SEA PRO 230 WA??
Greg Parrish
now, instead of saving for larger boat for later. I'm still going to work
towards the larger shamrock, albemarle or albin, but want some sort of boat
in the interim.
I found a 1996 Sea Pro 230 WA with 205hp I/O, galvanized trailer and bimini
top for $15,895 list price. Is this a good boat? I like the 235 open they
have now, but am not sure how the 230 would handle. Is this boat capable of
going 30 or 40 miles off shore? It lists a 126 gallon tank on an I/O engine
and a weight of 3200 lbs. How does this boat handle waves? etc? Is that
enough power? I think it may be a 3.0 litre mercruiser. What type of range
should I expect from this boat? Also, what would a hard top probably run?
Thanks for your help.
Greg Parrish
JDavis1277
I have no idea on the quality of the boat. But, I would never have another
I/O. Plus, the 205 hp sounds low to me for a 23 foot walk around fishing
boat.... especially with a heavy I/O.
Butch
Greg wrote: >I found a 1996 Sea Pro 230 WA with 205hp I/O, galvanized trailer
and bimini
>top for $15,895 list price. Is this a good boat?<snip>
gp
so. The hull appears to be the same hull as their 235 center console. Does
anyone know the reliability factor of the 4.3liter i/o ?
JDavis1277 wrote in message
<20000103094453...@ng-cs1.aol.com>...
William Thomas
a closed transom like an I/O has. If I were buying the boat I would get a
~10HP kicker motor for going out 40 miles. They make brackets you can
attach to the transom and lower the motor when in use. When you are
close-in you can leave the motor at home.
Here on the West coast of Florida the I/O's do not do very well if left in
salt water all the time.
The boat should have enough power to cruise in the mid to high 20's - that
is as fast as I usually want to go if there is any real chop.
I like the small cabins better than center consoles. It is nice to have a
dry space for your "stuff". I have also found you stay a little dryer and
have less wind.
The I/O is heavy compared to the outboard. The biggest difference is how
long it takes to get on plane. The I/O will squat down when you apply power
and take ~15 seconds longer to get on plane.
I like the extra weight when things get rough. When you are plowing along
at 15 knots in 4' seas the heavier boat will not bounce around as much.
It looks like a good price to me - depending on hours and condition.
Look here to check prices http://www.traderonline.com/boat/index.shtml.
Good luck - I am tempted to do what you are doing - I am still holding out
for my Shamrock - looks like 3-6 months to go!
Greg Parrish <gpar...@houston.rr.com> wrote in message
news:MLVb4.88$N36....@typhoon.austin.rr.com...
> Well, I've taken a different route and am looking for a boat I can afford
> now, instead of saving for larger boat for later. I'm still going to work
> towards the larger shamrock, albemarle or albin, but want some sort of
boat
> in the interim.
>
> I found a 1996 Sea Pro 230 WA with 205hp I/O, galvanized trailer and
bimini
hkr...@capuantispam.net
> I found a 1996 Sea Pro 230 WA with 205hp I/O, galvanized trailer and bimini
> top for $15,895 list price. Is this a good boat? I like the 235 open they
> have now, but am not sure how the 230 would handle. Is this boat capable of
> going 30 or 40 miles off shore? It lists a 126 gallon tank on an I/O engine
> and a weight of 3200 lbs. How does this boat handle waves? etc? Is that
> enough power? I think it may be a 3.0 litre mercruiser. What type of range
> should I expect from this boat? Also, what would a hard top probably run?
>
> Thanks for your help.
> Greg Parrish
1. SeaPro makes pretty good boats for the money. The larger ones are no
exception. We've owned three SeaPros and have been pleased with them.
2. If by handles, you mean is the 23' a capable offshore fishing boat,
the answer is yes. The usual caveats about going far offshore in smaller
boats applies, of course...your skill and the weather are at least as
important as the boat. Under the right conditions, I wouldn't hestitae
going 50-75 miles offshore in the Atlantic on one.
3. The engine is likely to be a 4.3 liter V-6, not the 3.0 liter I-4. I
would consider the boat "underpowered" with the 4.3 liter V-6, but I
like to go faster than I should. The boat should cruise in the mid 20's,
which is pretty good for an offshore fishing boat of that size.
Interestingly, the magic number for years for real offshore sport
fishing boats, 35' and larger, has been a 30 mile an hour cruise speed,
because hardly anyone with a big fishing boat that size runs at WOT.
It's too hard on the engines and uses way too much fuel. Most days in
the real ocean you probably aren't going to be able to go much faster
than 25 mph, anyway. To put it into perspective, we have a smaller
SeaPro now, a Bay 19, that will top out at more than 50 mph in slightly
choppy water. I rarely run over 30 miles an hour, even in ideal
conditions, and consider 20-25 mph a comfortably cruising speed when the
water is a little worse than slightly choppy.
-
Harry Krause
------------
Old hackers never die, they just}~&*#h. NO CARRIER
Jerry Hahn
found in boats that are in the 18-21' range of bowriders. It is a very
reliable and nice motor, basically a 350 minus 2 cylinders. At 205, is this
a FI? Seems like the carbed ones are rated around 185. Might be mistaken.
Either way, I would have no problems using this motor, just don't know about
this boat/motor combo. Jerry
gp <gpar...@NOSPAM.geocities.com> wrote
> I found out the engine is a 4.3litre GM block with only about 200 hours or
so. Does anyone know the reliability factor of the 4.3liter i/o ?
bmc...@ti.com
a head gasket, and my 96 Blazer has 80,000 with no problems.
Bill
Jerry Hahn <jerry...@email.msn.com> wrote in message
news:uZv07CjV$GA.266@cpmsnbbsa05...
hkr...@capuantispam.net
>
> I looked at the boat today, and it is in excellent condition. The motor is
> a volvo 4.3 Gi SX 205 hp GM V-6 with efi and volvo single prop outdrive.
> The motor sounded fine. I did not get to sea trial yet, so I'm not sure
> about the power yet, but hopefully it is enough for the boat to be okay.
>
> The boat lists a 45 mph top speed with a 250 hp i/o, so what do you think it
> would do with the 205? Also, I'm betting it would not be an impossible
> thought to repower with a larger engine and duoprop down the road at rebuild
> time.
In the 30's, WOT. Repowering is possible, but a V-8 with a duoprop is an
expensive piece of goods.
>
> The boat only appeared to need a few fixes that the dealer said they would
> fix free.
> Any more observations, comments, or recommendations would be appreciated at
> this point.
> Thanks again, Greg.
Check and see if the engine is fresh-water cooled, via a heat exchanger.
That would be a good sign. You should have an independent mechanic look
over the boat and engine, and check the latter for compression and
corrosion. How many hours on the engine? Are the service records
available? IF so, look them over carefully.
--
Harry Krause
------------
Edit, Save, Exit, Assemble, Link, Run, Curse, Reboot...
Greg Parrish
a volvo 4.3 Gi SX 205 hp GM V-6 with efi and volvo single prop outdrive.
The motor sounded fine. I did not get to sea trial yet, so I'm not sure
about the power yet, but hopefully it is enough for the boat to be okay.
The boat lists a 45 mph top speed with a 250 hp i/o, so what do you think it
would do with the 205? Also, I'm betting it would not be an impossible
thought to repower with a larger engine and duoprop down the road at rebuild
time.
The boat only appeared to need a few fixes that the dealer said they would
fix free. One was the replacement of the tachometer, as the needle was
bent. Another was the replacement of the blue backing behind the gauges as
the one in the boat had cracked due to overtightened screws. Beyond that,
the boat appeared fine. The boat only included a compass and fish finder
for equipment, but the addition of a GPS should finish it off nicely. I
wish it had the hard top, but I guess that could be added down the road.
Walkaround room seemed more than adequate as a 6' tall person with size 12
shoes, I found it easy to get up front. The cabin on this 96' model only
included cushions in a V fashion with a large filler cushion that concealed
a place for a port a potti.
The dealer was unwilling to negotiate price as they said they were at rock
bottom on the boat now. I'm assuming the price is good based on other
comments so far, but you would think they would drop a little from the
$15,895.
Any more observations, comments, or recommendations would be appreciated at
this point. Also, any idea of range on this boat with the 4.3 volvo set up
would be appreciated. I'm assuming the boat holds around 100-125 gallons of
fuel.
Thanks again, Greg.
<hkr...@capuantispam.net> wrote in message
news:3870E01F...@capu.net...
Lee Rickey
Greg,
Sea Pro makes a decent inexpensive boat. A couple words of advice you may find
helpful.
1) The idea of your changing to a bigger motor and duoprop is unlikely. You'll
outgrow the boat
before it needs repowering, and the cost would be prohibitive given the boat's
value.
2) If you're already thinking about more power, buy it NOW.
3) Hardtops cost about $5000.
4) 40 miles offshore in this boat ?? It better damn well be a nice day,
because 40 miles back in even
4 foot seas is one LONG MISERABLE WET BANGING SLAMMING ride. Most people that
talk about going 40 50 60 miles offshore
in 20 - 24 foot boats have probably done it once, and they also probably call 2
foot seas 4 footers. As my buddy once said when asked how big a boat do
you need to go 50 miles offshore ?? He replies " How big are your balls?"
Sounds like you need a bigger, more powerful, better equipped boat now. Don't
compromise. You'll be trading up next year.
Trading up is expensive. Buy what you need now.
Also, for offshore that far, twin OUTBOARDS are the way to go.
Good Luck
Greg Parrish wrote:
> Well, I've taken a different route and am looking for a boat I can afford
> now, instead of saving for larger boat for later. I'm still going to work
> towards the larger shamrock, albemarle or albin, but want some sort of boat
> in the interim.
>
Ed
<gpar...@houston.rr.com> wrote:
<SNIP>
>The boat only appeared to need a few fixes that the dealer said they would
>fix free. One was the replacement of the tachometer, as the needle was
>bent. Another was the replacement of the blue backing behind the gauges as
>the one in the boat had cracked due to overtightened screws. Beyond that,
>the boat appeared fine. The boat only included a compass and fish finder
>for equipment, but the addition of a GPS should finish it off nicely. I
>wish it had the hard top, but I guess that could be added down the road.
How does a tachometer needle get bent? I thought all guages were
sealed?
-Ed G
ae...@flight.net
>
>Good Luck
We've had automotive engines (inboard and I/O) in our boats for 30
years, and I've never had a problem. Many large ships have single
engines, but if you're concerned, get a kicker.
An I/O with closed transom on the open sea is far safer than an
outboard setup with 3" of transom clearance from the water. A
following sea swamping over an outboard(s) can be real trouble,
regardless of scuppers and self bailing decks.
Some of the best boats in the business (Pursuit, Albemarle, etc.) use
I/O power in their boats. The Volvo set-up is excellent, and while
you won't be outrunning hydroplanes, you'll have plenty of power to do
plenty of pleasure boating. You'll also enjoy MUCH better fuel
effeciency from a I/O.
With today's technology, both I/O and outboards are reliable engines.
Some prefer outboards, some prefer I/O. Both are complex devices that
require the utmost in maintenance to survive life on the water. Abuse
either and you'll be left stranded. One things for sure, I'd rather
replace my GM 350 than a Merc 300 Opti!!!!!!
Lee Rickey
You're right inboards are reliable too, and certainly cheaper to replace,
but take a walk down a marina's docks and see what you see more of. Twin
outboards on fishing boats, or twin I/O's. At least where I'm from twin
OB's outnumber twin I/O's 20 - 1. Also, if you're doing any bay fishing,
try getting twin I/O's off a small sandbar (I know you've never been stuck
on a sandbar because you know the area, but it happens to all of us
someday). Most boats where I'm from that use inboards are true inboards
and a lot bigger boat than Greg is looking to buy.
3 inches of transom clearance ?? I don't think I've ever seen a boat with
3 inches of transom clearance, and today's outboards are all sealed from
water intrusion since they need to back down on big fish on a regular
basis. I've seen a lot more water come over the transom of 40 foot
sportfisherman than I ever have on an outboard boat.
I bet Pursuit sells 10 times as many OBs as IOs.
Albemarle's in a different class. Not the type of boat that Greg is
looking at.
Try returning 40 miles in a storm with a 15 HP kicker pushing that 25 foot
boat. Can you say drown ???