Boats comparable to Arima???

[shemstreet]

I currently have an Arima Chaser 17. I really like the high sides on the interior, the 8' beam, the deck at water level, and the motor well on the transom. The boat is very stable and excellent for trolling or drift fishing, but pounds a lot (less with the new doel-fin I put on it), plus I would like something bigger, maybe in the 21-23' range.

Arima's are expensive (probably because of the Honda outboards the dealers out here like), so like BW and GW owners, we Arima owners tend to see only the good things about our boats.

I read over the Arima vs Sea Swirl vs Sea Hunt thread, is that really the competetion quality wise? Mid Tier?

I know that if I were to move up to a 21' Arima I would be in the $ 37K region with a 140 hp Honda and either skip tower or hard top, and would be closer to $ 50K + for the 22' with a 225 hp Honda. Are these significantly over priced?

What else is out there in a well made 21-23' dual console or cuddy cabin/walk around that has equivalent fishing room, high sides, full transom or motor well (lets out Sea Hunt, no cut/notched transoms please), wide beam, stable ride, and maybe a little bit more deadrise to cut the pounding.

I fish the mid-lower Potomac river and would like something Bay capable as well, maybe even a small offshore boat.

I am considering Parker, May-Craft, C-Hawk, as well as still looking at the Stripers and possibly Key West or even sailfish. Any other good suggestions, preferably in the high 20's to low 30's for a 21' boat? I looked at a Wellcraft 22 WA, but wasn't real impressed by it (no room to fish).

[cinnabar]

i noticed nobody has responded to your question, 1 boat that comes to mind that somewhat resembles the arima boats is the c-dory. i am not totally familiar with them but i know they are high quality, fairly shallow deadrise for good drift and slow trolling stability but how they handle the chop is a mystery to me. like the arima, they are a northwest type boat. sorry, but i dont have a web site for them but i think you can try c-dory for starters. hope this helps a little, jack

[pinzino1]

C-dory also came to mind but being a dory style hull (sharp entry, flatter deadrise) the pounding characteristics are likely to be the same if not worse.

Boats like Osprey and Sea Sport also come to mind but not for that money.

I had a '91 21' seaswirl striper before my Arima 22 and the pounding question is not so obvious between these hulls. Many times in the striper (no trim tabs) I had a choice of planing at 21-22mph and getting beat up or slowing down to displacement speed. In the Arima (no trim tabs)I can stay on plane to 14mph, keep my bow down and have a smoother ride.

No question the hull characteristics of an Arima lend itself to pounding in steep chop, but those same properties provide many positives. I plan on adding trim tabs this year to help address this problem.

Good luck with your boat search and sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

[pinzino1]

Actually, if you're willing to go used, a low to mid '90's sea sport would fit your budget. Awesome boats, well built with a great reputation out here in the NW. Most are I/O's however.

[shemstreet]

Hi Pinzino,

Was hoping you might have an opinion on this question, didn't know you previously had the Striper. So they are also prone to pounding? Bummer.

Kind of a different question, I notice that you have the Arima 22. What made you choose it over the 21? My dealer out here is not a big fan, thinks it sits too high, but I kind of like it's dimensions. Does it plane well with the 140, or would the 200-225 be a better fit for it? How about in a wind, does it get blown around a lot trolling or drifting?

Do you have the HT, or skip tower? I ask because I've been on the 21HT, and it is about an inch or so too short for me, and I was considering a 21 with skip tower instead.

Ref C-Dory, cute, but no beam to them, also massively over priced out here.

[pinzino1]

Shemstreet,
Yes, the striper would also pound but I think most of this was because the boat would not stay on plane below about 21mph, which was often times too fast to stay comfortable. With trim tabs I'm sure this would improve.

I was looking for a boat primarily for fishing, small enough to easily handle alone (docking,etc.), but which would also be comfortable for cruising and overnighting. The 22 seemed a better fit because it is so roomy. It's amazing what an extra 9"in the beam will do. I also opted for the dinette and small galley interior and liked the idea of a 106 gallon tank for range. Additionally, the 22 is self bailing while the 21 is not which is important to me since it's moored 10 mo.'s a year.

The hull sides are higher and it has a bigger "bluff bow" than the 21 which could produce more windage difficulties but I haven't really noticed a problem.

I have heard that the 21 has a better ride in rough water and pounds less. This would make sense given the narrower beam. If you are really concerned about pounding the 21 with trim tabs may be a better choice.

As far as power I've seen a wide range for the 22'er, all the way from Honda 130's to Honda 225's. Mine's powered with a Suzuki 150 and I have no complaints. Planes easily with little to no bow lift, gives me a comfortable cruise of 25-26mph at 3800rpm and a top end of 39mph. I don't think I would want less power however and somewhere between 150-200 hp seems about right. The Suzuki 140 4 stroke may be acceptable depending on your use.

I have the hardtop and don't find it too low, but I'm only 5'8"!! I can stand under the hardtop with no problems. It does have a floor hatch which can be removed giving you 6'9" of headroom in the middle of the pilothouse area. You can't stand and pilot the boat, the only practical position is sitting with the hardtop. I suspect taller guys would like the skip tower better.

Hope this helps, good luck.

[REALSURFIN]

I have been looking hard for about 1 year now. The Arima is high on my list but PRICEY It has lots of storage room and a hard top. The gas tank in the back has be baffled....with that big Honda I would think they would distribute a little of the weight foward and not put the tank under the motor. Another new boat I found in my search was the 21ft Cobia. Looks like a nice ride and almost owned one till the local dealer talked like an Idiot to the other half. She fell in love with the boat and the factory rep gave here a great price. Then the local guy walked over and tried to strong arm her and it was over, she walked. Cobia looked good anyway. The Sea Hunt is nice at 8.5 beam and the cabin is a little smaller and foward giving more room in the fishing area. Plus the Sea Hunt does not have that porpoise nose a lot of boats have, giving the ole 19.5 footer 1.5 feet more so they can get away with calling it a 21ft. It is truly 21ft of boat. The deadrise on the Sea Hunt is 18 deg vice the 14 deg on th Arima. Also you can get the Sea Hunt for about 26 to 28,000.us. The Cobia ~ good price was 31,500.us, The Strong arm high price ~ 35,000.us plus every nut and screw was extra...

I am going to probably buy used again and keep looking.

realsurfin

p.s. Going to rent an Arima for a day this summer..anybody want to check one out with me and split the cost and fish a little give me a holla!

17ft Wellcraft cc/ 90 merc 6cyc...

[denatcovington]

Any one out there with an Arima with a 4 stroke Honda 115? I plan to use (New Arima 19 on order ) part time for wakeboard activity for my son. Should I step up to the 130HP Honda? Same weight bore, stroke, etc. as 115 HP.

I hear the low end torque is the same but have not found any torque curves on the Honda 115 vs 130. Any links known would be appreciated

I have been on a 21 Arima with Alaskan bulkhead. It kept plane at 13 mph with a yamaha 115 4 stroke. 4 adults aboard, calm day on Puget Sound.