Pen Yan Boats

[scooterj1770]

Does anyone have any expierence with Pen Yan boats? I am looking at a 2001- 25 foot IO with a 230HP Merc. The company went out of business that year. I will be using it on Lake Superior for Lakers and for cruising. Boat has less than 300 hours on the main motor and is a one owner. The owner has nothing but praise for the brand and the boat and is selling because of his age but I have never been around one. Any feedback would be helpful.

[scooterj1770]

Sorry Guys its a Penn Yan

[Yankee Troller]

Check the weep holes in the stringers to see if they are finished correctly. The older models had poorly finished weep holes and water was able to rot out the stringers, and eventually the transoms. Otherwise, they are nice boats to fish out of.

As always a survey costing 400-600 bucks can save you thousands in the long run. It also helps you negotiate a lower price when it turns up some of the issues with the boat.

[Rascal Trophy Fishing]

Like Cherokees, Sportcrafts, Egg Harbors and other great lakes boats, once the brand has gone out of business, it's difficult to get resale/parts/service in the future. Like Richard said, key importance before buying, is a marine survey. The surveyor will go through the boat tooth and nail, if he's doing the job correctly, and find any rot/stringer/weep problems, also fiberglass, running gears, wiring, instrumentation, all the boat. Make sure he does the full survey, not a cosmetic/partial one. It may cost a few dollars more, and will take about 4 hours, but should find deficiencies that will make a buying decision more informed. PennYan's were most noted for their "tunnel drive" hull, which had a keel hull that protected the rudder/propeller from hitting bottom if you went too shallow. I believe Shamrock's also favored that hull design.

[mudflat]

If you are looking at the boat I think you are I own almost the identical Penn Yan 255 Intruder except mine has a 300 mpi mercruiser. I believe 2001 was the last year they were manufactured. I feel they handle rough water fairly well and was impressed with mine last year when I was caught in a squall 5 miles out on Lake Ontario, my wife wasn't impressed at all, if you know what I mean. I can fish 4 guys comfortably, the dog house is fairly small and not hard to work around, and the hard top is high enough. Workmanship is nothing fancy (plush) but seems solid, probably better than average all around.

I would make sure to take it for a test ride with the load you would normally carry to make sure the 230hp provides enough performance to satisfy you. Not too bad to tow and no permits needed since they have a 8'6" beam. The bow pulpit makes it a little tricky to launch till you figure out how far to back it in the water so the pulpit doesn't hang up on the winch, that said I usually launch it by myself and keep my feet dry.

Overall I've owned mine 3yrs now and am still very happy with it, not even tempted yet to get anything else.

Hope this info helps.