Weldcraft Ocean King?

[Tfresh]

Hey guys, does anyone know anything about the Weldcraft Ocean King, namely the overall quality of the boat? I was at the Sportsmans' show and there was a 24ft Ocean King with fully enclosed hardtop cabin and twin Yamaha 115 engines for $57K. That was a steal compared to some of the other offshore boats of equivalent size. Was that just a really good deal or is there an underlying reason why the boat was less expensive than the other brands?

[Spindrifter]

Do they still have a plywood floor in them? They didn't have a welded self bailing deck before.....

[tomictime]

looks like plywood and vinyl floors..


Standard Features of the 240 Ocean King

• Full hardtop with Alaskan B/H, top trays, cabin lights, slider side windows with screens, locking bulkhead door, rear bulkhead windows and 3" top rails
• Two engine Offshore Bracket with Integral bottom sheet & swim platform
• Transom bait box w/cutting board lid
• Aft sub-floor 28" x 48" fish box with macerator evacuation pump
• Extruded chine, toe rail and keel strip
• Reverse chine bottom design
• 3 window walkthrough windshield with grab handles
• Driver & passenger pantograph wipers
• Welded self bailing diamond tread bow
• Ultra ride suspension seats
• 53" bench to bed storage seats w/insert
• SeaStar Hydraulic Steering
• Outboard dash panel w/fuel gauge, dual tachs, dual volt meters and 12 volt outlet
• Dual fuel water separators
• Bow anchor rope locker
• Bow storage
• 10" to 12" bow to windshield rails
• Zinc Anodes
• Trim tab mounting brackets

• Navigation lights & anchor lights
• Marine Horn
• Choice of 5 standard zolatone colors
• Zolatone deck, windshield, top and interior
• Zolatoned sidewalls & side storage trays
• Sharkhide sides
• Vinyl side graphics
• Port console with storage
• Dual 1250 gph bilge pumps 1 with auto float switch
• Washdown kit and holder
• Removable Transom access panels
• Cup holders
• Side tray rod racks
• Stainless steel bow eye
• 2 welded stern eyes
• 6"-8" welded cast cleats
• Marine grade plywood floors
• Marine grade vinyl floor covering
• Choice of Sand or Gray interior package
• Pressure tested sub-floor fuel cell
• Basic flotation foam package
• Dual Transom Saver

Originally Posted by Spindrifter

Do they still have a plywood floor in them? They didn't have a welded self bailing deck before.....

[Two Fister]

Looks like the main dance floor still isn't self-bailing.

[Bob5292]

They are using thin .125 sides with a .190 bottom. It isn't specified but I would assume that they are also using 5052 aluminum. It seems you really get what you pay for with aluminum boats. I would also take a look at their electrical system as some of the freshwater builders that are starting to make offshore boats, really seem to cut corners in that department.

Bob

[hot wire]

I kinda liked the boat.

My hull is made of the same aluminum thicknesses. Haven't sank yet. As far as the electrical, I agree that was not very good. Most of the connections were not water-tight. But a couple of days time and some know-how, that is easily remedied for me. The floor, well, the plywood was kinda unsupported in front of the bulkhead aft door. I would get their diamond plate option and it would be good. The 20 year warranted marine grade plywood is not that big a deal really. You already would have a template. What I didn't like was the 28* bow. Most aluminum boats are like 40* in a 24' boat. So, that's not so good. It was a good value. I too would prefer a self-bailing deck. But $50,000 more for a NR is a bit much. But a darn nice boat!

[Tfresh]

Thanks for the feedback. From the nature of the responses, it sounds like this may not quite be of the same quality as some of the more expensive aluminum boats...I really liked the NR Seawawk OS and the Koffler Bay Bee Crusader but both were around $70K. I have an '06 21' NR Seahawk (which I really like) but was thinking of upgrading to a larger boat. I figure bigger is better on the ocean but I'm not willing to spend $70K on a boat, at least for a few years. Anyway, thanks again. I'm fairly new to ifish and have always appreciated you salty dogs, you guys have been quick at answering questions and give alot of good advice.