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Random Quote: The longer I fish, The luckier I get!!
Just curious if there are any Arima boat owners on this site? I have never seen one in NJ waters, but they look interesting and they come from the Pacific NW so I would believe they are built to take on some rough water.
I would love some input from owners or anyone with experience with these boats. --- THANKS
Mostly smaller sizes...22' and below, but you still see them out in the Pacific Ocean on a regular basis. There are a few Arima clubs out there, try a search.
I've fished on my buddies 21'er and it is just fine. Nothing fancy, just a solid, good boat.
I have one, 16 foot, and I like it. All my buddies said I would get 2 foot itus, but so far so good. There is an arima owners website, just do a search. I like the website, it is followed by the builder, all the questions get answered.
I have a 19' Sea ranger with a 90 Honda. I couldnt be happier with it. Mostly used for fishing in the Western Long Island Sound. Cruises at about 20 knots while sipping fuel. Top speed about 24-24 knots. A no frills, solidly built little boat.
yea they are awsome. i have been out to neah bay in a 16' arima fishing. they are built like a brick - Sorry, I will learn to watch my language - house. awsome boats!!!
I've owned 7 Arimas. Every size made except the 22'. I just sold my 21 for a 22' SeaSport. I might be going back to Arima. Once you have been on an Arima and feel the stability it's really hard to go to a deep v boat without that much stability.
Arima boats don't have much a v so they pound if it's really choppy out and you are going too fast. The nice part about them is their stability, fuel economy and resale value.
My SeaSport will go 50 mph but the deck is way above the waterline and the deep v stability is very different from what I'm used to. I guess that's the trade off. You can have stability at rest with a bumpy ride out or vice versa.
If you had any specific questions about any of the Arimas I can give you firsthand experience. (Except 22)
My favorite Arima was my 17' Arima Sea Chaser. It was a boat I could comfortably do anything with. Small enough for little rivers and seaworth enough for salmon off shore.
My 21' was also very nice, but for the 45k I had into that boat I was not happy with the ride. I began doing long 70 mile round trip halibut runs. As you know Arimas have very little dead rise maybe 12 degrees. When it got a little choppy I had to slow down to 15 mph or so and just pound my way out there. That made for a 3 hour trip to my fishing grounds, limited in one hour and then three hours back. I installed Glyde Ryde suspension seats which cost me $1000 each with the base and all hardware, because my back was getting sore from all the pounding. I'm sure I compressed some disks. That's why I sold the boat. It was great for stability, quality and economy but horrible for running through the chop.
I considered the 22' Arima but based on the dimensions and deadrise I fear it would pound a little more than my 21'. Maybe you can comment on how it does in the chop. I'm guessing you have to slow down and plug away.
Us A.D.D. types can't wait that long to get to the fishing grounds. I needed a deep v with a big engine. My Sea Sport will do about 45-50mph. Granted I'll be rocking around when I stop to fish. If I had more patience I probably would have stayed with Arima or C-Dory for the stability, but I'm going to try this for the season.
I also considered Stabi-Craft since they seem to be a very good comprimise between speed and stability. They have a pontoon surrounding a deep v hull. However, they are not very established in the United States and their resale would be questionable here. At the rate I buy and sell boats I have to consider resale. I switch boats every year or two.
I've got a Sea Chaser 17 with a Honda 75 on it. Top end on smooth water is about 29-30 mph. Rated for 115, but would have a hard time justifying it.
Get trim tabs, helps considerably in a chop. Wonderful boat for drift fishing, incredibly stable.
It's a trade off, very stable and fuel efficient, but moderately slow and will pound if you go too fast into a chop.
Ok for three to drift fish, better for two and perfect for two trolling. Never been on one, but imagine the 19' models might handle chop a little better.
Although I think I want a larger boat, you won't find too many 17 foot boats out in the waters an Arima can handle.
Excellent curtain package as well if you get them from the factory.
I agree the 17' is a great boat. I would never put anything bigger than a 75 HP four stroke on a 17'. That's what the factory reccommends weight wise. The max horse power listed is for two-stroke and it's just a Coast Gaurd thing. It does not have to do with what is best for the boat.
Arimas are not designed for speed, so if you hit 30 mph you are doing great. My top speed was 34 mph with a Honda 130 on my 21 Arima.
If you want to slow in the chop and like stability they are perfect. If you can't stand driving slow, you need something else. Either way they are great boats.
Arima Boats - ???? 
