I believe Sea Boss are the same boats as the older Sea Fox. Generally the yanks regard them as a cheap and nasty boat. Very cheap in the us so I guess that's why so many end up over here.
Johnson 4 strokes are just a rebadged Suzuki.

Hey Ben,

have a look at dbimports.com.au there are based in wangera. They do us imports and when i was there last they had a few different boats there. The only problem is for a sea test you have to put a offer in. So if u wanne try one have a look if you can find someone who's got one and ask if they can take u out. The dollar os falling too so i wouldnt wait too much longer. BTW they offer a service that if you find a boat in the net over there they send someone to have a look at it and give you a report.

Cheers Seb

Thanks for the reply guys

Seb-

I've been looking at a 6.4m with 140hp Johnson 4 stroke thats based in Wangarra. Have you been on one before? And do you agree with Dodgy in that they are a cheap and nasty boat?

Thanks Ben

Yeah i seen that boat at dbimports too (its been there quite a while) and was interested in it so i done some reaserch and they are basicly the cheaper cousin of the trophy type american boats. So cheaper quality materials and not finished as nice. From what i read on some american forums some people were happy with them and some were pretty unhappy with them with a few common problems poping up. They definently.arnt on the same level as the more expensive well known american boats. Spend another 5-10k and get something quality!

From what I read about them I would agree with Paul and dodgy but as I personally have never been on one I cant tell for sure.I looked at the sea pro with the 115yammy and that was a solid boat the only negative thing I could find was the moderate freeboard. BTW was sold before I finished my research. Just would recommend do your homework and if you think you wanne buy it put a offer in and say its subject to sea test. So if you go out and dont like it you still can pull the pin.... and dont go out in good weather, every boat performs well in good weather. In bad weather you can see the difference.

Cheers guys good advice,

I'll do my 'homework' and ask some experienced mates and look on the net

Thanks

Ben

Anything else i should know?

Very keen on the boat. Thinking of putting an offer on for this weekend- 21 and rain may be a good test for it.

Any more info on the boats or motor?

Sorry if I'm asking too much but i dont want to make the wrong decision

Cheers

Ben

If you are really keen on this boat then it mite pay to get a specialist in to go over the boat for you, someone who can inspect the hull and motor and let you know what condition its really in. Then if it all checks out do what aalfred said and put an offer on the boat subject to a sea trial. I think its been in there yard for 6 months, maybe even longer, so go low (but still realistic) on your first offer. Good luck!

Thanks Paul

Definetly need a sea trial before purchasing. A few of my mates know a lot about boats and fiberglass hulls and stuff so I'll try and get the around to check it out- may be cheaper than an expert.

Cheers :)

Ben

6.4m with a 140 is going to be marginal power wise as well.

dodgy yeah 140's a bit on the light side but I usually will be cruising most of the time.

Theres also a 2006 model there (2 years newer than the other one) with a 150 optimax on it, for the same price.

Do you think that this one may be better value for money?

Also are OPTIMAX mercuries ok? I've had other 2 stroke mercuries which have been shit to say the least.

Cheers

Ben

I have the Key West 196 Bay Reef with a 150 yamaha which is more than enough power for it.  For a boat which is fairly similar in weight/ size i would think 140 would be sufficient.  There's a big difference between that and a walk around of the same length.  As for Opti's I've heard mixed opinions.  I have a 90 opti on my other boat which i had a few issues with alarms going off for no reason stopping the motor from going above idle.  Once replaced it was fine

Optis seem to have a few problems with the compressor bearings failing and the new compressor is $2k every time it happens.

Edit: oops, shift+4 yeah.

yeh cheers guys i've had problems with my 30hp 2 stroke too

Probably steer away from them now since you guys have confirmed what i was thinking

Cheers Ben

Another thing to think about is the weight of this hull, its a 6.4m boat but only weighs just over a tonne (1150kg's), but the same size boat from other manufacturers weigh upwards of 1500kg's, some close to 2000kg's, so youve gotta ask yourself why its so much lighter?! Im not an expert, not even close realy so i could be wrong but it looks to me like its a bit light on the materials somewhere. Although it does mean that the 140 should push it along alright.

Totally wrapped with it. Took it out in some pretty solid wind yesterday and it handled it a treat.  Solid boat and solid 225 Etec on the back. And for the price that I got it over here from the US compared to the prices over here for the same thing I wouldnt look at getting anything over here again unless its a 5M or under tinny. There are also a few guys from work and Ive got a mate in Cairns that have all done the same thing and they are all pretty happy with their boats. Some are looking to sell and get bigger while the $$ is good.

 Just got it in last week. Its a 2301 Seaswirl Striper Walk Around. Its got a 225 Etec on the back. Cost about $50k all up, 28k for the boat, 4k for a new aluminium trailer and about 18k for shipping and GST. Saved about 30k from the prices over here. Its a 2005 boat and motor. Motors done about 400hrs. All looks like new except for the antifoul on the bottom but had it all surveyed before I bought it and it all checked out. All in all the importing was pretty smooth. Just one thing to do is make sure you get your Boat Trailer Import application in as soon as you have chosen the boat you want because the folks in Canberra that process the forms are definately not in a rush. Their website says allow 15 working days to process but mine took about 6-7 weeks. 

Hopefully with some good fish fotos. Havent put any photos up yet but shouldnt be too hard. Yeah, loving the boat. Even when Im at home we just sit in the boat and drink beers. My new home out the front of home. Its good having the bed so if the missus sends me out I can sleep in the boat... 

been looking at seaswirl striper? 2301 model with 200 yam 4 stroke on ebay for 32k

Cheers for the responses guys

Ben

I imported a Sea Boss a while back and am very happy with it.

Sea Boss are basically a Sea Pro hull. When Sea Pro upgraded the design they manufactured the old design as Sea Boss. Sea Pro are a very proven hull and have a great name.

Mine is a 21ft Center Console with Johnson 150hp. The boat rides very well and I am quite impressed with it compared to a lot of the local aluminium hulls around.

There are a few little idiosyncrysies with them though. They were manufactured to a price and so little things like plastic thru hulls, cheap bilge pumps and the layout of the wiring harness were done to a price. We spent a few $k and alot of weekends correcting alot of these things and bringing the boat up to what I would consider a superior level. I am a bit of a perfectionist with these things as well though so some people might think I went pedantic.

I have taken mine to Abrolhos 8 times in all sorts of weather and various trips around Perth and Jurien with no problems at all. The thing eats up crappy weather.

In terms of weight I think whoever said it was 1150kgs is incorrect. I have a 425kg trailer and the boat with half tank of fuel and anchor (no other load) on a weighbridge came up with 1970kg. That puts the boat at 1545kg with approx 105kg of fuel and anchor. This is inline with Pro line or any of the other major manufacturers for a same size boat. The other thing with weight is ould you want to go any heavier??? another 30kg and we would require a whole different braking system and probably a new car.

I have the boat stored in my factory in Bibra Lake if you want to come down and have a chat. I am actually getting the boat ready for sale over the next couple of weekends as we are looking to upgrade to a 23ft twin. If you are after a Center Console you are more then welcome to check it out.

My number is 0409892258 and my email is jon.davies@bovells.com.au

jd

Anyone here have a Mercury Optimax? Are they any good?

I'm now the owner of a Optimax ( 175hp ) on a Trophy, Took it out for the first time yesterday. To be honest it doesn't seem as refined as my old E-Tec , But it's no better/worse than a 2 stroke Yamaha. Bit hard to give an idea on fuel usage as I feel my engine has WAY too much prop on it ( 4 blade stainless either 16 or 17 inch, will only rev to around 4500 rpm ) but was doing around 22-23 knots and the smartcraft said 30lt/h.

Some information I found while researching, which was confirmed by a couple of the members here was that the low pressure fuel pump's can be hit and miss, so too can the air pump. Apart from that they're pretty reliable !

Have an Optimax 150 on our boat, done close to 300 hours with it now, and its been great.  My only critism is its a noisy, quite a bit louder than the ETEC.   Fuel econ is fantastic.   Starts 1st time every time, always has. 

I would run genuine oil from the start next time, as we had a minor issue with a oil level sensor in the top oil tank in the motor.  It dropped the little magnet inside the tank, because of the non genuine oil we used.  (that is what we were told by the Mercury)  It wasn't a drama to fix. 

Cheers Hamo and Hunterdive,

I was talking to a guy in busselton about his 135 Optimax and he rekons its great on fuel and he's done 600 hours on it without a problem. He said run Synthetic DFI oil- is that Direct Fuel Injection stuff?

Hamo- with a smaller prop would the rpm and speed rise or fall?

Cheers Ben

Rpm and speed should both rise if a motor can get max revs.

Cool

Whats about average max revs for a 150hp?

Thanks

Ben

Should be around 5500

It's assumption, but smaller prop would be a bit easier for the engine to turn, might loose a little speed initially but pick it up with missing 1000 rpm. Max engine speed for 175 is 5300-5600 rpm in the handbook so it'd have to be simular for the 150. With regard to oil, yeah the synthetic stuff is the one to use. A little more thought about the fuel usage says I might have used MAX 10 lts more than what my old tub with a 90 etec on the back would have used for the same trip !!

True True

Hamo- How bigs is your Trophy? And what is your average cruising speed and RPM on a flat day?

Dodgy- Thanks

We're going for a test ride in it this Friday (Maybe- public holiday) or Saturday. If it rides well and everything is up to scratch then we'll buy it and ill put some pics up :)

Ben

I've only just bought the boat mate so still feeling my way around it a bit. It's 2002 WA 6.5m and about the 1600kg mark without any gear on it. I put in at Dampier boat ramp for those that know it, and went out behind Bare rock on the far side of the archipelago. Trolled around for about 4 hours, Speeds and throttle input were all over the place as I was making sure there were no flat spots, hickups, splutters or anything out of the ordinary. I found that it would cruise quite effortlessly at between 20 and 22 knots and the Smartcraft said 28-30 lt/per hour. Seas weren't rough, but would have been a decent 18-20 knt wind.

To be honest, I've heard bad things even about some of the best engines on the market, I personally know 2 different owners that have had E-Tecs terminate on them, I have another that had a 4st Yamaha let go on him. I've close friends that wouldn't touch a Merc if it were given too them. The owners of all above examples all know other owners with simular engines with THOUSANDS of hours on them, without fault. End of the day even the most respected brands will have failures so you're just rolling the dice. Truth be told there are simular stories about hulls.

I had a respected Mercury mechanic do an inspection on the engine of the boat I bought, He gave it the all clear, Comp. Test came up within 2 PSI across all cyl so what else can you do, I'd suggest doing the same but realise it is only as good as the knowledge/experience of the person inspecting it.

Hope the test ride goes well mate, Make sure you take your time and look over everything as it's very easy to get caught up in the moment, If there's something you don't like or are unsure of question it, If you don't like the answer or your gut tells you somethings not right, Either have a professional give their opinion or forget about it and find another one.

Thanks Hamo hope your new boat goes well

Definetly take some knowledgeable mates with me to inspect it

Try not to get caught in all the excitement ,"Dad buy it buy it buy it buy it"
"SHUT UP" lol

Thanks for everything

Ben