ericpn

I'm shopping for a boat for fishing tuna.. day trips for albacore usually 40-60 miles out. My absolute number 1 concern is ride quality and the boat MUST be easily trailerable. That means a max beam of about 9 ft...Our tuna town here in Washington is about a 120 mile, 2 hour drive from my house by road but 250 miles by water, as I'd have to travel around a peninsula and back down the coast which would add a ton of time onto the trips.I want to get out there and get back home on day trips.

My friends and I are all between 25-30 years old with no families, all we care about is getting out and getting back safe and quickly as possible while being able to fish 3-4 people off it simultaneously. Don't care about the cold or creature comforts. I have a GF whom I will take occasionally cruising so it'd be nice to have an enclosed head but a porta-potty will do. Most of the boats popular out here don't really appeal to me.... a lot of it is pilothouse aluminum boats with low deadrise and while they look tough and are beachable on our gravel beaches they pound your teeth out. I went to med school in the southeast and rode on east coast style deep V boats when fishing with my friends and they rode much better. You don't see a lot of them on the west coast but it doesn't make sense to me that they wouldn't continue to ride better. We do tend to have bigger swells at longer periods in the pacific...usually fish a forecast like 5' at 10 seconds. But in glass boats, on this side Gradys, Trophys, and Stripers tend to be considered king for offshore fishing. On the east coast these were considered slower, compromise style hulls that pounded a lot more than the deep v boats and I can't think of a logical reason why a 23+ degree deep V wouldn't still run better in the same conditions.

I have 60k cash set aside for this and would prefer to stay under that as I feel I'd rather not finance toys unless there's a compelling reason to go beyond... like greatly improved ride quality or safety. These 3 look like the best option for me. Will consider either the CC or express/WAC versions as long as I can still fish 3-4 off it. Anyone can compare the ride of these boats, or think of something else to look into? Thoughts?

SeaBassHWD

I'm in the west coast and I have a HS 2400. My boat crushes waves on a head sea but i really have to slow down on a following sea (can get scary at times). The greater the deadrise, the slower you have to go on a following sea. Other than that, I love my boat! Can get a little tippy on the drift but isn't too bad.

For me, I wish I got an Express or WA type. Not only tonget out ofnthe weather but I'd love to have something with a place to sleep as I like to keep the boat on the water the night before a fishing trip. Plus with a family, it would be more comfortable in our cold weather.

ericpn

Thanks I'm especially interested in how the deep v boats run out on our coast. What happens on the following seas? I was thinking bow steer might be an issue but thought maybe I could trim up out of that? No family and I'm looking to make day trips. I've never heard of a trailerable boat that could comfortably sleep 3-4 guys anyway with fishing room in the back.

hoejef

Heres my take on a CC versus a Express, first off there always the trade off on both but having had both and now having a HS 25vx ( express)
The express you compromise cockpit space is the biggest negative that I see but it works for me fishing 3 guys when bottom fishing. On the troll I can get away with 4-5 guys. When considering a express you have to think about how will this work if I need to do a 360 around the boat with a rod and a hot YF. 9x out of 10 you should be able to keep your fish in the stern between the angler and captain but multiple hook ups can sometimes necessitate that . As far as the comfort creatures I probably would have gone back to another CC but the wife wanted a place to get out weather and a head. Now looking back I am glad I am in a express but I am 60 now so I am sure that has something to do with it. I remember when I was your age (ha-ha) had to go there, the point I am getting at my boat at the time was a 25 CC and also worked as a mate on 35 downeast style hull doing overnight in the canyons and it was nice to have a place to hide. When doing trips on my CC it sucked to get caught 60 to 80 miles off but I had the necessary equipment just in case, I would not have considered it if I didn't. You sound like safety is big on your list so that's good.
Good luck and tight lines

ericpn

Safety is very big on my list. But I don't see a express style boat being any safer than a CC. I'll definitely have EPIRB, twin power, and a satellite phone. I'm thinking I'll get curtains for a center console to avoid getting so wet, but ride quality and safety are the biggest concerns. Surprised you can fish 4 off the back of a 2500vx. It looked pretty small in the back in the pictures so I was leaning towards the CC.

foster6656

Classic Regulator 26.Heavy deep v with great ride.Beam is less than 9 and it’s no different than towing the ones you listed

ericpn

Also hoping for around 60k and I don't want motors older than 10 years old for reliability sake. I haven't found a reg 26 that fits those specs, have you? I can go above if I finance but it'd really have to be worth it. From what I've read, the difference isn't enough to justify the premium.

StevoWA

ericpn

Beautiful boat Steve, and the pictures you have definitely show how many guys I'd be able to fish off it. Maybe the hydrasports would be the best choice, they're at least heard of here so resale might be better too whenever I eventually move on. I saw a 2600WA here but heard bad things about the way the WA rides. Sounded like the 2500 is the better boat. How does she perform with the 150's?

jippie98

Hollywood9s

The Cape Horn 24 is a tank of a hull. I just sold one with twin 200's, and it was an awesome riding hull, tough as nails, and a great fishing platform with the open bow area instead of having forward seating in the way. Massive in-floor fishbox as well that will hold probably more than you'll ever catch in a single trip. Cape Horn also makes them unsinkable, which in my opinion adds some peace of mind when making long offshore runs. It is an extremely dry riding hull as well.

The Sailfish is also a capable and nice boat, perhaps a little more creature comforts than the Cape, fishability is good, reputation for a soft riding hull, but they are wet. I own the 23' version of this boat now. They are nice boats, but wiring is lacking and they are not built as solid as the Cape Horns. The plus side is that these are alot easier to find than the Cape Horn and Hydra Sports, and usually priced pretty decent. If you are willing to travel for the right deal you can get alot of boat for the money.

The Hydra Sports are a very solid built and heavy hull, have a great reputation, are supposed to have a soft ride, and are still pretty sought after even though they are no longer made. I haven't ridden on one so I don't know how dry or wet they are, but I have crawled over a few, including a 2500VX (express model) because they were on my short list when I was looking to buy a few years ago. Solid construction, but they are a good bit heavier than the other two listed above, which isn't necessarily a negative as long as you have enough truck to tow it. I thought the 2500VX actually had a decent amount of cockpit space for an express, and enough room to fish three people imo. The cabin is pretty roomy for a 25' boat and would be the most comfortable of the 3 listed for overnighting. I like this boat about the best out of anything I have seen in the 24-25' express/walk around class. HS also makes a 2500 center console, which is a great fishing platform, but has the forward seating.

I'm familiar with all 3 boats, and that is my honest unbiased opinion of them. Honestly, any of them will do what you are looking for.

cw21

ericpn

Hard part is getting sea trials. I'm on the west coast and most of these boats are on the east coast. I'd be willing to put in like 100 bucks to each owner to get a sea trial though, I think the knowledge would be well worth it before I make the purchase

Pez Vela

Don't rule out a boat with a 9' 6" beam. As a practical matter, no one ever notices the difference on the road, and I've put many thousands of towing miles with that rig. It posed no issues, except maybe in Baja, where Mex 1 is a wee bit narrow in spots. The gain in cockpit space is welcome when you get a quad, you're brailing the bait and everyone is in the stern for the fire drill.

Fish'nFool

x3

On my 2nd Sailfish, a 2660, could have bought any of the boats on your list, came back to SF. The 2660 has a great ride, relatively stable at drift, beamy so has good deck space in the stern, lots of free board, decent storage, walk in console with sink/shower and room for a head, no complaints.

I trailer, launch/retrieve my boat myself, tows easily with a newer half ton.

ericpn

Well.. state legal is 8'6, I felt like I'm already stretching it a few inches at 9' but hoping nobody busts out a tape measure. I'm not sure how strict the LEO's are out here but if I need to get permits whenever I haul it would be a pain. I'm planning to make a lot of trips when tuna are in.

Pez Vela

I understand. The same is true for California, last time I looked into it. Here's the thing ... I'm only one guy, but I trailered my 9' 6" Grady countless miles on SoCal freeways with never a second look. Once, on a never before traveled surface street, I approached an overpass that was 13' 6" or something. I slowed down to a crawl to make sure my tower wouldn't hit. A cop pulled up next to me and rolled down his window and offered me an escort while I creeped under the overpass. That was the one and only law enforcement contact I had while boat trailering over a period of about 30 years.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, but consider this: when being followed or observed from behind, the eyes are drawn to the width of the trailer, and how the tires fit within the lane of travel. That dimension is well regulated, and the trailer manufacturers spec that out the same, whether your boat is 8' 6" or 9' 6" so, going down the road, all boat trailers of the kind we're talking about are going to look the same.

Who looks up at the rubrail and can judge the beam of your boat? No one. Trust me.

I'm not trying to pump up any particular boat, but I've fished albies all my life (well, until they quit stopping by down south) and I know how crazy it gets in the cockpit with 3 or 4 guys. Do yourself a favor and stick to your other criteria for the right boat for you.

rehookdup

1990 26 Radon available, jack shaft BBC, or close up the transom , and out board it.....
She interested, respondould you b

ericpn

Not even a little bit interested. Don't offer your boats to me, especially boats outside these 3... I'd be posting in the classified section if I wanted offers thanks.

TUNAHUNTER197