Thinking about getting a new to me boat boat.

[casper5280]

I agree the lines are not as nice. Friend sent me this don't know anything about it but looks nice.
http://sooke.britishcolumbiaads.com...craft-podded-300-yamaha-outboard_2127579.html

 

[N2013]

I think that one sold last year. Maybe up for sale again?

 

[Rayvon]

OMG, that 26 Hourston looks nice,one of the best hulls out there and it has an Alaskan bulkhead with aft steering which is very unusual,it should sell fast.

 

[casper5280]

Here's a Bayliner for you.

http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/2359-trophy-hard-top-1996-29000_28502594

 

[ericl]

Down here where they are made Bayliners have a pretty poor reputation for quality.

 

[dmurph]

Get into a trophy into the 2000 year onward switched from bayliner to a completely different boat made at separate factory

 

[fishin solo]

Funny how some think all bayliners are poor quality. Look at how many older trophys etc are still fishing strong with factory transoms etc

 

[casper5280]

My complaint on the Trophys is fit and finish and this is only Trophys I have been on. Drains that divert water into the cabin, or scuppers that if you are standing in the back corners fill with water into the the fish boxes with no drains, head room they are made for short people, poor wiring, plexi glass doors that always break. Poor access to the motor, sealed floor that has to be cut out to replace fuel tank. Just things that I have seen on friends boats, newer ones may be better.

 

[Aces]

The saying in our area is......

Friends don't let friends buy a trophy

 

[sly_karma]

Those late 80s-early 90s bulkhead Trophies can't have been built as badly as folklore would suggest, because you still see a lot of them on the water.

 

[Whole in the Water]

View attachment 30760 Earlier this year completed a total restoration on a Hourston 20 which when it came to me the customer needed new floors and stringers. I also have a 26 in my yard that I have to fix for a customer with the same deck, stringer and transom problems.
In my opinion the hourston is a great hull but the boat is put together with about the worst construction techniques possible. The decks are glassed together with what looks like model airplane roving....way way too light. Many transom areas are only painted, not sealed and this is what allows for rot.
The biggest problem with a hourston is that the decks are below sea level and they provided absolutely no means of water to make its way through the boat below decks to the aft bilge pumps.

But...... it's a great hull, just poor workmanship.

My dad and I sell used boats and we have a 2006 23 trophy if you are interested . Go to www.pearsonmarine.ca the inventory there is current to this wee.

I'm also wrapping up a total restoration on a 25 bertram. Now this is what I call a boat but that's a whole other forum thread. I could go on and on for days about how good these boats are. It will be ready in January and we have a second Bertram 25 to restore right after it. Here's a sneak peak

Did not know about this. Is this still a problem with newer version?

 

[fishin solo]

yeah my hull is a 91 and solid as a rock transom stringers etc. Just podded it this past season and couldn't be happier

Those late 80s-early 90s bulkhead Trophies can't have been built as badly as folklore would suggest, because you still see a lot of them on the water.

 

[Quinn]

Here's something to chew on with regards to hourston build quality.

Stingers are meant to be part of the hull.....attached.
You can make a stringer out of anything. Wood, foam, paper mâché, even popcorn if you like so long as you fiberglass the stringer to the hull SUBSTANTIALLY.
The wood in the stringer is only there to provide shape for the fiberglass. The glass does all the work.
I have pulled apart four hourstons and seen two others in tear down. All of them had 2x10 dimensional lumber for stringers (perfectly fine) .
The problem was that just like the decks, the stringers had only one layer of maybe 6oz roving. When you zip wheel open the side of a hourston stringer, you can lift it right out of the boat with no resistance.
I wouldn't even call that ten percent of the recommended layup.

Real glasswork is spoken in terms of units. A unit is an application of one layer mat, one layer roving, the weights of those layers are dependant on the application. Eg. - 3/20 would mean 3 oz mat, 20 oz roving
With regards to hourston decks and stringers, hourstons don't even have "one unit"



Now many people will think I have a hate on for hourstons. I don't.
They are sexy, they look fast standing still and they ride nice. I'm just putting this out there because this thread started out with someone thinking about wanting a hourston. My advice if you want a hourston is to find one that has been upgraded.
Still I can't bring no myself to buy a boat without self bailing decks. I've seen some big seas in my comercial fishing career so self bailing decks are at the top of my must haves.

Also in defence of Hourston, double eagles which are great hulls, were built the exact same way.


Now to talk about trophies.......
Trophies aren't all bad , they just aren't ferraris.
I liken them to Honda civics, a good car but there's other rides we'd all rather have.
We sell quite a few trophies every year. People want them, some are devout followers.

Dmurph is absolutely right, get a trophy in the 2000 years are you are buying a Trophy, not a bay liner trophy.
Casper5280 is also right that the fuel tank is under a sealed deck which is not good. We got one trophy that had a 3" whole cut in the deck right where the deck liner turns into a transom wall for the battery compartment.
Upon closer inspection I found it was cut there by someone to replace the fuel sender so that's a bad design flaw on bayliner trophies part.
But other boats have other fatal flaws. Every striper we get , I have to remove the fuel tank access lid and the fish box lids and scoop out fistfuls of wet balsa core then glass them back up with plywood.

Every boat has its flaw.

 

[ExFlyGuy]

Thanks for taking the time to post everyone.

A self bailing deck is something that is very important to me. In the link I posted earlier it said the 1992 hourston had a self bailing deck. Would this have been an upgrade or factory option?

 

[ericl]

A guy I worked with at Boeing knew somebody at the Bayliner Trophy factory (circa 1995 or so). Word was that in some spots you could shine a flashlight on one side of the hull & see light on the other side. Heard of rotten stringers on 1 year old boats.

It's OK to own one, but be aware that due to it's reputation you should have the hull surveyed before purchase & realize that if the stringers rot out while you own it repair costs will be more than the boat is worth (which is pretty much true regardless of brands. When I was shopping for boats 15 years ago a Carver I was looking at had a pre-purchase survey that revealed rotten stringers with repair costs exceeding the value of the boat.

 

[bones]

On the trophy quality..... I would agree it no Grady but, I have never seen or heard of one that has failed. I have a 1990 and I doesn't seem to have any of the above problems with exception to the fish wells. The water coming off the front deck. Is to much for the gutter in the fish well to handle and the fish wells fill up. The covers need trimming to allow more water in the gutter leading to the drain.
The fit and finish like mentioned isn't great either, but the cost of the boat new also reflected this. It basically allowed more people to purchase and get out on the water

I'd buy another one. Podded 2359 300 hp

 

[alumaman]

I had a 95 trophy and I have no issues other than the fish wells filling up with water coming through the scuppers. I had a 175 along with a kicker and two electric down riggers so with a couple guys in the back water would drain in through the scuppers. I fixed the problem by cleaning the macerator on the pump which drained the wells. It handled the water well and topped out at 45 mph with the 175 on it.

 

[ericl]

I am 66 & sometimes my memory is bad. That 1 year old Bayliner has a de-laminated deck not rotten stringers.

The boating business probably has more than it's fair share of snobs. I think bones above statement about cost versus quality reflects the truth.

 

[Gear'n'beer!]

I don't own a trophy but I like them......nice boats to fish out of AND sure as heck is better than no boat. Not everyone can afford or wants a Grady, you get a helluva lot of boat out of a trophy.

GnB

 

[Sr SQ]

Like others already said, all boat have issues, positive and negative.
What depends most is, what attributes are most important to your specific needs.
I think the boat I put the most hrs on was a 92 trophy, 3000s+ hrs over 5 years.
No hull failures but the accessories were weak for sure, in 1992 it was 1/2 the price of the same size whaler or grady so it fit my budget and needs.
Generally speaking I would bet percentage wise, wet transoms and stringers are pretty much the same across the board in most brands.
IMO whats important is how the boat is maintained and stored.