new boat blues

[FishinFinatic]

Hello all. I've been lookin at some new boats. so far just the alumawelds, and the northriver open bow tiller models. I've had some ok salespeople and some no ok salepeople. anyone ever deal with a really good guy or gal that made the experience much better. I hate buyin stuff off people that just want to make a sell.
also i'm leanin towards an 18 foot boat and on the northriver the standard motor is the 90 jet, and on the alumaweld it lists the 115 merc. does anyone have any ideas on this that might make my decision a little better. thanks mike

I'm also trying to get ahold of willie boats. any info on them would be great to. thanks again.

[FishinMission]

Some may dis-agree with me, and that's fine. But for me the bigger the motor (hp)..the better. Just my .02 worth.

Mark

[Dr Strangelove]

If you have to have the tiller, go with a tiller driven sportjet ie Motion Marine Outback. You'll get all the horsepower you ever need (175-250hp at the pump) and end up spending much less money ($4000-5000 less)than an outboard big enough to power four guys upriver with the jet pump lower unit hp losses involved (150hp minimum my book). I own a North River Sportster and love it. I wouldn't dissuade you from North River, but Willie, Boice, Boulton are other very good makes.
Doc

[YellowDog]

I would also recommend talking to Dave Traaen at North River. He is extremely honest and knowledgeable.

[wiser]

Just one question. How do you get around the capacity plate rating. My 19 1/2' Willie Predator has a capacity plate that states 90 hp maximum without remote steering. To me that means a tiller driven open boat would be in violation if the prop or pump put out more than 90 horses. If I had an accident my insurance could be declared invalid an couldn't the CG or river patrol cite for violation of capacity plate ratings.
I've checked with Willie and the 90 hp rating is correct for that boat.

[FishinFinatic]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I guess i should listen to old tool man tayler then huh.. MORE POWER... I did talk to dave at north river on 212 this morning and really liked talkin to him. right now i'm sitten on the northriver sled. now i just got to pick a motor i guess. is there any advantages to the 4 strokes vrs the 2 strokes. Most my sled fishing will be willamette and columbia and just a little of the clack. i run a DB on the clack most the time. but thanks for the words guys. i'll keep ya all in mind when i get one, and take ya all fishin :smile:

[FishinFinatic]

wiser. i talked to stevens about that yesterday. and what i understood was it would void all the warrenties on the hull. As far as the other stuff i don't know. But that warrenty is pretty important to me. i don't expect to use it but if i needed too, i wouldn't want it voided.

[WaterDog]

The last boat I had was rated for 4 people and a 90hp prop. It was an 18 footer with a windshield and 14 degree hull. I asked the builder if the plate could be changed because I had seen other boats the same size with higher ratings. They said sure no problem. So they changed it to 6 people. Didn’t seem like a big deal. I needed the capacity to haul 4 adults and 2 kids.

My guess is that it’s their way of covering their butt’s and maybe some don’t build boats as good as they claim. :shocked:

[Firedog]

Go talk to Dave Traaen at North River. Great guy, bought my Driftbaot from him last year when he was at South River Marine. He is honest and fishes a lot so he can help you with what you need and dont need, he wont try and sell you a bunch of stuff just to be selling it. He knows alot about Willies also since he used to sell them. The number over at North River is 503 650 0001

[Steve]

Welcome to the wide world of Boats, since you are looking at new, there are a few givens. First get with someone exprienced in running rivers, learn from his mistakes, second expect to get a scratch or two...if you let scratches get to you, by used. I have had a 20' flatbottom North River and have a 19' Alumaweld now, personally I liked the North River with center console better, however the passengers didn't like the hammering through the flat bottom out at bouy 10, in shallow water it had more lift. Used to come up the shute above Dog Creek (Clackamas) like a bat out of -----! I wouldn't take a $25,000++ boat in there if I still owed on it. I have Steven's Marine do all the work on my Merc's however after listening to some of the complaints on this BB I have one suggestion, LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAY VERY CAREFULLY, they make suggestions that sound like necessity, parts and labor make up a big part of their business. This is not a critism... just business. Get the best safety gear you can afford, I don't think the 115 HP is large enough unless you use a prop, Pumps loose 50% of horsepower and 60hp going up standing wave isn't going to cut it... expect to use 10 gallons of Fuel per hour, don't expect your friends to buy fuel, insurance,lunch, bait.... :shocked: You get the pleasure of running the boat, baiting the hooks, forget fishing your going to be Tooo busy. Don't forget the drive to and from.. After awhile you will catch on to the little tricks of the game such as getting a few of the guys or gals to run the boat, tell them that your tired or hurt your back,that you need their help in washing down the hull or fish blood on your new floor. Haven't even touched on the extras but the rule of thumb is 25,000.00 on boat and $5000.00 on extras... Sorry, I just needed to VENT!

[Jeffhead]

FF,
I am not going to comment on what kind of boat to buy, but I will back up what FM sez. Having more power than you need is a whole lot better than being underpowered. I learned the hard way, The motor on my boat ate itself after 4 seasons last fall cause' ya had to run it in the top end of the power curve. Bigger motor on the back now and what a difference!!! :shocked: For an 18 ft sled I would recommend at least a 150/105 setup, you pick the brand. In all of the boat debates here the biggest complait I see is from others who wish they had followed Tim the Toolman's advice MORE POWER arrrggghhh, arrrggghhhh, arrrggghhh!!! If you are looking at Alumawelds I have heard a lot of good comments about the guys at Woodenville Marine up here in Washington. I know it's a run, but may be worth it.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff :grin: :grin:

[otter]

Hey FF,
Congrats on your new boat to be. If you have the time you may want to check out the "Northriver" thread, lots of info. For my .02, get the max horsepower that the boat is rated for. If you don't you will regret it later.

[Beer Waggin]

Talk to Mike Blocher at North River. I've only dealt with the other guys there a couple of times so I can't give you an accurate assessment of them, but I've never had a problem with any of them.
When I bought my Merc from Stevens they seamed a bit arrogant.

[Pitch Pocket]

Although most buy the 200 hp Merc, I like the 150. It is the same sized block and head with smaller cylinders. More metal around the pistons make for better durability. If you do need to rebuild it later, you can bore the cylinders and still have a servicable block. I've had the 150 on my 19' alumaweld for 10 years and have never starved for power even with a full boat.

[Bait O' Eggs]

Listen to the boys who are saying more power. Once you buy that little motor, it is worth like 70% of what you paid for it later in the same day, and after you get 100 hours on it and are fed up with being underpowered, it is worth like next to nothing compared to what the next bigger motor would have cost you in the beginning.

I have a 115 hp pump on an 18 foot boat and it is a dog. I cant pull the kids on an innertube, let alone pull a skier. I have had problems getting on plane with 5 adults and gear in the boat.

Go at least 150 hp (105 pump) for an 18 footer.