23 Cape Bay.
I would agree with you on the older 16-18' boats. I have not been in a 20'+ model, but they look much better constructed.
Why not Scout ?
What are you using it for ? fishing, cruising, inshore, nearshore, ? Kind of like southernwake had said, do you need storage, do you want better seating, bigger casting deck, trolling.. too many options without knowing specifics.
https://mbgforum.com
Lot of good information on there if you are looking at a Pathfinder. They helped me out with my '96 Hewes.
Recently put a deposit down, ordering a Key West 230BR w/ a Yamaha 300 XCA through Marshall's.
After running through research for a while on what I wanted, I had decided I wanted a BlackJack 224 based on their online praise and I think they have the best lines of any bay boat on the market. Went to Smithfield NC to look at them and I couldn't get past the fit/finish of them. The step deck wasn't something I loved to begin with, but was willing to settle on that.... then the back boxes are just spray foam finished, rod boxes looked like cut pvc was glued in, screw in hatches were on the gunnels and in the deck in what seemed like random areas.... So I started looking again.
I like the sportsman boats, but couldn't get over their HP rating being consistently 50 hp lower than other boats their size. Similar with Sea Pro, which would still be my second choice. Pathfinders are definitely built like tanks from my experience, but had to step up to a price point that was beyond my range to get the layout and options I wanted.
Like others have said, I used THT a ton in doing my browsing to see what peoples reviews were, and then looked at the used boats for sale a lot to see how different boats hold up and hold value.
I think for the money it's hard to go wrong with seahunt or key West.
Check out Pair Customs 24. They make it in a deep vee and one with less dead rise. There is a fairly new one for sale THT.
Hasn't been mentioned yet, but look into the Boston Whaler Dauntless line. I have the 16' with a 115 yamaha and it does consistently well for a boat it's size. The dauntless has a much better V and ride than the Montauk line most are familiar with in SC. Would be worth a look and test drive when comparing to other boats its size.
Ran a 263 FS keywest for a photo shoot about a month ago and really liked it but only spent a few hours on it doing whatever they wanted us to do. That was in flat calm conditions so hard to evaluate. Comfortably held 4 adults and two teenagers.
That same day I also ran a 244 CC in rough conditions in harbor. It handled about like I would have expected it too. Stayed pretty dry and did well for the conditions but it was pretty dang rough. Cant remember what motors were on the boats but they were twin yamahas on both and they had ample amount of power.
Had the opportunity to use a 2017 24 viper seafox bay boat this past weekend on saturday and all day sunday w yamaha 300. Saturday was slick calm so couldn’t really evaluate ride but with 3 adults, fishing tackle, and half a tank of fuel we were running 58-60mph WOT and cruising around 40-45.
On Sunday we took it through the harbor that was moderate chop and a lot of boat wakes and then north up the intracoastal for awhile. Had 6 adults and one child and I was honestly surprised how well it rode. We all stayed comfortable and dry all day. I am not really a seafox guy, but enjoyed spending time on this boat over the weekend.
I have also been using a brand new 25 Seahunt some this summer and think it is a good ride as well. I have only been outside the rocks once and it rode fine but was a calm day.
I have been on one pathfinder and cannot remember the details on year and size but after one full day of having that boat slap the shit out of me on any bumps/wakesI knew I would never own one. Thats just my opinion based off of very limited time on one.
Kind of along the lines if what others were mentioning, look at warranty, fit/finish, who can service it, layout based on personal preferences. Also doesnt hurt to find boats of the same make/model and look at them when they are a few years older to see what you may be getting yourself into as far as durability.
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Canyon Bay. Bring yo checkbook
cut\'em
The SeaVee 270Z is the nicest bay boat I've ever been on. But,it is huge. The tour of the SeaVee plant was quite impressive.
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