need advise on a new center console........ right now am leaning towards a scout........17.5 ft with a 90 4stroke yamaha or 18.5 with 115 4 stroke yamaha ..... would I be safe/comfortable if a few times a year I left Kerr and took it to atlantic beach for some inshore / nearshore ....lets say fishing within sight of fort macon ....... ( Joe told you I was gonna spend some money on fishing since I got my daughter out of school......no more tution checks to WFU.......lol ) check out www.scoutboats.com and tell me what you think of the 175 and 187 sportfish models........thx

Rj, I go to Atlantic Beach quite A bit, And in the sound and around the bridges you should be ok. But the inlet at FT Macon Gets sorta chopy when the tide turns. Just my opinion, But I would be looking for boats with A little height to the sides. Even A small chop could roll over in the scouts. I have seen even smaller ones out there. But I wouldnt feel safe in one.

BOUGHT A 16.5FT SCOUT WITH 4 STROKE 70HP IN 2000.
BEEN A REAL GOOD BOAT. USE MAINLY AT BUGGS OR SML
BUT DID TAKE TO KEYS COUPLE YEARS AGO FOR LOBSTER.
WILL TAKE SOME PRETTY ROUGH WATER IF YOU PAY ATTN
BUT YOU CAN GET IN TROUBLE PRETTY FAST. WOULD GET
THE 115HP IF I HAD CHOICE. THESE BOATS ARE HEAVIER
THEN ALOT OF SIMULAR MODELS.

Scout boats in that size are adequate for inshore or near shore fishing providing you pick your days and pay close attention to the weather. I have a 17 foot McKee with a similar hull design. Recently spent a week at Hatteras and went off shore 4 days catching dolphin. Have also had this boat out in the ocean at Atlantic Beach and went out 20 miles catching albies in the fall. Inlets can be rough at times and it would be advised to go with someone that has experience if you have not done this before in a small boat. Also I would advise anyone interested in salt water angling to take the Coast Guard Auxillary sponsored boating course.Hope this helps. FB

I fish the ocean quite a bit and if it ain't a deep v then I don't want to be out in it. The ocean can kick up on you so quick and the inlet gets so rough you just can't get back in. Kerr Lake is one thing but that blue water will drown you in a hurry. I have been out trolling for kings 2-5 miles out and within an hour or two we couldn't fish and the inlet was scarry going thu and thats in a 24ft deep v. Please go for safety 1st. 2-3 ft seas then a storm blows in and now 5ft seas breaking all around you MAYBE EVEN OVER THE BOW the inlet has 8 ft rollers your in BIG trouble.

If you're even dreaming of going in saltwater do not even consider anything less than 20 ft! Don't skimp on the boat size! Hulls are dirt cheap compared to motors. I would save money on the motor before I thought about a 16-18 ft boat. If you go out on a slick calm day, an inner tube would do, but T-Storms and fronts come up in a hurry and as someone said, the Inlet is what you have to worry about! Inlet is where the ramps are and provide access to Ocean. The Inlet tide can be running bad with the wind and at times, anything less than 30 ft with substantial deadrise can make it all but, if not impossible to navigate the Inlet. How do I know? Been there, done that!

take a look at sea king boats made by ken craft

My fishing partner has the same outfit you are looking at. He has used it on the lakes, river and chesapeake bay. He went out beyond the ships and got a little nervous. It was calm that day but just the thought of getting caught in bad weather made him come in. I agree with the other fellows. The best advice I can give you is get what you want. Get the outfit that will be feasible regardless of fresh or saltwater. Personally, I feel it should be over 20 ft. long. I also agree with a higher horsepower.
The highest hp recommended for that rig. You might pick your days but mother nature will throw a fork ball in a minute. Good luck.

Bo

Youwill be fine just watch your weather when you go out and the inlet at times as well,I have seen that size boat way out and depends on how comfortable you are in it,trolling for spanish along the beach,live baiting kings around the nearshore ARs,flounder fishing around ARs and when the grey trout and other bottom fish are out in Dead Tree Hole you will be good for that too.You can run down the beach all the way to Cape Lookout Jetty and fish there as well for specks,drum and in the fall false albacore.Just have all the required gear and scout out a little farther and pick up something new each time,do not let the old folks scare you about taking a 17 footer out !

Listen to that very bad advice and you won't ever get to be one of those "old folks".

look at mako or sea pro nice boats

RJ: Scouts are great boats. However I did fish with a friend who had one. and there was only one area of concern for me. The Scout boat that I fished from did not have a high rear transom, ( a model from several years ago, and was a bit overweighted from using 2 four stroke Honda 90's on the back). The following seas in salt water tended to break over the back of the transom, which resulted in too much water coming into the boat. I wasn't comfortable with this feature, and as I've had many years of saltwater experience, I know how easy it is to get into trouble offshore. To give Scout the benefit of doubt, I will re-state that this boat may have been a bit overweighted using 2 outboards which could have contributed to this happening. Otherwise, I found no fault with Scout's quality or performance. This is only a personal opinion/experience, but I would look at the transom area closely. With one motor, it may perform much better.

My comment about skimping on motor vs. hull was if you try and skimp on deadrise angle, beam width and overall length you WILL be sorry off the beach. Lots of motor or even 2 motors won't do you a whole lotta good if yur not still floating! Sure you want a big boat and 2 big outboards. I would like a 30 ft CC and a F350 SuperDuty to pull it but have to make educated decisions and weigh them vs. reality and what is reasonable. Nuff said.

I fished the Chesapeake Bay for many years in a 17½' CC. In rougher waters I had problems with water comin in over the transom. Then one day an unexpected storm along with the wake from a tug did me in. I did manage to get it to a pier before it sank. Sold that boat and went to strictly fresh water fishing.

thaks for the feedback so far .....going shopping this week....... need to start another debate yamaha 4 stroke or e-tec??????

yamaha 4 stroke or e-tec??????
Either one will be a good choice, all 4 strokes require more maint and weigh about 50% more. You really need to look at the maint required and get the cost of it, not just oil changes but timing belt replacement, tune up cost, winterizing and so on. And who can do it? If you must tow the boat 100 miles to get maint done then is the $$$ spent worth it? E-tec very little to do as you know strong dependable engine the gas mileage is not much different either is my understanding and reading. When I replaced the motor on my boat after all was said and done I went with a 2 stroke.
NOW a ??? for you what size boat have you decided on?

I have a Mercury Verado 200 4-stroke and the 1st maintenance oil change is 100 hrs. I second guessed Chatlee Boat when I bought it so I called Mercury myself and asked them and they told me the same thing. 100 hrs. It sure is nice to troll for stripers and be able to hear yourself think and not gag on fumes.... just a little joke for you 2 stroke guys.

have not decided size or brand yet ..... think I may go to Chattlee on Tuesday to window shop a little........how is the noise level on the e-tec ???????
talked to a guy yesterday that was pulling a scout .....he said if you ever own one you would never buy a different brand........said the only thing that would make it a better boat was if he had an etec instead of 4 stroke

not a noisey motor at all according to what I have heard running on the lake here is the web site for more info
www.evinrude.com/en-CA/e-tec

I have a 75hp e-tec and it is the quietest running outboard I have ever owned. At full throttle I can have a conversation with with a fishing partner without having to yell.

chappie

chappie.......... I am the guy from Oxford ..... gray stratos boat...... daughter going to Wake Forest.. (she now works at Duke ,who do I pull for this basketball season ????? lol )....... we have talked at the lake a few times........................ I have heard the etec has good power and you say it is quiet like a 4 stroke ......how is the gas mpg

I've been on 2 different triumphs and they both rode rough. When they hit a wave it's like hitting pavement, it'll literally bring you to your knees. A buddy of mine has a Sea Pro with an Etec 150, it sips gas and rides great. He uses it for everything from crappie fishing to offshore. I almost hit the starter again because I couldn't hear the motor running. If I had the money I'd upgrade my junk to his type of combo right now.

I participate in several outboard repair forums and normally the E-tec is spoken very highly of. Someone posted a report about them stating they run cleaner than some of the 4 stroke. I can't remember where that report is.

I found a 21.5 ft tidewater with a 140 susuki 4 stroke today ......... 2 live wells.... lock rod box .....plenty of storage ...... just might be the boat for me

I heard the Navy is auctioning off some old PT boats. HA!! Just kidding sounds like you have received and taken some very good advice and done your homework. Good luck on your purchase. Smiles. G

anyone else have thoughts on the 21.5 ft tidewater or the suzuki engine ......................???????....also the dealer told me I should ask 7k for my bass boat

RJ
Good to hear from you again.
When it comes to college hoops i am a UNC fan all the way, sounds like we may be able to have a few friendly wagers.
My etec has plenty of power but i have not paid much attention to mpg. i just fill up when it goes below 1/4 tank.
My CC is 17' long and the motor pushes me along at about 38 mph.
i wish i had bought a bigger boat, i feel really cramped when fishing from the rear of the boat. But now my wife wants a pontoon and i can't justify having two boats so i may get my wish.
The tidewater sounds nice.
I am here at Kerr all this coming week and the boat is in the water and ready to go if you want to check out the etec or maybe even fish, let me know.
tight lines
chappie

I have a buddy with a 255 E Tec - it does run really quiet (when it is running), and is often VERY, VERY, quiet, because it is always in the shop. Maybe he got a lemon, but I would not own and E Tec after all the problems he has had. Computer problems, egnition problems, 2 lower untis, and it finally popped on him last week. I know he has spent at least 30 hours of his time pulling it to and from the shop in the past year and a half, not to mention the time lost on the water waiting for it to be repaired over and over again. Just my 2 cents.

that was a 225 E Tec - OOPS

Who gave the bad advice Salty Dog??