The Boating Forum - New boat reccomendations

Hi guys, been a reader for a while and thought i'd jump in as i have a boating need. I'm looking to buy a 19-23 foot center console for this summer. I'm located in Stonington, CT and most of my boating will be done close to Stonington harbor, though i do want the capability for dry trips to block island and Montauk. budget is $15,000

There are so many damn boat makes out there that I've never even heard of making hard to narrow down my search. I'm looking for a boat for day cruising, beach runs, fishing, and tubing. I have friends that own jones brothers and northcoasts and I'm impressed by the them but rarely see any on the market. fuel efficiency is important, I don't ever want to not use my boat for fear of fuel costs. minimum capacity is 6 people, prefer 7 or 8. top speed isn't of major importance, but i would like to cruise at 22-25 knots.

Locally, I've seen some deals on whaler outrage 20s, hydrasports 212, key west 2220. century 2100, triton 22 offshore, grady white escape 209. pro line 21s keep popping up around as well.

I may be willing to increase the budget for e-tec or yammy 4 stroke. (i know everyone seems to want these things now) I have had mercury outboards in the past(bought new) and they've been nothing but trouble so I can't help but have a stigma against them. I bought a honda 50 four stroke for my current boat and it's been an amazing engine. Don't know too much about the differences between brands/efficiency.

i know its impossible in boating, but i'd like to find a boat with fewer anticipated costs and headaches, but i obviously can't buy new. Outfitting and electronics are not an issue as i work for a marine retailer and can get decent discounts.

You guys have any recommendations on possible bang for your buck type boats that might not have big names? any particular boats/engines to avoid? i figured there are a least a few of you guys that'd love to give your 2 cents. Thanks!

Hi guys, been a reader for a while and thought i'd jump in as i have a boating need. I'm looking to buy a 19-23 foot center console for this summer. I'm located in Stonington, CT and most of my boating will be done close to Stonington harbor, though i do want the capability for dry trips to block island and Montauk. budget is $15,000

There are so many damn boat makes out there that I've never even heard of making hard to narrow down my search. I'm looking for a boat for day cruising, beach runs, fishing, and tubing. I have friends that own jones brothers and northcoasts and I'm impressed by the them but rarely see any on the market. fuel efficiency is important, I don't ever want to not use my boat for fear of fuel costs. minimum capacity is 6 people, prefer 7 or 8. top speed isn't of major importance, but i would like to cruise at 22-25 knots.

Locally, I've seen some deals on whaler outrage 20s, hydrasports 212, key west 2220. century 2100, triton 22 offshore, grady white escape 209. pro line 21s keep popping up around as well.

I may be willing to increase the budget for e-tec or yammy 4 stroke. (i know everyone seems to want these things now) I have had mercury outboards in the past(bought new) and they've been nothing but trouble so I can't help but have a stigma against them. I bought a honda 50 four stroke for my current boat and it's been an amazing engine. Don't know too much about the differences between brands/efficiency.

i know its impossible in boating, but i'd like to find a boat with fewer anticipated costs and headaches, but i obviously can't buy new. Outfitting and electronics are not an issue as i work for a marine retailer and can get decent discounts.

You guys have any recommendations on possible bang for your buck type boats that might not have big names? any particular boats/engines to avoid? i figured there are a least a few of you guys that'd love to give your 2 cents. Thanks!

Sea Hunt makes a nice CC, and many have yammy 4-strokes. I personally think Gradys and Whalers are over-priced, the fit and finish of a Sea Hunt is comparable for less money, and the ride is at least as good.

You are right in the heart of whaler country..boat is well suited for the area,also gradys,Parker's, 7 people on a 20 ft seems a little tight...Are you you sure you want a cc,,Believe me I.know it can get cold and snotty (Long Islander) WA. A nice comprise as are pilot houses,also.look into Stiegers,and maritime skiff ( they make a nice 23 with low Hp requirements) These are also well designed for the area

definitely want a CC. the 7 person thing is more for just getting people to the local island beach or for a trip to watch hill, i usually will just be on the boat with 1 or 2 other people. trip to block maybe 4. CC seems the most versatile. I know my girlfriend won't spend the night on a 20-22 ft cuddy and i don't care for cruising, so i'd prefer the ability to fish, carry people, water sports, and feel the wind in my face than be hidden inside a different boat type. my season will probably only be april to end of october anyway. i can handle that weather.

i've been looking for sea hunts online tonight but have hardly seen any. i am only willing to go maybe 100 miles to get a boat, though i'd prefer it be between RI and New Haven CT. what are the best places to look? i've checked local marinas, craigslist, hull truth, yachtworld, boat trader, boats.com, and anglers edge marine. anything im missing? i figure it will take a few months but i will probably be ready to jump on something in as little as a couple weeks if the right deal comes along.

I've found a deal on a Hydra-Sports 212 lightning that is a little newer and sports a yamaha 150 4S. I understand the lightning is not as deep a v as the vector, but will it fit the needs Iisted in my first post? Basically, I don't plan on fishing 20 miles out, so for near shore stuff is this a wet boat?

That's not a bad boat at all. It's not up to the build standard of the HS Vector series, but the lightning isn't a bad boat for your intended use. If the boat has trim tabs, that will help keep it dry.

18-21 Parker, 21 Sea Hunt, 21 Sea Craft ????

18-21 Parker, 21 Sea Hunt, 21 Sea Craft ????

i've kept my eye out for sea hunt 21s, though i have seen much on the market in my price range. i've never seen a seacraft 21(do you mean the 20'? aka the newer sailfish 20?). i love seacraft lines, but the 20' has super low freeboard and the 23 is my dream boat but needs too much power for me to afford to run. i rode on a parker this past summer in calm water and liked it, but it seemed super wide and might pound a bit in rougher stuff. I haven't eliminated it from consideration though. seems very similar to a jones brothers 20 my friend has and while nice, i get the impression its a bit of a cult boat and hard to find many for sale at good prices.

i'm open to any other ideas if you guys got 'em. also more feedback on sea hunts in case i find one is welcome as well.

right now im looking at a pursuit 2150, a few hydra-sports lightning 212s, a hydra-sports 2000cc, and a parker 21.

I would go with a 21ft parker, they are tough and reliable. I had an 18 footer for a year and loved it but needed to go a little bigger and got a 28 grady white. I think a 21ft would be perfect. fast too

23 proline works for me! You can get new for a good price.

I would second the parkers, I own the pilot house model but their CC's are really nice and have a deep V in case the weather turns south or for a fall run. Very nice deadrise on them.

Sea Craft 21
http://www.marineconnection.com/web/used/Seacraft-SC-21-Center-Console-2004-West-Palm-Beach-FL/687223/ They are hard to find with a good engine on them, but they are an excellent running hull.

I owned a 21SE Parker and loved it. It was just too big for what I really needed a boat for.

AlexCT. I live about 50 miles away from you and boat on Long Island Sound as well. My advice, up your budget a few thousand and pick up a 2000ish 23 Regulator with a single Yamaha 250 2stroke. Great boat, hull is absolutely a tank, will take anything LIS/BI Sound can throw at it, and you will also have tremendous resale down the road.

Don't waste time with brokers, as generally speaking they are looking for larger/higher dollar amount sales. Look on ebay/craigslist and try to find a private owner. You should be able to find a 1999-2001 23 Regulator for around $20-25k depending on equipment/options.

Best of luck

any thoughts on a hydra sports 2250? i found a cheap one locally that is a 98 hull. the owner almost never used it and it sat on a mooring. It has Honda 225 four stroke on it something 04-06 built. The engine needs a new lower unit and computer chip to get running properly again, though it is rigged now and works pretty well on 5 cylinders. the 225 is the max power but it seems too heavy for the boat, and the price is right for me to think about re-powering with a new Honda 150 or 175. will this boat run ok with a 150? i hope to cruise around 25MPH or so. fuel efficiency is important. the hull is in very good shape. i tried to find some performance bulletins on the hull with any engine but haven't seen any yet.

In your area I would look for a older Boston Whaler. Pursuit is another great make that would do you well. Both come in the 20-22' range. Yamaha 2S or 4S would be just the thing.

you should check out the Eastern's nice riding dry hull's push easy and lower costs than Parkers etc

I have seen a few relatively low priced whaler outrage 20's for sale. mostly mid-late 90's models. all come with Mercury 175 or 200HP. I was looking for the fuel economy of a 4 stroke 150. didn't look too deeply into how an outrage 20 might run with one. While they were all very affordable boats, none of them were cheap enough to consider re-power at my budget. also they are relatively low freeboard boats and it doesn't inspire dry ride confidence or the safe feeling for my young nephews and niece that I'd like to take out on the boat with me.

as for the Easterns, i always took them for unstable calm water only boats, and the prices i've seen on the few i've run into were not cheap. I really don't know much about them as i've never been on one. thanks for the input. I'll take any advice i can get!

Admittedly, I'm anxious to get into something sooner rather than later, but I've never bought a boat like this before, and I don't know the trends in the current market. I feel like now is bargain time as sellers are looking to let go and buyers are few and far between. As the spring comes I figure more buyers will be around to raise demand. I'm not sure there will be many more boats listed in the coming months. I always figured august-sept-october to be the time people list their boats to try to avoid paying for winterizing/storage. Maybe I'm wrong. thats why I came to here to share in the community's collective knowledge.!

You have received a lot of good advice. But I think that you need to focus more on the quality of the power on the boat more than the itself hull. The area where you boat is protected but it can get rough. Stonnington to Block is ten or so miles. Once you get comfortable you will want to go other places, like Montauk point during the fall run or Newport. You want something with reliable power. Then think about how you want to use the boat and look for a hull that has those properties.

Recent year Sea Hunts seem to be well made and are a great value in a two piece boat but older ones have a reputation for poorer quality. Whalers are just not my cup of tea - they ride rough and have few creature comforts but their resale is like no other. Regulators are deep vee and will be great under way but will rock and roll on the drift. Regulators are also expensive. Parkers are very popular and are well made and hold their value well. Their ride is decent and they are a good compromise of ride in chop and stability on the drift.

Figure out what you want before you rush into something with a sense of urgency. The used boat market is soft, and while it is softest in the middle of winter, it is probably going to be soft for some years to come. Remember that buying the wrong boat at a good price is still probably not a bargain.

I'm in New London and cover everywhere from Montauk to Watchhill and Block in my '09 Maycraft 190 with a left over '06 115 Johnson on the back. Very reasonably priced, well made, large for it's size boat.