18' Sharkcat

[Ratman]

Looking into a 18' Sharkcat 1986 with twin 70 Johnos also 1986? 220hrs.

I read these boats are great offshore rigs.

Is that the case? What about the HP?

thanks

Mick

[trueblue]

11 hours a year on the motors for 20 years...

Boat hasn't been used much. You concerned about the engines?

[FNQCairns]

Just a thought, before you consider any further it may be worth getting the compression tested, with 220 hours compression should still be like new if not lugged.

chers fnq

[Roughasguts]

1986, Think I would wan't those heads off, even if just a look see and to replace the gaskets, there well and truly due.
Cause when they leak ain't no fun, and will cost heaps for who can tell what corosive damage.

[trueblue]

I'd be thinking this boat has been laid up plenty doing not too much on the water over its 20 years.

I worry about engines that have not been used a lot for their age. Best way to keep an engine healthy is to use it regularly.

What do other blokes reckon on this?

[Ratman]

Thanks for the input. All good and valid points.
I'm not overly put off by old motors but this rig may be a tad undercooked.

MICK

[Kerry]

Head gaskets, water jackets etc are at least an every 10 year job, regardless. You will want to look very close at these engines.

The one problem with 18' Sharkcats, the number of "different" 18 foot Sharkcats! Did they ever get the 18 right?

[Noelm]

aaahh one of my favorites, CATS!! that old girl will not be too fast with those 70HP motors, they are the extreme minimum you would ever want to put on an 18' Sharkcat, trust me on that one, but it will be a good offshore (slow) fishing boat, with a few "features" that the 18 footer had built in, like the odd chop over the bow when trolling or at anchor, nothing dangerous, but very refreshing, stability that NO mono can match, put as many as you want on one side! no worries, I would be thinking that unless it is in very good condition or very cheap, I would be bargaining with the seller on the basis of new (bigger) motors in the near future.

[Kerry]

....put as many as you want on one side! no worries....

just keep the toes away from the front deck ;) keeps the props in the water :o , which 18 footer?

[Wayne_Red]

If you buy it it would be worth removing the exhaust cover plates and checking them for corrosion. My brother recently had a 83 jono 70 corrode through the cover plate and did a lot of damage. A few gaskets and half a day is cheap insurance.
Regards Wayne

[seatime]

they're a sound reliable boat when maintained and driven properly, I regularly travel in and drive a podded and an unpodded version of the 560 SC.
Noel's right 70hp is borderline depending on loads, 90-100 hp is better, 130 might be too much. how much is it ? the donks aren't worth much, even with 220hrs, they're just too old.

[ziggy.]

This rings a few bells for me, I bought a 1986 model 24 sharkcat with 86 model evinrudes all original about 9 years ago and I have to say that I did learn the hard way. The boat was fantastic and the condition was great but a boat is only as good as it,s engines and so I spent alot of weekends working on engines when I should have been fishing, what I should have done was to buy a rig with late model donks or buy that boat and update those motors for late model second hand engines or better still new ones (ouch)!!

You have to buy a boat like that and asume that the engines a worth nothing.
The good news was that since I had two engines I never needed help to get home, the evinrudes never truely let me down it was just that there was always something that was giving trouble and had to be addressed before it became a major and you seem to lose trust in things like that.

Ziggy.

[steveg1100]

As has being made clear fantastic fishing boat but engines a bit old in the tooth. How much is the asking price??

[Ratman]

$16,900 as per the current Trading Post.
Mick

[Noelm]

hey "gelsec" i was after an 18footer with pods for years, very hard to come by, do you reckon it is better than a "motor well" 18' cat? heaps more room of course.

[seatime]

Yep, the podded 560 Sportsman is better for room. The extra cuddy cab weight and length gives them a better ride too, IMO. Can't overpower them, or the balance is lost with too much weight hanging off the back. The motor well boat is nippier and a bit more agile, and has a good PTW ratio.
There's a podded 560 and 18'er on boatpoint atm.

[Grand_Marlin]

That one at scarborough sold ... boat was in good nick, bu tthe motors were old 110 johnno's.

They made a number of Kevla Sharkcats when they experimented with pods - they werent any where near as good as the standard glass boat.

Cheers

Pete

[seatime]

Pete, that model goes well with the right OBs. There's a few pod variations around on the different models.
The standard 18' motor well boat with 90s goes pretty good too.

[Kerry]

That's the one thing with 18' Sharkcats, Which one?

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Gelsec,

One of the Ab Divers I knew tried one of the Kevla models ... they always ran in Tandem with another standard build, motor well 560 Fisherman, ans he said the Kevla one could never match the performance of the standard one, except in flat water.
Obviously just a weight thing.

Kerry, you are right ... with so many owners of Sharkcat in that time, so many ideas and changes, it is hard to know.

They are all good boats, but some do shine above others.

I think the best balanced boat of the lot was the 560 sportsman with V4 OMC motors, or 90 Yamahas.
The 70's were not quite enough power and the 135 V6 Mercs were too heavy.

Cheers

Pete

[Noelm]

had an 18' with 90 yammies, it was reasonable good, very light engines for their output, BUT I think a bit "weaker" than a V4 90 (had that setup as well) but the 18 footers were/are a very good cheaper option for those wanting to move into the world of cats, and can be setup into a very good game fishing/bottom fishing rig.

[mhdbl]

I had a 18ft shark cat with 2 old 85hp evinrudes orange in colour. the ride in the boat was the best i've had in any boat but the motors were old and you could watch the fuel gauge move which was a bit disapointing due to the cost of fuel.

I sold the beast becuase I couldn't afford to upgrade the motor and the home finacial advisor advised me to get a smaller boat that I would use or she would get rid of it. It was the worst thing I ever done I should have kept it and faced to wrath or taken it and kept it at a mates place and work harder and get two new donks.
The guy who bought it has done it up and has 2 90hp mercs on it and I have noticed that he hasn't taken it out for a while ( might offer to buy it back now).

Overall the best boat I have had and given the chance would have another one

Mark

[vet]

A slow cat is a bad cat. Cats sit low in the water at the back so despite the low hours there will probably a lot of corrosion problems. I would only by it if you can afford to put new motors on it straight away. I have had 2 cats with older (10years) motors and have spent heaps on maintenance.