Looking at 21-23' Walkarounds... Why Sea Hunt?

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PennStateZ	Looking at 21-23' Walkarounds... Why Sea Hunt?		Lead	[-]
Posts: 3 08/17/2008 11:29 AM	Tags : None I'm going to be purchasing my first boat soon. A little background: I live in Hampton Roads (boat will stay in VA Beach/Lynnhaven area). I want something versatile and seaworthy. I probably won't be making long offshore trips but the water gets rough here even in the bay. It would be nice to be able to tow a tube, cruise up the York and James Rivers, or fish in the Chesapeake. Based on these criteria I've decided that I need to be looking at small walkarounds. I doubt that I'll have the funds to buy a brand new boat, but something that's depreciated for a couple years should be within reach. Based on availability here I've been looking at Sea Hunt and Seaswirl Striper. We have dealers for both of them somewhat close by so I'm going to look at them in person soon, but I wanted opinions from Sea Hunt owners before I look. Should I choose Sea Hunt over Seaswirl or other comparable walkarounds, and if so, why?
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Defiant1		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 248 08/17/2008 10:00 PM	Well, you want a Sea Hunt WA because they are great boats! Just kidding, I'm a little biased. Both Sea Hunt and Sea Swirl make nice boats, you really can't go wrong either way. Having a dealer near you is a real plus should you need one down the road. I personally have a Victory 225 with 300 hours on it and I fish the bay from Solomons MD down to Kiptopeake. Having spent 3 years fishing from mine I can offer you this advice. Trim tabs are your best friend on the bay. They really make the hull slice through chop nicely, and can make a normally miserable ride pretty nice. Get at least a 200 on the Victory 225, you will never be sorry that you did. Earlier this spring, I was fishing a tournament in some pretty large swells and having the extra torque on hand was really nice. I get comments on the ride from just about everyone that rides with me. Most of my best fishing days have been during small craft warnings, so their comments come from "real world" situations. It has been a great boat for the bay, and I know what you mean about it getting rough out there. My boat is holding up really nice, and I don't baby it either. Sure there are some things I would change, but I say that about everything I own. The only downside to my experience has been my dealer. After getting really poor service from them, Joel at Sea Hunt bent over backwards to make things right. Sea Hunt customer service is excellent and there are many people here that will tell you that. The Sea Hunt hull is a very efficient design. I typically get around 3.5-4 mpg at cruise running 32-33 mph. Check the Yamaha web site for performance tests to help get a better understanding how much fuel will be burned on both Sea Hunt and Seaswirl. Most of the time I burn about 20 gallons on a full day of trolling for stripers. The most I ever burned was 30 gal and that included a 20 mile full speed run from Tangier to 42. I'm really happy with the fuel burn on my boat which has a F225 Yamaha. Pugnacious33 has a really nice, low hour, Victory 225 for sale on the board here at a good price. If you want a test drive, let me know. You are only about an hour from where I keep mine on the Piankatank river.
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PennStateZ		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3 08/17/2008 10:44 PM	Wow. Defiant, that's exactly the info I wanted. I went and looked at a Seaswirl 2301 today. It was a very nice boat, and it had the 225. At 48k list it was a bit out of my price range, but I mostly just wanted to stand on it and get a feel for things. The cabin was plenty for my needs, and I did like the layout. It wasn't great in terms of fit/finish, but for something that's going to get thrashed in saltwater it was definitely enough. I did find a funny spot on the hull near the forward part of the vee, which kind of bothered me. I wasn't sure, but it looked as if it had been run into something and repaired. If the dealer bashed it into something then I'd actually feel better, as I'm not looking to buy that particular boat. If it came from the factory that way I'd be more concerned. It was also interesting that they said they are moving away from Seaswirl next year to at least one other line. I'm supposed to call the owner to find out details. I have a Sea Hunt dealer in a better location. Norfolk Marine is the dealer. I've been there once but wasn't looking at walkarounds. I'll definitely take you up on the test run if you're serious. It'd be nice to hear your insights on the boat rather than a dealer who's trying to sell it to me. That'd be the perfect way to find out if it's really the boat for me. How often do you take it out? Thanks, Matt
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Defiant1		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 248 08/18/2008 8:28 PM	Matt, I'm going to be down this weekend. I've got the boat at home to the 300 hr service and a full detail. I go out every other weekend until Rockfish season, then I'm out every weekend. Give me a shout on my cell (301)542-3687 and we can set up a ride. The 2301 you saw was probably the one that Crown Pointe was displaying at West Marine in Deltaville. Nice boat but I think that boat would do better with a 250. From the looks of the skeg and prop, I would say it has been in their demo fleet. I haven't seen a price on a the Victory 225 lately but I think you could get a new one for under 40k with a 225. For 48k you could get a new Victory 245, which I hope will be in my near future!
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Knotical		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 22 08/21/2008 1:27 AM	I purchased a SH Triton 240 from Norfolk Marine last year. They are a excellent dealership. They are also a Grady White dealer, so they're used to dealing with discriminating buyers. The owner knows the owners of Seahunt personally, and can vouch for their integrity. The SH is my third boat, and I learned from experience that the dealer is as much a part of the purchase decision as the boat itself. This time, I spent some time talking to the sales, service, and management personnell. Although they were not cheaper than Ed's or Chatlee, my decision to buy from them was based on their reputation, superior customer service, and being local. Upon delivery of the boat, Luke, the customer service manager, gave out his cell phone so he can be reached anytime to answer any questions about the boat. By reading this board, I think you will find that Sea Hunts are good quality boats, and they compare favorably to any brand for a comparable boat. I am certainly happy with mine. Last Edited By: Knotical 08/21/2008 1:56 AM. Edited 1 time.
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tpshine	Buy the Seahunt	#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 16 08/21/2008 2:27 PM	I own a Seahunt 225 Victory 2005 with an Evinrude 175 on the back. I run the boat in the Peconic Bays of Long Island. This set up has proven to be very fuel efficent. The 2.7 litter V6 only weighs in at 420 lbs. over the course of a season I avarage about 5GPH. This rig only turns 38/39 MPH wide open and cruises at 27/29 mph at 3900/4000 RPM. As all already mentioned get trim tabs, a very good addition to help in chop. The boat is Ideal for inshore fishing, family days and tubing. The bow flare on the Seahunt gives a great dry ride!! The boat will handle rougher water that I want to be in. Great for drifting into rips, the full transom keeps it dry. As with any boat there are a few thing I would change, or revise, bigger fish boxes and better insulation. Storage in the cabin under the V-berth,built in rod racks in the cabin. However for the money Seahunt is a great value!!! If you are looking for used you should be able to find many for sale. With gas at almost 5 bucks in my marina there is a lot less boat traffic on Long Island these days, would think that is the case all over. As the season draws to a close the summer only boaters will look to sell rather that store for winter so a good time to be looking. Good luck.
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pugnacious33		#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 161 08/21/2008 4:51 PM	Like Defiant said, mine is for sale: http://seahuntownersgroup.yuku.com/topic/1839 I love this boat and really don't want to get rid of it. In fact, I don't really HAVE to get rid of it, but in a way the boat is TOO good for me. I bought it with plans to run way offshore, which it is more than capable of, but it just hasn't happened. All I seem to have time for is short trips, so i'm going to downsize. I may even go as small as the new 17 Triton.
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Looking at 21-23' Walkarounds... Why Sea Hunt?

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