Best Boat (Opinions)?

N

NoFlukenName

Angler
What do you all feel would be the best boat for the type of fishing you do?

For me, it would be a Center Console with some protection (I used to own an Everglades Pilot CC and the protection that boat afforded its Pilot was awesome) but no forward seating and lots of room for fishing with a decent amount of storage and a serviceable Head. The CC would be about 30 feet and have twin 4 stroke outboards.

Believe it or not, other than Contender, Sea Vee, Yellowfin and a couple of other brands, it's almost impossible to find a decent used CC of that size with no forward seating. And if you do find one, the owners can demand a premium since they are almost unicorns. At the NY Boat Show, a dealer told me that 85% plus of new CCs built are "family friendly" with forward seating and the like (my current boat, a Cobia, and prior boat the Everglades) fall into this category.

What is your dream boat? Different strokes for different folks so I expect many want forward seating or prefer Pilot/Cabin models.
 
NoFlukenName said:
At the NY Boat Show, a dealer told me that 85% plus of new CCs built are "family friendly" with forward seating and the like (my current boat, a Cobia, and prior boat the Everglades) fall into this category.
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First, there is no thing as the "Perfect Boat", and the amount of compromises you need to accept is family specific. The reason that CCs have devolved from fishing boats to "Family Friendly" is the demise of walk-through cockpit "Bow Riders", a boat style that I would NEVER consider. The "extinction" of this boat has put "Dad's Fishing Machine" on the endangered species list because it needs to meet the seating needs of a family before "The Minister of Socialty and Finance" will approve the expenditure.

In my case, when it was time to repower my CC (21' Polar) that I did love, "The Minister" balked on the repowering bill and decided that to accommodate the young grandchildren was a downeast hull with a small cabin. I had to cede the repowering and luckily found the nautical equivalent of "a car driven by an old person to church on Sunday", a 22' Eastern. This was a miraculous event, since got this 3 year old boat w/only 62 hours on it for far less than 1/2 the new boat price.
 
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Roccus7 said:
First, there is no thing as the "Perfect Boat", and the amount of compromises you need to accept is family specific. The reason that CCs have devolved from fishing boats to "Family Friendly" is the demise of walk-through cockpits, a boat style that I would NEVER consider. The "extinction" of this boat has put "Dad's Fishing Machine" on the endangered species list because it needs to meet the seating needs of a family before "The Minister of Socialty and Finance" will approve the expenditure.

In my case, when it was time to repower my CC (21' Polar) that I did love, "The Minister" balked on the repowering bill and decided that to accommodate the young grandchildren was a downeast hull with a small cabin. I had to cede the repowering and luckily found the nautical equivalent of "a car driven by an old person to church on Sunday", a 22' Eastern. This was a miraculous event, since got this 3 year old boat w/only 62 hours on it for far less than 1/2 the new boat price.
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Eastern 22 is a classic - nice and congrats - I'm sure it serves your purposes well (although I would take your 21 Polar personally if for the speed and increased fishability) :)
 
NoFlukenName said:
For sure EXCEPT (and I realize this is a big except), it's just awesome to know your boat is always there and available if you want to just pick up a rod and go fishing.
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:)
I totally agree! No better feeling knowing you can jump in the boat and get away from it all on a moments notice. The trick is taking advantage of it and going in knowing it's going to cost more than you think.
 
george said:
:)
I totally agree! No better feeling knowing you can jump in the boat and get away from it all on a moments notice. The trick is taking advantage of it and going in knowing it's going to cost more than you think.
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Yes, Minister did NOT like the Break Out Another Thousand definition...
 
Roccus7 said:
True enough of you lack the cajones & fortitude for boat ownership.
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In waders defense ...... anyone who fishes at nite in a canoe on the Nissy and has stripers towing him around has cojones & fortitude. I certainly don't ever see myself attempting that. Spending the time in a new locale, learning the area, is a huge undertaking and bailing on putting that kind of time in at his age is understandable in my book. When I get down there he is welcome, anytime, to jump on board.
 
Capt13 said:
In waders defense ...... anyone who fishes at nite in a canoe on the Nissy and has stripers towing him around has cojones & fortitude. I certainly don't ever see myself attempting that. Spending the time in a new locale, learning the area, is a huge undertaking and bailing on putting that kind of time in at his age is understandable in my book. When I get down there he is welcome, anytime, to jump on board.
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Yea, he cojones and a good point :)
 
Roccus7 said:
OP asked for boat opinions. Suggestion was not germaine to the discussion.
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Haha...really wanted to get a conversation going on what everyone here likes from a boat perspective but that got lost in some back and forth that I can’t follow (honestly can’t tell if it’s good natured ribbing between friends or not).
 
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