Walk Around Cuddy Cabin

[badfish88]

Hey Guys And Gals,
I Need A Few Opinions, Im Want To Buy A Boat. I Want A Fishing Boat And The Wife Wants A Cabin Cruiser So We Can Take The Kid And Be Able To Keep Her Out Of The Sun If Needed. I Have Fished Out Of Cuddys Before And Theres Almost No Room, So We Settled On A Walk Around Cuddy, And Kill 2 Bird W/ One Stone. I Was Wondering If Any One Here Ownes One Or Knoews Some One That Ownes One. How Do They Like It, Rides Nice? Fishability? Ive Also Considered Goin A Decent Distance Off Shore, How Are The In Decent Seas. I Was Looking To Buy One At Least 23 Foot And With A Outboard No Less Then 175. Any Tips Or Opinions Would Be Awsome.. Thanks Again

[mboy]

That's like saying I decided to buy a 4 door car.

Does anybody own a 4 door car. If so, how do you like it?


Lots of different brands/models of Walk arounds.

They all handle and ride differently.

Unless getting something like Bates 23' Grady Gulfstream, avg 23' isn't all that big and their is neither a lot of fishing room nor a lot of Cabin room.
Kind of in between for both.

Figure out what you want to spend 1st, then decide what kind and how big of a boat you want.

175 on almost any 23 Walk around would be bordering on, if not completely underpowered.

How far offshore do you plan to go?

Yo seem not to have much if any boating experience, so going far offshore in a small boat is probably not a great idea until you have a couple of years operating under your belt.

Used boat market is great now, so if you can, rally think about a 25 or 26' WA if you can afford.

[joeya78]

I own a Hydro sport 23 walk around, and it probably would be what your looking for.It has a 200 hp engine that pushes it pretty well, but could even be a 225 for a little more power.I agree on a reg walk around you have the engine directly on the boat which gives you little cockpit room,but if you look for something like mine the engine is on a bracket which gives you a true 23 feet of boat and makes a lot of difference.As far as the cabin it has a small sink and full v-berth which is able to sleep 2 adults. The nice thing about a 23 footer is theres not much draft,your slip isn't that bad at about 100.00 a foot, and the gas on a single outboard is affordable.If you start getting into a 26 foot boat all of that goes up, and then your probably toying with 2 engines, which is great if you have a lot of money at over 3.00 a gallon on the water.Good luck

[In Pursuit]

These guys gave great advice on the walkaround. And as Mboy said, 23 footer and a "decent distance offshore" is not a great idea until you have years of experience. Once you gain that experience you'll probably realize you'd be nuts to do it. :D A 26' boat might be more what you are looking for. Good luck on your search.

[Kup]

There is a Mako for sale by Capt Greg of the Golden Eagle. Looks like a real nice boat. A little bigger than a 23' but has a bunch of room. http://www.njfishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9012 The nice part about this boat is that it's turn key.

[Cheesehead Scott]

I have a friend who wants to get rid of his 1988 23' Wellscraft w/ 225 Johnson 1991 walk around cuddy.... No trailer! $2000

[Foul Hook]

Check the Parker series of boats. They make a good line. My buddy has a 25' with 225 on it which moves it pretty good also on a bracket. That boat has a ton of deck space and the cabin area is pretty good to. Be sure to look into the difference in the bottom of the boat though. His is not a deep "v" so it pounds in some seas but is very stable when not moving. On the other hand the deep "v" cuts the seas great but rocks when you are drifting. Many choices to make, Good Luck;)

[eddiebud]

Year 2002
Make SEASWIRL
Model 2601 Striper
Price $35,250.00
Location
Length 26' 0"

Description 26' Seaswirl Striper, 250 yamaha saltwater series, 300 hrs, water fuel seperator, fuel monitoring system, outriggers, center rigger, arch w/ rocket launchers & spreader lights, undermount deck lights, Bimini w/ full enclosure, 6 gunwale mount rod holders, live well, saltwater wash, Raymarine A65 GPS AND FISHFINDER COMBO, Icom VHF, shore power & charger, enclosed head w/ deck pump out, Corian countertop, stainless sink w/ electric faucet, alcohol/electric cook top, epoxy barrier coated hull, always professionally maintained. great 4 speaker stereo system with amplifier, new enclosure in '08, new bilge pump in '08. Asking $35,250.00

[mboy]

The main (out of a few) problems I see with a 23' WA is the fact that his wife wants a cabin cruiser for her and the kids.

A Cabin in a 23' is basically useless for anything other then storing gear, concealing Porta potty or other small head and being marginally comfortable to sleep 2 people.

Having a wife and a couple of kids "hanging out" in the cabin for anything more then a few minutes will get old VERY fast.

[Tuna Tales]

If you can spend a little more I agree with Mboy...a "cabin" in a 23' boat is on the smaller side. I have a 25' Grady White Dolphin Walk Around Cuddy Cabin and I can sleep two but there is not a whole lot of extra room. I have been to hell and back with her...great, solid boat all around.

I would try and buy a used 25' Grady White Sailfish...a nice size cabin, great fishing boat, safe boat and everyone is happy. Outboards...anything over
800 hrs watch out. Have them tested before you buy - and not just looking at the gearcase oil. Have a pressure test done, check the seals, cylinder light test etc.

Also...this is a great time to buy...a lot of deals out there.

I bought my Grady in North Carolina and had it shipped up...and I found it online back in 1997. The early days of online.

Good luck


Joe T.

[ALS Mako]

i believe capt greg from the golden eagle has a 26' mako walkaround listed in the classified section of this board, check it out

[Mikecris24]

I agree with everyone else 23 is just to small of a cabin and to small to take to far offshore, you need at least a 25 to have a somewhat decent cabin. I have 25 wellcraft walkaround and love it its got a nice size cabin full enclosed head sink v berth fridge etc.. but its still even a bit cramped for sleeping purposes. i"ll have it in the water in a few weeks, your more than welcome to come check it out if you like. As for heading offshore i agree with everyone else get at least a couple years experience before you even think about heading far offshore, and also make sure you got all your proper safety gear as well, epirb, life raft etc.. you'll realize what we're all talking about once you start boating regularly, heading offshore can be a very dangerous thing to do if ill prepared.

[Treebeard63]

All good points here.. I agree with the observations that the smaller W/A's usually offer cramped cabins and cockpits.. compromise on both ends.. Another factor you should consider, is the Walkaround part itself.. Some boats, like the Grady's have a recessed walkway to get to the bow, while others like my Scout do not.. This makes getting up front a bit trickier,and for the most part the bow is of little use for fishing.. If I had kids, I would certainly want the safety of a recessed walkway. My boat has nice cockpit space (50 sq. ft) (which is aided by the lack of outboards) and a cabin large enough to be of some use... but it is what Scout calls a 28.. They measure their boats from pulpit to prop-nut, and I would compare it more to big 26's..It rides nice due to its 22 deg. deadrise, but ride will vary with hull syles.. I looked at their 242 and 262 Abaco's and they had nice big cabins for their size, but lacked the cockpit space. Another type of boat you may want to consider is a pilot house.. They offer good protection and have big dance floors aft. Good luck with whatever you decide, and I envy you.. shopping for boats may be more fun than actually owning one!

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa267/Treebeard63/Picture005.jpg

[JoeLongo]

Why Is Every First Letter Of Every Word In Caps?

[All Business]

All good advice, just figured I would offer a little wisdom of my own. I recently sold a 23' Hydrasports walk around cuddy. First let me say that I loved the boat, very sea worthy, good storage area in the cabin, recessed walkway to the bow, nice amenities, all in all a good, sturdy boat that gave me no trouble at all. I went with the W/A because my wife wanted a porta potty and a place to get out of the sun. I was all about a CC. After 5 seasons with the boat, the porta potty was never used and the cabin was for storage only. Too small to sleep and too small to sit in while underway. Not enough headroom, once you have the lifevests, tackle boxes, bags in the cabin, there is no room for anythign else. A 23' foot boat tends to bounce around a little bit, so you are better off sitting in a fixed seat in the cockpit. So, even though you think the cabin will be used, odds are it won't be. So, if you are set on a 22-23 footer, go with a CC, get a nice TTop to allow you to escape the sun and get something with a good amount of storage space either in the deck or in the helm. If you can afford it, I wouldn't go with a W/A until you are in the 26' range. Just my 2 cents.

[mboy]

All good advice, just figured I would offer a little wisdom of my own. I recently sold a 23' Hydrasports walk around cuddy. First let me say that I loved the boat, very sea worthy, good storage area in the cabin, recessed walkway to the bow, nice amenities, all in all a good, sturdy boat that gave me no trouble at all. I went with the W/A because my wife wanted a porta potty and a place to get out of the sun. I was all about a CC. After 5 seasons with the boat, the porta potty was never used and the cabin was for storage only. Too small to sleep and too small to sit in while underway. Not enough headroom, once you have the lifevests, tackle boxes, bags in the cabin, there is no room for anythign else. A 23' foot boat tends to bounce around a little bit, so you are better off sitting in a fixed seat in the cockpit. So, even though you think the cabin will be used, odds are it won't be. So, if you are set on a 22-23 footer, go with a CC, get a nice TTop to allow you to escape the sun and get something with a good amount of storage space either in the deck or in the helm. If you can afford it, I wouldn't go with a W/A until you are in the 26' range. Just my 2 cents.
This is the EXACT reason I went with a CC. Was really just looking for something in the 18' range at the time and wound up with the 21.
21 WA is DEF. too small IMHO, especially if you are going to fish.

My ideal realistic boat would be a bit bigger, maybe 24-26' CC with a larger cockpit to fit an overboard head (make it much more comfy for the wife).
I wasn't willing to finance a boat and wasn't willing to go older then a few years, so wound up @ 21'.

Otherwise, for pure fishing like I mainly due, it works for me.


When getting into WA's that you want to sleep with the wife or a kid or 2, you REALLY need to be in th 28+ range, but for a general FAMILY boat, in WA it really does start @ 26 to be comfortable to do fishing/cruising with.

The only 23' which would even be marginal for you is the newer Grady Gulfstreams.
You are also talking mucho $$$$ for a VERY high end boat, but man, it is a LARGE 23' for sure.

[Wreckfish]

I have a Aquasport 225 walkaround and the only thing the cabin is used for is storage. Cockpit has pleanty of room for three adult. I do have a bracket for my outboard. Once you go to four adults then it starts to get tight. 200 HP is the min I would go. I am going CC on my next boat. If the wife and kids loose interest a CC is much easier to handle by yourself when it comes to anchoring and docking.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Fact is a lot of the cabin and deck sizes on a 23 foot boat depends on the specific boat... Lots of 23 footers use the European style swim platforms and that is included in the measurement of the length of the boat... For this reason many of today's 23 footers are more like 21 or 20 footers of old...

If you are in the used market you may find some 23 footers that use a bracket instead of the molded in swim platform and you now have a real 23 foot boat... Probably larger then some of the newer 25s....

Lots of used boats on the market today and if I were buying one I'd be buying something used. There are a lot of deals out their while new boat pricing has gotten totally insane in spite of the poor economy..

[Luna Sea 3]

As mentioned above, if your wife wants a cabin for shelter, it will probably never be used as such. You can get a 23-26' range CC boat that can accommodate a porta pottie/changing area/storage area under the consoul.

I have a 26' CC now like that.

The boat before this one was a 26' WA Cuddy, and if you honestly need a Cuddy, a 26' will work for ya, also depending on the design of the boat. When you have a WA Cuddy, you have to look at how it is designed. Some cuddies are set way up front and only 1/4 the length of the boat, and some may be larger/smaller.

Go to a boat show, look at models and sizes you want, write them down, then go home and search for used.

[Mark215]

http://www.njfishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8581

He's a link to my boat that I'm selling. It's a 215 explorer cuddy/walkaround model. Alot of cabin and cockpit for a 21ft boat. Aquasports made bigger sizes in the explorer model but they are true walkaround's where as mine is more like a cuddy . The next size up (the 23ft model) had a smaller cabin then my 21 footer. Another thing to keep in mine is the desing of the transom. The companys that have those euro's design transoms (the open slant design where the engine sits) eats up alot of cockpit space. IF I remember correctly Aquasports also used the euro design transom on their bigger model explorers too. When I bought mine I was on the 21 ft model then climb onto the 23 footer right next to it and told the saleperson na this isn't for me let me go back onto the bigger boat, he said you're on the bigger boat. I couldn't believe it.

[hammer&nails]

I have a 2601 seaswirl great boat 2002 twin 115 four stroke yamm all bells and whisles your could want picked it up in georga with 200 hrs it was mint 30k out the door last summer got it for the same reasons your you are I have been boating for 30yrs many boats for the money you can't go wrong

[fishbox22]

Please Check Your Pm

[makokeith]

I have a 89 Mako 250WA with twin 150s. The boat can fish 4 without any problem and can do the family thing also. I don't think my 2 yo can hang out for long in my boat without getting super bored but I will find out soon. As for off shore fishing, my boat can do it no problem. I was running at 32 mph last year coming in from the canyon and had 2 people in the cabin sleeping. My biggest problem with the walkaround part is my feet don't fit well between the cabin and the hull. But most walkarounds are worse.

If you really like to fish and want to have a cabin area for family,look at a mako 261?, 285?. Or an everglades. Not sure of the model They are a cc type boat with a cabin in the front of the boat. This will be my next type of boat.