pick between these two classics

[slag]

I have an 89 regal and its a great family boat, but too big to fish out of with my 2 boys, 7 and 9, and so i want to get a fishing/sport boat or something thats cheap that will function as one with an outboard.

I have come across these two boats. I have not posted them with the image tag because they are 1024x768.

http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt163/slagdemon/IMG_0431.jpg
1972 glassmaster

or

http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt163/slagdemon/IMG_0422.jpg
1965 starcraft

The glassmaster is nicer inside and is tri hull which is good for stability, but not a true fishing boat. It is small and maneuverable though at 14 ft, and is pretty cute. The 50 hp evinrude has ingested the rings on one cylinder and would need a rebuild or...

The 1965 starcraft needs the seats redone and cleaned up, but its cute also. The motor is a johnson 33 electric shift IIRC and runs but needs the carb cleaned up and a general tune up. Still not a real fishing boat.

Both boats are $100.00. I could get both for $200.00, put the johnson on the glassmaster, but that would give me 3 boats and my wife is already mad I want another one for fishing..

 

[ziggy]

Re: pick between these two classics

since ya wanna use it for fishing w/ 3 on board. i'd go for the tri hull for sure. weight shifting on the small vhull is gonna be a drag. + tri hulls imho make good fishing platforms due to the stability of them..

as for three boats to get the other engine, that's your choice. if the other engine is a runner, $100 don't seem to bad to me. even though ya may have to dispose of the hull.

check ea. for wood rot good. any wood rot in either or would change my imho....

 

[JimS123]

Re: pick between these two classics

Never been a fan of tri-hulls, after riding in one once. Nevertheless, given the choice of only those 2 it would be preferred simply becaue it's a bowrider. A closed bow runabout is hard to fish in with more than 2 people.

I'm a bit confused, though, about your "too big" comment. When my 2 boys were that age we had a boat very similar to your Regal and it was a perfect boat for fishing. The wife even came along some times and there was plenty room for us all.

If fishing is the only use for the new boat, I'd buy a 14' or 16' aluminum utility with a tiller steer outboard. Add a pair of oars and that boat will go anywhere. My boys were 8 and 10 when we bought our tinny and it served us well for years. We could go up the shallow streams where the big boat couldn't go. And on vacation we could let the boys go out by themselves in the bay and row around by their own without any worries.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: pick between these two classics

Practicality-wise, the tri-hull is probably the better bet, although I'll admit to being biased towards the other as it's very much like the Arkansas Traveler my parents had when I was a wee skeg biter. Plus, the prospect of a running motor over a pooched one would swing the scales for me.

I too am confused by the reference to the Regal as being too big to fish from. Do you mean for getting into the shallows? For that a little tinnie would be best but it's hard to beat that $100 entry fee you got with the current choices.

 

[slag]

Re: pick between these two classics

Practicality-wise, the tri-hull is probably the better bet, although I'll admit to being biased towards the other as it's very much like the Arkansas Traveler my parents had when I was a wee skeg biter. Plus, the prospect of a running motor over a pooched one would swing the scales for me.

I too am confused by the reference to the Regal as being too big to fish from. Do you mean for getting into the shallows? For that a little tinnie would be best but it's hard to beat that $100 entry fee you got with the current choices.

yeah, too big to get into the shallows with the draw? being too much and the boat too tippy. I'll make a removable platform for the front of the tri hull and mount a trolling motor up there also so i can maneuver between trees, rocks, etc. My wife hates fishing, but i have 3 boys, 2 who are old enough to go fishing who want to go and i dont want to mess with the "family" boat in regards to fishing. Its too big and heavy. And a dedicated bass boat or small aluminum boat is just too expensive considering I can get one of these for $100.00. I might even take the windshield off so we have more range of motion with our poles.

 

[JimS123]

Re: pick between these two classics

Sometimes you can find that little gem that the llittle old lady is selling after her husband died. But those are few and far between. Usually, a $100 boat is worth just that, and may even break the bank to fix it up.

Before I would take my little boys out I would re-do the trailer, which could include lights, bearings, tires, etc. The last used outboard I bought cost me about $400 for reconditioning, including a carb kit, new coils, oil change etc. So, before you know it the $100 boat could end up to cost 6 or 7 hundred.

I bought a brand new tinny last year and sold the old one for $800. That was a fair price and it needed nothing because the trailer and motor had already been updated. A tinny without a floor should last almost forever. Old FG boats may need a new floor and transom.

 

[slag]

Re: pick between these two classics

i picked up the glassmaster. Floor and stringer are solid, the boat is very cute, and will be great to fish out of. Has a bimini, searchlight, fish finder, etc. The trailer will get new bearings and a new coat of paint eventually as well. I think this boat was stored inside a large part of its life. aside from the faded gelcoat, its in great shape.
Thanks all.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: pick between these two classics

The Glassmaster is going to have a lot more room in it than the other boat. It will also offer a lot more fishing area, because of the deck in the bow area.

I don't get why you say its "not a true fishing boat" - they are great boats for fishing. I used to own one that is identical to the one you just bought and fished out of it often. The cap on mine was green, but other than that, it was the same.

I see that you didn't buy the other boat to swap the motors, but just so you know, OMC never made an electric shift 33hp motor, so that one would have been mechanical shift.

I had a number of engine combinations on mine. The first was a pair of Johnson 6hp motors, rigged with a yoke for the steering system and a pair of Shipmaster controls converted to a double unit. Its kind of a long story why I had the two little motors, but sometimes I think it was the best setup I ever had. The boat went all of 8 mph, but I used it often and explored the lakes an bayous in my area for about five years with it.

I then went to a single, 1958 ERude Bigtwin. This info might be of interest to you, because it could be similar (HP wise, anyway) to what you might do. With a 14" pitch prop, the boat went about 20 mph with me and a fair amount of gear/fuel. If you put a more modern 35 hp motor (prop rated hp v. powerhead rated hp), I would expect it to go faster.

I later picked up another '58 Bigtwin and put that on the boat, along with the first one. The 14" props were the most pitch available for those engines, so I stuck with them at twice the hp. The boat would "jump" onto plane with that setup and ran well in to the 30s in terms of speed.

If the transom is solid on yours, you should be able to put up to about 70 hp on it safely. A 60 - 70 hp OMC "triple," with about a 17" prop would push it into the 40 mph + range, easily.

BTW, I think that you will find that the boat is 15' long, not 14'. It will pound when operating into the wind/waves, but there is a simple trick to making things more comfortable. Just back off the power to slow down. When you do, the stern will squat and push the bow up. That will lessen to pounding considerably and will tend to slap the spray down. Its a trihull, so the boat isn't going to cut the waves like a V-hull would, but its not bad if you operate it correctly.

Another tidbit of info on the boat that might be useful, is fuel tank & battery placement. There will be enough room under the splashwell to put a 12 gallon plastic tank and a good sized battery. I tend to run long distances in my boats, so I had a pair of 12 gallon tanks in mine. I also like having two batteries, so I made wood/fiberglass platforms for them and glassed them to the port and starboard "humps" that are right next to your feet, when you are in the driver and passenger seating positions. That worked out very well in terms of both room and weight distribution, especially when I had the two Bigtwins on the boat.

I think you will like the Glassmaster. I had a lot of fun with mine and the only reason that I got rid of it, is because I found a bigger one. My current boat is a 17.5' version of the same boat. Its longer and wider and weighs a lot more, but the 1972 Johnson 65hp motor that I have on it pushes it up to 29 mph (GPS) with a 15' prop. I usually carry about 24 gallons of gas in a pair of aluminum saddle tanks, but ran a fuel line to the foredeck and occassionaly use my old plastic tanks as aux tanks. Even with 48 gallons of fuel aboard, along with two very large batteries and the usual assortment of stuff that you put in a boat of this size, the 65hp Johnny pushes the boat very well.

While this last bit of info doesn't neccessarily apply to yours, I think its a pretty good example of how versitile these boats are. They are not a "true V" and plane easily with a minimum of hp on them, so you can load the boats up and still get a good result. They are also very stable and that's something that is great, when you have a couple of small kids who don't want to sit still.

Have fun with it!



???

 

[Joshua Nichols]

Re: pick between these two classics

If you must have a new money pit to fish out of.. Go with the glassmaster..
Kinda looks like the ebbtide I had.. I could run that boat in very shallow stuff.. Mine had a electric shift 65hp.. Tough little motor once I got it working right.. Sold it for $200 more than I paid.. You can't beat the price if you can fix it and the transom isn't rotted.. Title shoulda been pick between these two crapics