Recommendations for 16 to 17 foot glass fishing boat

[sawtellrob]

Hi guys
I've just sold my Markham Dominator 4.3 will be buying a replacement after Christmas. I'm after stable at rest boat that is comfortable to drive in a chop. The Markham was great at rest but punched really hard into any chop. I have decided a late 90s Seafarer 5.0 would probably suit my needs well but have found a Mustang tournament 1600 locally which reads well. Struggling to find reviews on the Mustang so anyone out there know of them? Looking at a 16 or 17 footer around the 20k mark and would be very interested to hear any other suggestions please?
Thanks
Rob

[Noelm]

You think the Whaler was hard in some chop, an early Seafarer will buckle your knees, do a test drive in some chop before buying!

[Dignity]

Water test helps, every boat is different, I bet the whaler liked a following sea,

[sawtellrob]

Thanks for that but I have a problem in that I live near Coffs Harbour and most of the boats advertised are Sydney or Brisbane. I have already had some fruitless trips with boats not as advertised so would like to find a hull that suits my needs and chase a good example of that. Yep the little Dominator didn't mind a following sea but not so good coming home in a 15 to 20 knot northerly. Actually it was very slow and wet

[gazza2006au]

I'm a bit more relaxed now i am middle aged i don't find a need to go full throttle unless the boat is under powered i like to find a suitable speed for the conditions, get up on a plane maybe rise the bow just a little so the chop slaps under the hull rather than splash up the sides of the chines and all over the boat wetting everyone

i was driving my mates boat back in from outside on the weekend its a Freedom Sport 5.3m i found 3300rpm 115hp Yamaha 2 stroke was the perfect range up on the plane chop slapping the hull we all stayed dry

[Smithy]

I reckon the little Mustang would be good. I've done a day in a 16' Mustang with a 90 4 stroke Johnuki. It was a good honest boat. I always liked the look of the 17' one. At some stage that hull was taken over by Tournament, then later on they were fully glass and are now under the Haines Signature stable. I've done some time in a Bermuda/Allison 5m Bayfisher too. The right motor for it will be the issue. The one I went on had a 90 2 stroke Merc. It was hard to get the right prop for it. It ended up with a 5 blader. I always thought the Etec 90 would have been the perfect repower option for it on power to weight ratio. Having a pod it would have been weight sensitive I thought but there was a guy from one of the Redcliffe game clubs running one with a Suzuki 4 stroke 90 for a while quite successfully. I think the little Savages in that size range are good bits of gear too. Another mate had one of them with a 90 Optimax. Was cheap to run, a good sea boat and easy to tow. If you can stretch to it, I think a 5.5 Seafarer Viking or Ventura will be a better option than the 5m VSea or Venus but then they are 18'ers. The 17' 5.2m Seafarer Vikings are going to be getting a bit long in the tooth now so it would be a case of finding one with a good trailer, good 4 stroke and possibly a transom and floor rejuvination with under floor fuel tanks etc.

[catshark]

is that the one in "Valla" looks tidy rig if it is, and they look a nice sporty boat, didnt those early seafearers , not sure the model were like had a habit of diving into the next wave..

[sawtellrob]

Thanks for these responses, its all very kind of you. I will try to check the Mustang on monday and may have a couple of trips away to see a Haines Hunter 520 SF and an early 2000 Southwind 17 footer. Such a big decision as I'm 62 and this will probably be my last boat

[sawtellrob]

is that the one in "Valla" looks tidy rig if it is, and they look a nice sporty boat, didnt those early seafearers , not sure the model were like had a habit of diving into the next wave..
Yep the Valla boat, about half an hour from Sawtell. Was looking at later Seafarers from late 90's

[pnp005]

Hi...I purchased an 17" Seafarer Viking 1986 recently that's had an infloor fuel tank installed and the ride is as good if not better than HH 560 Offshore 2013 that I owned previously, and certainly more stable at rest. Obviously you use the throttle according to the swell and I'm wrapped!!

[ranmar850]

Thanks for these responses, its all very kind of you. I will try to check the Mustang on monday and may have a couple of trips away to see a Haines Hunter 520 SF and an early 2000 Southwind 17 footer. Such a big decision as I'm 62 and this will probably be my last boat

Yeah, I thought that , too. Bought a good, 5.65m glass boat at age 63, this is likely the last one. Yeah, right. ::) it was a great little boat, but it expanded my horizons, and I moved it on for a brand-new Reefrunner this year. New owner loves my old boat, "likely his last boat" ;D

[rickmarlin62]

noelm I own an early vsea and its the best handling 16ft boat ive ever been in bar none....I don't know why u are baggin them I go to broughton island in noreast chop all the time and leave other boats struggling in the conditions I wont be getting rid of it ever...luv my vsea

[shakey55]

noelm I own an early vsea and its the best handling 16ft boat ive ever been in bar none....I don't know why u are baggin them I go to broughton island in noreast chop all the time and leave other boats struggling in the conditions I wont be getting rid of it ever...luv my vsea

I to love my V-Sea, the best boat in its size ever


Sent from my iPad using Ausfish mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91595)

[RayLamp]

Cruisecraft :) There is a dealer in Forster I think...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoYNyMGiBp4

[stevej]

i had the cruisecraft explorer 500 with a 90hpp 1.7l johnsons its the same hull as the 530 just they have done an update with the 530
best boat ive owned fro inshore stuff and big bays

to get the big cockpit area the shoulders of the boat are quite far forward and banged like a bastard id have to crawl along heading into any form of sea
was stable big roomy comfortable just banged like bastard
but i took the banging over the less stable softer riding hulls as i dont have the best sealegs going around


but again these are far more modern then old haines hunters and vseas etc

[Lovey80]

5.2m Kevlacat. Best 17 Foot boat in the country IMO.

[sawtellrob]

Ok, I missed out on the Mustang but have found some Yalta 535s. Any thoughts on these? And is the Cruise craft 5.0 really bad at punching into a sea?

[gazza2006au]

Saw i have a Silverline 4.6 meter fibreglass runabout it was built around the 1990's lovely boat to drive very smooth, small 50hp powers it with heaps of power even with 4 adults on board, it goes really well in a following sea especially when your coming along on a angle it doesn't spear u even with 3 adults at the dash board really nice boat to drive

if u can find one see if u can take it for a test drive, not the lightest to tow feels like it weighs around the 800kg mark

[catshark]

sounds like a sales pitch...;D

[gazza2006au]

Not selling yet Cat keepi g her for summer i wanna get out and catch some big calamari along the coast line and break the 1 meter kingy mark just need better weather

[Vromme]

17 footer great in chop, stable at rest - no brainer Sea Devil.

[blacklab]

I guess some of these older boats, like mine, 87 CC reef finder, you would say that it bangs in the chop, as it does !
It's a cuddy, which is well forward, which means you feel the chop. But I compensate for that in the way I drive it in short chop.
That's the sacrifice I make, for the deck space available, which is similar to a few mates signatures and Haines and even comparing to a bar crusher.
Out wide, it doesn't bang at all and really comes into it's own in a big following sea.
Can I make my boat an uncomfortable ride, Yep, So, out of all it's traits, that's one I must work around.
Been in a few boats of the Era, which were very similar rides and been in the narrow Haines which slice the chop like butter, but are shite at rest.
I don't think there's a boat in the 5-5.4 range your after that has all the great traits of a larger fibreglass boat, Maybe a Cat.
Don't think even newer CC changed much in performance traits, it's just what one has to expect with smaller boats.
As far as your question, are the 5 mtr CC alright punching into a sea, in my opinion, brilliant, its the short sharp chop you have to compensate with.

Col

[sawtellrob]

I guess some of these older boats, like mine, 87 CC reef finder, you would say that it bangs in the chop, as it does !
It's a cuddy, which is well forward, which means you feel the chop. But I compensate for that in the way I drive it in short chop.
That's the sacrifice I make, for the deck space available, which is similar to a few mates signatures and Haines and even comparing to a bar crusher.
Out wide, it doesn't bang at all and really comes into it's own in a big following sea.
Can I make my boat an uncomfortable ride, Yep, So, out of all it's traits, that's one I must work around.
Been in a few boats of the Era, which were very similar rides and been in the narrow Haines which slice the chop like butter, but are shite at rest.
I don't think there's a boat in the 5-5.4 range your after that has all the great traits of a larger fibreglass boat, Maybe a Cat.
Don't think even newer CC changed much in performance traits, it's just what one has to expect with smaller boats.
As far as your question, are the 5 mtr CC alright punching into a sea, in my opinion, brilliant, its the short sharp chop you have to compensate with.

Col

Thanks Col, the boats I'm looking at are early 2000s so my thinking is perhaps newer hull may be a little better designed than the old girls. Think you have nailed it with going for the better boat at rest rather than the knife through water hulls. I spend more time at rest than moving. Overseas at the moment but will be hitting the market as soon as I'm home. Looking forward to my new boat