TROPHY Boat recommendations

[Gowiththefloat]

Hey I am in the market for a boat and I've seen a few trophy 20'... they seem to be good boats but not sure. I often hear that bayliner suck (not strong construction??) and I think this is a bayliner model. . Was hoping to get comments from anyone that has owned one. Thanks all.

 

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[guffins fisherman]

I ran a 2001 Trophy walkaround for a few years out of Chaumont Bay.  I really liked the ride and sturdiness of the boat in the chop and slop of eastern Lake Ontario.  Yes, they are owned by Bayliner, but from what I understand, Trophy started making their own boats in '99 or '00, and they got a lot better in quality, but still mid tier.  While I liked the ride, the stability and the fishability of it, there were a few things that pushed me to sell it.  I had the 21' and it got small really quick with 3 adults on it.  With an outboard, there is only a small hatch to get to the bilge, and you basically have to stand on your head to get just your arms down in to work on the pumps, etc.  That particular year and model had pump out fishboxes in the floor that were prone to fill up with rain water at the slip, or in the driveway.  They got swampy fast, and made the boat list to one side, or the other.  While the boats are newer construction there was still plywood in the floor of the cuddy, but I could not see the bulkheads, stringers, etc to examine them.  My particular model was under powered with a 125 Merc two stroke on it.  Make sure you have enough power for your needs. We had to run that 125 full blast all the time to get 28 MPH out of it.  Gas hog bad.  

 

Hope that helps.  Good riding hulls, with poor layout.  

 

 

[Reel Chaos]

This year was my first year on my own boat and I purchased a 07 2052WA.  It has the 4.3 FI and for me it’s perfect!! Gas is very reasonable also.  Caught a lot of fish for my rookie year on her!!

[Fishmedic]

I'm currently running a 2005 Trophy 2352 Ht. This is the third Trophy I have owned. I had a 1997 Trophy 2002 which was made by Bayliner. I believe 1999 Trophy was built by Bayliner. The quality of the 2005 is much better than the  97'.  The 2352 is powered by a 5.7 with an Alpha drive. Fishwells do fill with water from rain.  I used some half round weatherstrip and this stopped the water from going in,.  Fish mostly Lake Champlain and Lake Ontario. 

    Over all I really like this boat. Ride is nice, good on gas and has held up well.

 

Jim

 

[180ccf]

The boat in my profile picture is my 2011 Trophy 2302 WA (last year made) with a Merc 250 Verado. I have had many boats and grew up on the water. It is not as solid as a Whaler, but, the same 23' in a Whaler if they made exactly the same model is 150K not 80K. My boat is 7 years old now and still looks like new. It has no broken parts and has seen several days of rough water and kids tubing every year.

[ReelPower]

I have a 1989 Trophy 2160.  Bought it from MI in 2008 or so.  It has been a great boat.  I’ve upgraded and repaired many items and have some insights for later year hardtop models.

 

This hull is heavy and durable.  You absolutely need the 5.0 engine to get safe power in rough weather.  When I replaced the base engine I went to a 5.7 and am pleased.

 

if you troll you want a kicker on this boat.  Having been through several iterations on mine a fixed aluminum mount with remote controls at the helm is a good layout.

 

Trim tabs are a must for load balance at speed.  

 

Electronic ignition is absolutely preferred.

 

The OMC Cobra is a real good outdrive just have it serviced regularly.  Mine’s been bulletproof.

 

If buying used look for an owner who has put some $ into the rig, otherwise it will be your wallet opening up for necessary repairs.  Older models will need tlc over time to be safe and reliable.  The huge savings is in the low cost of a used purchase makes up for the occasional boat buck incurred.  Trophys provide extremely good value on the used market so long as they have been well kept.

 

My boat was on the market this spring I’d still sell if it’s what you are looking for.  If you search the classifieds for trophy 2160 the details should pop up in an available posting, or feel free to inquire via message.

[Gowiththefloat]

Very helpful guys. I really appreciate the info. I'm also considering a Pro-line but definitely will think about a Trophy. I like the layout of the walkaround models.

I can't help but notice the gunwales are not that high in some of the images - maybe only above the knees. I find that a bit surprising considering these would be a deeper boat for rougher water.

 

 

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[Gowiththefloat]

This year was my first year on my own boat and I purchased a 07 2052WA.  It has the 4.3 FI and for me it’s perfect!! Gas is very reasonable also.  Caught a lot of fish for my rookie year on her!!

Do you find the 4.3 to be sufficient power on the rougher days... And what wave height have you been out in.

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[Gowiththefloat]

I ran a 2001 Trophy walkaround for a few years out of Chaumont Bay.  I really liked the ride and sturdiness of the boat in the chop and slop of eastern Lake Ontario.  Yes, they are owned by Bayliner, but from what I understand, Trophy started making their own boats in '99 or '00, and they got a lot better in quality, but still mid tier.  While I liked the ride, the stability and the fishability of it, there were a few things that pushed me to sell it.  I had the 21' and it got small really quick with 3 adults on it.  With an outboard, there is only a small hatch to get to the bilge, and you basically have to stand on your head to get just your arms down in to work on the pumps, etc.  That particular year and model had pump out fishboxes in the floor that were prone to fill up with rain water at the slip, or in the driveway.  They got swampy fast, and made the boat list to one side, or the other.  While the boats are newer construction there was still plywood in the floor of the cuddy, but I could not see the bulkheads, stringers, etc to examine them.  My particular model was under powered with a 125 Merc two stroke on it.  Make sure you have enough power for your needs. We had to run that 125 full blast all the time to get 28 MPH out of it.  Gas hog bad.  

 

Hope that helps.  Good riding hulls, with poor layout.  

 

 

thanks for the comments. It seems 150 is the more common motor on most of these so I guess between 150 and 200 hp might be more appropriate.

 

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[Gowiththefloat]

The boat in my profile picture is my 2011 Trophy 2302 WA (last year made) with a Merc 250 Verado. I have had many boats and grew up on the water. It is not as solid as a Whaler, but, the same 23' in a Whaler if they made exactly the same model is 150K not 80K. My boat is 7 years old now and still looks like new. It has no broken parts and has seen several days of rough water and kids tubing every year.

That is one beautiful ride. Wish I could spare the cash for new... Maybe one day.

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[Sea-IV]

Had a Trophy 2502 for a couple years and if I could get it back I would. Love the design, love the way it handles rough seas and it fished like a dream. I could load it and tow anywhere, made quite a few trips to Erie and then from the west end Wilson all the way to Oswego. Then with those Etecs on it it’s sipped fuel and then when you wanted to be someplace it would get you there in a hurry

[Rookie Fisherman]

When I was boat shopping last year I took a hard look at a 2359 Hard Top Trophy like the one in the photo below.

Ended up going in a different direction but I did like it. They are hard to find as there were not a lot of this model manufactured and people who have them love them & keep them

 

Edited October 19, 2018 by rookie fisherman

[Bozeman Bob]

23 hours ago, Gowiththefloat said:

Very helpful guys. I really appreciate the info. I'm also considering a Pro-line but definitely will think about a Trophy. I like the layout of the walkaround models.

I can't help but notice the gunwales are not that high in some of the images - maybe only above the knees. I find that a bit surprising considering these would be a deeper boat for rougher water.

 

 

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I would follow your own thoughts and follow up on the Pro - Line. IMHO a better built , laid out ,higher resale, boat.  You have a lot of replies from Bayliner owners and they will talk up and defend there product,  which is fine. One reply implied that if Whaler built the same hull it would be 70,000 more but never elaborated on why. The reason would be ,a better layup of glass, construction method,unsinkable hull,highest quality hardware,hull design,well thought out live wells, storage,ergonomics of controls and general layout of  fishing platform. No problem taking a whaler out in 8-10 footers,cant say i would feel safe in a Bayliner under those conditions.I. have seen Bayliners with aluminium gunwales , seats placed almost on.top of each other,rub rails falling off in rough water ,poor gel coat ,no backing on deck hardware and as mentioned fish boxes with no drains and inaccessible bilges.I would look at a few name brands and compare notes.

[guffins fisherman]

I went from the 21' Trophy, year 2001 to a 1997 Proline. It is a much better built, better thought boat. The ride is not as good in my opinion, but everything else is that of a nicer boat.

[guffins fisherman]

I went from the 21' Trophy, year 2001 to a 1997 Proline. It is a much better built, better thought boat. The ride is not as good in my opinion, but everything else is that of a nicer boat.

[dt5150]

i looked at a couple trophys and a seaswirl striper before i bought my current rig. there were things i liked about them but in the end i just didn't like how shallow they were, or how low the gunnels were. when i lean up against the sides or back of my boat, i want it to hit me at about mid-thigh or higher. both the trophy and the striper hit me just about at the top of my knee caps. i didn't like that at all. i really like the higher sides, which is one of the reasons i bought my current rig, super deep on the inside.

[Gowiththefloat]

i looked at a couple trophys and a seaswirl striper before i bought my current rig. there were things i liked about them but in the end i just didn't like how shallow they were, or how low the gunnels were. when i lean up against the sides or back of my boat, i want it to hit me at about mid-thigh or higher. both the trophy and the striper hit me just about at the top of my knee caps. i didn't like that at all. i really like the higher sides, which is one of the reasons i bought my current rig, super deep on the inside.

That is a very good point. I want high sides and have not been in a Trophy yet. What boat did you end up getting?

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[dt5150]

i bought a crestliner eagle 2450. i want to say it's 36 or 38" deep on the inside, i can't remember exactly. when i lean against the side, it hits me high thigh, just about ball level, and i'm 6' tall. when i lean over the transom, it's belt buckle high. you almost can't fall out of that thing, you'd have to jump.

 

the 2 things i didn't like about the trophy were the inside depth and the stock seats were terribly uncomfortable. if that boat had been deeper on the inside, i likely would've bought it and just put better seats in it. the ones i looked at were early to mid 2000s models. those and the stripers were almost the same boats really. extremely similar.

 

i don't have a pic of myself, but for reference this is my uncle who is about 5'9. the sides hit him at about the belt buckle when he leans against them.

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by dt5150

[Rookie Fisherman]

Certainly agree with the higher gunnels being necessary for Lake O fishing!

 

 

[Bozeman Bob]

Gunwale height is mostly determined by the height of the cockpit floor in relation to the scupper drain holes. They should be around 3-4 " above the waterline. Most .not all, of the better designed fishing boats will have the coaming pads hitting you from just above the knee caps to maybe mid thigh. It's easier to release and deal with fish at that height. I have never worried about waves coming over the transom with the gunwales like that,but I am in quality designed and built fishing platforms that have no problems in the rough stuff.

Edited October 24, 2018 by Bozeman Bob

[dt5150]

i worry more about people falling out, not so much about waves come in. my daughter fell out of my old boat some years back. wasn't leaning against the side, but a wake rolled through causing her to lose her balance and stumble a bit. in doing so, it moved her up against the port side, then the 2nd wake/wave rolled the boat and over she went. that was a tracker pro guide v-16 sc. gunnels were knee high on me. also knew of a local guy who went overboard while leaning over the side hooking up a downrigger. same scenario.. wave came by, swimmin.

[180ccf]

My Trophy comes up mid thigh at the coming pads with stainless toe rails so you can't fall out. Your toes grab the rails and prevent that.

[Tank]

Sent you a PM. Thanks

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