Fishing Boat Reccomendations

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Leonardo464

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23 Aug 2008
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I want a fishing Boat with:
1. good safe sea going capabilities
2. Cuddy or small cabin
3. comfortable deck fishing space
4. 15- 20ft
5. Acceptable/comfortable budget
6. Easy to use solo or up to 4 fishing
7. trailerable
8. Good Quality reputation
I know nothing need reccomendations HELP
 
Have another think about what you really want. Though there are some anglers that get on well with a small boat that can be trailed. Many buy these boats and find they are not really suitable, or too much work to launch and retrieve. The adverts are littered with this type of boat and sadly many owners are finding they are taking a big loss when they try to upgrade. I know, as many boats ago I used to have an 18ft Dory with a cuddy. The wife didn't like the hassle of launching, standing in the water in her waders, in the winter.

Think how often you will use this boat. There's 52 weekends a year. Half of these the tides will be awkward, like 3pm - 3am. On the others, half the weekends will be cold wet and miserable. You will need pretty calm conditions in a 15-20ft boat. There has not been many days that calm this summer.

In my opinion good safe sea going capabilities, will not be found in a 15-20ft boat, especially with 4 anglers. Nor will there be comfortable deck fishing space.

You haven't given us any clues to the amount you were thinking of spending. I would think that whatever the amount, you could probably get a reasonable second hand boat with a proper cabin and inboard engine, that you could keep on a pontoon and walk straight onto. You will enjoy your fishing more if you can stand up in a warm cabin, whilst drinking your freshly brewed cuppa.

Have a browse through the link below.

http://www.findafishingboat.com/
 
A friend of mine currently looking for a new boat with the same requirements seems set on Predator 165, which looks to tick all your boxes. But as Stoaty says, small and light is not compatible with rougher seas, anything more than F3 and you're not going to want to be out in a 16-20 foot boat - it may be safe when under power but it'll be rolling so much when drifting or anchored that it will be very uncomfortable. Big and heavy is better for fishing.

Another friend has an older 33-foot boat, obviously not trailerable, but he is able to go out and have fun in conditions that I wouldn't dream of in my 22-footer. I certainly haven't been out as much as I would like much this summer, it's been too windy & rough.
 
You will do better by asking the question on sites more aligned to small boat fishing where you will find there is a wealth of experience available. They will be able to comment on the pros and cons of the different boats and options (and low budget operation) as well as practical aspects of using them. Most of the contributors here will be out of touch with small boat fishing as a regular activity, although general comments could help your decision making.

Try here for starters:

http://www.pbsbac.co.uk/forums/index.php?

http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/
 
Orkney day angler 19 or 20 should fit the bill nicely, 19's are no longer built but decent 2nd hand market, 20's will be more expensive. We used to own a 23 (which was probably oversized for our needs), but my best mate owns a 20. They are excellent, will do 18-20 knots when calm or plough thru anything at 12 knots. With an 80hp 4-stroke it burns about 0.75 litres per mile. The cabin can be used for 2 people overnighting
 
You could look here . You won't want a licence, but most vendors will do a deal for the boat only, they (or you) can sell the licence separately. A category A under 10 metre licence is worth about £220 per VCU, which is often more than half of the sale price for boat and licence.
 
We had an old boat called an Oyster 16 that was built on/near Hayling Island in the mid 1980s

16 ft long but very solid and stable. We'd put a new Johnson 15 4-stoke and it went very well on a few drips of fuel.

We had it up for sale for £3,000, but eventually went in PX

Highly recommended as a small cheap fisher.

MVP
 
[ QUOTE ]
I want a fishing Boat with:
1. good safe sea going capabilities
2. Cuddy or small cabin
3. comfortable deck fishing space
4. 15- 20ft
5. Acceptable/comfortable budget
6. Easy to use solo or up to 4 fishing
7. trailerable
8. Good Quality reputation
I know nothing need reccomendations HELP

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi Leonardo

Ahoy2 is spot on.
This is a very good forum for cruising and general boating advice, but it is not the place for angling tips and tricks and information on angling boats.
The needs of an angler are so vastly different to those of a cruiser that the boats are often (not always) worlds apart.
I am sure there are some fine anglers on here, but a dedicated sea fishing forum will give you more concise answers and probably with reasons for the suggestions.

The best, I have found so far is http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums

Once you are there, locate the Boat Owning and Maintenance Forum and ask your question there. You will need to register, but it's free. The site in general is a full magazine of current and upto date angling information and will even have sections specific to your area and your style of angling.

When you post your question, also suggest if you want, new or used, what sort of budget you plan to spend, do you want it to be fast and sporty or simply a good old get you there and back plodder.
Do you want to head way offshore? Fish in sheltered harbours and estuaries only?
Where is the general geographical location you plan to fish?
What species do you hope to target mainly?
Will you be mainly fishing at anchor or on the drift?
You say Cuddy Cabin. Do you simply mean a bit oh shelter from the weather or a small locking cabin for gear and possibly even the occasional overnight stop?
And so on...

If you can answer most of those questions and add them to your initial list, you'll get some superb replies.

One last thing, fishing four from a small cuddy cabin boat is tricky. It can be done, but it will be a tight squeeze. More typically will be the boat being used by two and occasionally three anglers in a boat of that size.

With all those answers you'll find the perfect boat for you needs. Until at least most are answered you'll get nothing more than a myriad of suggestions that will simply confuse you more.

All the best and see you at Worldseafishing.com

Tom
 
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