Used sportfish decisions

Mike Hall · 04-20-2009, 03:14 PM

I'm considering purchase of a late 80's 37 Bertram with 6/92's or a early 90's 38 Blackfin with the same..any one have any advice?

Manny · 04-20-2009, 04:37 PM

I used to own a 1986 37 Bertram. That was an excellent boat. Water would never get to the bridge in choppy water, a step ahead from my current 54' Bertram. It was really comfortable as well. I can tell you that a 37' will not disappoint. I had a friend who owned a 38' blackfin, and it was also a very nice boat, also very reliable. You can't go wrong with either one. But I can tell you right now that a 37 Bertram is an excellent boat. Period.

Mike Hall · 04-20-2009, 08:37 PM

Thanks for the reply. The rest is in the negotiations..MH.

Mike Hall · 04-28-2009, 09:15 AM

Went to boat show and looked at available boats. A 2000 35 Cabo flybridge caught my eye, It has 3208's with 2000 hours but is otherwise pristine..any cautious words re these engines at that age level?

NYCAP123 · 04-28-2009, 10:09 AM

That's about 250 hrs. a year. A well used boat and one that probably got proper maintenance. Those motors should have a lot of life ahead of them, but, of course, have them looked over.

Capt J · 04-28-2009, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Hall

Went to boat show and looked at available boats. A 2000 35 Cabo flybridge caught my eye, It has 3208's with 2000 hours but is otherwise pristine..any cautious words re these engines at that age level?

3208's are pretty good engines and have a lot of life left with those hours. Usage is 250hrs a year like NYCAP said and that is better for the engines then 50hrs a year. 3208's are remanufactured by Caterpillar and come with warranties and the reman's are pretty reasonable actually should you ever need them. The 35' Cabo is a good boat and built very well. Going 3 or 4 years newer will get you newer engine technology c7's I believe or c9's and the electronic controls albeit at a higher price. Other then that, not much is different between the 2000 and 2008. But there's nothing wrong with what you're looking at. I ran a 35' Cabo Flybridge from Ft. Laud to Placencia Belize one time. It's about the only sub 45' SF I would make that trip with.

Manny · 04-28-2009, 08:31 PM

The Cabo is an excellent boat. Can't go wrong with that one either.

Mike Hall · 04-28-2009, 10:06 PM

Thank you. That is very good information and I will try to make it happen.

Capt J · 04-28-2009, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Hall

Thank you. That is very good information and I will try to make it happen.

Its also a lot more current boat then the other two you're considering with a lot more modern items like livewell, newer heads, two large fishboxes, all of the systems are newer like digital a/c controls.....appliances etc.......

Mike Hall · 04-28-2009, 10:21 PM

Yes, I noticed those things. The higher price reflects all that, but it does seem like a great machine. If I can get the present owner to see pricing my way, I will buy it.

Capt J · 04-28-2009, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Hall

Yes, I noticed those things. The higher price reflects all that, but it does seem like a great machine. If I can get the present owner to see pricing my way, I will buy it.

HEHEHHEHE.....If I could get the owners of a lot of things to see pricing my way, I would've bought a lot of things but they didn't.......

Check around, there are a lot of boats on the market.....if you're looking for an express, The 35' Carolina Classic is a great great riding and handling boat

Mike Hall · 04-28-2009, 10:29 PM

No kidding. I have owned 3 boats, but have been out of the sport for a couple of years. I am finally retired and have the time to play, so I'm looking for a good boat to stay aboard and travel a bit as well as fish, hence the 35-40 foot flybridge types.

04-30-2009, 11:56 AM

One question people have failed to ask you is how will you use the boat? A 35' Cabo (especially 2000) is extremely wet (one of the wettest) and fairly hard riding. If you make long runs in your fishing or like to fish moderate to rough weather - you will not like the Cabo. If you fish short distances or calm water mostly, the Cabo uses space better and has excellent finish work. Plus 3208's (surprised they were used in 2000) are among the best motors built by Cat and are still supported.

The 37' Bertram and the Blackfin are much softer riding and drier (MUCH). You also might consider the 35' or 38' Henriques. Both were excellent sea boats, economical and reasonably priced to begin with.

I've run over 150 models of boats over 30' as a freelance captain for 30 years and try to be unbiased if that's possible.

Mike Hall · 04-30-2009, 08:35 PM

good points. I fish the Gulf of Mexico out of Texas. We have a long, 40-50 mile run into choppy headseas to reach deep water. The last 2 of my boats were Blackfins for that reason..I had not heard any adverse words about the post 2000 Cabo as it was supposedly redesigned to cure that problem.

Capt J · 04-30-2009, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Hall

good points. I fish the Gulf of Mexico out of Texas. We have a long, 40-50 mile run into choppy headseas to reach deep water. The last 2 of my boats were Blackfins for that reason..I had not heard any adverse words about the post 2000 Cabo as it was supposedly redesigned to cure that problem.

The 35' Flybridge isn't wet and rides pretty nice, the express can be a little wet. I delivered a 35' Flybridge from Fort Lauderdale to Belize and it didn't have any strataglass and we never got a drop of water on us.