I was going to wait to post something…it is Conway’s event, so I don’t want to pre-empt his postings on Facebook/BBGO website. But, yes, Dave’s boat finished 1rst, and Sasha was fishing…

As for boats…As Steve M mentioned, Blackman is a local San Diego brand that has a good local rep, as is Stringari, and both might be available at a good price on the local used market. Davis is another brand that seems to almost have cult status down here (they are built up north, I believe around Morro Bay), but they don’t make any center consoles.

And of course, you can find the usual suspects down here: Parker, Striper, Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Scout and of course Edgewater…I’m biased, of course, but if you can find one, you really need to try riding on a 23’ Edgewater CC with a 225 or 250HP Yamaha. Robalo and Mako are good, but there are a lot of other good choices as well.

John

Again thanks for the info….should i assume you have an Edgewater?

Todd

Todd,

If I were to purchase new (I never would) I would be looking at something in the 23’ range of center consoles and with a 4 stroke Yamaha (John will likely disagree).  Edgewater’s are a good boat, but there are many others out there and I’d include Yellowfin, SeaVee in that class of boat build.  We’re talking top of the line boats there, whereas the Triumph and the Defiance are probably at the other end of the spectrum and the Parker is probably in the middle of the road, though the San Diego boys just Jones over them.  My Blackman is very well built, which explains why it’s still rolling after almost 27 years.  That said, I’ve have to replace the deck and I’ve done plenty of mods to improve the fishability and to dry out the boat.  Newer hulls by good builders mostly address these issues.  My advice is to ride on all of them and fish them.  Crawl all over them and note the build, finish and the quality of the amenities on each.  Don’t be in a hurry to buy.  If you are mechanically oriented, you will get your best buy in the used market.

Steve

Todd S - 28 September 2009 07:39 PM

John

Again thanks for the info….should i assume you have an Edgewater?

Todd

Sorry, I thought you knew about my other website (Ocean Skiff Journal). I have a smaller Edgewater - the 175cc. The buy decision process, work done, etc. are documented therein.

Steve’s trying to give me a hard time about Yamahas, because I repowered my boat with an Evinrude E-TEC, and have been a semi-vocal defender of their technology. But I don’t think I ever said Yamahas 4-strokes are bad motors. In fact, I think they’re overall pretty good. And I nearly repowered with a Suzuki 115 4-stroke.

But in the end, I decided to repower with the E-TEC because of all the BS floating around on the Internet about them. Since I could write the engine off as a long-term test item, I decided to get one and run it exactly as advertised, and to see what kind of results I got. I am still working on the 5 year results article, but I can tell you right now, the Evinrude claims were all pretty much true for my motor. The motor was not perfect, but by and large, it worked out pretty much as advertised.

Would I only buy a boat with an E-TEC? No, but I wouldn’t be scared of buying one, either…Actually, the issue is becoming more and more moot over time, as hull manufacturers form agreements to require a certain brand of motor on new hulls. Boston Whaler requires all new boats be sold with Mercs. Edgewater requires Yamaha, etc. So if you want a certain brand of hull with a non-standard motor brand, you’ll either have to plan on a repower, or you’ll have to buy a used boat that was made before the manufacturer standardized.

John, not trying to give you a hard time.  I just knew you’d disagree, so I made that comment.  I’m happy your E-Tec is working great for you. 

I will note that my Yamaha F115 Four Stroke is on my bass boat, which is used only in freshwater.  It’s point-to-point fishing where I think outboards excel.  Then my saltwater boat is a diesel, which excels at long runs and full days of trolling, doing so very economically.  It also has that diesel longevity, if you take care of it and stay on top of the maintenance and repairs that come about merely due to age.  The engine in my boat is over 20 years old.

Steve

Rob Baldwin here, owner of a 2006 Triumph 195CC.  If you still have any questions, I’d be happy to share my honest opinions - as a owner of the product for over three years.  Despite what you may have read on THT, I can assure you my boat has not melted in the sun, nor have all the screws backed out allowing the center console to fly off the deck.  To be honest, the hulls don’t even flex that much, mostly due to the stainless steel stringer system.  Triumph’s are different, having some unique/nice qualities, as well as some drawbacks (like any other boat).  Besides, how many other boats can claim to have been made of recycled milk jugs?

Rob…thanks for the info, hadn’t heard about melting in the sun nor screws coming loose. I did talk to a guy last weekend as he was taking his boat out at Shelter Island ramp. He had a 195CC, he loved it, kept it at home, power washed it after each trip and was generally happy with the boat…he had just done 100 miles that day….

Todd