Thread: Seeking decent nearshore/offshore boat (NO BAY OR FLATS BOATS)

I am looking to buy a boat for nearshore and occasional offshore use. I am not rich I REPEAT I AM NOT RICH. I am looking to spend no more than 15k max preferably 10k to 12k max would be great. I would prefer a deep v hull or possibly modified v hull 17 to 20+ ft length preferably twin outboards or single outboard with a kicker or kicker plate or bracket. Full transom prefered. electronics on boat prefered but not completely necessary I can outfit the right boat. There are tons of boats for sale but there is also ton junk to wade thru. A decent quality decent priced boat is not easy to come by. Please send any info via pm, text 251-609-0998 or respond via forum. I am a local and I can travel around the area to look at boats.

IMHO you nailed it with "There are tons of boats for sale", you'd probably be happier with a modified than a deep-V as they are more stable and don't roll as bad when sideways to a swell.
The 20'-24' cuddy cabins are ideal for near shore gulf fishing out to 25 miles.

Save your money on the boat (used) and get a new or dependable used motor (single) and invest in good electronics (radio & fishfindiing sonar).

Yeah those 21 to 25 Ft Cuddy cabins sell like hotcakes. I literally have been on loosing end of 3 so far. Some guys are willing to pay cash without even testing the boat. The search for a decent boat for nearshore use has been a very long drawn out affair for sure.

Originally Posted by livewildforlife

Yeah those 21 to 25 Ft Cuddy cabins sell like hotcakes. I literally have been on loosing end of 3 so far. Some guys are willing to pay cash without even testing the boat. The search for a decent boat for nearshore use has been a very long drawn out affair for sure.

I've got an old cabin (21'9") type - not looking to sell, but I would give you one piece of advice - the cabins are not really very useful. I wish I had bought a center console.

I will be putting mine on the market at the end of the year. It's a 23' proline center console with a yamaha 225 4 stroke. If you are interested in some pictures of it send me a PM and I will get them to you.

Well as of right now it looks as if I'll either end up with a hybrid design seafox 195 bayfisher or depending on inspection a 19 ft cape horn both of which actually measure 20 ft. Either way while not initially as I'll need get sea legs. I plan on eventually fishing either boat as hard as I can and pushing the range as far as I can without becoming a statistic. Anyone have experience with smaller auxiliary fuel bladders/tanks i.e. 30 to 50 gallon size? Any tips on just recently discontinued gps chart plotter/fish finder combos? Any experience or tips on online support such as hiltons or rip charts? Fyi I've already budgeted for personal gps emergency distress beacon and subscription to sea tow. I also have over 2 decades of mesoscale and synoptic weather forecasting and data analysis on a semi professional basis for two different Ema weather offc ops positions. Yet I'd also like advise on a good online resource for monitoring wave height and intervals for gulf.

With a boat that size I wouldn't personally push it out much past 15-20 miles. I've been out there when the seas went from flat to 5-6ft in the matter of an hour. That's a long ride home in my boat, much less a boat that's only 20ft long. Rough seas aren't really what concern me when I'm offshore. My biggest concern when running offshore is large thunderstorms popping up between myself and the pass I depart. I would recommend learning both pensacola pass as well as fort morgan and also the intercoastal waterway. I have had to come in both due to weather getting between myself and perdido pass. As for chart plotters, I personally like the Garmin combo units. I have an 840xs down stairs and a 70s upstairs. Most of the garmin's come preloaded with charts, but they also offer chips that have topography and public numbers already loaded on them. One other thing I would recommend when going offshore any distance is a waterproof handheld VHF. As for weather apps for seas, I use Marine Weather by accu weather on my Iphone, as well as boat weather and Fishhead. The Marine Weather Plus app has all the buoys listed so you can check the seas live, as well as has predictions for conditions. Navonics also offers a GPS app for your phone where you can store your coordinates of spots, and is also has topography as well as some public numbers. If you have any other questions shoot me a PM or text me and I will do my best to answer any you have.

Any experience or tips on online support such as hiltons or rip charts?

If you are staying in 20 miles or so those are not of much use on a subscription basis. Ripcharts lets you look 5 days back if you are trying to make it to the Edge (roughly 35 miles) or something like that and then your main interest will be water clarity which is mostly chlorophyll and changes slowly. Eddies and upwellings (altimetry breaks, current breaks) are generally farther out and off the shelf in my experience. Smaller rips and lines are just hard to see on their data, IMHO.

I also have over 2 decades of mesoscale and synoptic weather forecasting and data analysis on a semi professional basis for two different Ema weather offc ops positions.

You are probably good to go, but the pop-ups will be your wild card.

Yet I'd also like advise on a good online resource for monitoring wave height and intervals for gulf.

I don't know of anything better than the National Data Buoy System.

Any tips on just recently discontinued gps chart plotter/fish finder combos?

I've got an old Humminbird 997c and the sidescan is almost useless when at sea. Recordings of sidescan played back on a computer are somewhat useful. It is pretty good in other aspects, but if you've got a lot of numbers live it slows down a lot in the refresh rate. I plan my trips and only put relevant data on a chip for the trip (extra chips for unplanned changes). Refresh rate makes a big difference if you are trying to home in on a small target. I cannot comment on other brands or later models.