Put a deposit down on a 195CC

[Hans]

Hi folks-

I am seriously contemplating purchasing a 2012 195CC with the new Mercury 150 4S on it. I live in Washington state and would keep it moored in a boathouse on the Puget Sound. From there I would fish for the ling cod, salmon, halibut and dungeness crab that are within easy reach of the mooring. It would also see duty as a freshwater boat when I'd trailer it over the Cascade mountains to fish the large reservoirs in eastern Washington, or south to the mouth of the Columbia river to fish for the incoming salmon runs. I would also like to trailer further west and fish for the bottomfish and salmon off the coast, as well as eventually pick a day to make a run for the albacore tuna when they get within 20 miles or so.

I am hoping that during my 48 hour trial membership here I could solicit some opinions on the boat-

What is the experience of the board members in general regarding leaving the Roplene hulls in the saltwater for extended periods? Does it suffer from average or above-average marine growth? Is it easy enough to pressure wash off the growth or does the Roplene material allow it to really anchor in and make removal difficult?

What is the experience of the 195CC owners regarding fishability of this model? This is going to be primarily a fishing boat - I currently have a 27' Bayliner that, while the females like it due to its creature comforts, just doesn't see enough fishing use by me to justify its spot in the boathouse. I know the general consensus up here in the PNW is that a CC model is not desirable, but I started out fishing all weather in tiller boats so a little wind/rain isn't going to slow me down. Plus, with the optional canvas T-top enclosure it seems like there would be enough shelter to duck out of the worst of it. As an aside, how well does the boat work as a "cocktail cruiser" for two couples?

Is there anything else that the Triumph owners here would like to share with me to watch out for before I look at the boat again and/or sea trial it? Any issues that I should be aware of?

Thank you for your time, I hope to spend much more of mine on here in the near future.

Regards,

Hans

 

[BeeReel]

I've been an owner of the 215C TE and as a side note a Cougar! From the paces I've put my boat through over 5yrs, I am sure the 195 will serve your needs admirably. These boats trailer easily as I do only trailer boating. I can't comment on your growth question but I do know they power wash over all well. I have the T-top enclosure and used it exclusively for the 1st 4 yrs but trailering has taken a toll. They are really nice in early Spring/Fall. I need to do some modifications to the enclosure and may be back on the boat next year.

You can put a porta potty on board for those female types, <$100.

GoodLuck.

 

[Hans]

Thanks for the reply BeeReel! Glad to hear you think the 195 will be up to the work I plan on putting in front of it. I looked at ordering a 2013 215CC as well, but the cost difference between that and buying this 2012 leftover model off the lot was just too great (well north of a $10K difference).

 

[Harper]

Howdy Hans,
I trailer my 195CC also, but there've been a good number of members who have kept their boats in the water, and have stated that the barnacles, etc come off fairly easily with a power washer. As with most CCs, the room by the stern is limited a bit, but the room overall is more than adequate for four fishermen. There are always compromises that one has to make....the 215CC has a lot more storage and bigger livewell and more room for coolers, etc, but there's plenty of room on the 195 for your cocktail cruise with up to six comfortably, I'd say. Not much room, nor anywhere to hide a porta potty, however (unless they've somehow figured out a way on the '12 model, mine's an '08).

As for ability to take to the high seas, I've lived in the Puget Sound area before, and while you might want to choose your day for the briny deep, it handles 4-6' seas with ease, and the 60 gallon tank, although smaller than the 215CC, is plenty for as far as you'd probably want to go. It should be perfect for the Sound and island hopping. I fish the Gulf of Mexico now and have had the boat out 40 miles so far and with a full tank could easily go out twice that far and still have plenty of reserve. I have a Suzuki 150, and that power is fine. I would guess that you'd really want that enclosure up there, considering the amount of cold rain you get.

You know, when you have a boat, there's always the daydream about a bigger one, but all in all, I'd say get the 195CC. I don't think you'll regret it.

 

[BeeReel]

I wasn't referring to an elaborate commode but this does beat a 2 gal bucket ad doesn't take much more storage room:

https://www.westmarine.com/self-contained-toilets

As Harper stated: pick your weather days carefully!

 

[Hans]

Really appreciate the input guys -

I'm really starting to get hung up a bit about a couple of things - the fishing space on the rear deck being the main one. The most typical way of fishing for our salmon here is trolling, which while isn't as fun as mooching or jigging, is really the most productive way to go. A good trolling setup seems to require plenty of back deck room for two guys to work simultaneously - one picks up the rod to fight the fish, the other guy clears the tripped downrigger (both downriggers and rods if necessary for larger fish) and works the net. My freshwater fishing in the reservoirs will comprise of mostly trolling deep with downriggers for mackinaw (up to 400 feet deep in Lake Chelan) and longlining shallower water for walleye. I do a fair amount of drift jigging for walleye in the upper Columbia river, but the general go-to method for making filets is trolling slooooow for those guys... I wrote a kicker bracket installation into the deal for a gas kicker and saw an excellent article on this board about how to mount a Riptide ST on the bow, so I know I can get the boat to fish the way I'm familiar with. I'm just a little concerned about the layout for trolling. Jigging/mooching for ling cod and other bottomfish off the coast or in the Straits, and drift jigging or anchoring for halibut appears to be a slam dunk in this boat, though.

Either of you guys have any tips/suggestions for setting up the boat as a good downrigger troller? That is really the big issue now in my mind - how to get two guys working efficiently together in the back of the boat while a salmon is trying to spool one guy and the other guy is clearing rods/riggers and working the net.

Thanks again for your time!

 

[Harper]

I think there's room in the back for what your proposing. I troll for mackerel, cobia, tuna. Haven't used any downriggers yet, but they would be easy to install and use on this boat. There are a lot of of customization possibilities on our boats, limited only by one's imagination and talents. The lack of space in back was only mentioned because there are other types of boats that offer more space in the rear than any CC will. The space is not a limitation, in my opinion, for two people. But you'd have a hard time trying to fish more than two in the back with a lot of action. When I'm trolling for king mackerel or cobia, with two on board, I usually have two rods in the water, and once a hookup is made the idle pole needs to be reeled in fast and I have to get to the controls to maneuver the boat away from the oil rig, then be ready with the net or gaff, or my brother, son or whoever has to do those things if I'm going to fight the fish. In any case, there's no problem with room for that. Only problem I have is moving fast enough at my age, and no boat's gonna help with that.

 

[BeeReel]

I don't use down riggers either but due troll a lot usually with 3 guys on board! For blue fin tuna I have 5 lines out the back: 2 on outriggers, one each from the corners and another rod positioned on the bench rocket launchers. Biggest fish brought in is a 200lb'er. There is ample room to maneuver around clearing lines while fighting the fish. I did install this year the Raymarine S1000 autopilot which helps a lot. When striped bass fishing we can have many double-ups and again maneuvering is tricky but can be choreographed successfully.

You just have to get used to the boat and what can be done.......

 

[Shallowminded]

Hans, if it is sitting in the water, you will want to bottom paint it. Yes, you can pressure wash but eventually, the barnacles will take their toll on the surface. Mine is on a lift - no bottom paint, just took it out after a year and gave it a quick wash/brush and all the scum and dirt came right off but it never sits in the water for more than a few days. If I get rid of the lift, I will bottom paint.

Good luck - love my boat but it is only a 170cc so I can comment on the other issues.