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Hey guys,
I appreciate all the information on boats I have received on here. My new question relates to a 1989 proline 20ft center console. Does anyone own one of these? Looking for the pros and cons of proline in general. What to watch for? How does it ride? Let me know. Thanks
I fish often with a friend that has one. I believe it's a 1999 model. He had some problems with a leaky livewell that the company repaired. However that led to a soft spot in the deck, which they now refuse to fix. The boat rides well for it's size. It will throw some water in a quartering head sea.
two friends have the same boat. Maybe off by a year or two... i have been on both fishing and skiing. great little boats they use in the potomac river here. no serious issues. a little wet when it gets choppy but very sound and safe craft.
__________________ 18.5' Winner CC
35' Contender twin 250's
I had 1998 model no problems, but is will get you wet in a rough sea but most boats will. It was a well built boat fairly light I had a 125 Merc that pushed it and it gave fair mpg. The worst part was getting it on the trailer as you had to line up the bunks with the bottom of the hull. I believe the problem was the trailer it was to long from the winch to the hitch. I bought another Pro-Line but went to a 23 WA less complaints from the Commander in Chief.
__________________ Living in South Carolina, fishing any place. "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf". G. Orwell
I have a 1986 21' cuddy...Still strong...
The boat has been very tough. I can't really compare the handling to other boats...but it is fast (40 mph WOT w/ 1986 Yamaha 150 ) and fairly comfortable in choppy seas.
Is proline in general a good make of boat? I plan on using this boat mostly for backbays and a little bit in the bay when the stripers are in close.....how far out have people gone in a 20 cc? Let me know
you'll get people who bash proline and you'll get those who don't, so asking for an opinion is just that... anyway, proline, to me, is decent boat for the money. they've been around a while, are made just north of where i live, and aren't overpriced. in florida, you will see A LOT of them on the water.
like any boat, it will ride better with trim tabs. mine doesn't have them, but i don't go out when it's nasty. my 20 DC, suits me fine. friends with other boats have commented they like the open cockpit of it and others have said it rides just as nice as other boats they've been on.
how far out in a 20'? that's all up to you, not the boat. be safe is the only thing to say about that.
i have heard of transom issues with prolines, but i am almost certain those were in the early 1980s. you will, of course, find someone with a terrible experience, but as long as there are numerous more positive experiences, then you consider a bad one for what it is.
on an 89 hull, what is the motor like? that would be a bigger concern to me...
__________________
What I miss the most about not having a boat...
the boat was repowered in 2004. Any sane mechanic would never put a new engine on a weak transom. The electronics are the boat prob need updated but i think a 20 ft cc will cover 50-75% of the fishing I want to do. The other 25-50% I will just do a on a charter boat. The 20ft cc proline console looks wider than some of the other 20s I have looked at like mako......I was wondering if the boat in general was a wider one....
I own a 1990 210 sportsman. A great disposable boat. These boats the older ones are full of plywood .ie rotted floor rotted transom. If not for that would be a good boat.
Mine was great until the hull cracked and fell apart. Fought proline for a couple month they finally replaced the hull, I was with out a boat for a whole fishing season. Then the deck started cracking so I sold it.
Just saw your post (I haven't been online in awhile -- too busy enjoying my 1989 20' PROLINE SPORTSMAN!). yes, I have one. I bought it 3 years ago, with a 1988 Evinrude Commercial 100 2-banger on it. Didn't pay much for the boat. The boat is as strong as a ox, transom strong and no issues, I did rewire the accessories (nav light, stern light, bilge pump, etc), and I reeworked the gelcoat last winter with some polymer treatment. The boat just runs. I live on Outer banks (Currituck Sound, NC), take in out to Corolla and down to Duck in everything from very flat to whitecaps everywhere. Boat is strong, especially with long waterline and deep bow, and still fishes the shallows with its 9 degree deadrise. More interior room than many others, full liner, good hard chines, and cuts thru most everything with bow down trim.
How far? I cross the 11-mile Currituck Sound weekly to take the family to the beach from my home on the mainland, and play throughout the sound with tubing, fishing, wakeboarding, and just messing around. Would I go offshore, say, to the Ches Bay? Sure, on a calm day, especially with a newer engine. How would I improve it? The boat maxes at 140 hp - it may be nice to have a little more hp or newer engine - but I don't really need it. What else? This is kind of a bay boat, but with a bow. I'd like to be able ot put a trolling motor on the bow, but it sites a little too high. A tad more deadrise at transom might make a little less skittish in chop (on the other hand, maybe I shouldn't be out in 2-ft quartering seas and 20-kn NE winds, eh?). A 25-inch transom would be cool, but again, it's not imperative.
Other than that, I paid $6 grand for the boat, I take care of it, I run the PI$$ out of the engine (trying to break it so I can repower with a new Etec, but it keeps on running), and it does everything I want it to do.
Is it the sexiest boat on the block? No. Is it the best hull design? Probably not, but who knows - it's excellent for what I do. Does it keep on performing? Yes. And, am I making payments? Hell, no.
Proline 20 ft Center Console 
