Boat optons for the spring

nedarb2

nedarb2

Active Member
Hi guys,
as most of you know i picked up that little 14' double eagle in the early summertime after upgrading from the 14' lund.
Long story short, great little boat but just not big enough, so i sold her a few weeks ago after fishing her for the summer and now im going to keep my eyes open till the spring when i'll buy a new toy to get out on the water with.

I was wondering what by best bang for the buck is going to be in the 5~7ish thousand range come spring time when boats are coming onto the market strong (i thought ide throw this out there now to keep my eyes open over the winter).
Are there any arima's to be found at that price?
or go with double eagle/tyee/malibu sort of thing?

Thanks for any input :D
 
smaller arimas can be a little wet . also after years of pounding they get alot of stress cracks and spiders webb cracking in the gell coat . myself i love double eagles .

tight lines
 
Spring = boats for more than they are worth.
Too bad you didnt have it in the budget for now cause there has been some sweet deals on used vic
 
Have to chime in Scottyboy.
The Arimas will hold their value and not have anything beyond (very) minor cosmetic cracks, as will any glass hull.
Have to say this in case I ever decide to sell mine -lol -
That said, I doubt you'll find one in the 5-7k range. Maybe in the states with an older power.
Nedarb, as I'm sure you know, buy the mechanicals. Motor, steering, trailer, etc. Those are the things that cost you as an operator. A solid, but cosmetically flawed, Double Eagle, K&c, or ..?. hull will serve you well.
Good luck.
 
thanks for the input guys!
Sort of what i was thinking along the lines of.. i'll keep my eyes open for the next couple months to see what people are trying to sell :)
I'm going to take my time and wait for the right and eye-popping deal to come along and snatch that up when i come across it.
Appreciated
nedarb
 
If you up your price a bit my glas ply is for sale pm me if your interested as Time said every thing on her is in excellent condition.
A few people on the forum have been on her and she takes the rough water very well.

wolf
 
Hi nedarb2,
I'm very happy with my 17 foot Sea Ranger and find there to be lots of room for 3 or 4 guys to fish. I've got 3 downriggers mounted and can fish tangle free. Think about which is more important to you..... space and stability with the Arima or do you want speed with the deep V of a Double Eagle? The Arimas tend to be a bit bouncy in a large chop or swells where the deep V of the DE"s will cut through the chop nicer. I myself went with the Arima.... lots of room, you can stand up under the canopy, even in the bow there is a ton of room for rods and gear, fresh water tank in bow and a porta potty also. To me its the biggest little boat I could buy. Expect to pay $10,000 or more for a ready to fish Arima but for me the extra cost was worth it..... hope this helps.... Steve.

And remember....Keep your tip up!!!
 
I think Arimas are excellent small fishing platforms, as they have an exceptionally wide beam and open cockpit...fishing area of an 18' boat but on a 16-17 footer. The good and bad thing about them is they really hold their value...so in your price range you are looking at a 15-20 year old one with older power. There are better options IMO.

In your price range, my recommendation is to go with dependable power over boat size. Buy a new or very close to new motor, 50-75hp. Then find an older cheaper boat to attach it to...there are many 16' double eagles, hourstons, K&Cs out there without a motor or with an old piece of crap on it. Put a new 60hp on that, and you have a good fishing boat that will get you there and back. The boat itself may not be pretty, but you can get a solid bare bones hull and good enough for what you're doing.

In the $5k range, in my opinion boats are largely disposable...you're buying a motor with a hull attached. You can either buy a 1970s 18' with an inboard that is 90% depreciated (big $$ to maintain) or you can buy an early 90s 16' that is 60% depreciated (small boat = smaller ongoing cost to power it and maintain). Don't get suckered by how much boat you can get for so cheap!!!! There's a reason for that. For example, updating power on a 17-18' boat is $2k for the pod and $10k plus for a 90hp plus motor. Updating power on a 16' boat is $5k.

If you can set aside $1000, you can get a 4-5 year old 4-stroke kicker....and there are few things in life as good as a kicker that starts first pull and you know will get you home.
 
that is a nice looking boat . little over priced 4 the power thats on it . my thoughts only

tight lines
 
Totally happy with my recent purchase of an older '82 Arima 17 'SeaChaser. Gelcoat does have a few spider lines in it. Has a 2000 115 Johnson v4 which pushes at 38 mph, and 6.5 kicker. Boat would be fine with a 90 that most have to save $$, (max rated for 120). 17' with an 8' beam, room for extra chairs/prawn traps/coolers/4 guys etc, and you don't have to crawl on your knees to get to the wheel, very fishable.
Came with two new scotties, Colour Lowrance, vhf etc etc etc, $9m
 
Thanks for all the responses guys.
My search is being put on hold temporarily right now with a glimmer of hope i can get my big boat back on the water for next season, should know by early this week:)
 
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