Thought about a walk-around glass boat? Lots of great options for a good price out there like Grady, Pursuit and Arima.

I just bought a glass pilothouse boat last fall, keep your eye open throughout the country and be willing to jump on a plane to look at one in short notice. I found mine for about half of new with new electronics and under 400 hrs on the motors.

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Thought about a walk-around glass boat? Lots of great options for a good price out there like Grady, Pursuit and Arima.

I just bought a glass pilothouse boat last fall, keep your eye open throughout the country and be willing to jump on a plane to look at one in short notice. I found mine for about half of new with new electronics and under 400 hrs on the motors.

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I have, and I should a little more. I guess I'm asking why aren't these a great option for river salmon trolling almost as equally an ocean going vessel? I was originally looking in the 22ft class and WA seemed too big but I can't kid myself, I want some length and I thought I could get it without going too ginormous.

 

There are a few CC boats around. My bud has a 22' Shamrock inboard and we run it out tuna fishing. Much drier than one would expect and behind the plexi windshield and soft wrap around the sides of the console it's not bad even running in bad weather. The advantage is gobs of dance floor up front. You can fish 360*. I went the other way with a cat that has a cuddy. It's a walk around with hard top and soft sides. Lot of fishing deck but not very economical to run with twin outboards. Rather than concentrate on a specific make/model look at the basic boat style and see what comes up. Plan on some $$$ to outfit it for your use. And be sure to get a survey to be sure it is sound. Take your time and the right boat will show up.

I was looking for a 26' Shamrock pilot house with a Cat diesel and ended up with a 26' Worldcat twin outboard.

 

Be mindful of the freeboard. A lot of those sweet whalers put the gunwale at your shin, no prob for some, dealbreaker for some.. With my Arima, it's above my knee @ 6' 2".

 

We bought a 21.5’ fiberglass center console three years ago and I love it so far. I use it for crabbing and playing on the lakes for the most part, but I hope to fish more in the next few years. We looked at Whalers but they are really low boats as PDXmGunner mentioned. We ended up going with a Scout 215, which is a lot deeper boat with a flared bow.

 

I wanted a glass WA and searched for quite awhile till I found my 25' Seafox, not really a high end boat but I love it. Handles the water great and keeps the spray off you with the plastic up, it has a decent sized dance floor and it's possible to fish extras up front but not really convenient.

 

I had a Contender 27 open. I really liked that boat. Traveling back and forth with the deep V it ate up most conditions unless I had to run less then low twenties. Hard to keep it on plane at low speeds. It had a ton of room in the bow and pretty good room in the rear. I made a stainless windshield frame and had real glass and a wiper. That made a world of difference. I stayed very dry behind it. if you were on the downwind side it was very wet. With the deep V it would really rock back and forth on the drift. Good luck and enjoy the search..

 

I've got it narrowed down to a preference of regulator over contenders for that reason. Sacrifice some fuel performance for being able to plow the bigger chop over skipping over the top like contenders are known for. They are still on my short list though for the fishability. I like the thought of customization to overcome the inevitable spray I'll encounter. Good stuff. Thanks guys.

 

I bought a cheap walk around a few years ago (20’ trophy), for the same reasons you’re looking. Had a few friends/acquaintances with boats but didn’t get to go offshore enough when my availability lined up with the occasional invite. I took it on 8 trips out of Hammond and Newport chasing salmon last summer. Wished I could’ve done twice that many but I’m grateful for the trips I got.
When I was looking I liked the idea of a more capable boat for the money vs aluminum. For what I wanted to spend, aluminum wasn’t even really an option. Mine has a hardtop and the enclosed canvas but I never use it. I really like the fresh air and even being in pretty decent condition the visibility isn’t great out of the canvas. The short windshield is almost useless on it. I swapped the helm seat out for one with a flip up bolster and I drive standing up leaned against the seat most the time. I’ve gotten soaked on long runs halibut fishing a couple times but I just changed when I got back to the truck. I do like the dry enclosure of the cuddy for storage, and the dogs like to hang out down there sometimes, but I haven’t ruled out a center console for my next (bigger) boat. I’m sort of ready for a bigger one to increase capability/capacity further now but don’t want to lose the versatility of a little smaller boat. I trailer to and launch to fish the Columbia and various lakes for kokanee solo on occasion and it’s not bad at all. A 26’ boat would change that a bit, I’m sure. Trade offs for everything.
One thing it sounds like you’ve already realized, W/A and CC’s really don’t have much for seating. I have two pedestal seats at the helm in fishing configuration. If I take a third guy I use the throw cushion on a deck cooler or a bean bag. Happy hour/booze cruising in the summer I have two little jump seats in the back corners that work in a pinch.

 

Had 19/21 Arima's. Bought them with wife in mind. Realized the wife was on the boat so seldom I should get the boat I wanted. Have a CC River Wild, 22'. If I would have had a larger parking spot for the boat I'd have gotten a longer one. This boat will fish five including driver although I hold passengers to 3. I don't load the boat down with crap so there's plenty of room.

 

Check out The Hull Truth

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I've been over on THT waaaaay more than I care to admit. For anyone else compiling information, there is no better resource in the archives for opinions on hull types and also information on certain year and brand outboards. It is depressing seeing the old posts of boats being sold for 50% cheaper than now, only a few short years ago.

 

I started ocean fishing with a 23 foot walk around. It was an older hull that I put new motors on. I put 1200 hours on that boat then sold it and bought the same boat just newer with more horsepower. I put 1500 hours on that one. Sold it and rode with other people for a couple years and now own a 29 foot center console catamaran. All my boats have been fiberglass and even my 23’ boats rode better than most others 24-29’ aluminum boats that I have spent time on.

Like you said it is all a trade off and you need to decide what compromises you will be happy with. A fiberglass walk around doesn’t provide much difference in cover or weather protection compared to a T-top with vinyl enclosure on a center console. A walk around does provide a cabin for storage and to keep gear dry but it is some where people will very rarely spend time. I have not missed having a cuddy cabin.

A fiberglass boat will ride best but you sacrifice fuel economy. The center console is very nice to fish out of but layout for seating takes some thought. I don’t like cabins on boats unless it is very cold and I don’t do much winter fishing so the CC is my preference. It rains and is foggy and wet a lot I the NW so many people want cover from the elements and that drives a lot of sales of pilot house boats. My ideal would be a full walk around pilot house on a fiberglass catamaran with sliding doors to open both sides and a large back window that opens. Not many manufacturers offer anything close to this and the few that do are out of my price range so I have the next best thing and love it so far.

Good luck in your search. A Regulator is a very nice boat. Heavy and deep Vee for a good ride, low fuel economy with decent speed. It will rock more at slow speeds or drifting with the deep Vee.

 

Fiberglass is pretty heavy. You will burn fuel operating it and you need a good truck to tow it. Fiberglass boats can be damaged by stress over a long period and the damage is cumulative. Aluminum is light and strong. It does not rot and requires very little care. The only thing I don't like is the noise. Drop a weight or something heavy on deck and you get a loud bang.

As some have stated the aluminum boat prices are high now. But there are many advantages and they are hard to pass up.We made it work by buying a glider (Bare hull) from a custom builder, waiting a long time while it was built and outfitting it ourselves. We are at probably at 70% of what a finished boat would cost if you price the outfitting labor at free. 300 - 400 hours of effort. I'm not sure I would volunteer to do that again. It requires a degree of dedication that is pretty exhausting. As a rule the hull is half the cost and the outfit is the other half when you are looking at new boats.

I have owned a fiberglass cabin boat with a fly bridge. It was nice to have the live aboard features when we used them. Especially nice for those offshore pajama parties where you wake up on the fishing grounds at first light and go to work. Getting to the fish camp the night before it happens and camping on the boat takes the driving out of the picture and you are well rested. After a Kazillathon fishing trip we would just crash after we got back and finish up the next day. Every boat is a compromise, however. A boaterhome is an exercise in compromise when you use it as a fishing boat. The main issues were fuel economy and it was heavy and not easy to handle as a trailer boat.

I think we went pretty far the opposite direction with 'Surprise'. There is very little 'Camping' or 'live aboard' built in and we have a heavy duty work boat outfitted as a fisher. Having said that the walk around pilothouse design is well suited to these waters and we will never worry about gear on deck getting in the way, load capacity or fuel economy. The boat is light and fast and it sips fuel at 2.8 Kn mile to the gallon in most conditions. I spent money on a big outboard, extra fuel to take range anxiety out of the picture and the best electronics I could afford. The fully enclosed pilothouse seats 4 and has storage for the typical gear. The back deck is 8' by 10', one of the largest dance floors I have ever fished on. The deck is the same level all the way around and it is very easy to walk all the way around the house even while dragging and fighting a fish. Two guys can easily fish on the foredeck and we hooked fish up there many times and walked them to the back so we could land them.

When you have 360 degree access to the rail on a boat it opens up many new possibilities. No longer is the drift direction/boat orientation a thing you have to work around. Just find the part of the boat that is facing the way you want to fish and drop it down.

The builder I used is no longer actively building boats but another member of this forum has recently bought a similar aluminum boat (Pacifc Assasin) from Pacific Skiffs. You may find less expensive ways to get into a new boat and buy exactly what you want by talking to the local custom boat builders and working out something you can afford.

 

I'm biased because I have the 28' Walkaround but take a look at Farallon's 2300 Scout. 2300 | Farallon Boats | Sacramento, CA. I actually thinks it's a cool layout with a bunch of deck space for 23'. You can then jump up from there.

 

I went through a lot of the same thought processes you typed out and ended up buying a 30' Grady White CC. I was shopping for a 25-28' boat but came across a deal that I couldn't pass up. Use your flexibility to your advantage and keep your search criteria wide. Contender, Regulator, Grady, Pursuit, Parker, Hydra Sport, Cape Horn, the list of high quality fiberglass boats is long. I think a high quality fiberglass boat will hold up just as well if not better than aluminum. It's all based on the initial build quality. Cheap aluminum boats crack and fall apart. Cheap fiberglass boats blister, crack and fall apart.

I built a polycarbonate "pilot house" around my t-top structure. This was a huge imporvement that I would put a priority on if I were to start over. Here's an instagram post about it.

Or take the boat to a good canvas shop and have them make curtains. Wings are nice when running with a side wind. Which happens on our coast often. Think running back to port with a strong north afternoon wind. I've learned how to trim/run my boat to keep everybody mostly dry. Crossing the CR bar with a strong side wind with a little ebb chop, we typically get a little shower if the wings aren't our.

I also replaced my canvas top with a Coosa/epoxy hard top. This was another solid improvement but pricey/timely.

Salmon trolling; I love B10 in my boat. I've trolled 8 rods before. I put 8 scotty rod holders around the boat to give us adjust-ability. 6 rods is easier if it gets windy.

Seating is probably the biggest con/issue I haven't resolved. But if you're catching, nobody cares. I bought 4 ocean tamer bean bags, and those are nice for slow days. But tough to get in/out of quickly. Find a CC with good bow seating, that will help with salmon tolling seating. But those folks can feel segregated from the aft boat, so folks tend to walk back and forth regularly.

I'm in Woodland, PM me if you want to come check out TunaTinder. I'm happy to share more lessons learned.

 

I went through a lot of the same thought processes you typed out and ended up buying a 30' Grady White CC. I was shopping for a 25-28' boat but came across a deal that I couldn't pass up. Use your flexibility to your advantage and keep your search criteria wide. Contender, Regulator, Grady, Pursuit, Parker, Hydra Sport, Cape Horn, the list of high quality fiberglass boats is long. I think a high quality fiberglass boat will hold up just as well if not better than aluminum. It's all based on the initial build quality. Cheap aluminum boats crack and fall apart. Cheap fiberglass boats blister, crack and fall apart.

I built a polycarbonate "pilot house" around my t-top structure. This was a huge imporvement that I would put a priority on if I were to start over. Here's an instagram post about it.

Or take the boat to a good canvas shop and have them make curtains. Wings are nice when running with a side wind. Which happens on our coast often. Think running back to port with a strong north afternoon wind. I've learned how to trim/run my boat to keep everybody mostly dry. Crossing the CR bar with a strong side wind with a little ebb chop, we typically get a little shower if the wings aren't our.

I also replaced my canvas top with a Coosa/epoxy hard top. This was another solid improvement but pricey/timely.

Salmon trolling; I love B10 in my boat. I've trolled 8 rods before. I put 8 scotty rod holders around the boat to give us adjust-ability. 6 rods is easier if it gets windy.

Seating is probably the biggest con/issue I haven't resolved. But if you're catching, nobody cares. I bought 4 ocean tamer bean bags, and those are nice for slow days. But tough to get in/out of quickly. Find a CC with good bow seating, that will help with salmon tolling seating. But those folks can feel segregated from the aft boat, so folks tend to walk back and forth regularly.

I'm in Woodland, PM me if you want to come check out TunaTinder. I'm happy to share more lessons learned.

Take Sean up on this offer.

TunaTinder is a sweet ride. I spent time in the same model boat- I’ve been in a variety of boats big and small, and I think those 30’ Bimini’s handle water better than anything foot for foot. Unfortunately, you can’t get one for reasonable prices like you used to. Still, that boat will handle any ocean that’s not bigger than I want to fish on a tournament day.

If you were looking smaller, Grady would still be at the top of my list for hull design.

Your fishing style and attitude sounds similar to mine, and for that, I don’t think a center console can be beat.

They are also the best option for anyone prone to being seasick.

I’m in the market (loosely) for something similar. Different but similar. I look forward to seeing what you get!

 

The guy I share a dock finger with mooring at Ilwaco runs a 23ft Robalo center console. He fishes and crabs it hard. One day talking to him, he was trying to find a chinook in the ocean for a guy that had never caught one. He fished south of Tillamook Rock and north of Leadbetter and lot of points in between on the same tide! Runs a BIG V-Max and it flies.

I run a 23ft walkaround with an alaska style pilothouse (a God-send as I wear glasses). I find that boat no harder to solo launch/load than my 17' Arima.

Good luck with your search!

 

 

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Nice boat Dan! I'm on a 5 year retirement plan to move to Florida and getting a boat. Scout is my #1 favorite, followed by Tidewater then Sportsman.

 

Triton 23’ CC on Oregon coast Craigslist.... Big Honda with low hours...

 

I have mad respect for you guys that ride in a CC. I enjoy being dry and warm way too much and I could never convince my wife otherwise. My goal was to have a pilot-house that was a fishing boat only--I didn't want all the fluff. That worked for a couple years until she wanted a heater, generator, stand-up head, ect., so now we have a 33' Grady. Good luck on your hunt!

 

I can appreciate the knife in your teeth, damn the torpedos, Captain Ahab aspect of a CC in the North Pacific. But I’ll take a forward helm and a cab.

 

I've I've I I I think I probably had the first big center console in the northwest since I've brought this out here in 2007. I've owned more boats than I care to admit but this is by far the best of them all. It's a 34' Hydra Sport. I have a set of canvas wings that zip to the tower and angle back to the gunnel. We run to the tuna grounds with them on and take them off when we're fishing and on most days it gets warmer in the afternoon and we just leave them rolled up.
I am pretty anal when I start boat shopping and the big things for me are: 1. Quality...of the fit and finish, 2. how is the boat set up out for fishing, ie seating, fish storage, tackle storage and space to move around. 3. Is it a quality name brand for resale purposes. 4. Did they set the systems up properly ie..is the live well pressurized, have a seat chest and does it flow right, does the dash have ample room for electronics, and can I see well from the helm just to name a few things. 5. How much freeboard is there..some of them are pretty low and for the northwest you need more freeboard than Florida.

If you're going to spend over $150k for a boat I'd go back to the Ft. Lauderdale boat show and look at all the boats. We went and looked at all the boats on our list and that evening wrote down the pros and cons of each boat. We went back the next day and looked and the same boats again to see what we missed and then did the pros and cons list again that evening. We did this 3 days in a row and you'd be surprised what you see and pick up on the second and third day.

My top 5 boats at that time was:
Hydra Sport
Invincible
Sea Vee
Grady White
Regulator

My wife will not let me sell ours. I get to the tuna grounds in about an hour comfortably and back in an hour running 40-50 miles. That being said it took me a year to learn to drive it...I had a 26' walk around prior to this and in 4-5' seas you'd be pounding at 17 knots. When I finally got brave enough with this boat to open it up on a rough ocean I realized what a big difference in the ride. You have to really drive it to get the ride. In my current boat 4-5 footers is like chop and we run about 30 knots comfortably.
I fish 6-8 people at buoy 10 and I just tuck it in with all the guide boats.

Schooner creek Boat Works on Hayden Island is now a Invincible dealer and have two new boats. They are one of my sponsors and do all my service work and recently ask if I would help them show the boats giving demo rides and boat shows...One of the boats is a 39' center console with triple 400's and the other is a 37' cat with quad 300's. Your welcome to look at them as well as my boat to check out the features and I'd be glad to show you some of the differences you might want to keep in mind.

 

My top 5 boats at that time was:
Hydra Sport
Invincible
Sea Vee
Grady White
Regulator

Hay Del, thanks for the rundown of your Florida boat research. I'm curious, did you ever get to take a ride in a Regulator? Do you have any comments on them? Tx, M.

 

Not many stones left unturned in this discussion! Interested because I’m looking again and coming up with identical issues. Glass v aluminum. The prices for aluminum are crazy high and probably won’t be coming down - ever. Some fuel savings help.
A cuddy cabin with a couple of berths can save a fortune in rooms during salmon season. Also the ability leave in the water and lock up tackle is a consideration. There’s a nice Sea Sport listed for sale here on iFish. $79K
Every boat is a compromise, but being exposed to a north westerly coming in over the CR bar in a center console is something to be avoided.
Also if you’re wrong, buy way too much power, not too little!

 

I'm in the market for the same thing, except I now live in Florida.
I used to have a 23' SeaHunt with a 200 Yamaha. It was super economical and super smooth dry ride.
You can get a 25' with twins about your budget.
However there are a ton of good used boats for far less $$$

I truly miss my SeaHunt which I sold after having to move back to the PNW to try to aid our cancer stricken granddaughter. She passed away recently and we moved back to Florida, just North of the Fort Pierce inlet. I like a boat that's easy to trailer so we can take it to the Keys, the Gulf or even the lake.
My Seahunt ran out to the Gulfstream out of the Ponce inlet (50 miles) and back using less than half a tank (96 Gallon).
Billy Antonelli at Castaway Marine in Melbourne FL can set you up with a SeaHunt.
They also sell Contender and others, but after he demo'd the SeaHunt and showed me the superior finishes like hinges on hatches that don't slam down on fingers, I was sold. I sold mine for what I paid for it 3 years later.

 

Don’t forget to factor in the cost of the tow rig when debating glass vs. aluminum. I easily pull my 20’ aluminum with a first-gen Tundra. I’d have to buy a new truck to tow a comparable glass boat with any regularity

 

I don't know about the weight of glass vs tin claim. Just went out to NADA boat specs and found a 20' North River Seahawk windshield boat is 2155 lbs. A 20' ProLine Express cuddy cabin is 2750. Add a cuddy on the Seahawk and the weight difference will be negligible.

Moving up to larger boats to get comparable style hulls the 27' North River OS comes in at 5700 and the 25' at 5000. The 26' ProLine Express at 5380. Looks pretty much like the same weight. Motor, fuel capacity and the number of fat friends will make more difference than the boat construction material.

 

I don't know about the weight of glass vs tin claim.

I agree, I think this is misunderstood. I think folks are comparing fiberglass cabin boats against windshield aluminum boats. If comparing apples to apples, they're very close. Like comparing a CC to a windshield aluminum boat.

I was surprised to find out Beast Mode, a 32' NorthriverOS weighs more than my 30' Grady CC.

 

I tow my 21.5’ fiberglass boat with a Frontier regularly. Today my wife pulled it with the Frontier while I pulled the travel trailer. This is an old picture, although today looked just as nice.

 

Halibut opener?