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I am considering buying a new fishing boat next year, and I have decided to seriously consider a cat. Does anyone have experience with or an opinion on the 246 Prowler cc made by Renaissance Marine in FL? Or any knowledge on how it compares to the World Cat cc or the Twin Vee about the same size? I fish the shallow waters of Chesapeake Bay regularly, but I also want a boat that I can take offshore as well for tuna etc., so I need a boat small enough to handle myself, trailer, will run in shallow water of about two feet, and is stable and fast enough to fish offshore as well. All input is welcome.
I personally have never ridden on a Prowler but have extensive experience with WC and TV. I hear good things about the Prowler except delivery times. I do not like the way the 25 WC rides. Don't know what it is but the 23 and 27 are much better boats. TV's will save you some money but are not built as well. Both ride nice. But just sit tight, I sure you will get plenty of feedback real soon. Lots of other threads on the subject too. Go search>
Prowler 246 - I hear they have a phenominal ride and are built very well. Great wiring, huge fishboxes, excellent gas mileage and speed with 4-strokes, etc. Very nice boats!!
Twin Vee - We have a TV 26 Hawaiian. Built like a tank, excellent gas mileage with 115 4-strokes, great ride, etc. Negatives - No Fish Boxes and wiring could be better.
I also really like the Glacier Bay 26 Canyon Runner - huge fish boxes, good company, etc.
I would do a search on the Prowler 246. You will find a lot of good information out there about them.
The prowler will be faster with the same power as a wc 23 and much faster than the 25 It is 3pc constucttion and has twice the storage. The engines are much easier to get to as the wc has the large fishbox in the transom The price is north of the 23wc but in the same league as the 25 WC I have ridden the WC's and they are very good in a sea but less efficient to push than the planing hull of the prowler which I have not ridden in
The prowler will be faster with the same power as a wc 23 and much faster than the 25 It is 3pc constucttion and has twice the storage. The engines are much easier to get to as the wc has the large fishbox in the transom The price is north of the 23wc but in the same league as the 25 WC I have ridden the WC's and they are very good in a sea but less efficient to push than the planing hull of the prowler which I have not ridden in
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Right on. The Prowler is a planning hull with better gas milage and speed, and at 2500 lbs dry hull no motors, this hull is considerably lighter than the 22.5´WC23 at 3300 and the WC245 at around 3800. There are very few units out, but this is one cat that I have never heard of a complaint of gel cracks or even mnor problems, so I consider them the best 24 out their. But at +$80K in 2005, it makes me shake my head.
There are 3 other hulls I would add to my list if I was shopping, and they would be the Seacat22 at $49K with 140 Suzies, the new 23' x 9'6W Prokat, or a used Worldcat230SF for around $45K if you can find one.
I like the seacat as it is the most responsive hull to the touch, and adding a pair of permatrims and trim tabs will make her ride like a 24 Prowler at close to half the price.
Thanks for the input. Does anyone have a specific recommendation on powering the 246 Prowler? Where I am in MD, there is only one place, and it is quite a distance away, where I can get Suzuki outboard engines serviced. Hence, I'm inclined to go with twin Yamaha 115s, or 150s if more speed is needed. There are many places in my area that service Yamaha. Honda would be the alternative if I had to choose based on manufacturer alone.
Well, you can't go wrong with a Prowler 246. Certainly the best boat I ever had. I have twin 150 HPDIs which do very well. Having said that, if I were repowering I would get the new Suzuki 175 4 cylinder 4 strokes.
I am in a similar situation, there is only one place I can find in MD also (Shamrock Marine Service) and we decided to power our Glacier Bay with Yamaha F150s so we could get serviced more easily. Honda 150's were our second choice.
any of the above engines in the 150 hp have been highly praised The zuke is new so no info as of yet The honda is well a honda The f150 has had great praise this year on this board! Put up the brochues throw a dart or pick the best servicing dealer in you area and see which he sell's My dealer is 340 miles or 160miles and a ferry ride
The Renaissance 246 is very well built and has tremendous storage. The wiring on the one I saw was excellent.
Having said that....I felt that the ride was not as good as other cats I have been on such as World Cat and Glacier Bay. It just felt light and bounced around and was not what I would consider a good head sea boat. Make sure you get significant riding time in one before you buy.
Also the one I rode had twin 115 Yamaha 4 strokes and it felt underpowered. I would get 150s minimum.
They are a small company and that can be good or bad for longevity and warranty issues.
No personal offense intended as these were just my impressions.
sjensen:
Have not been on the 246 Prowler, but there was a mention of a Sea Cat; ours is Sport-Cat which we understood to be very similar to the Sea Cat. We purchased the 27', but it's not really 27'. But it is very close to Glacier Bay in size, and I do not believe that you'd be comfortable trailering & loading their 26' just by yourself. Under the right conditions, it would be ok, but if you encounter shorter docks, shallow water, ramps that do not extend very far back into the water, plus current and wind, all make loading a 26' sized cat fairly difficult. We took a really good look at the Glacier Bay, and do like very much these boats. Construction seems to be right up there with the best. Looking at 22' to 23' size boat seems better when factoring that much of your fishing is solo.
I had a Prowler 246 and loved it! I had Yam F115's and would go with 150's if I had to do it over. It's a helluva boat for its size. We've been 50 miles out in the Gulf off the FL panhandle and felt very comfortable. It'll take a licking too; we were run over by a 35 Cabo and it held up remarkably well, all things considered.
Renaissance Marine catamaran boats inquiry 
