Good 14-16 ft fiberglass used for salmon fishing in georgia straight

[kipper12]

Hi All

I've been fishing fresh water for a while and need a better boat to fish for salmon. I'm looking at 14-16 ft fiberglass boats and was hoping for some advice.

I will be fishing in the georgia straight (between vancouver island and vancouver). I'm thinking about a 70-90 hp motor with an 8 kicker.

What kind of older fiberglass boats are still good? So far I've seen quite a few K&C, Sangster, and Double eagles, for about 2000-4000 with older two stroke motors. I've already got an 8hp kicker that runs like a top so that's going on regardless of whats on there for a kicker already.

Are any of these good? What kind of things should I be looking for when I view them?

Thanks!

 

[kipper12]

Re: Good 14-16 ft fiberglass used for salmon fishing in georgia straight

Some examples

16'CENTER CONSOLE DEEP V Outside Nanaimo, Nanaimo

14 ft k&c fibrglass boat Outside Nanaimo, Nanaimo

1981 Sangster 16' inshore/lake fishing boat Courtenay, Courtenay Comox

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Good 14-16 ft fiberglass used for salmon fishing in georgia straight

Visit the restoration forum here and start reading the different fiberglass restorations to be educated on what to look for when buying an older used fiberglass boat:

Boat Restoration, Building, and Hull Repair

Rotten transoms, decks, stringers, and saturated floatation foam are all common problems with boats like the ones you have listed. Your best bet would be to find a one owner boat that has been kept trailered and garaged it's whole life, but they're pretty rare.

 

[kipper12]

Re: Good 14-16 ft fiberglass used for salmon fishing in georgia straight

Thanks for the reply.

Yes I've been looking through there. I knew about the transom already... I had a buddy tear one off and his boat sink so quick they didn't have time to grab their life jackets then had to swim for shore. They were in a lake and the water was freezing but they didn't have far to swim.

I guess what I'm asking is are there particulars brands that would have held up better I should lean towards or does it all come down to how well they were taken care of?

Is there a buyers how to guide on here for how to check things out? The transom I've read you can try to flex and see if there's movements or sounds like the fiberglass has delaminated from the wood. stuff like that.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Good 14-16 ft fiberglass used for salmon fishing in georgia straight

The brands are all pretty much the same because they have to be competetive with their builds. Looking for a good owner is your best bet, someone that has taken care of their boat and not just shined it up for a sale.

Checking the transom for flex is a good thing and taking a compression tester to check the compression on motors is also a good idea. Walking the deck to feel for soft spots helps but the deck can be rotten and still feel solid because of the foam supporting it underneath.

There's also people that will take up the carpet and throw down new decking over rotten decking and stringers and throw in some new carpet for a nice new look and some will even tout that the boat has a new deck... but the new plywood will rot what's below it quicker and the new plywood will also rot fast.

IMO, the best way to buy an older/used f'glass boat is to buy a rotter for cheap. One with a decent motor and trailer. Then restore it to like new condition and you get a like new boat for a small fraction of the cost of a new one.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Good 14-16 ft fiberglass used for salmon fishing in georgia straight

Boston Whaler, McKee--filled hull so no bilge/stringers issue
Parker, proline, privateer
carolina skiff

 

[sd396]

Re: Good 14-16 ft fiberglass used for salmon fishing in georgia straight

Hourston Glasscraft are a classic west coast deep V fishing boat and are still made today in N.Vancouver. My 14'6" is very stable in rough water but I think a 17' would be better in the salt chuck. With my Merc 500 on the transom I don't think an 8 horse kicker would fit on unless on its own bracket. Currently in my area there is 5-6 14'ers for sale in various states of repair. K&C and Double Eagle are quite similar. These are the boats a lot of the fishing resorts and boat rental companies on the west coast use. Again, check the transom and floor for rot. I got lucky as my '72 turned out to be pretty solid.

 

[pscrabber59]

Re: Good 14-16 ft fiberglass used for salmon fishing in georgia straight

Try looking at Arima's 15-17' built for rough water fishing here in the Pacific Northwest, prices will vary with age, condition, motor. best time to buy will be in the winter months

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Good 14-16 ft fiberglass used for salmon fishing in georgia straight

If you plan to go out and fish much you don’t want a center console or anything in the 14’ range, 16’ + with a windshield is what you want. The Double Eagles were built pretty well and an Arima would be great, but one will normally cost a great deal more than anything else in that size range.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Good 14-16 ft fiberglass used for salmon fishing in georgia straight

I agree 16' is better but disagree with "no center console"; that would be preferred IMO for coastal waters, as opposed to a side console you'd find on a bass boat for flat waters.

However, at 16' a side console can open up space a little; a friend has a 16' jon rigged that way. But no way I'd use that boat on coastal water either; it's a flats/marsh boat.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Good 14-16 ft fiberglass used for salmon fishing in georgia straight

The no center console opinion is local knowledge on fishing these waters, the way we fish doesn’t work well with this design. Wind, waves and cool weather are the norm, so any protection you can get helps. Plus on small boats the console takes up valuable space and gets in the way, because of this the number of people you can fish and still be comfortable is reduced. They also have very little dry storage and poor seating for anyone but the driver, it doesn't add up to the best day on the water. You will see very few of them on the water here.

After saying all this, I have a 19' CC so I know of what I speak. I really don't like the boat for fishing around here and haven't put it in the water for 3 or 4 years. I should have sold it a long time ago.