New boat help, Decisions,Decisions

[cc23]

Hi there,

After lurking on this website for sometime I think I'm ready for some input. I am an avid saltwater fisherman up here in Washington state and currently fish a 23' Cape Cruiser(now C-Dory). I love my boat but the upkeep on the NON ALLOY is a pain, so I am looking into a alloy boat. I want to go bigger and think that 26-28' is about right. The things I love about my boat are that it's light weight and very efficient with a 150 yamaha and T8 kicker, the cabin is very well laid out and the rear steer is a must with the full cabin. It handles big sea's very well for its size and has gotten me back home in some truly nasty stuff. The things I don't like are as mentioned the upkeep, the lousy ride in chop, and the fact that it is very weight sensitive when running. So I've decided on a alloy boat, still trying to decide if I need a full house or if an enclosed pilot house with a full walkaround is enough. My short list includes the highly touted Pacific, Lee Shores and Silver Streak for a walk around, and Northriver, Wooldridge, and Edwing (if I can find one) for a full house model. I like the Pacific's but the lack of a reverse chine worries me and I have heard they don't ride the best. The Lee Shores look like they're built like tanks but the house they offer leaves a bit to be desired in the looks department. The Silver Streaks look like a solid option and they offer a wide beam option also. Being made in Canada may be a pain to deal with though? I need to check on whether the NAFTA agreement affects boats for private use and if it does the savings on tax would be a bonus! So I want a boat that is 26-28' twin Yamahas and rides nice and doesn't beat me to death. This is the beginning of my research and I am hoping for some input from all the great people on here, any experiences with these boats and things I should look out for. Sorry for the long post .
Thanks Jason

[StabicraftMarine]

Stabicraft isnt on the list?

We send a few that way. I should be able to organise a ride on one if you like.

Tim.

[welder]

Jason, if you want a ride on a Pacific just let me know and I'll get you hooked up , then you will know. As far as the other rides you mentioned just put the word out you want a check ride .

[cc23]

Thanks Tim, Stabi's have a solid rep around here but i like a more traditional look with a forward windshield.

[StabicraftMarine]

Just between you me and and everyone on the Internet...

We have a 28 foot pilot house in the works. It is all modeled for the router and presses, we are just waiting on the first customer... he is close to signing.

The hull is the same as the 829 Weekender http://www.stabicraft.com/Product.aspx? ... CWEEKENDER a well received hull.

Let me know if your interested in seeing one, I know we have at least one being shipped your way this side of Christmas.

Tim.

[welder]

Tim do you have some line drawings of her , don't tease us big guy.

[StabicraftMarine]

Keeping me after hours... Lucky I like my job. Better every day.

I have the General Assembly drawings in PDF, how do I share them here?

gallery/image_page.php?album_id=49&image_id=300

Tim.

[welder]

Tim go to your " User Control Panel " here on AAB and start a ALBUM , it will automatically resize your photos for you then when you want someone to see your photos just tell us it's in your album or post the link to it .

[waterdog247]

cc23,
The only "problems" you would run into buying a Canadian (or any other foreign hull, for that matter) is the "Jones Act". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_M ... ct_of_1920 If you EVER thought about using your boat in a commercial way; charters, selling fish you caught, sight seeing, whale watching, etc... it could put you in a bad position with the authorities.

If you have no intention of doing anything that could be considered "commercial", by all means, buy foreign. Silver Streak and Eaglecraft make exceptional boats that can be bought used for reasonable prices. I have recently started the hunt for a boat myself, and the members on this site freely share a wealth of information.

Keep us informed of your progress, and welcome to AAB!!

[dave]

cc23

Welcome. One of my boats is also a Venture 23. A great boat but with some limitations I was aware of when I bought it. I also have an Alumaweld. Neither boat takes me much time to to maintain. Stabicraft may not be appealing to your eye, but they make great boats that meet many of your requirements. As waterdog mentioned, Eaglecraft also make great boats. There are links to numerous boat mfgs on this site. Take some time and explore the possibilities.

[cc23]

Thanks for all the help guys. I guess I maybe a little overboard on my maintanence, it usually takes me about two hours each time I take it out to wash the whole boat and I wax it every couple trips. I use the boat a lot chasing Halibut in the straights salmon off westport all summer and blackmouth in the sound in winter. I just think that a alloy will hold up better to so much use and plan on having my next boat for some time. Stabi's are great but maybe out of my price range for a slightly used boat

[cc23]

It's funny the way things work out sometimes, I was bottom fishing off the coast at La Push this last weekend and met Todd from Stabicraft and we talked about new designs that may be possible and a few other routes I could go to make a Stabicraft fit my wants and needs. I will definitely be exploring these options with him. And by the way the fishing was great!

[Illgotoo]

I bought my Eaglecraft in Canada and brought it into the US. I checked and
NAFTA agreements apply. This was three years ago.

I called around prior to transporting the boat back. I got widely differing answers
to my questions depending on which customs office I spoke to. In the end the
border crossing was the one that mattered. No tax was necessary (because of
NAFTA).

The only item I ended up needing for registration in Massachussetts was a form
from US customs saying no requirements apply. (taxes, inspection, etc).