2005 43' Egg Harbor?

[seastallionmate]

Anybody have any experience on this boat? The owner I work for is looking to upgrade to this year and I was looking for some opinions. Specifically ride, speed and fishability.

[JFletcher]

No exp on the new one but lots on a 78 46' egg. Great boat, heavy and dry ride. A bit slow though.

[seastallionmate]

yeah, ditto on the 1987 43' that we currently run. Great boat in a heavy sea, it just sits down in the slop. But it will run 22 knots dead calm and 22 knots in a 4' head sea. Just plain slow. The new one willl have 700hp cats so top speed is suposed to be 35knots.

[trex]

Killer boat!!! Heavy. Great ride. 27 knot cruise. The one I fished on was a 2002. Nice set up for fishing!!!

[trex]

I'm pretty sure the one I was on had 550 Cummins in it. I know they were Cummins anyway

[cape_fisherman]

Did someone say 22kts was slow? That's just right for me. All that speed burns to much fuel...especially these days when $2/gallon is common.

I have no opinion on the Egg Harbor except to say it ain't built in North Carolina. I would imagine for the same money you could have a Carolina built boat almost 50% larger. That is if you are talking about a charter boat. Now if you want a yacht that is a different story. But a 60' charter boat with the same twin 700hp engines you are talking about would most likely not cost any more than the 46' Egg. Heck, you might end up saving a little dough. In a 60' Carolina boat you'll come in around the mid to upper 20 knot range for cruise with that 1,400 horse power.

I'd say a 60' charter boat will come in for WAY less than $500k. I honestly have no idea what the 46' Egg will run ya.

Jay

[TommyTuna]

cape_fisherman originally wrote:

I'd say a 60' charter boat will come in for WAY less than $500k.

Jay


New? Really? What builder?

[cape_fisherman]

Now you do understand what I mean when I say 'charter boat' rigged? You're not gonna have teak & holly interior. The lower cabin will likely not be finished save for maybe the head.

Builders would include the likes of Terry Guthrie, James Gillikin, Buddy Harris, Leonard Riggsby, and others.

In recent years people have become obessed with YACHTS! Go to the Morehead City waterfront and if you don't have a Jarrett Bay or and Island Boatworks for your CHARTER boat you are looked down upon. Many traditional Carteret County builders still live by the phylosophy that less is more. I'm not going to mention names (owner or builder) because it's not really my business to be passing on this personal information, but...I had a friend that was finishing up a 62' boat this time last year. Granted he used many second hand parts, and that should be kept in mind. The fact is that in the end he sports a brand new 62' Carolina sportfisherman with twin 650hp 892s (cruise 22kts @ 1700) and has less than $250k invested. He did a ton of the work himself (and some free labor from yours truely), but still had the boat charter ready in about 6 months.

There ARE builders out there that won't screw you just because they would rather cater to the yacht crowd. A couple years ago there was a NEW 50' charter ready boat listed for 300k even. This is another prime example of a real-deal Carteret County boat builder.

And don't think the structural integrity of these boats suffer because of the lower price. Overall finish may lack when compaired to the yacht boats, but they are every bit as tough.

Anyway, just wanted to give a little more info since the question was asked.

Jay

[cape_fisherman]

I really don't mean highjack this thread! I want to stress the fact that I'm talking about a plain jane charter boat. That Egg Harbor is likely to be way ahead in the finish catagory than the boats I'm talking about. For sure.

There are 'for-profit' charter boats and then there are 'not for-profit' charter boats. The latter catagory is for those that fish only for the tax writeoff. Some may find that hard to believe, but it's very true. I know at least one chater boat that cost more than 1.5mil and ran MAYBE 25 trips last year. That's a money maker for sure.

The guys that run 30+ knots for miles on end aren't in it to make a living. I saw one boat put over 300 gallons in the tank after a single trip last summer. That was $600+ for fuel on a $1,200 trip. That's not a money maker either...not for a 'for-profit' charter.

The real smart captains are the ones that run someone else's boat. LOL....now THAT'S a very true statement!

My point here is the big yacht builders would like everyone to think the only boat is a 3/4mil+ boat. It just isn't so & many backyard builders know that. Every 'small' builder I know is busy right now. People realize what a bargain they can get in the custom market right now if they deal with the right people. One of these 'bargain' builders has at least 10 boats going as we speak. I doubt the yacht builder on Core Creek can say the same. Not knocking his product...just saying there's more to boat building than boats with watermakers and open bridge deck air conditioners. [wink]

Jay

[seastallionmate]

The owner that I work for also lives on the boat during the summer and runs the boat to try to make money (retirement) so he needs the creature comforts. I'm just grateful that he's getting a new boat and not someone else's mess. The last boat was nice but the previous owners butchered everything including the wiring! 22 knots is slow when you’re dropping 350-400 gallons per trip!!! The new boat will cruise upper 20s for half the fuel!! I see you point on the Carolinas and wish I owned one myself, but it wouldn't fit his purpose. At this point he needs a turn key boat with the comforts, so he is ahead of the eight ball for a change. Besides, NOT MY MONEY!!!