235 Conquest v. Eastern Sisu 22

A conversation among Whalers
alex.yanishevsky
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235 Conquest v. Eastern Sisu 22

Postby alex.yanishevsky » Wed Oct 27, 2021 9:35 pm

I am looking for a new boat, 22 to 24-feet in length, with a cuddy cabin that will be more seaworthy than my 2002 Stingray 240CS when in seas of two to three feet and winds of 12 to 14 knots. I think a downeast boat or a bass boat or a fishing boat would be more stable and still have room for an occasional overnight.

I am considering an Eastern Sisu 22, a Grady White 208 Adventure, a Grady White 228 Seafarer, Boston Whaler 23 CONQUEST (prior to 2005) or 235 CONQUEST.

Q1: would a semi-displacement hull like an Eastern, an F. L .Tripp, or a Crosby--downeast or bass boats--handle seas of two to three feet better than planing hull boats like a Grady-White or a Boston Whaler?

Q2: how long do hulls last if they've been maintained?

Q3: is there concern for buying a hull that is 20 to 25-years old?

Q4: how many engine hours would you expect from a maintained 125 to 150-HP engine?

Q5: is an engine service life of 1,200 to 1,500-hours (or 25-years at 50 to 60-hours per season) a reasonable expectation before re-powering becomes necessary?

I boat in Salem, Massachusetts. Please give me your thoughts on the boats I am considering.

Regards,
Alex

jimh
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Re: 23 Conquest

Postby jimh » Thu Oct 28, 2021 6:59 am

alex.yanishevsky wrote:Q1: would a semi-displacement hull like an Eastern, an F. L .Tripp, or a Crosby--downeast or bass boats--handle seas of two to three feet better than planing hull boats like a Grady-White or a Boston Whaler?
I don't think there are any 22 to 24-foot boats that are going to be comfortable underway into headsea of three feet at planing speed.

alex.yanishevsky wrote:Q2: how long do hulls last if they've been maintained?
Fiberglass boats have remarkable durability. The better the initial quality of the boat's construction, the better the boat will be at are age 25-years-old or older. But the most influential factor on hull condition at age 25-years-old will be the type of service and use the boat received and the care and maintenance the boat received.

alex.yanishevsky wrote:Q3: is there concern for buying a hull that is 20 to 25-years old?
Yes. There is nothing intrinsic that insures that a 25-year-old boat will be in excellent condition. At that age the hull condition depends almost entirely on its care and use in those 25-years.

alex.yanishevsky wrote:Q4: how many engine hours would you expect from a maintained 125 to 150-HP engine?
Most of the boats you mention use outboard engines. An outboard engine of 150-HP could have a service life of several thousand hours. The durability varies with the brand and model. There are anecdotal reports of outboard engines still operating after 2,000-hour or more of use. Again, this depends on the type of use, for example, how much time the engine runs at high power output throttle settings.

alex.yanishevsky wrote:Q5: is an engine service life of 1,200 to 1,500-hours (or 25-years at 50 to 60-hours per season) a reasonable expectation before re-powering becomes necessary?
Yes, that is a reasonable expectation, but there are many outboard engines that fail before they reach age 25-years-old.

alex.yanishevsky wrote:Please give me your thoughts on the boats I am considering.
I can really only offer comments on the Boston Whaler 23 CONQUEST. Boston Whaler boats are built with a unique construction, using a Unibond hull. These boats are known to remain in excellent condition at age 25-years-old. I own a 1990 Boston Whaler 24-foot boat. It is now 31-years-old and is in excellent condition.

A c.2000 23 CONQUEST has an ACCUTRACK hull design, which produces good ride characteristics. The hull deadrise will be moderate, giving good roll stability when at drift for angling.

The outboard engine on a c.2000 23 CONQUEST will likely be a Mercury, and could be an OptiMax model. The larger power V6 OptiMax engines of that era have some history of durability problems. Typically a 23 CONQUEST would have been delivered with an engine of much more power than 125-HP. The minimum horsepower is 150-HP; maximum is 300-HP. Generally you will find used boats with a single 225-HP engine or twin 135 to 150-HP engines.

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Phil T
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Re: 235 Conquest v. Eastern Sisu 22

Postby Phil T » Thu Oct 28, 2021 10:12 am

Alex -

Take a look at the boats at the docks around Cape Ann. Grady and Whaler cabin models are more prevalent for a reason.

I see the popularity of the new Downeaster models as more a reflection of a resurgence of vanity and conspicuous consumption.
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NorthShoreWhaler
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Re: 235 Conquest v. Eastern Sisu 22

Postby NorthShoreWhaler » Thu Oct 28, 2021 5:35 pm

General concerns with 20-25 year old boats are fuel tanks, through hulls, and motors. Condition will be very important as is maintenance. All of those items can be expensive to repair no matter the brand.

I’m in the same waters as you in Gloucester. In my opinion there won’t be a huge difference in ride between at least the planing hulls in that size that you’ve mentioned. Larger and heavier will ride better.

dtmackey
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Re: 235 Conquest v. Eastern Sisu 22

Postby dtmackey » Fri Oct 29, 2021 9:13 am

One of the bigger problems I see is the older boats used wood cores that over time absorb water through failed deck drains and poor sealing around motor mounting bolts and other things mounted to the deck and transom. The condition of the boat will be determined by the care received by the previous owner.

Also mentioned was the gas tank. In the salt environment, I've seent them fail in as little as 15 years with pinholes from corrosion, although I'd generally expect 20-25 years, sometime more since I've also seen some last over 30 years. Tank life will come down to one thing and that's how much salt water has made it's way into the tank cavity area.

Here's a tank I replaced that failed at 20 years.

Image

To prevent a future tank failure the replacement tank was coated in coal tar epoxy.

Image

As for ride in a rough sea, you're only talking about a 22-24' boat and while there may be ride and handling characteristics between boats, generally a deeper V boat will handle a sea better. The Novi style hulls typically flatten out as they get toward the stern and they excel as workboats. For horsepower in this range you're probably looking in the 200hp range and how many hours will depending on the brand and model of the motor and how it was cared for.

As Phil said, the northshore is loaded with old Whaler and Grady White boats, another boat you will see in quantity is old Makos.

You're in Salem which is just a couple miles from my house. I have moorings over in Marblehead.

D-