Best second hand offshore fishing boat under $20.000
Submitted by Superfish on Sat, 2017-02-25 11:11
Been looking arround for ages the more i look the more frustrated i get. Like the fibreglass boats for the ride but very heavy. Two mates have ally boats and they are great setup for fishing but ride is not that good. I like to fish near Rotto bu rarely go out deep. Anybody got a good boat that might suite let me know?
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Jewskip
.thumbnail.JPG "pike/snook")
ace rimmer
Posts: 187
Date Joined: 19/08/13
Baron Sportsman
look around for a good Baron, you won'tbe dissapointed cheers ACE
VIC DORY
Posts: 308
Date Joined: 28/05/15
I have a 2003 Southwind
I have a 2003 Southwind SF500, it's a fibreglass 5m cuddy cab. I believe they are the BEST 5m fiberglass cuddy cab you can buy. You should be able to find a 2003-2004 for under 20k, from 05 I think they were sold as southern star boats.
Amazing boats ans handle the seas so well.
Jackfrost80
Posts: 8156
Date Joined: 07/05/12
I had my eye on one when I
I had my eye on one when I was researching boats. Very similar hull to my Seafarer Vsea.
Officially off the Pies bandwagon
Baden01
Posts: 67
Date Joined: 11/10/12
Swift Craft 18"6 Explorer
Swift Craft 18"6 Explorer are great fishing boats it just so happens I have one for sale @$14500 in excellent condition
Brocky
Mooseknuckle
Posts: 112
Date Joined: 14/05/13
PM sent
pm sent re: explorer
Ashen
Posts: 1042
Date Joined: 22/03/13
Voyager LTD
Voyager LTD. Good allrounder with great seaworthiness! Enough for rotto and decent for 3-4 guys to fish off.
A fish in the hand is worth 10 in the water!
Alpha
Posts: 194
Date Joined: 13/02/17
+2 for the swift craft
+2 for the swift craft. There a good boat, they track great, plenty of deck space and for under 20k that would be a good buy. For a fibre glass there not heavy make Rotto easy.
Superfish
Posts: 101
Date Joined: 27/05/12
Interesting
Thanks for the feedback guys at this stage 4 zip to the fibreglass boats. I am sure the Baron is a great boat made by the same maker as Leeder always been a fan. Im also a big fan of the the Southwind five and six meter models but are like rocking horse shit to find. My cousin had a a Swifty many years ago and was a great boat. As for the voyager the i think think for there size the Voyager LTD is a clasic and i am looking at one next week that is mint condition. Mate of mine has a 19 foot Koolyn Craft ali nice boat realy well set up for fishing but lakes a bit of beam so a bit unstable at rest. Keep em coming guys really appreciate your feedback. At this stage iam leanig towards the Voyager LTD.
Jewskip
Ashen
Posts: 1042
Date Joined: 22/03/13
Good choice
You can't really go wrong with a Voyager (all models!). I would love to have a Voyager Marquis!!
I had a Voyager LTD a few years ago. Loved it and spent many many hours bashing around Direction bank annoying Sambos. Lol
I spent alot of time and money doing her up from pretty much a blank canvas, so I can confidently say I know them inside and out.
What you should know about them:
They are quite a stern heavy boat, even though the factory 70-80L fuel tank is midship, under the floor. How I overcame the stern heavy issue was put a 200 AH battery and subwoofer in the cabin. Handled much better after that. Haha!
The fibreglassing topside of the gunwhale (where rodholders are usually installed) is quite thin...
Most important!! Structural weakness is in the chines under the cabin bunks. There'll be two inspection plates/boards when you lift up the bunk cushions. Have a look at the inner chines. If they show signs of cracking, be aware because it could mean theres cracks in places which you wouldn't know unless you rip up the whole floor. However, if there are no cracks or signs of stress, then internal structure "should" be in good nick.
I'm not a boat expert but willing to share my experiences when I had and renovated the LTD. Luckily, mine was in very good condition when I bought it, but theres a few LTDs going around with the above issue...
The only reason I sold it was because we rarely used the cabin and it took up valuable fishing space. I now have a Penguin Huntress runabout. Same size (18.6ft) with no cabin and I reckon the deck space on the Huntress would be the same as a 21ft cabin boat!
Hope that helps a little and let me know if you require any assistance. Would be more than happy to give second opinion of any LTD you have your eyes on.
Happy boat hunting and sorry for the long post!
A fish in the hand is worth 10 in the water!
VIC DORY
Posts: 308
Date Joined: 28/05/15
There's a reason the
There's a reason the southwinds are hard to find, they rarely come on the market, I got mine from Sydney.
Darren253
Posts: 570
Date Joined: 23/07/16
This looks solid...
http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/power-boats/seafarer-vagabond-6-2/198819
dodgy
Posts: 4585
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Boats unlimited have just
Boats unlimited have just taken a 570 cruisecraft as a trade. That's a good rig.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
ace rimmer
Posts: 187
Date Joined: 19/08/13
seafarer a bargain
now that seafarer Vagabond 6.2 is a bargain for someone who is prepared to give it a tidy up
Darren253
Posts: 570
Date Joined: 23/07/16
Gone
It went in less than 12hrs
teamjelly
Posts: 47
Date Joined: 27/07/16
Trailcraft
I av a 485Trailcraft, nice high sides, easy 1 person launch, has a back transom door, early models before 2011 were West aus built (now china built). Plate ali bottom with pressed sides.
Cuts through the chop no dramas, only flaw I can pic is that it rock n rolly when sitting still, so I make sure the 120litre built in fuel tank is always full.
Picked mine up for $18500, though I've added a brand new Suzuki 90.
Give a man to fish and he'll eat for a day, Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in his boat and drink all day...
Superfish
Posts: 101
Date Joined: 27/05/12
Hi Ashen I sent you a
Jewskip
Rob H
Posts: 5817
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Gumtree
This popped up on Gumtree, while I wouldnt describe myself as any sort of a petrol inboard fan, it looks pretty tidy.
Id make sure it has a bilge blower that works and you know how to use it.
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/ellenbrook/motorboats-powerboats/20ft-regent-cabin-cruiser/1140340679?utm_campaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_ios&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Ashen
Posts: 1042
Date Joined: 22/03/13
LTD
If you end up buying a Voyager, I will happily be a deckie on her!
A fish in the hand is worth 10 in the water!
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
Standard disclaimer on all used F/G boats
Be very wary with regards to hull condition. Even something as relatively young as that Vagabond can cost you a lot of money in repairs if you buy one with rotten transom/floor stringers. Floor is usually obvious( spongy underfoot in places) , other areas will be less obvious. but If you have really done your research on this subject, fine. That Vagabond looked like a good buy, well regarded hull--tatty upholstery, generally a bit neglected-looking for it's age. Cosmetics like that can be rectified for relatively little, but hidden problems such as I have mentioned can easily cost you $10K, unless you are handy enough to do it yourself. Motor would be very thirsty, but replacement with something modern is expensive. Looking at the staining on that outboard leg, it has sent time sitting on a mooring or in a pen. Which means its been in the weather. Outdoor living kills glass boats faster, exposure to consistent heavy rain and high humidity is actually apparently the biggest problem for rot, with construction standards being equal. Think FNQ. Not so bad in WA.
I bought an 82 model Swiftcraft, with not a little trepidation. But I knew its history, one owner, always stored in a closed shed. Bit of UV fading from sitting outside up here during xmas holidays when they always visited, when it NEVER rains. Everything checked out, so I bit the bullet. Subsequent drilling of the transom to fit a s/hand f115 , to replace the twin Merc 60 2 strokes, showed clean, dry timber. Phew
. A few threads on here in the Boating section. fishwrecked.com/forum/southwind-sf655-flooring and here fishwrecked.com/forum/new-rig-southwind-sf640-200-yam The second boat looked really nice, but he quickly discovered things were pretty bad underneath, fishwrecked.com/forum/transomfloor-replacement-recommendations If you haven't already, research the subject. Boating thread here is good, and there is a very good one on the Ausfish forum. www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/forumdisplay.php/61-Boating-Chat heavily Queensland based , but very active.
Problems with tinnies are a lot easier to spot
HTH
Woodsy65
Posts: 163
Date Joined: 21/05/15
I am biased because I own
I am biased because I own one, however a Bontio 180/185 are very good all round boats.
gdupagne
Posts: 66
Date Joined: 01/11/12
Westerberg for sale
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/rockingham/motorboats-powerboats/westerberg-5-0m-plate-ali-boat/1140200432
Selling my Westerberg. this is good for all forms of fishing from crabbing in the estuary to fishing out wide. have done many trips out deep with this boat. handles very well. you wont find one in better condition
gdupagne
Posts: 66
Date Joined: 01/11/12
price drop
price dropped to 17,000
Superfish
Posts: 101
Date Joined: 27/05/12
Can certainly see lots of
Jewskip
Paj man
Posts: 360
Date Joined: 16/09/12
Don't be too scared
Just make sure you go through the right paths when choosing a second hand fiberglass. As ranmar said, these paths are more difficult to get down than plate boats but you can buy with confidence.
I picked up an old seeker and took it to Rod Pallister at the Joondalup boat shack who had a good look over the boat before purchase. When I upgraded my motor I also used Greg at GT fiberglass, any glass boat I buy in future I will have him look over - he certainly knows his stuff.
That being said I had a side stringer come undone which Greg had to repair and there was nothing which could've been done to detect this pre-purchase. That's just life unfortunately and I know a few guys with old plate boats with the welding cracked and constant hull leaks.
aka Nick
Walfootrot
Posts: 1385
Date Joined: 23/07/12
Cant go past the Swift craft,
Cant go past the Swift craft, I have 2, LittleJohn has 1, and his boys have 1 each, great boats
More drum lines, kill the bloody sharks!
Ashen
Posts: 1042
Date Joined: 22/03/13
Happy days
Greg (Superfish) is one very happy gentleman. There's an awesome 19fter sitting in his driveway right now!
A fish in the hand is worth 10 in the water!
Superfish
Posts: 101
Date Joined: 27/05/12
New Boat
One very happy chappy after finding the boat of my dreams at the right price. Thanks to everyone the comments epecialy to ASHEN "fishwrecked" for his knowledge and patience directing me in the right dirrection. 19 Foot GHIA "Fraser " Excellent condition many happy days ahead with family and friends
Jewskip
Ashen
Posts: 1042
Date Joined: 22/03/13
Enjoy!
That beast of a boat will surely bring you and the family alot of good memories! Looking at your boat makes me miss my old LTD alot...
A fish in the hand is worth 10 in the water!
timmy k (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
photos??
got any picks of the new rig??
timmy k (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
photos??
got any picks of the new rig??
mjohns
Posts: 337
Date Joined: 11/01/07
We are selling our
We are selling our swiftcraft explorer, floor and everything was completely re done when we got it a few years ago, has a well maintained 4 cyl inboard
Not a speed boat but cant beat it for seaworthiness and safety
I think dad is after around 11k for it if anyone is interested ?
Enjoy the new boat :)