Plastic Boat?

[sburrill]

Ok I see allot of posts asking for help on buying a boat and here's another. I have owned a 1987 17' Fisher Marine aluminum skiff with an Evinrude 30 for 5 years and use it to fish inshore waters here in Casco Bay off Portland, Maine. I want a bigger and more seaworthy boat that I can take offshore but still feel comfortable casting to shore with or going up some rivers.

I went to the boat show this weekend and saw the Triumph 210 CC. It seems like lots of boat for the money but I know nothing about A) buying new boats and B) plastic boats. Does anyone have any opions or experience with these boats? I guess they were formally Logic.

The salseman espoused durability, easy repair, lightness, smooth ride. I also looked at Mako 192 and Boston Whaler Nantucket 19. All nice boats and really expensive. I'd buy used if I thought I wasn't gettting someone else's problems....

[mansfieldsign]

That's correct -they were Logics. The hull is Ropalene(sp?). They make them
in a heat/spinning process, which I've been told limits the sizes the manufacturer can offer, although that may have changed. The mfg states the hulls are almost indestructable. When I looked at them a couple of years ago IMO the quality of the hulls didn't look quite right to me.
For some reason, some of the Maine boat dealers near us were selling
quite a few of them. Price then, seemed reasonable (I thought) for a durable boat that would get you on the water.

[titleguy]

Looked at those triumphs at the boast show this weekend in Bangor- looks like a lot of boat for the money. 17' sportsman appears to be the one- 60hp tiller, use for fishing and hunting- priced yesterday @ $9999.00 boat, motor, trailer- pretty nice. Anyone have experience with the ride?

[detra]

Sorry, I have no experience with that boat. However, I would be skeptical of buying a $10K 17 footer. A 60hp four-stroke goes for around 6K alone, $1500 for a decent trailer-- that doesn't leave much for the hull and controls! A roto-molded whitewater kayak sells for $800.

Myself, I would go with a used whaler/mako/edgewater. There aren't many problems associated with these boats, there's not much to them. Hull (most important), center console, limited seating, good motor.

BTW, having gone to a four-stroke this past season. I would never go back a two-stroke IMO definitely worth the extra money.

good luck

[Bob Parsons]

I looked at them and really liked the price. But I felt with the little bit of lobstering I do, The areas where the floor met the hull would be more effort than I wanted come clean up time.

[Flying Scotsman]

Triumph was called Logic, was bought by Genmar, owners of Wellcraft, Carver, Hydrasport and a few other brands.
My Buddy has a Triumph 17 footer and is very happy with it. The main reason he got it was he is limited in towing weight and the Triumph is lighter than anything else of the same size. I've ridden it on a lake and it is a really quiet, smooth ride
I almost bought the 210 but went for a Hydrasport instead, the main reason being the resale value. I know of a guy down here who really wants to sell an almost new Triumph 210, not sure why except that he is unhappy with it, but he can't seem to sell it. PM me if you want to get in touch with him.

That being said, if you plan to keep the boat for ever, you really do get a lot of boat for the money And you will never have to worry about fiberglass repairs again. I just paid $125 to have a hole the size of a dime repaired. --124-3

I'd guess the $9999 special has a Suzuki 4 stroke. I think they retail for less that $6K.

TFS

[Nauti Buoy]

Conceptually a "plastic' boat sounds interesting. However, when I took a brief look at them a few years back when they were Logics, a couple things that were obvious were fit and lack of through bolting of railing, cleats, etc. I don't know if they have improved the fit, or if they have since molded in the backing plates to secure the hardware, but if not, then?????? If they still have screwed in hdw., then be wary.

[ncangler]

I just found this site and this is my first post, so please excuse this tardy post. I purchased a 210 Triumph in the fall of 2002. I have been very pleased with it. We fish the Pamlico Sound in NC, ski with the kids back in the creeks and on the lakes in Raleigh, and I've been offshore fishing with it four times. Great boat for the money, smooth, quiet and dry ride. I like the boat so much I started a forum for Triumph boat owners. The site on MSN went away. Please feel free to check out the comments and posts on the site if you're interested in first hand user info on the boats.

www.triumphowners.org

Blessings,
Randy
----------------------------------
Site Creator/Administrator
www.triumphowners.org
www.NCangler.com

[rhodyflyguy]

over the summer, while at snug harbor dropping off a couple of rods for repair, we saw a triumph in the lot. it had washed up on on of the pt. jude walls. part of the hull had shattered. this could have been repaired had it been a glass boat, and wouldn't have happened if it was alum. however, seeing it was plastic, the boat had to go into the dumpster. i'll stay away.

[rockfisherman]

over the summer, while at snug harbor dropping off a couple of rods for repair, we saw a triumph in the lot. it had washed up on on of the pt. jude walls. part of the hull had shattered. this could have been repaired had it been a glass boat, and wouldn't have happened if it was alum. however, seeing it was plastic, the boat had to go into the dumpster. i'll stay away.
Hey, Rhodyflyguy, I saw that boat. The hull at the water line was roughed up jagged, but I think a fiberglass boat would have splinters after what it went thru. I didn't see anything that would have caused them to trash that boat. Are you sure they trashed it??

[Soundking]

I looked at the triumph back when it was a logic. The thing that concered me, as I do fish in places where it can get big quickly, was the weight of the boat. If you plan on having a sea worthy boat that you can take out into a sea, do you really want a very light hull?? This is what ultimately turned me off of them. I think a lot about them, and they are good for sheltered use and if you pick your days you should be ok. But if you plan to take the boat in any kind of a sea or run anywhere just offshore, then this would be a major concern of mine.

[Greenponded]

I am actually interested in the 210 cc. From what I have read on thehulltruth.com (if you haven't found this site yet, check it out) the people that own these boats swear by them. It seems like some of the quality issues from earlier "Logic" models have been addressed in recent years. I hear that they are great in rough water and outperform comparably sized mid-tier fiberglass hulls. The reason I am interested is that for a 21' 2000 lb boat, they can reportedly handle offshore conditions, and run well with a 150 hp. I can envision picking up a leftover or 1-2 year old model with a 150 4 stroke and trailer, for about $20K. I plan to check them out at the boat show.

[rockfisherman]

I am actually interested in the 210 cc. From what I have read on thehulltruth.com (if you haven't found this site yet, check it out) the people that own these boats swear by them.

SeaTow uses the 210 cc as their tow fleet, fwiw.

[gilly09]

Sburrill,

If your dealing with Port Harbor Marine in So. Portland, you're dealing with a great group of people.

However, once you say a certain dollar value you're looking to spend, and it's not a dollar value that they can "sell" you a used whaler/grady white/edgewater, they immediately provide you with the "outlet store" location and try to turn you onto the inexpensive Triumph.

It's a save the sale opportunity for their sales staff.

I looked at the Triumph, liked it, but something about a plastic hull that i just can't warm up to.

I'd keep your eyes open in uncle henry's for a solid boat. Just a month ago there was a 21 foot grady with a cuddy. 1998. Boat motor trailer, 14k. Someone in Kennebunk was leaving the state for opportunity in Nebraska.

The other hulls i frequently see that are a solid boat are the easton's. They are popular among the inshore lobsterman. They are often found in the 17-20 foot lengths, and considered a durable working man's boat.

[rhodyflyguy]

rockfisherman,
sorry, i was wrong. snug harbor was unable to fix it, but someone was taking it. really, there was no way to fix it. when you want a fix to last, you use what is used in the hull. had the boat been glass, they would have used resin and glass to fix it. they couldn't melt the boat back together. i'm not sure of who we talked to. he's the rodbuilder there.

[rockfisherman]

rockfisherman,
sorry, i was wrong. snug harbor was unable to fix it, but someone was taking it. really, there was no way to fix it. when you want a fix to last, you use what is used in the hull. had the boat been glass, they would have used resin and glass to fix it. they couldn't melt the boat back together. i'm not sure of who we talked to. he's the rodbuilder there.
rhodyflyguy, no offense to you, but I think the glass rod builder had an axe to grind. When I was boat shopping I talked to Triumph dealers a lot since that brand was on my short list. My understanding is that use a blowtorch and reshape the damage and refinish with sanders and buffers. I didn't any cracks in the hull and I took a pretty close look at it.

[rhodyflyguy]

whoa... thanks. i thought the guy was credible.