What 24' Glass Boat?

[GLF]

I know someone who may be looking for a glass 24' boat. I am not sure what to recommend to them.

What do you think is the "Best" glass 24' boat made for fishing? Why????

[DKuiper]

I have a friend who has a Sportcraft 23'10" hardtop, 2002 model with a V-6 that for me might be the best boat. Solid, good reputation, economical to run, lots of fishing room in the stern area, comfortable seating and a small cuddy cabin with two V berths. Fishes four comfortably, gets you out to where the fish are at a decent speed and back safely. Price wise not to bad for this type of boat. He paid about 30 Gs for it but it is in mint condition. Best will be different to different people, but a good question to put out there, Mike.

Duane

[Nailer]

It depends on the budget. Like said above a Sport Craft is a great upper budget boat. On a low budget, The 23.5 SlickCraft is a fishing machine. Loads of room, very high sides, and a hull that is second to none. Of course the Tiara Pursuit is one of, if not the best out there.

[Reel World Fishing Team]

I had a 1986 23' Searay (230 Cuddy) and it was a great combination of a fishing boat and weekend sleeper. Great boat in any water, great balance and just overall put a smile on your face everytime you used it. If I could have justifed keeping it, I would have in a minute. They made this model from 1985 to 1989 and it had 23' and 25' lengths available. I have known several people who have owned these and usually they end up with a 270 Amberjack afterwords.

I would look closely for one of these again.

[mayvillemark]

I second the sea ray its a good heavy boat, not the best for trailering probally but most glass boats arent.

[mattmishler]

tompson 24 fishermen really good boat have fish on them there deep and the hardtops are second to none i really like them. they fish alot bigger than 24 footer.

[1mainiac]

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1997/Aquasport-245-Explorer-1704842/Clinton/CT/United-States

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2004/Aquasport-25-Explorer-1995703/Pensacola/FL/United-States

http://gratz-pennsylvania.olx.com/1997-starcraft-expedition-fishing-boat-iid-8214197

Trophy 2359 would be a nice boat as well.

2301 Sea Swirl also a nice boat

Way to many choices how much money ? all out fishing or does he have to make room for family use?

235 Conquest by Boston Whaler would be a great choice as well.

My boat is great however it was a comprimise with the wife she wanted a stand up head I wanted to fish this boat did both at a price we could afford. It looks good runs great but being a performance hull does not fish great in the heavy slop as it is a bit top heavy and narrow. I can run on plane in 3 to 5 ft waves made the run back from Port Sheldon in the Muskegon Tourney in about 45 min none of the guys wanted to go fishing with me afterword as we got pounded bad in 3 to 5 ft waves. We burned nearly 80 gallons of gas in 2 days of fishing but made the money and other than a rough ride back from Sheldon had a great time.

Advantage to anyone willing or wanting to buy a boat right now there are a zillion choices. There are a lot of dealers who have not made a sale in weeks or months so if you hit the yards prepare to be live bait.

[JWheeler]

tompson 24 fishermen really good boat have fish on them there deep and the hardtops are second to none i really like them. they fish alot bigger than 24 footer.

I fish out of the Thompson 210 Fisherman HT and love it. Have been looking at upgrading to a larger boat, and the Thompson 24' fisherman is on the top of the list. It is big, roomy and will keep you out of the elements. Talked to a guy in Frankfort with the 24' he traded up an Islander and some cash for it and he had nothing but good things to say about it.

All the suggestions made here are good choices. I think the key is to find a layout that you are comfortable with and a price that you can handle. Now is defiinitely a good time to be buying a boat, with it being fall and also with the economy and how bad people need money. I looked for a year at boats b4 I pulled the trigger on mine. Just take your time and find what you need, and see if it's what you want.

One of my favorite qualities of the boat is, how heavy it is, how well it handles in rough seas~

[HitMan]

My recommendations all depend on the budget and how much is allotted.

However, the Slickcraft 235 is one of the best boats ever made!

[Adam Bomb]

Well, i fish off a Hydra-Sports with outboard power, so i gotta recommend that. It has TONS of deck space and a wide transom. Theres lots of room along the gunnels to mount rod holders, riggers etc. I love our boat, its a fishin machine. Ours is only a 21', but they make 23', 25' and bigger.

[Line Dancin]

thompson 24 hard top. my dad had an old one and it was a great boat. could fish anything in it. Thompson is building the 24 hard top again with no wood in it. i had a link it is www.thompsonboatsdirect.com . they kept the same hull and depth(very deep safe boat) and it handles well. They are going to be coming out with a 26 foot in a couple years. I have been talking to them quite a bit over the last few weeks, and think when my truck is paid off i will have a 24 footer in my yard. Hands down if i had to make a choice it would be the thompson. sportcraft a quick second.

[Paulywood]

Lot's of good choices. I know I love my 22' Sportcraft. I trailered it close to 3,000 miles this summer and had no problem. Rides real nice on the tandem axle aluminum trailer. Fishes bigger than 22', 4 people are very comfortable and could easily fish 5. And I don't like to be crowded. I mounted 5' of tracks on the gunnels. The oversized 4.3 (210 hp) pushes the boat over 40 mph, cruises real nice at 30 mph and only turns 2700 rpm's. I thought it was very economical to run. I looked at a lot of boats last spring and for me it wasn't the brand, but the boat itself that sold me. There are a lot of boats out there that haven't been taken care of. It doesn't matter how good of a boat it is to start with if it isn't taken care of. That being said, we looked at a 25' Sportcraft with an outboard on a transom bracket that I really liked. The wife vetoed it as she wanted seating in the rear. So we ended up with a boat with a doghouse. The seating setup on the Sportcraft's are nice, though. The cushions snap off and the seats fold down. They are made out of Starboard. There is also a large cushion for the doghouse that snaps off. So when it is in fishing mode the only vinyl on the boat is the 4 front seats and the padding on the gunnels. Easy to keep clean with the washdown pump and self bailing cockpit. One boat that we missed on was a 25' Trophy that had twin outboards and a cabin with stand-up head. By the time I called it was already sold. Some other boats we looked at were Pursuit's, Pro-Line's and Striper's. All good boats. One thing to watch with the boats that come with full hard tops. Some of them are very low, like 6'. If you are taller or fish with people who are taller keep an eye out for this. I had a lot of fun looking for a new boat. Just be patient and be willing to look at a lot of boats and you will find a good deal.

[Just Hook'n]

Just down the dock from me is a 24 bayliner hard top WA series. It is set up. Sleeps 3, fridge under captains chair, full potty on board below. Table outside in the hard top area (could sleep 4 I guess). Great setup out back for fishing. Guy has 4 riggers (big jon of course) and dipsey holders and extras for birds. I did not think it had that much room down below as it looks pretty small, but he explained that the fridge is under the captains chair and that one of the sleeping compartments goes under the other side. Also comes with a powerful 5.7liter that can make that thing move.

Not sure on the price, but a very nice setup.

[2UNREEL]

Albemarle- Designed by fisherman for fisherman

http://www.albemarleboats.com/trailerable/248XF.html

[mattmishler]

what about a grady white.

http://gradywhite.com/232/

[Paulywood]

Both the Albemarle and Grady are great boats but were out of my price range. That is another consideration. I tried to get the newest boat in the best condition for my price range. Ended up with a 2002 Sporty instead of a 1988 Pursuit. Same price range. Less than 1/10 the hours. And as always, get a survey.

[tbromund]

I'm a Thompson guy, but I believe you have to throw Penn Yan into the mix as well. I know quite a few guys here on Lake O with 245 Contenders (24' Penn Yan HT) and they are awesome fishing machines.

Tim

[Paulywood]

I think that the Penn Yan's might be too wide to trailer though. I believe they have a 10' beam.

[Rayman96]

245 Contender...............96" beam.

http://www.iboats.com/Penn_Yan_Marine____1990/bp/63b64547r2

[Paulywood]

I guess I was mistaken. They are nice boats.

[anthonyyost]

You can still trailer the wider boats, from 10' to 12' wide all you need is a yearly permit from the state which runs about $45.00.

Anything over 12' wide needs a permit every trip, with the trip being scheduled and routed.

[DKuiper]

There is a Trophy for sale just north of Richland on M-43. It is at a dealer there on the east side of the road. Looks like it has been used for big lake fishing with some rodholders and may be riggers on it. Twin OBs and maybe 21-24'? As has been mentioned it is a great time to be a buyer. I think they will all wheel and deal. The area from Toledo to Port Clinton, OH is a great spot to do some looking and boat shopping. Always a bunch of boats for sale down there. Might be worth a day trip down that way.

Duane