Weldcraft owners I know of and all 3 had similar problems.

Joe Traylor

[Tacklebuster]

Almost Perfect does sound a little cheesy hugh :grin: That actually is the name of my boat. Since I like fishing out of Depoe and Newport, I had to change my name. There is a big Charter boat named Tacklebuster out of Depoe and it causes a bit of confusion on the radio.

When we going out for them Tuners :smash:

[jet]

TB thanks for the name change update. I am sure most were wondering why?

Jet~~~

[Green Machine]

Easy big guy....I said I was just giving you a hard time. Really, nothing more meant by it at all. :flowered: I guess I forgot how serious this board is anymore. I shouldn't poke fun at someones problem. Anyway, enough of that. What I was getting at is every boat builder will have a lemon every now and then. When I had problems with my TJ, everyone said, "See, you should've bought a North River." I don't buy into that game. Today to survive in the business, you have to build a good product. Maybe this is why Weldcraft is struggling....could be. I say buy the boat you like and you want as long as it is a reputable company. North River and Custom Weld are both great companies. Don't rush though. Good Luck.

Green Machine

Green Machine

[Mr. Carp]

If you do buy a customweld buy it from riverview marina in Lewiston, those guys are customer service pros



Those jokers were worthless. They didn't have a clue as to what I was talking about half of the time. Also, the boat would bang the axle of the trailer everytime you'd load it. I told them to fix it and they said it is impossible. they told us we didn't know how to load the boat. :hoboy: They were singing a different tune when it was taken to the water and it did exactly as we stated (along with leak).

Maybe it was just our dealings with them, but it wasn't very good and that is for sure.

[HOOKUP]

Carp,
the manager in the service dept. Bill is top notch.

Last time I was in there a guy dropped his 21' CW off because the engine was constantly over heating and was burning way to much fuel. I was standing there when Bill said I will take care of it. Didnt bat an eye at servicing the boat.

[Tacklebuster]

No worries Green Machine. It's funny how boat problems makes a person tense up :rolleyes:

I guess the main thing these days is spending a bunch of money on a boat and then fearing about getting stuck with a problem child. I will tell you first hand how frusterating it is hauling your boat back and forth getting stuff fixed. I really can not think of anything more frusterating than dumping a bunch of money on something and can't use it for what you bought it for.

The reality is, you are probably going to have a few issues with things no matter what you buy. I guess what you can hope for is the issues are few and they are minor. How you get treated after the sale is what is most important. People that get jerked around never forget and usually loose faith in other dealers that they deal with on a latter date because of it. Weldcraft could make the best boat in the world at the cheapest price around but I would still be very untrusting of the place because of my past dealings with them.

Do your homework, check the boat out 100 percent before delivery, and hope you can have and keep a good relationship with the customer service end when and if something comes up. That my friend is the ingredients of a good experience :flowered:

[Hookset]

Buying either the Custom Weld or North River will likely make you both happy. However, I wouldn't stop there. Before spending that amount of money on a boat, investigate a few more manufacturers first....in person. Yes, make plans to travel to each boat manufacturer on your extended list. You could arrange your travel plans to include several boat builders per day. For instance, visit the closest builders first. Then take a couple days to visit specicifc regions. Like Lewiston Idaho, visit Duckworth, Thunderjet, Custom Weld etc... and down in Medford you can visit Fish Rite, Willie, Boulton and Alumaweld and along the way pick up North River in Roseburg and Koffler in Eugene.

You should visit each shop to view how boats are constructed. Ask plenty of questions about design, materials and construction techniques. Like comparing box girders to stringers and cross bracing, single and double bulkheads, extruded chines vs rolled edges. After viewing the differences in design and construction, and then comparing items that come standard and the cost of options...and don't forget about asking how flexible they are to modifications and customized options.

After completing an adventure like this, it becomes pretty easy to weed out some manufacturers and narrowing the field to just 1. Besides, it's a lot of fun shopping for a new boat...the anticipation is just as much a thrill as the boat it self.

I know I'm a little biased when it comes to boats and you should have a chance to develope your own.

Or perhaps you already have......

enjoy,

Gregg

[Mofish]

REPLY: To your Question

NORTH RIVER HANDS DOWN. : thewave:

My 2cents!!!

North River and Motion Marine build the best Aluminum in noth america.

[wdlfbio]

http://www.precisionweldboats.com/

Tom's works is regarded pretty highly. It'd be worth a look and phone call.

[Regular Joe]

Footitis ? Go for the extra foot and the CW Storm may be it for you :dance: Also you may want to compare the Boulton Sport against the North River :whazzup:

[wootersen]

WHERE'S GET BENT...I Hear sirens. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[Moldy45]

Does anyone know anything about rougue marine boats out of grants pass oregon?

[WaterDog]

Nothing wrong with a Rogue or any of the boats made today. It's all personal preference. Go for a ride and get what fits you and your use. Also consider the service aspect after the purchase.

Heck any boat is better than no boat at all.

[HOOKUP]

Moldy,
I have a new Rogue from Grants Pass, very nice boat, great deal. Here's a pic of mine
http://www.hunt101.com/img/310701.JPG