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  Came to the whaler conclusion.

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Author Topic:   Came to the whaler conclusion.
Scoopjohnb posted 11-24-2012 06:20 AM ET (US)   Profile for Scoopjohnb   Send Email to Scoopjohnb  
Always been a fishing kind of guy even as a kid. After not having been seafishing for almost 30 years. Work related stuff, well I got an invite from a friend.
Lubed up my old Penn spinfishers. Bought a few Penn rods and some tackle. Stepped aboard a 24' fishing rig for a day.

Weather wasn't all that great. Long 3 ft waves with a bit of chop from the moderate breeze on top of that. My behind was fairly battered for bracing myself against the back of the cabin whilst continually reeling in and rebaiting the rods. The local flatfish community were into the bait big time!

Felt like an adventure and coming home at the samte time. Great!!

Anyway such days require some sinking in. But the wife allready saw it coming when I stept in the door that evening.

Several more trips tagging along on the 24' rig. Having a whale of a time got me thinking about owning a boat again.
Needs to be safe for the grand-kids, limp home on a single engine and provide some creature comforts for the other half.
Needs to be comfortable in 3-4 ft long period waves with some chop on top of that. Otherwise we won't venture out due to bad weather most of the time.
Could only think of that reddish logo with the sawed in half advertising and the bulldozer trying to crush a hull.

Don't know a lot about the current models and models 1990 till 2010.
Something with a nice V hull and 30' minimum. I'm not going to trailer her, she'll be fed and cared for in the local marina.

Along the lines of a conquest 315/345??
What do you guys think?

In the mean time I'm going to be reading up on Whaler stuff. And get inrolled in one of those navigating courses. These days it's GPS/VHF chartplotters/color fishfinders and such. My last experience was decca and paper depthsounders with a CB thrown in.

Anyway thanks for reading if you've made it this far.
Have some great boating adventures and catch a big one.

Scoop Johnb

JTC posted 11-26-2012 10:31 PM ET (US)     Profile for JTC  Send Email to JTC     
Welcome to the site! I haven't been on any of the larger and newer Conquests than mine (28/295), but my understanding is that the 315 and 345 handle the waves quite well. I would never buy a boat without a sea trial in rough conditions.

If I ever move to larger boat I will look hard at the 345!

jimh posted 11-27-2012 09:16 PM ET (US)     Profile for jimh  Send Email to jimh     
A 345 CONQUEST is a dream boat.
Mambo Minnow posted 11-27-2012 09:31 PM ET (US)     Profile for Mambo Minnow  Send Email to Mambo Minnow     
I went aboard the new 315 Conquest at Newport Boat Show this fall. A very nice redesign of the former 305. Should also be on your short list.
Buckda posted 11-28-2012 09:39 PM ET (US)     Profile for Buckda  Send Email to Buckda     
Stepping up to a 345 from whatever 24' boat you were on when you got the bug is a BIG step up in ride quality, comfort and cost.

Have you considered the older "classic" 27' hulls? These are going for barn-burner prices in the US right now, when they are available.

May be difficult to ship/import, but then again, with the cost of a new(er) 345 Conquest, you might still be a long way ahead.

Just a thought.

Scoopjohnb posted 12-05-2012 11:00 PM ET (US)     Profile for Scoopjohnb  Send Email to Scoopjohnb     
There are an awfull lot of nice looking boats out there. Swung over by a local dealer and he gave me a walk around on a luxury cruiser. Didn't mention whaler to him, seemed interested in giving me a great deal. Anyway all very fine and well.
But these salesman really don't like it when you start talking backup systems, fail safes, etc, etc
Do they expect you to let it just sit there at anchor whilst waiting for a tow to the harbor?
Really need to get up close and personal with a 30' whaler.
My boating experience is quite limited, so I'm after something that will think for me.

jimh posted 12-06-2012 10:27 AM ET (US)     Profile for jimh  Send Email to jimh     
Boston Whaler boats are well made and well designed.
Robert V posted 12-06-2012 10:41 AM ET (US)     Profile for Robert V  Send Email to Robert V     
My advice would be to wait for a boat show and climb aboard every boat you can, looking at every nook and cranny and under every hatch. If there are manufacturer representatives there, talk to them first, then the sales/dealer representatives. You will leave with more knowledge than you came with! It will also help to determine what manufacturer, model and size will best fit you anticipated usage. Good luck with your search, have fun, educate yourself and enjoy the experience!

Robert

Scoopjohnb posted 12-07-2012 06:58 PM ET (US)     Profile for Scoopjohnb  Send Email to Scoopjohnb     
Big show from 8-16 december in Paris.
Everything permitting I'm planning a visit.

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