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Decisions on a Sportfisher

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Sc00bster, Sep 4, 2013.

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  1. Sc00bster

    Sc00bster New Member

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    Location:
    Texas
    Good evening everybody. I am currently looking at yachts to do some bluewater fishing. My center console is not very "comfortable" for trips over 80 miles. We have to go a long way to get to deep water in Texas. I found a couple of boats around my price range and I can't seem to find a comparison online between twin Yanmar 500hp turbo diesels (with about 250 hours) and twin 700hp cat C12s (with about 350 hrs). The Yanmars are on a 38 ft convertible and the Cats are on a 41 ft convertible. As far as longevity and reliability is concerned, what would be the better choice. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
  2. captaintilt

    captaintilt Senior Member

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    Great Lakes / Florida
    Personally, I would go with the C12 CATS simply because they are larger displacement, and don't smoke as much as a Yanmar. If your like me, I hate scrubbing soot off of the transom. I delivered the 35' Luhrs Convertible from St. Augustine to Miami for the boat show in 2008, (Yanmar engines and Zeus Pods) and while I'm a fan of Yanmar engines, because they are pretty robust and tough, I didn't like the turbo lag and black smoke when accelerating. That boat also had a swim platform, which seemed to "grab" the smoke and let it sit on the transom and platform, which created the "station wagon" effect, and needed to be cleaned every time after running the boat.
  3. Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

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    Yanmar makes some nice engines. But for longevity and availability of parts and service, I'd go with the CATs.
  4. Sc00bster

    Sc00bster New Member

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    Thank you for the responses. As far as Luhrs goes, are they bad boats? I see that a lot of people do not like them. I like the look and price of them a lot. In comparison to a vehicle would a luhrs be a ford, nissan, mercedes or something else. I drive a Lariat f150 and absolutely love it so I don't necessarily need a mercedes but I also do not want to sink in 6-8 ft seas (or any seas for that matter).
  5. BrandName

    BrandName Member

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    Sc00b,

    Nice to see another Texan "on board", where do you boat out of? I would go with the CAT's. Reliable, less smoke and easier to find someone to work on 'em along the Gulf Coast. Also, I would be hesitant to tackle GOM 6-8's in a 35 Luhrs.

    I see that you are stepping up from a CC. Do you have any particular boats in mind? Luhrs, Cabo, Bert, Hatt, etc? There is a big difference in ride among all of the options out there, especially in our often confused waters.
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I would also go with CATS but skip the Luhrs. Their build quality is pretty much the bayliners of SF.
  7. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    I feel they were short on quality also. Seem to hold up fair.
    For a solid fishing platform, pass Luhrs by.
  8. r29g

    r29g New Member

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    Luhrs = Kia
  9. Sc00bster

    Sc00bster New Member

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    Brandname, I keep my boat in Matagorda along with other family member's boats. The only reason I was looking at a Luhrs was because I like the look and it seemed like you got a whole lot of boat for the money. It seems that is not the case and like everything else you get what you paid for. The main things I am looking for is very little to no diesel smell (to the point where gas is an option) and I would also take less rock over a smoother ride. I have never bought a boat this size and I do not know much about approximate cost of ownership. I think I heard around 10% of boats value each year. I just have not found a boat that has the comforts, hours, and electronics that I can afford at this time that is not a Luhrs or Ocean. I am still a young man so I may wait a while and get some quality.
  10. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Ocean yachts have had their up & downs also. I believe they have been on the upper side lately.
  11. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I'd take one over a Luhrs any day. The only Luhrs they made very well was the 32'. It rode and handled well and was built fairly well compared to the bigger ones.
  12. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    And I agree.
    I would say also that every boat builder has gone thru a couple of embarrassing (cheap) years.

    Interesting, Seems Luhrs has been bouncing around some new corp owners. The latest owner plans to deliver 2014 models.
  13. Kafue

    Kafue Senior Member

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    Gold Coast Australia
    Maintenance costs

    Looking to get the "most boat for the buck" is a dangerous trap in this market. You will find many good looking boats at low price, but that big boat has the same maintenance costs as it did when it was a high price luxury. Plus a good looking boat can be as expensive as a good looking girlfriend, it gives you the thrill, but there maybe very little substance to her.

    You have already pointed out the 10% rule that is often used as a guide. Believe me this is correct! You may have a few years where it is way under this percentage, but over a 5 year period or more, the odds are that the 10% is right.

    Don’t buy the boat because you can afford the purchase price, buy it if you can enjoy it comfortably after the buzz of the first few months of use are over.
    Good luck.
  14. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I don't know what your price range is, but I'd start looking at Cabo's. The older 45' express is a good running boat 2001 or newer, the older ones run good but are a little wetter.....However built solid with great equipment.
  15. captdbg

    captdbg New Member

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    Topaz made a great express had one for years.A lot of boat