PNW Trailerable Recommendations

Need input for a trailerable 15'-22' outboard powered boat to be used in Washington state. Haven't yet spent any time walking docks but after a vehicle tour looking at property we have the itch to have a small boat available.

My first inclination is a center console for its multipurpose abilities. Or perhaps an Arima style cuddy cabin with soft or hardtop to hide under? We haven't ruled out a new Tahoe bow rider from Bass Pro Shops yet either.

What seems to be the more popular style up there? We really are a blank slate at this point. Overnights or cooking aboard is completely off the table, just looking to scoot around at 30+ knots and maybe even drown a worm occasionally.

Thanks for any input.

Hi Craig,
If you are planning to boat on the Sound or the Straits, I would stay away from a "Bow Rider". It just takes a couple minutes for the water conditions to change, you will be taking water over the bow.
Cuddy cabins are good, if you get one with a pass through windshield.
There are a lot of good boats that will keep you safe on the sound.

welded Al. cuddy cabin outboard... Before you purchase, some Al. boats are built for rivers and some for saltwater (read fairly flat entrance angle - more angled forward deadrise for saltwater designed. ) All plate Al. smaller boats do not do well in a chop at cruise speed... one built for fresh water will pound your hemorrhoids up through your ears... The best thing is good resale value, light weight, tough...

Something with a pilothouse is nice if you think you'll use it any time other than summer. Even in the summer, it's often nice to be indoors.

Seasport, Osprey, Skagit Orca, Parker are all popular fiberglass boats for this purpose. There are a ton of Hewescraft aluminum boats running around too. If economy is more important than speed and ride, C-Dory is popular (I have one to get to and from a cabin the San Juans, let me know if you want a ride).

My neighbors on a non-ferry-accessible island in the San Juans mostly have Grady Whites or Pursuits. They all have hardtops and always have the canvas up. Might as well have just bought a pilothouse IMO.

Retriever said:

My neighbors on a non-ferry-accessible island in the San Juans mostly have Grady Whites or Pursuits. They all have hardtops and always have the canvas up. Might as well have just bought a pilothouse IMO.

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One of the things that struck me on my recent trip North was the number of Grady Whites that I saw. They were everywhere and seemed to be used for everything.

dhays said:

One of the things that struck me on my recent trip North was the number of Grady Whites that I saw. They were everywhere and seemed to be used for everything.

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They are wonderful boats and really good company. We bought one a year ago for the east coast and the company had been outstanding in supporting us with questions, and in rectifying a small problem. And just the other day I got a phone call from one of their service managers at the factory just to check in and see how things were going and to ask if I needed anything. Left me his name and contact info if anything came up. If only all companies acted that way....

But back to PNW boats, I'd second Sam's (Retriever's) suggestion to strongly consider an enclosed cabin. You see tons of them up here, and there is a reason for it - it can be cold and wet. Unless you plan to use it strictly in the summer, I would lean very heavily towards an enclosed boat.

At one time my wife and I were considering living on a South Sound Island. Because of my work schedule, I would have needed to not be dependent on the ferry. We were looking at boating options for essentially commuting. We decided that we would need something small, trailer-able, fast, and dry.

I would look at something like the C-Dory as was mentioned or the SeaSports. There are other boats similar, but I would chose something with a solid enclosed cabin and something that you could beach.

I don't know what your budget limits are but if you're trying to keep costs down, here's a good choice. Lots of these Bayliner 2452's up in the Puget Sound area. It's a little bigger than what you were looking for and it isn't outboard powered, but they can be found for a reasonable price and are easily trailerable.

Great suggestions as always. Thanks gang, wife and I will focus on the enclosed models.

You might also want to look at the smaller Rangers (21 and 23).

God I miss my Arvor 20 ' it would have been my favorite trailer boat . We spent many weekends onboard and she was a great harbor boat for choppy waters and often traveled 40miles out to sea in search of fish .
American Nautics - Arvor - 20



Sister ship

PNW has lots of wind blown short chop.

Most boats ride like a crazy buckboard.
I'd be looking for a long, narrow, light boat that rides smooth. The Bayliner GFC pointed out rides a bit rough and is'nt light. Would take an old Cadilic or a truck to tow it. I know somebody w a 24' Nexus that would tow w a 6cyl car. Powered w a 45hp Honda. It's a flat bottomed boat but of significance it rides very level.

Forget brands and define your needs. Then look for boats that match.

Well represented

Look for something that is well represented in the area. I would look at only a Cuddy or Alaskan bulkhead. Nothing with open bows. I have even seen boats with cuddys get swamped with about a foot of water coming over the windshield on the Columbia!
Arima's do an amazing job at retaining value, solid construction, look towards a 19' or 22'. When your done with it it will sell quickly. Or potentially a 22' C-dory Angler, great boat too - holds value. Easy on gas and you can stay warm while fishing or moving about. I have always appreciated the enclosed boats in the PNW makes for more comfort during the fall and winter.

bshillam said:

Arima's do an amazing job at retaining value, solid construction, look towards a 19' or 22'. When your done with it it will sell quickly. Or potentially a 22' C-dory Angler, great boat too - holds value.

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Those two makes have quickly become the center of our focus. 22' is the very top end of the length scale for us and while I have nothing against Bayliner the baby pilot house inboard/outboard is off the table as too large. Arima and C-dory are represented both there and in my local Bay Area and good bang for the buck too IMO. Large used inventory to choose from means I can take my time and be choosy too.

Eric raised a great point as always though regarding towing. Obviously a diesel powered beast is "best" for towing but does anyone have experience pulling any of the above with a vehicle us mere mortals might drive? V6 powered Toyota Tacoma 4x4 is my planned retirement/tow vehicle. My plan is to store on the trailer at a marina but will tow for maintenance or relocating only occasionally.

CPseudonym said:

Those two makes have quickly become the center of our focus. 22' is the very top end of the length scale for us and while I have nothing against Bayliner the baby pilot house inboard/outboard is off the table as too large. Arima and C-dory are represented both there and in my local Bay Area and good bang for the buck too IMO. Large used inventory to choose from means I can take my time and be choosy too.

Eric raised a great point as always though regarding towing. Obviously a diesel powered beast is "best" for towing but does anyone have experience pulling any of the above with a vehicle us mere mortals might drive? V6 powered Toyota Tacoma 4x4 is my planned retirement/tow vehicle. My plan is to store on the trailer at a marina but will tow for maintenance or relocating only occasionally.

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I own a 2002 Ford Explorer V8 with a tow package. Mine is in great shape. This was one of the most popular SUVs for a number of years and there are a lot of them around. They are amazingly cheap on the used market and are equipped to tow very well. They also have a lot of room for all the boat/camping gear or tools you might want to carry.

Craig,
When I said 6cyl I had in mind a V6 mini van. Kinda like "towing for the average person" but these days the average person may have a truck w a 4 liter + engine. Can't belive trucks sell as well as cars but ??

We have a 350 PU and a 350 Suburban but almost never drive them. They drive like trucks haha

When towing it isn't so much about the size of the engine as the size of the brakes...

Back in the 70s I towed a 21' boat all over Washington including over to Lake Chelan with a '62 Plymouth Valiant. It was more than up to the job.

I tow my C-dory 22 cruiser with a Toyota Sienna minivan with the towing package. Works fine from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic. Might not be up to the task in the PNW though.

When towing w cars or small trucks the most important element of the equation is balancing the weight of the towed vehicle and the tow vehicle.

Climbing hills or mountains one suceeds by downshifting and going slow. Keep the engine reved up and w a reasonable load.

Just my opinion.

TDunn what was your boat in the 70's?

We towed our CD 22 Cruiser (heavier than an angler, especially when loaded with stuff for a long cruise) all over the mountainous west with a 1989 Nissan Pathfinder, manual transmission, higher-grade suspension.

Its 185 hp? v6 engine was plenty if we geared down and were patient going up big hills. We would gear down before descending a big hill too, so we never got going so fast we had to brake hard on the way down.

Towed her up to Prince Rupert (1850 miles one way, and plenty of mountains) with a 1994 Isuzu Trooper, also manual transmission. Either was plenty for so light a boat.

Tow vehicle weight, length, suspension, and good brakes (on both tow vehicle and trailer) are all important. Getting tongue weight set properly too (maybe 8-10 % of trailer weight). I would think the v6 Tacoma would be fine.

Considering the dollar is strong against the Canadian Dollar you might check out these aluminum Canidan boat builders.

https://www.google.com/search?q=bri...ders&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari