New boat opinion

[Wise77]

Next spring I have finally decided to get in to a bigger boat but I can't really decide what I would like.  I have heard a lot about all 3 I'm looking at. I'm just curious of anyone's opinion of what one you all would choose. I'm looking at Thompson's, Pen Yan's and Baha's. It would be a 23 to 28 foot boat. I'm leaning towards the Pen Yan's and Baha's.

Edited September 14, 2025 by Wise77

[Missdemeanor]

Get a survey 

[MCF]

Nothing overall wrong with any of the three.   Problem is like many older boats they develop stringer failure or transom failure so be sure to have a survey done by a competent surveyor prior to making a purchase.  

[rod hog]

wise 77 i sent you a pm

[1lastweekend]

I just upgraded after 20+ years fishing out of a 17' open bow I/O...I chose a 2000 Aqua Sport 215 Osprey Sport DC (23' LOA), in large part because it is an outboard, and it has no wood in the stringers or transom.  I also looked at a bunch of OB and I/O W/A cuddies and straight cuddies, (Penn Yan, Grady White, Striper, Thompson, etc) and I believe I get more space for fishing and use of the boat with this DC (dual console)  Working on outfitting it now for trout and salmon next spring...

[Wise77]

3 hours ago, 1lastweekend said:

I just upgraded after 20+ years fishing out of a 17' open bow I/O...I chose a 2000 Aqua Sport 215 Osprey Sport DC (23' LOA), in large part because it is an outboard, and it has no wood in the stringers or transom.  I also looked at a bunch of OB and I/O W/A cuddies and straight cuddies, (Penn Yan, Grady White, Striper, Thompson, etc) and I believe I get more space for fishing and use of the boat with this DC (dual console)  Working on outfitting it now for trout and salmon next spring...

I will definitely check those out as well. Thank you.

[Wise77]

8 hours ago, MCF said:

Nothing overall wrong with any of the three.   Problem is like many older boats they develop stringer failure or transom failure so be sure to have a survey done by a competent surveyor prior to making a purchase.  

Absolutely, I totally agree with you. I have the number of a very reputable guy from Oswego to go thru for a survey. I'm definitely not getting burned ever again. 

[lrg355]

You can go online and find data on which boat brands stopped using wood in structural applications and what year they stopped.  That is the best indicator of how to eliminate future problems.

[Wise77]

2 minutes ago, lrg355 said:

You can go online and find data on which boat brands stopped using wood in structural applications and what year they stopped.  That is the best indicator of how to eliminate future problems.

Thank you for that info, great idea!

[Bozeman Bob]

Depending on budget I would be looking at a 27 Tiara ,Pursuit, Pro-Line . I've looked at many under 15K Bertram 28's in the Cleveland, Detroit area , usually no trailer , but a beast of a boat for the money.   I would stay away from.I/Os for a ton of reasons . Grady Whites , way over rated and over priced , most in your probable price range will need or have had done , transom , stringers or gas tank . 

[UNREEL]

As stated above definitely look in the Cleveland, Port Clinton area. The western Lake Erie basin has a huge boating community. There are several Tiara/Pursuit dealers around also.

[Wise77]

I have some friends with the tiara boats and they love them but other that seeing them a few times I don't really know much about them. Definitely going to be checking those out.

[John E Powell]

The the 23-25’ Steiger Craft Miami models are worth considering also. I fish on a 255 DV regularly. A little tough to find, but very nice layout to troll from and it can be trailered without an overwide permit. No wood construction commercial hulls.

[Captain Randy]

I have a 33 chris craft. Call 716 940 2845 

[Jm1984]

I run a 27 Searay amberjack and it’s a great fishing platform with no dog house (personally I hate dog houses). The draw back of it is the i/o’s, they have a lot of moving pieces which ups the chance of failure.  I change lower unit oil a couple of times a year because I put a lot of hours on.  If you’re really concerned about it you can put a kicker motor on and use a tie bar to connect it to the mains and auto pilot.  

[Bozeman Bob]

 . 

Oh , to answer your question, none of the above . If we knew your budget and if you were planning on a slip or trailering that would help tremendously.  Last thing I would buy would be I/O driven as post above mentioned along with a few other reasons. 

Edited September 16, 2025 by Bozeman Bob

[Wise77]

My first bigger boat was an I/O and yes I did have issues with it. So yeah I'm thinking outboard. I know some of the bigger bahas I believe are outboard and I thought some of the bigger Pen yans where as well. But definitely not positive. It would be around 25,000 ish or less maybe a little more if its a great deal. Planning to get a slip for sure. I can tow it but I don't want to. The only reason I picked the 3 is because they are the most common near me but I'm definitely open to anything hard top.

Edited September 16, 2025 by Wise77

[GAMBLER]

I own a Penn Yan 245 Contender and love it.  I bought the boat 4 years ago.  Like others have stated, have a survey done.  All three brands you mentioned have stringer and transom rot issues.  If you look long enough, you can find one that has had stringers and transom rebuilds done.  Mine was rebuilt in 2008.  IF the rebuild was done by a reputable company, you shouldn't have an issue moving forward.  

[Jm1984]

I have not seen any of the bigger Penn’s with outboards but someone feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.  Any boat you look at in that price range is going to be older so survey is key

[Bozeman Bob]

27 Tiara , 1983 , not beat or fished judging from the pictures , 17,500 . Marketplace just below Detroit.  No hardtop , but for that money you could have something made up and still be ahead of the game.  Probably cost around 1K to transport it back . 25' Pursuit in Erie for 13,900 but it's a I/O , which you'll hate in the long run . 

[mr 580]

Pretty early in a used boat search to lock in on specific brand especially with a 25K budget.  I’d suggest looking at 23 to 25’ as one group then 26 to 30’ as another.  On the smaller end you can get along with a single and on the big end you’d be much happier with twins.  Big difference in operating costs between those groups.  When you move into late model 4 stroke outboards for power, your budget is out the window. 

[Wise77]

22 minutes ago, mr 580 said:

Pretty early in a used boat search to lock in on specific brand especially with a 25K budget.  I’d suggest looking at 23 to 25’ as one group then 26 to 30’ as another.  On the smaller end you can get along with a single and on the big end you’d be much happier with twins.  Big difference in operating costs between those groups.  When you move into late model 4 stroke outboards for power, your budget is out the window. 

Just trying to get some opinions from some different people but I have a smaller boat now that I will be selling soon so I may try to buy this fall before everyone winterizes them.  Definitely got some great info from you guys and some new boats to look at. I appreciate all the information from you all.

[Bozeman Bob]

Aquasport makes a excellent fishing platform.and the hulls are extremely well built . One in Erie , drawback ,single 454 in it .Two in Detroit area , same years with twins in them. One is like 9k and the other 17k , lift kept ,both appear to be in great shape . All 3 are 27' xf models . 

[Jm1984]

The aqua sports are definitely a very nice platform to fish on the ones built in the 80s are very prone to stringer and transom issues. Just something to be aware of with them.

[Shakemsam]

Regardless of manufacturer, Outboard or Inboard. Nothing in between!