anyone with seaswirl?

[tim a]

ok being a new guy to lake o i am in the market for a new boat i have a high interest in a seaswirl striper does anybody use one and if so any pros and cons and would there be any suggested boat and size...thank you all i just want to make the right choice.

[goin deep]

Are you looking for new or used? i/o or outboard?

[seasquirrel]

I had a 22' '96 seaswirl i/o walk around cuddy. I loved it. I eventually had a motor issue and went through 4 Jasper reman's before I traded it. It rode really nice and served us well. We outgrew it and went bigger.

[skipper19]

I have looked at the Seaswirl boats years ago, and I think they are nice boat. Mainly consider how far you will be towing the rig and what the needs are for the Lake as far as passengers and equipment.

I would suggest that as far as size goes, try to keep 22 feet or better for the type of wave set and frequency that Lake O generates. i have had a 19 foot boat with 20degree deadrise and 7ft 10in beam and it was ok as long as the waves were under 3 feet or a big roll of swells spaced well apart. The problem came when trying to make some speed into a heavy chop of 3 footers and I was flying outta the water and slamming on the next wave. 22 feet or more with a 8 ft 6 in. beam helps to bridge the waves and smooth the ride at planned speeds. Keep the deadrise in the hull near 20 to 21degrees for the ability to slice the wave action, but look for some reverse chines as well to give you a stable troll and at rest in the water.

The bow should have a large amount of freeboard and a good flare to it to help keep the lake on the outside of the boat. This almost will have you looking at fiberglass hulls mostly, which is not a bad thing since the heavier the boat the more it will handle the rough stuff.

I would also consider some sort of enclosure. There are a wide variety of choices as far as that goes. I have a very minimal enclosure on a center console which consists of a T-top and a windshield with a winter front. I leave the winter front on all the time because of the spray from the bow in cross winds. A cabin of some sort would give you some protection from elements.

When looking for a boat for lake O be sure to keep in mind a layout for downriggers and planers and possibly a set of outriggers which are a nice accessory. and plenty of gunnel for the rod holders. You will most likely be fishing with some buds on your boat so be prepared to set it up for that. 6 to 8 rods or more are not uncommon when everyone finds out how much fun it is and they all wanna come help you out on your expenses

Most all fishing boats come designed for an array of electronics to be installed. Be sure there is lots of room for all of them as they are likely to start to look like the cabin of a Lear jet at some point.....heck by the time you install fishfinding equipment, GPS, a remote throttle control for the kicker motor, a black box, a down temp and speed sensor, auto pilot, VHF radio, AM, FM, CD, Backup GPS, and if ya got any money left, a big radar...you will be hard pressed to find a place to set your favorite drink.

Last but not least absolutely do not underpower the boat. Get as much power as the manufacturer will recommend. Being able to get up on plane and out of the way of some bad weather approaching is always nice. The waves can get BIG and not having the power to pull outta the hole will be very frustrating.

Trim tabs are also nice on a medium to large boat. They will help you stay on level plane side to side and keep the bow down at lower speeds to help save some gas.

If you can afford the kicker motor, be sure to look for enough room on the transom for it and the external gas tank. My dive platform works well for both but makes the motor impossible to reach, so I have an elaborate system of strings to pull and a boat hook to lower and raise the kicker.

Choosing the right boat is a very involved decision, but if you look at some of the ones that are on here and at dealers it can help. I would definitely go to a dealer that is knowledgeable with Lake Ontario rigging and pick their brain.

All said I think if you were heart set on a Seaswirl, it would not be a bad choice. The Sheriffs dept runs them in my locale. Hope some of this helps. There are plenty of guys on here that will add to this, and they will have some suggestions that will help too.

Welcome to the expensive world of Lake O fishing....now ya gotta sell yer clubs, and hope the wifey understands

Mark

[times two]

Tim:

I am on year 2 of owing a 2005 2301 Striper o/b. Overall, I have been really happy

with her. When I got in the market a couple of years ago, I was using a 22' Larson

walkaround i/o. That was a good boat, and we caught lots of fish with her. An LOU

member still has her, as a matter of fact.

But I was getting the itch to go bigger and wanted to get an outboard, so the search

was on. I targeted 3 boats mainly...Proline, Seaswirl, and Parker. I could not find a good used Parker that wasn't saltwater, nor were there many used Porlines or Seaswirls. I finally got mine as a 2005 new leftover via Happy Days Boating in Port

Clinton. Ask for Jim Burroughs if you call there.

Pros: Great running into a good chop, love the hardtop. Nice sized fish box and cabin

tall enough for me to stand in.

Cons: Do not like it in a big following sea...as you come over the top of the wave with

the big "V", she wants to dig into one side or the other...2 hands on the wheel. Also not

quite used to the feel of the hardtop in a big trough....I had a softtop...so it feels more tipsy.

I have a 225 Evinrude, pre E-tec. That's what was on the boat at the time of the deal, and it was too much more to justify going to the ETEC, but that's what I really wanted.

Great on gas, loves plugs (65-70hr trolling per set).

Seaswirl, as I have learned, was notorious for wiring issues. I had to redo both bilge

pumps. One was wired backwards, and the other auto one was wired to a switch so

it only went to auto if the battery was on.

Would I buy another? Yes (bigger, twin ob's!).

Check out this dedicated Seaswirl site: www.seastriper.com

You have to register, but its all Seaswirl stuff...they were a great help when I was rigging mine!

John

[Jack]

Hi !

Just bought a 1851 DC STRIPER with a 150 Yamaha . Love the boat ! The Yamaha is great on gas and trolls nice . Fish lake O solo a lot and works GREAT . Have had a bunch of boats and this is got to be the best riding 18' boat I've ever been in . Easy to trailer as well . Not sure how big a boat your looking for but in this size the Striper would be hard to beat.

Got mine at Happy Days too . Good people . Good Luck !

JT

[mike fronczak]

I bought a used Striper (1999) a couple of years ago. They are heavy boats, The glass is twice if not more as thick as my prevoius boat. For a 23' with a 225 Johnson, with a full load of fuel it will do about 35. Handles rough water very well, the first weekend we bought it we went to the fireworks at charlotte after launching at Sandy Creek, ran back into 5-7 ft waves at night, it took awhile, but no issues even with three little one sleeping in the cuddy. I have had two issues, first where the transom & corners meet is not level making mounting riggers more diffucult, second the fuel pump on the engine went (it appeared it had been serviced prevously), took it to RAS he rembered the boat turned out the wrong size anti siphon valve was in the line, causing the failure of fuel pump, told me it was probably like that since new. Other than that it has been a good boat. With the kids its nice when they spill cleanup is quick.

[mr 580]

Seaswhirl was also on my "short" list when I decided to update two years ago. Instead found a Pro-Line 25 Walk hardtop new leftover w/225 Evinrude ETEC. Have been real pleased with both the boat and the ETEC. The Proline handles well in the rough stuff and the hardtop provides alot of storage and protection. I have fished with a friend in a 19' Seaswhirl. It's a heavy boat, but for Lake O I like more length to bridge the waves. My advice decide what you want , stay away from the salt, and try to keep it in your budget. Have fun looking!

[tim a]

boy thank you all i am looking at the 2301 with the hard top it seems to be me .... boy i would like to start by thanking you all and this forum everybody seems to be great and not afraid to let you know what they think....great..this is a great site and once again thanks...i will be up this comming sat launching at mexico point with the last ride with my old boat a 1991 sunbird cuddy set up with all the equipment necessary hope it performs as well as it always did...see ya all there..