outriggers, generator and a c/heat are they worth it

[finnaddict]

Buying 305 and the three things the boat does not come with.first the outriggers I plan on doing some one day shark fishing.Never tuna fished so dont plan on even trying that till I feel really comfy being off shore.At what point is it a worthy investment rather than a waste of money for extra hardware hangin off the boat.Second is the generator.Most of My fishing will be daytime but will get in a few overniters.the third is a/c heat.Plan on sleeping on it quite a bit but never felt being at the marina at night was an issue for heat and was thinking a quality portable heater in the fall would do the trick.Dont mind spending the money if its worth it but hate to throw 15k at these items to find out I dont really use them.All opinions are greatly appreciated

 

[georgemjr]

I'll be in a better position to answer this in a couple months after I use the 33 I am buying that has both ac/heat and generator. The Sailfish I am selling has outriggers - never used them, but I am not a hard core fisherman. I intend on installing them (some day) on the 33 but am in no rush since I haven't needed them before. I think they are an item you can pass on for now and buy in the future if you develop the need for them. I slept on the Sailfish weekly and never felt the need for ac, actually used a light cover most nights (water around you is almost always cool except for a couple of weeks). I know others who use the ac regularly in order to keep the interior nice and dry. I don't have a generator on my sailfish (obviously) and felt I could always buy a portable Honda if I ended up needing one, but never did. The stove on the Sailfish is butane, so I could use it without power, the newer boats have electric stoves requiring a generator. I am happy I will have these options on the new boat, but I wouldn't think they are necessary for up here (Long Island) for my type of use, definitely not cost effective, but a nice option. Probably ups the re-sale a smidge also ups the yearly maintainence cost.

 

[Fishermanbb]

You'll want the Genset and the A/C. Outriggers really only get used for Tuna so if you're not going you can always add them later. You can troll for shark but you can create a shark spread without the riggers....

 

[Capt. Ed]

Outriggers, etc

Congratulations on your choice, the 305 is a great boat.

My only advice on the add ons is that I've never heard anyone say they wished they hadn't got those items. But, I've heard plenty of people say they wished they had. Plus, resale will be lots easier.

 

[megabytes]

Outriggers are a must for trolling. I don't shark fish so I can't say if they are useful for that.

The a/c and genset question are really related. I would suggest either both or none. The a/c much more useful if you don't have to hook up dock power. Since my boat is in dry stack, having a genset is very useful.

Good luck. You will love the 305.

 

[Capt. Ed]

I understand Megabytes point on buying ac and gen together. I only have ac and I now wish I had got gen. However, if your boat is going to be in a wet slip with power, the ac is a valuable option. We used to be docked in Niantic, CT and spent a lot of weekends on our boat at the dock or cruising. There were many nights where the ac/heat was wonderful to have. Another important benefit is that the ac has a humidity setting. You can leave it on this and it will keep your cabin dry and free of mold.

Good luck whatever you do.

 

[finnaddict]

My thinking was for the a/c and reverse heat that I would mostly use it at night at the dock where I could use shore power.I know that most People are thinking I should know what I intend to do with the boat and draw a conclusion from that,which is a fair assessment.What made me post this is I also thought I wouldnt need auto pilot but after reading a link on it two points were made.One that if You travel a descent distance the constant self correction will save fuel.The second being if trolling there is a straight or zigzag pattern on some models.Now anyone who has fought the tide and wind while running or trolling can see this could be a great tool.So what I was trying to get a feel for is who uses them and what for.Georgemjr already brought up a point on the a/c that even if I dont need it for cooling it does cut down humidity, a point I didnt think of.Thanks

 

[finnaddict]

The boat will be in a wet slip with shore power and I dont think I would need i would really use a/c and heat other than at night for sleeping

 

[Lainie J]

A?C

I have a Marlin with no AC or Gen. I do regret not having the AC. The Gen would be nice but the AC for me is critical. I do have outriggers mounted on the top. I do some tuna trolling but use mostly for shark fishing to keep lines spread. Every year I price out AC but never pull the trigger because I am always considering selling the boat. I do have a portable unit that I use when at the beach with the family.

 

[megabytes]

Another use for the genset is to power freezer plates in the fish box. I know some who have those and swear by them.

 

[finnaddict]

Lainie 3 what kind of prices are You getting for the a/c and does it have heat? Mega bytes those plates do look nice but the one Im getting doesnt have them

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Outriggers you can always add later when/if you need them.
AC/heat is a must for our area. Generator you can live without the factory/marine version. When you are at the dock you use dock power, no problem. If you planning on overnight once in a while a portable 2K Honda is the trick. Great product and good back up for the house for those days without electricity.
P.S by not getting gen. you have one less maintenance item.

 

[Lainie J]

ac

I dont rember exactly the last price quote but I think it was around $3,800 installed for a 7K BTU unit. There was a guy in Central Islip that wanted to sell be all the equipment and have me do the install. That was around $2,000 but i didnt want to install myself.

 

[finnaddict]

LOts of good feed back thanks guys.Did some shark fishing research and it seems depth is more important than spreading so the outriggers go on hold.Hey N E M love the portable gen idea for the occasional night trip.Considering what it cost for a marine gen for the times I would use it just didnt add up.Going to check out the a/c at the nassau show .Thanks again.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Living in the northeast seems a heater would extend boating opportunities in the fall and spring. Outriggers, I have spent many a day detangling lines from bait crossing in turns. While I fish only a few times a year due to my location, outriggers are going on the boat this spring. They are invaluable to time saved and getting your bait spread apart thus covering more water behind the boat. I have successfully caught big dolphin, kings, tuna and so forth without outriggers, but I can see the value they add to any trolling done be it for sharks, tuna, blues, strippers, etc. My vote would be outriggers and the heater/ac.

 

[Fishtales]

My 2 pennies.

- Riggers. Only if you do a lot of trolling. You can get what I call poor man's outriggers and stick them in the gunnel (place rods perpendicular to beam) for short money. If you want them cheap, look around ebay and other places and see if you can pick up. They are a pretty easy install.

- AC. Depends where you are. I'd say north of Jersey probably not needed except if you are staying over during a hot spell. Here in Boston, really not needed for my use case anyway.

- Gen. Good option, but I tend to agree that it should be tied to the AC.
Depends where you keep the boat. If you have shore power, you likely don't need it all that much. On a mooring or location without power, it is more valuable. It is a lot of cake for the use I get out of it IMHO, but nice to have.

The latter two are best from the factory, but I'm sure you can get someone to do the install after market. I must say that I installed the riggers on my boat myself. All in less than $1K. If the other two didn't come with the boat, I would have pocketed the jing.