Considering a 232 gulfstream or a 282 sailfish

[ebornstein]

Hi
I am looking to purchase a walk around with twin outboards which is trailerable. I think after looking around that a 282 or 232 might be the right answer.

I fish in lake Erie in the summer and the east coast of Florida in the winter. I bring the boat down over Christmas break and then home during spring break with my son. We also go to cape cod for a week and bring the boat with us.


The boat needs to be really good in a head sea as lake Erie can be very choppy with short intervals. And florida in the winter months always seems to be windy as well. One comment I have heard is that gradys can pound a little in a head sea.

In need a boat which is capable of trolling at a knot and a half. Is this possible in either boat if you are running one engine or will I need bags to slow me down?

The only reason for the gulfstream over the sailfish is trailering. I have a 3/4 ton duramax so it is not the weight but the beam. I suspect at the end of the day 3 inches doesn't matter that much. I hope the DOT shares my thoughts. Most people I talk to say that if I keep it below 10 feet of beam I shouldn't have a problem.

Is there a huge difference in the maneuverability between the two. Sometime we fish jetties or the rips aggressively and being able to move around easily is important. I am coming out of a 20 foot edgewater which is pretty nimble.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Thanks
Eric

The only thing

 

[no problem]

I have the 9'6" beam and it follows my duramax everywhere I go just fine. likely the trailer will be 8'6" wide and the gunnels will hang over, that's only 1.5" more on each side for the 282. Twin engines will help around those jetties with maneuverability and safety. There's nothing like extra length at the waterline to help smooth out a chop. Trolling speed will depend on your choice of engine packages. If it were me I'd make sure to get a factory hardtop. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

[Workdog]

I fish my Gulfstream from Geneva to Conneaut without any problems. Yes, mine will pound a little in three footers and above on the nose. However, mine is also pre SeaV2. A SeaV2 Gulfstream should be very nice in Lake Erie. The twin engines make it really manueverable, and I used my boat in the Chesapeake Bay for six years, with a lot of that time fishing in and out of the pylons and islands of the bridge tunnels. With my Merc 150 EFIs, I can only troll down to 2.0 mph with a single running. I just bought a pair of 28" Beefy Bag trolling bags from www.amishoutfitters.com/catalog2.htm but have not been out with them yet. I am hoping to get down to as low as .8 mph.

 

[capt chris]

Eric,
Talk to Pat Grasso @ Beaver Park Marine in Lorain, Ohio. He has a brand new 2008 Gulfstream in stock w/ F350. It's priced on their website @ $89,995.
I bought my 2008 Tournament 225 from them and they are great to work with. Their number is 877-494-0212 or 440-282-6308 or www.beaverpark.com
You can see pictures under "new boats". They are great people and I know they would love to sell you that boat. Good Luck!

 

[Grady678]

Owned the 232 and considered the 282. Quartering seas on the 232 will give you a pounding. The extra length on the 282 helps dramatically. Try to sea trial them on days that have 2' to 3' seas. All boats perform well on calm days. The 232 does just fine with a single as small as 250HP but was harder to dock than my Marlin. Used...the delta on these boats is usually 15 to 20K. Other than extendedhull length performance, they truly are simliar boats. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[magicalbill]

The reason a single 250 was harder to dock was that it didn't have twins like the Marlin.
Twins are best on the Gulfstream..Mine has 200's..great performer.
I would assume the the 282 would be a smoother ride..Megabytes says bigger is always better.
With your Duramax your covered..Both are oversize loads.the 3 inches in beam won't matter as much as the extra 4-5 feet in length as your swinging it around in parking lots and dealing with close-quarter maneuvering.

 

[ebornstein]

All,
Thanks for the response. Have any of you had any experience towing long distances to the east coast or florida? I really didn't think the 3 inches per side was a big deal but I hadn't thought about the lenght all that much. Not having trailered anything bigger than a 20 I could see how the extra 8 feet could make it tougher. Normally, I get to where I am going leave it in a slip until I leave.

Do the authorities routinely look for the overwidth/overlength? Does anyone have any recent experiences in trailering across multiple states?

Capt Chris, I looked at the Beaver Park Marina boat. Nice boat but I really wanted twins. I can live with the docking issues, but I really thought the twins would add to the reliability factor offshore on the east coast and Fl.
The one nice thing about the 350 is I think you can bring the speed way down with the electronics. Not sure you can dip below 1 Knot though.


I agree that you really need to go out for a sea trial. that is not so easy up here as there is only one grady dealer in Ohio and they don't have much assortment....

Eric

 

[no problem]

Generally the highway is the easy part. most fuel and food places have places for over-sized vehicles. Around town at home there are places where its not possible to get fuel. At a glance now I can decide to turn in or pass it by. At toll facilities I use the truck lane it's usually on the right and it's wider. I have travelled between Maryland and Florida and have never had any issues with the authorities. With engines tilted up from coupler to prop it's about 38' or so. My truck is a duramax 2500 crewcab w/8ft bed. it's a little unnerving at first but after a while it's "no problem" Good luck!

 

[magicalbill]

Agree with No Problem.
I tow out of Indiana back-and-forth to Marathon in The Keys and up to Northern Michigan. Plus, I go to Two Rivers Wisconsin for service.(Great Grady dealer up there, by the way..Twin Cities Marine..THE BEST in my book.)

I have never been stopped and measured. It could happen, though..Have your permits, otherwise a big fine, I hear, plus, the boat gets left where the inspection was made until the permits are obtained. (Friend had it happen to him in Georgia, pulling a Sailfish. Got stopped for speeding and they checked his width.He didn't pass..)
This brings up a towing concept..Don't make yourself a billboard to a policeman by running 75 MPH and you most likely will not get stopped. I guess the exception would be if you go thru a vehicle inspection station, maybe.
Also, be aware of your height. Your hardtop will likely be over 12 ft. Watch low bridges, roofs over fuel islands, etc. Also be aware of low-hanging tree limbs on two-lane roads and when you travel thru the backcountry to get to a launch ramp.
I am long-winded here, but please make sure whatever trailer you pair with your boat is OVERBUILT. Please don't skimp on axles, frame and tires. I made that mistake twice..never again. The cost of upgrading a trailer is miniscule compared to the safety of you, your passengers and the boat.
Let us know what happens..I have spent years around the islands on the West end. Kellys, Put-In-Bay, Sandusky, Cedar Point..great area. It always interested me how the sea surface would change when I got past the Sandusky Pierhead Light and into the islands. It became like a swimming pool on Memorial Day Weekend..Confused, cross-chop..Really wierd.

Take care,

Bill....

 

[Frank]

I wonder whether state and local budget shortfalls will cause more enforcement of the width regulation?

By the way, are you guys using roller or bunk trailers?

 

[no problem]

I use a loadmaster of tampa bunk trailer.I don't think you can have enough trailer. I'm sure there's better money in 90 second speed enforcement stops. I always see larger and wilder things on the road anyway. Last time we were stopped outside ocean city maryland for a light out the trooper wanted to know if we cought any tuna. I think he wanted to meet cool dudes and to see if we were drinking. No tape-measure no tuna no ticket

 

[ebornstein]

First thanks for all the input. It really helps to get some input from folks who have some time in on this..... thanks for taking the time.

For those of you who have had both, is there a huge amount of difference in manuverability between the Gulfstream and Sailfish. As I mentioned, I like to work the Jetties which means getting close and holding a position for a bit and then moving on.

How do you all manage getting permits for each state? Do you use a service or do you just do it for each state you are going through. Can you get a permit that will give you a day or two or does it have to be for the exact date you are travelling?

MagicallBill,
Agree with the sea state in lake erie. It can get ugly, not in terms of overall size but sometimes there is a swell ( from the wind ) and then a ton of chop on top of it from reflections and other boats. Have you ever fished your 282 on Lake Erie? How was it?

 

[alfa1023]

Getting an oversize permit in Florida is easy - basically send them the $25 or so and you are good to go.

The bigger issue that concerned me when I was towing my 272 Sailfish was, God forbid, we got in an accident. Then, even if not our fault, if we were towing "illegally" by not having a permit, would the other parties lawyers be all over us "rich people w/the big boat"?

And further to that point, Florida restricts the days and times you can tow your oversize rig.

Just food for thought in this "everybody sues everybody" world we live in.

 

[BobP]

Both the Gulfstream and Sailfish are legally restricted in trailering.

Get the Islander and no restrictions whatsover, tape measure or not.
Islander can be equipped with single or twins, same as Gulfstream.

 

[magicalbill]

Hi Ebornstien..
I mislead, maybe..I have a 232 Gulfstream.
I am not a fisherman, although I have talked to several who fished the island area in the late 90's.
It is shallow, 20-35 feet generally. Most drift for perch and walleye. I am sorry I cannot remember much more.
I say get the boat you want that will do the best job for you..If it's oversized, calculate the pros and cons of getting permits or not..In the end your satisfaction and pride of ownership hopefully will trump any red tape and permit hassles.

 

[capt chris]

Eric,
I don't know if you've bought a boat or not yet, but Twin Cities Marine in Two Rivers, WI (Magical Bill's dealer) still had a brand new left over 2007 Sailfish showing in his inventory as of yesterday. I would think one might be able to negotiate a pretty good deal on that boat if it's still available.

 

[magicalbill]

Capn. Chris..
If it's the same boat, I talked with them about it myself..It was a great deal, but I passed because it would've changed the way I boat too much. Had nothing to do with the deal..kind of like when you passed on the bigger boat and kept your Tournament.
If Ebornstien would want to go the bigger route, he cannot go wrong dealing with Twin Cities. I trailer thru Chicago(nuff said) to service with them.

 

[capt chris]

Bill,
Just out of curiosity, where did he price the Sailfish to you? He tried to hit me @ $120K which I thought was too high for a "new" three year old boat, and that was six months ago. I think with the new technology of the electronic engine controls and the new 4.2 Liter F-250, he may be sitting with this boat for a while unless he gets real aggressive on the price. As they say in retail, your first loss is your best loss. It only gets worse the longer you wait.

 

[magicalbill]

Chris..
Check your private message box..I'll send you a message there.