Open question to the board, Big CC's

[gran398]

My close friend of 25 years is looking to move up. He presently owns a 2007 Hydrasports 2400 Vector, single Yammie F250.

His interests now are offshore grouper fishing in the fifty mile range. And its mostly rough up this way. He desires:

A quick ride, soft comfortable entry, great fishing platform, twin four-strokes, but with attitude. A 32 Contender comes to mind, but, there are many boats that may surpass Contender in these areas, for the money. And, although we're not in So-Fla....a lot of great semi-custom Florida boats come to mind, Sea-Vee, Mirage, etc....

She should run WOT in the low fifties.

His budget is 60K.

What have you ridden, what has impressed you, what would you choose? Since he/we/whoever is getting older, in terms of taking an offshore beating....has anyone been impressed with a fast Cat lately?

Guess the bottom line is, if you were given 60K to buy a fast sweet ride...what would it be?

  :bball:

Thanks

[Capt. Bob]

Guess the bottom line is, if you were given 60K to buy a fast sweet ride...what would it be?

Thanks

This but 60K ain't buying it so.....
http://www.intrepidboats.com/models/323-c/index.php

Think used:
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2000/In ... ted-States

[John Jones]

I have been out 70+ miles in one of these.  You would be amazed at the fishing room and storage.
http://www.boatingmag.com/renaissance-p ... -new-rules

I have been out in some snotty seas on a 29 Sea Vee and was very impressed.  What impressed me even more was crossing some yacht wakes in the intracoastal at West Palm Beach.  I was all braced up with my knees bent for the slam and it was a non-event.  More like running over a squirrel in your car.

[pete]

heard alot of good things about yellowfins..pricey tho

[gran398]

Guys, good thoughts.  Bob, The Intrepid was a boat advertised way back in FS, but unfortunately, never had the good luck to crew upon. I'm impressed with the Kevlar lay-up, and 24 degree deadrise. Great recommendation!

JJ, the Sea-Vee is a Florida legend; not many north of Lauderdale, wish there were. Many famous guides (Spanish Fly, etc.) run Sea-Vees, and from all accounts they are the real deal.

But what interests me the most would be a fast cat. A non-sneezing cat, just like your post. Around 14 years ago, I guided a 20 foot Sea-Cat to the break, 65 miles offshore. Twin 45 hp four stroke Hondas.

Absolutely amazing.  Fast....not exactly. Caught a few yellowfin, time to head home. Sixty five mile out...the weather which was ok to marginal, turned snotty. Hard SW blow, 20 knots, gusts to 25. Way out there. Around here a really hard SW is normally limited to 20 miles on in towards the inlet.

But not the case that day. That little sugar took whatever was thrown at her, and wanted more. Never pounded. Never got us wet. Felt like we'd ridden home in a fifty-five footer. Would run 23 mph WOT through anything.  That cat was damn impressive.

[John Jones]

Yeah, I went to the FL Middle Grounds in a 25 Sea Cat several years ago.  This dude drives like a maniac.  WFO all the time.  70 miles at redline which speaks well for the old Mercs he had.  The only thing I saw about the Sea Cat and I have heard it's common is spider cracks.  Nothing structural, all just gelcoat. Three of us rode in front of the console all the way back in 2-3's and my butt never left the seat.  It did sneeze some unlike the Prowler which had negligible sneeze.

Oh yeah, you mentioned fast cat.  This was their 306.
In 2002 Renaissance beat the previous Bermuda Challenge record, a 780-mile open-ocean endurance race, by nearly seven hours, making it there in just over 22 hours. Since this grueling race, the boat has never needed repair and is still in use in Bermuda with over 1,500 hours.

http://www.sportfishingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=39230

[BUSTER]

That isn't a lot of money to spend on that type of center console.The most impressive CC I have run was a 39' Venture open which I ran from Jupiter to Abaco in a winter crossing.With triple Verados it was fast,dry and a good ride,but damn expensive to run.I guess the next best sea ride was a 270C Everglades with twin Hondas.I'm not a Honda fan and had never seen an Everglades before,but I can say this.It is one hell of a solid boat. It never pounded and it felt like a lot more boat than it was.What I did not like was the location of the electrical system "low and near the tansom" and the powder coated aluminum work "which was already cracking and peeling on a 2 year old boat." A rugged boat worth looking into though.

[saltfly]

First a good boat for one doesn’t mean it would be the right boat for someone else. So each person here can only offer suggestions. So you have to understand that. Now 60k being the amount. Your looking at a used boat because your looking at high end boats. Two other used boat you may want to look for. Would be Albemarle and conch.  But again these would only be suggestions to look at. I would look at each and every boat. Write down the good point and bad points in a check list manor. Then after looking at all the boats I was considering. I would pick the one I like and the one that had the most good points. Then compare the two and buy the one that was the best for me and in the price range I could afford.

[thill]

Not sure if you can get it for $60k, but you MIGHT....

The most awesome offshore boat I've ridden in was a Grady White F26 TIGERCAT.

They only made them for a couple of years, but I drove one in a horrible 4-foot, close-set, stand-up waves, and it did 52 MPH and YOU FELT NOTHING!  AND I MEAN NO-THING!!!  Felt like you were on flat water!  

I think it had twin 150's or 200's, and it also had trim tabs, and you could really tweak that ride.  It was simply amazing.   Try to find one to test drive.  They were $100K at the time, but you might be able to find a 2005 for $60K, IF their owners would let them go.

Do a web search, and you might find one.

Best wishes on the search!

-TH

PS - And I am NOT talking about the cabin version!   I've heard they pound like a hammer, and other negative things.   The cabin models were NOT great, but the CC version was awesome.   Unfortunately, the cabin came out first, and Grady's reputation took a hit before they fixed the problems and produced the CC's.   VERY RARE.

[seabob4]

SeaVee...

Going to survey a 29 over in Melbourne shortly, single Cummins 370 IB, boat is immaculate.  Owner wants $59K, buyer is going to offer $49K...