Hi,
I bought a 2006 170cc with a 75 Yamaha in 2012 and have been very happy with the boat. I have a house in the southern bahamas and maintenance services are hard to come by, so I was very intrigued with the concept of a maintenance free hull. I store it outside in the sun and it's held up perfectly. The boat has also proven its indestructible/unsinkable status a few times. Just after I bought it, a freak storm kicked up 8 foot waves while the boat was anchored off our (normally placid) beach. The boat swamped to the gunwales....a friend towed it out beyond the breakers, bailed it out, and motored it back to the harbour. Good as new. A couple of years later a friend (novice) was at the helm while we were fishing off shore....he backed into a swell and we took on a ton of water. Normally not a problem except that my caretaker had removed the bilge pump and not told me (note to self...check all systems before any trip). Hand bailing with a bucket didn't work as the additional weight of the bailer in the stern put the transom under water. So we motored back in at about 3 knots....engine half submerged. Bailed it out...had a word with my caretaker....learned a lesson or two....good as new. And, most recently, Hurricane Joaquin flooded the storage area where I keep the boat. It was flipped in the wind....dragged 100 yards or so...and another boat ended up on top of it. It's scratched and ugly.....but, seemingly, intact. I'll post in another forum looking for advice on repairs.
Things I wish I knew if I bought another one? Engine choice. The 75 yamaha is just too heavy for the boat. At 100lbs lighter, the F70 looks like the perfect mate. Things I wish were different from a design perspective? I'd love another bilge pump, and I wish the deck fore of the transom covering the bilge was easier to remove for maintenance.
But overall, it's been a perfect boat. I've been out fishing in some outrageously high seas.....caught some really big fish, beached it on rocky islands, taken it into shallow estuaries where bigger boats would never dare to go....and, best of all, the guys who steal boats in the Bahamas aren't interested....too small!
Alex
I bought a 2006 170cc with a 75 Yamaha in 2012 and have been very happy with the boat. I have a house in the southern bahamas and maintenance services are hard to come by, so I was very intrigued with the concept of a maintenance free hull. I store it outside in the sun and it's held up perfectly. The boat has also proven its indestructible/unsinkable status a few times. Just after I bought it, a freak storm kicked up 8 foot waves while the boat was anchored off our (normally placid) beach. The boat swamped to the gunwales....a friend towed it out beyond the breakers, bailed it out, and motored it back to the harbour. Good as new. A couple of years later a friend (novice) was at the helm while we were fishing off shore....he backed into a swell and we took on a ton of water. Normally not a problem except that my caretaker had removed the bilge pump and not told me (note to self...check all systems before any trip). Hand bailing with a bucket didn't work as the additional weight of the bailer in the stern put the transom under water. So we motored back in at about 3 knots....engine half submerged. Bailed it out...had a word with my caretaker....learned a lesson or two....good as new. And, most recently, Hurricane Joaquin flooded the storage area where I keep the boat. It was flipped in the wind....dragged 100 yards or so...and another boat ended up on top of it. It's scratched and ugly.....but, seemingly, intact. I'll post in another forum looking for advice on repairs.
Things I wish I knew if I bought another one? Engine choice. The 75 yamaha is just too heavy for the boat. At 100lbs lighter, the F70 looks like the perfect mate. Things I wish were different from a design perspective? I'd love another bilge pump, and I wish the deck fore of the transom covering the bilge was easier to remove for maintenance.
But overall, it's been a perfect boat. I've been out fishing in some outrageously high seas.....caught some really big fish, beached it on rocky islands, taken it into shallow estuaries where bigger boats would never dare to go....and, best of all, the guys who steal boats in the Bahamas aren't interested....too small!
Alex
