I am in the process of buying a new boat and in a big dilemma. I have seen the Fastfisher 14 by Petecraft and the Buccaneer 130. They are two great boats. The Fastfisher 14 is a well finished boat but seems short of space inside and storage, whilst the Buccaneer is less on the eyesight but have ample space inside and storage. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. And any comments on how they behave in sea (planing, motor HP etc) are also appreciated.
did u have a look at Kaptan boats. In my opinion they are very sea worthy......
the reasons u stated where Looks and space both valid contributions to buying a new boat but the First and Foremost extremely important factor for choosing a boat is it whether it is sea worthy........if it can take a choppy sea.......if it planes quickly........how it performs with the same power.....
Good luck and if possible make a sea trial as we have tried boats that u need to use a raincoat in calm waters imagine in a choppy sea.
Good luck mate
The boat I need is mainly for fishing with my father but than to use with my family on a Sunday (4 persons). It has to be sturdy in sea and does not wet when moving. I was thinking of a 40HP or 50HP motor to go with it. Who sells Kaptan boats?
If you need something we sell kaptan boats my friend.
Can you tell me from where please and i'll be more than glad to pop over and discuss with you.
the first model of the fast fisher 14 is not good. it gets you wet even in calm water so they made another model with a different hull. so be sure not to buy the first model of the fast fisher 14. before buying a boat go to see different models and always ask for a test ride not in calm sea
Thanks busumark. I have seen the new model at Petecraft's garages but have not tested it yet. My biggest concern is space and storage although as you said I do not want a boat that wets while moving. Having glasses is a nightmare on a boat.
@ malvizzu i know what you mean i have glasses too. and the worst thing is when it starts to rain also
Which boat do you suggest Busu? I had a frejgatina with a 9.9HP outboard but I sold it cause it was very slow and rocked like a rocking chair with the slightest movement. I don't want to make the same mistake.
i have a kaptan and i find it very good and the new model is nicer than mine. go and see the boats yourself and try them. the most important thing is that you find it good and you like it
Thanks. Will heed your advice.
malvizzu I hope u gathered urself in thought and made urself questions and answered them truthfully.............
What do I need the boat for
how far out do I intend to go
How many people will it be carrying
is it safe for all the people + equipment
How long do i expect it to last
Once u have answered these then choose the size of ur boat and check it out with a sea trial...............
since u have not bought yet u better get the best for ur needs and ur pocket
Good luck and let us know what u find out
Petecraft ara very sea worthy boats my friend ;) With all the respect to everyone i really doubt there are any boat builders here in malta which build boats like they do ;) I have no commission from petecraft but that is my thought about them ;) My Grandad had a boat from them in the past, My friend has the largest boat made by them and i will be having the 24 footer next year. Also consider the 17 footer which are also great !!
i agree with part of what u said mate but to imply that they are the best is another story...................I have no intention to go into a debate about any boat builder but some things are best left unsaid..........
so lets just say that petercraft make good boats and that Bigboy swears by them...
yep ok i agree to what you said ;)
imma kemm int gustuz ma tridx tbaqbaq ragel xih hux :)PPPPPPPP
how cute, he wants to keep me calm because of my age.....:PPPPPPPPPP
Mela mhux kulhadd ghandu l opinjoni tijaw Tony ??? mhux wertit noqodu niggieldu fuq oppinjoni sihbi ehhh ;) Kulhadd jkollu l oppinjoni tijaw hux sihbi :)
i agree one hundreed percent what big boy said piter craft boats one of the best if you wont to go friends and family on a Sunday but dont buy 14 ft you need at lees 17 ft
I have my 14 Kaptan being made right now should be ready for the engine to be installed
as I opted for an inboard.If you go down to bzebbuga to visit you'll see my boat before i
do as I'm not in malta now.I found Johnny at kaptan very helpful and I didnt do any shopping
around and just ordered the boat.
I don't think there are nicer maltese built boats than these:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Qormi/Petecraft-Boats/177718136316
Shanook / Bigboy ma rridx naqla xi polemika bejnietkom liema huma l-ahjar. Ridt biss xi ftit opinjonijiet. Illum mort rajt id-dghajjes Kaptan u kont impressjonat hafna u John dahal hafna fid-dettall jispjegali. Tat-13`8" sabiha u spazjuza hafna u ghandha finish sabih. Nahseb bhala qis u bhala budget ghaliha tajba hafna. Il-Fastfisher 14 gennitni izda limitata hafna bhala spazju gewwa u bhala storage. Chrisxue id-dghajsa tieghek rajtha izda tal-hmistax nahseb mhux tal-erbatax. Tidher bestja u ta' sahha kbira, biex ma nsemmix il-finish sabih.
le le Malvizzu ahna familja wahda man ma tarax..............ghadek gdid, issa tara kemm ser ihallasli drinks fit 28.........fis sakra nohrog :)PPPPPPPP
Bis serjeta Malvizzu hawn ma nohdux ghalina u minn jiehu ghalih well jaf xghandu jaghmel.........toqoghodx tinkwieta ghal daqshekk, pero napprezza ghax tidher li ghandek karattru sabih man
no Malvizzu we are one big family here.........u arenew, u will see how many drinks he will offer me on the 28th....i will end up drunk :)PPPPPPPP
Seriously Malvizzu we kid, argue and pull each others leg and we are not offended.....dont worry about it, but I appreciate about ur concern, thanks u seem to have a nice character.
ghax ma tigiex sa ZETA bar fit 28 ta' Dicembru u tiltaqa maghna Malvizzu
why dont u join us at Zeta bar on the 28th
Grazzi Shanook tal-istedina. Ghalkemm mhux xi wiehed li nixrob (ghax bejnietna lanqas flixkun birra ma jinzilli) nipprova nigi. Nahseb li titkellem ma' nies direttament u tisma' l-esperjenzi u l-argumenti taghhom tghin hafna.
Shanook (or anyone else) - what would be an ideal motor for a 14ft boat - 4 Stroke or E-Tech? Which planes best, consumption, power and noise?
Smaller boats like less weight, so go with the lightest you can find.
There's not much in it but I think that weight wise a 2 stroke DI like the ETEC, Optimax or TLDI would weigh less than a four stroke, and should delivery better power due to 2 stroke torque.
I would say a 30hp is a min though some might disagree it depends how many ppl you would normally go out with and how much gear/fuel. 40hp would be ideal if the boat is designed to take that on the transom, but costs go up quite a bit engine wise.
i have a kaptan 14" with 2 outboards 9.9hp johnson and it does great in both consumption and speed.
i recommend to you such power if u do a lot of fishing ....
i had a kaptan twin with 30 Evinrude and a 9.9 tomos. Great boat easy to launch and retrieve and good at sea. I would go for the 40hp though . mine was abit low but now they have increased its side height.much better.But i would recomand for the mid section seat which i think they have replaced due to the console being moved to the middle, another plus point for stability.
if i had space i would try to buy it back and keep it for the winter.
i believe that if a boat can take 40 go for it. Not necessary to speed through but if you are loaded thers no need to open up full throttle to keep on pace. IF the MFC hadnt the hp restricition i would have gone for the 115 on mine but had to put the 90hp. Considering the license fee etc and for a few days in summer basically it wasnt worth it to go for a s registration.better fill up the tanks ;D
Thanks for all the info guys. My main aim is to troll at low speeds. I will use the boat (which hopefully will buy shortly) every Saturday and Sunday morning, say 5 hrs each time. Sometimes for 2/3 hrs in midweek. My 9.9HP Mariner 2-strike (old one but in perfect running order) consumes approximately 1 litre per hour. With the new boat I would also like to take my wife and two girls say for a ride to Comino (in good weather). So now after all the helpful posts of fellow members, I am more confused then ever. The ever helpful Johnny of Kaptan is suggesting a 25HP E-tech on the 14' Kaptan Twin even though it takes up to 40HP. By the way Shanook, I'll be having a trial the coming weeks with Johnny. Fell in love with this boat, but as everyone advice, better try it first hand.
I am sure that whoever is offering u a trial run is backing his product. Regarding power where will u be leaving from to go to comino. Dont forget that kids grow up, believe it or not, so u have to think of the future thats why I told u before how long u want to use it and for what.
So go for a motor that will serve u later when u need the power to move 4 people and dont forget the picnic cooler, food, scuba equipment etc. 25hp is ok for 2 people but adding the equipment and kids might not be enough to go fast. Its ur call u know what to expect if u want speed with 4 then a 40 is better than 25hp, but if dont mind going slower and want to save money than a 25hp etech should be fine.
let us know how it goes with ur trails and then decide.
I was looking at similar boats over the summer but in the end decided that it made more sense to replace one of our two very old cars instead so I will have to make do with my little ten foot boat and 3 hp outboard for quite some time. I too would most probably have gone for the 14 foot kaptan twin - it looks very well designed with a lot of attention to details and is also a well proven model since a good number of such boats have been built. Also the people at kaptan seem to go out of their way to satisfy a potential customer.
As to engine type and hp, I am definitely no expert but, as shanook said it will depend on your priorities. In my opinion if you intend trolling on a very regular basis the lower initial costs and lower fuel consumption of a smaller engine may be more important than the few extra knots you will gain with a larger engine when fully loaded. Also would it be reasonable to troll very slowly with a 40 hp engine on what is a relatively small boat or will the minimum speed be too high for say trolling a live bait, meaning that an auxilliary engine will need to be used?
Lazfisherman your point makes a lot of sense but I have to leave it to an expert like Shanook or others to reply. To be honest, my main priority is to fish for long hours (mainly trolling at slow speeds for cervjol, kahli, sawrell and lampuki) with the least possible expenses in fuel. As long as with a 25HP I can do this and take my family for a boat ride to some different beaches (always in good weather), it's fine for me. I am not interested in speed at all and as long as a 25HP pushes the boat without too much hassle or strain, I would be more than happy.
malvizzu i have the boat in question with a 25hp yamaha outboard. i mainly use it for fishing. previously i had a 9.9 auxiliary however i sold it and i'm looking for a smaller outboar 4-5hp.
with the 9.9 on the boat, 2 24L tanks of fuel, fishing equipment and 2 people i used to do 21knots. once i went out with 5 people, obviosly smimming not fishing and it reached a speed of 16knots.
now i have removed 9.9 and it goes 23-22 knots, nearly no difference at all. i wouldn't reccomend a larger engine for my boat however i heard that the new model is around 60kg heavier than the previous one so with a 25hp engine i would expect around 21-20 knots with no auxiliary and maybe 16knots with 4 adults.
malvizzu what i would suggest as a motor is the 30 hp e-tech. i have a 25 mariner 2-stroke and when i am 2 persons ( shanook i think 100 kg or a bit more) and have a lot of staff and there is swell the motor has a bit of strain on it. it needs a bit more power so i think that the 30 hp e-tech will be the right chose. you will consume less fuel with the 30 hp
Thanks Ganni. I think you probably have answered many of my questions cause it's more or less how I would be using the boat and more or less the same equipment. But is your 25HP 2-stroke or 4-stroke as from what I learnt till now, 4-stroke has less torque than 2-stroke, and than Busumark's suggestion of a 30HP might make more sense. Another thing I would like answered is wether I should have a central console or a console on one side for better handling. I know that central console gives the boat more stability but is it practical when trolling?
Guess it's a matter of preference but I prefer the centre console design for fishing, but then again someone with first hand knowledge of that boat might better be able to answer the space issues.
Whilst the hull has remained the same the boat does weigh more and a testament to the solid Kaptan construction....a friend has the new twin with a 30 hp Mercury 2 stroke (not DI etc) and I think as he's not a small guy either (100kgs approx) wishes that he had a slighly bigger engine for when he has 3 ppl and equipment.
Not sure of your size (ganni is a feather weight!!) but bear that in mind when choosing your engine. If you'll all be skinny light people then no worries but if not you will always be pushing the engine in the upper rev range.
check out prices of the ETEC models and then let your budget make the final decision!
I am 75kgs and my father 70kgs. Not a lot i think
heq if my weight is of use to you i weigh 83kg and then you must add 20-30kg of fish eh lol.
....and my motor is a 2 stroke.
As stated personally i would go for the max hp. regarding consumption if you use the aux for trolling not much fuel is used. moreover if you are out at sea and you sense that the sea is going to get rough you need power if you are 3 on board. as explained i had the thirty 2s and felt that the 40hp would be best. just my opinion though. regarding 30hp and 4ohp i dont think there is much of a difference in consumption .
Yeah. It's a wish Ganni to catch 20-30kg of fish. This summer between me and my father caught around 2 dozen kahli which most of them are so shamefully small that even with a rod would be pitty keeping them. I obviously released them back. On caught some sawrell tal-imperjal (about 9" long), 2 small cervjol, and my father caught an 800gram tumbrell. No lampuki at all. That's the lot for a whole summer. I have a mooring in St Paul's Bay and up to now with my ex-frejgatina, I used to go up only to the tuna fishfarms and by the coast up to Ghadira.
if you go regularly and do your best you'll get them one day ;)
i think that a side console on that boat is better for fishing
Hey guys. Can someone give me feedback on the Buccaneer 130 (new model) and the Fastfisher 14 (new model). I will be testing Buccaneer 130 with Charlie again after some modification because it did wet a bit. But believe me, it's a sturdy boat. I haven't had the chance to test the new Fastfisher 14 yet and will be try and contact Petecraft about it. Will also be testing the Kaptan Twin 14 soon. So finally I will make my decision, hopefully before summer (lol!!!) and stop annoying you guys with my questions.
u owe us all a ride malvizzu so better buy a bigger boat with a LARGE motor to take us all together
when u try out see where u have to sit for the boat to plane and how long it takes as well.
drive side, infront and behind the waves, All these will have different effect on the boat handling
Good one shanook :P
Will heed your advice Shanook
I've been told that for the Kaptan Twin 14, an approximate maximum weight for the motor/s should be 100kg because of the volume of the boat. The E-Tech 30HP is 80kg, whilst the 40HP is 110kg. The Suzuki 40HP is 110kg. I already have a Mariner 9.9 (2-stroke) which i would like to use as an auxilliary. Don't know weight but quite heavy. If i go for the 40HP, it would be above limit and have to opt out for the auxilliary, something which I would not like to do, whilst if I go for the 30HP I might not have enough power as some suggested further up in the thread. Usually we'll be 2 people for fishing (trolling), and 4 people for a ride on Sundays. Any comments would be extremely helpful.
Looks like you're restricted to a 30hp+your current 9.9 which probably weighs around 27kgs or so. You can always double check on a scale at home.
My colleague has a 30hp 2 stroke Mercury and gets reasonable performance with 2-3 ppl though he doesn't have an aux
Skip - what problems does the boat encounter if the weight of the motors exceeds the requirements, say by 25kg or 30kg? And is the problem solved if flaps are fitted to the boat at the back?
Aside from stressing the transom which could leads to cracks etc, you have weight distribution issues. When the stern is heavy you tend to get alot of porpoising with the bow bouncing up and down. Trim tabs could help but you would want to try and get more weight up front. (Similar problem to what I have at the moment).
As you're looking at locally built boats I would speak with the builder and see what they can do about reinforcing the transom if need be. Plus if the boat is being built from scratch you could consider them building in the fuel tank properly in the bow.
Very informative. Many thanks.
the 40 etech would be around the 100kg i presume and u will have a lot more speed out of it then the 4 stroke...............
Yes. According to the Evinrude US website, there are 4 types of 40HP E-Tech and range between 105kg an 113kg. That means if I want to buy a motor for a Kaptan Twin 14, I have to do without the 40HP and go for the 30HP if I want to use my Mariner 9.9HP as auxilliary.
.... or sell your mariner and get a smaller auxilliary........ just an opinion... i know of 13-14 foot boats only powered by a 9.9, so say a 5 hp would be a sufficient aux engine, i mean, we have a 9.8 aux on an 18 foot speedboat and we see 5 knots with 2 persons (you could say 3 avrage persons as i compensate for a 2nd lol) on board on a calm day on 3/4 throttle with the 140hp engine lifted....
Good point robby, a 9,9 is large as an aux. You should be able to sell that pretty easily
or........ find another mariner and run pararrel 9.9's like on the kaptan twin......
sell the 9.9 hp and buy a 6 hp 4-stroke as auxiliary. the new suzuki 60 hp weighs about 105 kg but i think that it will be overpowered and more expensive than the 40 hp but you have the same weight with more power. speak with someone who has a 30 hp and uses the boat with 4 persons. mine is with 25 2-stroke and with 3 persons if the sea is good its ok but when with swell i could do with a bit more power. if the 30 hp has really more power than the 25 hp i would go for the 30 e-tech you have 25 kg less. the same weight of the 6 hp 4-stroke aux.
malvizzu what you have to decide is whether you will be using the boat for fishing with two persons or for the Sunday trips. The 40hp is of larger displacement than the 30hp thus it will give you more power than needed for trolling but will be extremely excellent for the Sunday trips with the four persons. The Kaptan Twin will give you good performances with both engines in both situations. What you have to consider is for what purpose you would be using it most. Lets say you will be using it 25 times for fishing and 5 times for the Sunday cruise per year. It won't be a good idea to have a larger displacement engine for just five times because on the other 25 you will see more fuel wasted from the larger displacement block.
Even when it comes to weight; less weight = more power. I wont believe that a Kaptan boat will crack because you add more weight on the transom. I frequently go to visit my friend Johnny at Kaptan and I've never seen a Kaptan boat there for repairs. Kaptan boat owners are proud of the boat 15 years after the purchase as much as they are the first time they put it into the the sea and if you see second hand ones for sale, they are being sold with a heavy heart.
In my opinion what you should do is take robby,skip and busumark's advice and buy a 6-hp auxiliary instead of the 9.9 and mount it near the 30hp or 40hp. There are several Kaptans with this configuration. Moreover you should ask the guys at Kaptan about this problem, I am sure they will be more than eager to help.
I hope my 'priedka tal Hadd' length post didn't annoy you and was of any help.
Sorry but when it comes to boats and outboards I can't stop writing ;D
On the contrary your post is very helpful. Yes I would be using the boat more for trolling and it would be the occasional Sunday that I take my family for a long ride. It also depends heavily on the weather if it's a good one. I have always been given the impression that a slightly bigger motor is better because it is less strained and consumes less fuel because one uses less revs when moving. Today I have seen the E-Tech and got the prices. There is a €1100 gap between 30HP and 40HP, but I am prepared to offload that money if the boat is more comfortable with 40HP although I am in no way a well-off. Still I want to have an auxilliary, whether it's my 9.9HP 2-stroke or a 6HP 4-stroke as I never felt comfortable out at sea with just one engine with my previous frejgatina.
for trolling you can use the 6 hp. its a lot more econimical. its true that if the motor is less strained it consumes less fuel but the 30 hp will be good if you are going to use it more for fishing. with 1100 euros you have nearly for a new 6 hp 4-stroke.
I completely agree with busumark. The Kaptan with the 30hp and the auxiliary will be the best 14 footer you'll ever get. Good boat with good speed and power and the consumption is also fair to your pocket.
A 6HP 4-stroke auxiliary would be extra expenses and for the 9.9HP 2-stroke I doubt that I can get a good price even though it's in excellent running conditions. To put two 9.9HP parallel engines would still not give enough power for 4 persons and the fact that both propellers rotate the same way, and not one against the other, tends the boat to move sideways. Busumark, the 60HP Suzuki is 162kg and not 105kg whilst the 40HP is 110kg (i have the catalogue). Kurtfalcon why I would, quote: "on the other 25 you will see more fuel wasted from the larger displacement block" with the 40HP. The E-Tech works with pulses. The consumption is in ratio with the revs through a controlled computer. So why consume more if with a 40HP i can move with a certain speed with a 1/4 of the throttle whereas with a 30HP I have to move the with same speed at 1/2 throttle? Or is it because of the weight factor? I stand to be corrected as I have limited very knowledge. Busumark / Kurtfalcon - won't the 6HP be strained pushing a 14ft boat with 2 persons, carrying a 30HP or 40HP, 1 or 2 tanks fuel, fishing gear and say for 5 to 6 hours at a time each time trolling?
@Malvizzu...i used to troll with a Johnson 9.9 and you know what..on a 20 foot boat with a 140hp 2 stroke engine and 4 or 5 people on board for more then 5 hours,with half the throttle i used to do between 3.5 to 5 knots,so i think on yor boat it"s more then sufficient a 6 hp motor!
With an 8hp (inboard though) on a 3 to 4 tonne 29foot sailing boat we used to cruise all day long at 5knots. The only thing which you might need to see to is the propeller which you will have fitted to the outboard given that it will be mostly operating at slow speeds rather than planing speed
malvizzu check the new 2010 suzuki 60 hp its says 104 kg without oil and propeller. even the 2009 suzuki 90 hp is lighter than 162 kg. it weighs 154 kg. a 6 hp auxillary will be very good. i have a 5 hp 2-stroke and always use it for trolling.
2010 suzuki 60 hp http://marinefuel.com/suzuki-df60-outboard-engine/
I am quoting from the Suzuki Outboard Motors 2009 Four Strokes which was given to me at Zarb Stores in Luqa. If there are other Suzuki motors i don't know. Specs are as follows: DF40QH 111kg; DF40/50 107kg (short shaft), 110kg (long shaft); DF60 162kg; DF70/80/90 155kg
in this article it says that it will be for sale some time in 2010
best to wait for the 2010 models then if you're after a Zuke
Any of you guys actually have an E-Tech motors? Many have advised but no one mentioned he had one!!!
New engines for 2010. Not for me skip. The Honda & Suzuki 60HP would be to big. http://features.boats.com/boat-content/2009/09/new-2010-outboards-from-honda-suzuki-and-yamaha/
Destination Sea: 90 ETEC
Gottie: 90 ETEC
I think there are a couple of others as well but can't remember who. You'd have to go through the ETEC posts
Not to many Skip unfortunately to take sound advice.
Like I've said many times before and as preached by many American Boaters, by the dealer (aka aftersales) and NOT the brand.
narrow it down to your requirements of course, engine type (2 or 4 stroke), hp, weight etc but keep the above in mind.
In fact this week I've been to RLR with a mechanic friend of mine and spent nearly 3/4 hour speaking to Darius. He was very helpful and informative and answered everything in detail.
Yes Darius Goodwin of RLR is very helpful. This summer I was performing a project for school about 2 stroke outboards and Mr.Goodwin spent more than two hours helping me and giving me information even though I was not a customer but a person just seeking information. Even the guys at mercury were very helpful. Only one dealer found all excuses not to help. But there was nothing surprising about it. This two stroke dealer just simply ignores his customers let alone a 17 year old looking for some info. I think all of you can sum up who this dealer was.
kurt any price for a first time guess..............the thing is that he has the best outboards in town for reliability and durability........oh well.
If you can be more specific Shanook it would help others with less knowledge than yours. You can email me if you do not want to make it public.
Today manufacturers do their best to provide the best outboards. All have their good and bad points. No engine can be said to be better or worse. Usage, maintenace etc are all factors that effect the engine. All had their share of recalls, updates and modifications etc. like all other machines on earth... including Rolls royce , jets and space shuttles. ;)
I was going through the forum on Sunday outings and fishing and was wondering whether I could add my tuppence worth of impressions! I recently bought the latest model Kaptan Twin (Sports) model with Mercury 30 HP 2 stroke engine. I use it for trolling and for pleasure cruising. With three people on board the boat planes immediately although planing with four people may be difficult unless the sea is dead calm. Notwithstanding, with four adults on board one makes good headway. I have found the boat to be very very stable and yet light enough to winch up onto a trailer without busting my guts. The Mercury 30 gives me good trolling speeds without any fouling of spark plugs at 100RPM. At 78kg it is light enough to afford me the possibility of adding a 6 HP 4 stroke auxiliary at some time in the future for peace of mind. I trust that my impressions may be of some benefit to the forum participants, even if perhaps late in the day. My last comment is that one needs to keep things in perspective, the Kaptan Twin is essentially just over 13 feet long so one has to mount the right size engine for it when one considers its displacement, carrying capacity and size overall. With the Mercury 30 HP 2Stroke engine I have found it easy to manoeuvre, very steady under my feet and takes the wash of the large cruisers in its stride because the front part of the hull is a fairly deep V and ploughs through the wash easily without wetting everyone on board.
These owner reviews are very interesting and helpful for those like me who would like to buy a small new boat sometime in the in the future.
I personally like the kaptan twin very much although I don't really know whether it is the type of boat for me (I tend to be more inclined towards the slow, smoother movement of the traditional frejgatina type of boat rather than the more agressive, more noisy motion of a modern planing boat although the slow speed of the former does limit one's range). It is good to know that you have found the kaptan seaworthy. How does it behave when stationary in a chop (e.g when bottom fishing) i.e, can you move around the boat comfortably without it tilting too much?
I had a kaptan twin .liked the boat very much good all rounder. The only thing is that it is a bit low. However i am thinking of buying a small boat for the winter and it would be first on the list.
AM REPLYING TO DESTINATION SEA AND LAZY FISHERMAN ...THANKS FOR THE COMMENT BOYS, HERE'S MY TAKE ON THE SUBJECT
I have never done any bottom fishing on it in choppy waters but it feels steady under one's feet although one needs to try it to see for oneself. What I know is that my nephew, 6 foot 3 inch 17-year old and myself weighing 87 kg sat on one side of the boat with my nephew's father (about my weight) on the other side and when at a standstill the boat barely tilted two inches. I suspect that it is the flat bottom towards the stern of the boat and the chines that keep it virtually horizontal.
As for it being low, the hull has not changed at all but the new Kaptan model (October 2009 onwards) has somewhat raised gunwales so it's higher than the older versions, including the one before this current version.
I too was very much inclined to buy one with tiller steering (20 HP) but everyone advised me to go for remote steering and I don't think it regret it. The issue is that one has all the necessary power at hand without driving the engine flat out. In fact I only use half throttle most of the time and if one needs to go to Gozo from St Paul's Bay, for example, one can do it in 30 minutes at a leisurely pace. On a calm day one can plane all the way on three fourths throttle or less even (under dead calm conditions).
I use my boat for leisure and for a spot fishing, so it is not really set up for fishing proper ... if you wish to use it only for fishing, then you could opt not to have a console, use a tiller controlled outboard (say a 25HP) and you would then have loads of space. Given that 4 stokes give you less overall power than 2 stokes, I really wouldn't go for anything less than 25 HP. I saw quite a few 20 Hp and they are usually only slightly bigger (physically) and heavier than 9.9 HP engines. With a 25 HP rating, the engine build is generally one step up from 20HP and is closer to the 30HP. In the case of Honda for example, the 25HP and the 30HP are the same weight, which means that they use the same chassis and probably similar if not identical engines. Other manufacturers like Yamaha, for example produce a 25HP and then the next one up is a 40 HP engine. On the other hand, there is some difference in weight between a Mercury 25 and Mercury 30, so different manufacturers have different models for sale. All I can tell you is that with 4 people on board and a 30 HP engine, the boat moves but not at any planing speed, so for two or three on a fishing trip 25 HP would be ideal if you want to go at a leisurely pace.
Initially I was afraid that I would find it difficult to winch up the Kaptan but at about 250Kg + 75 Kg outboard it is really easy to do. A bigger boat would accommodate more people, run a bigger engine but would not be easily handled in terms of winching out of the water. Everyone seems to say that 13/14 feet is the ideal boat size if one opts not to leave the boat at sea.
Please note that what I've said is my own personal view and I am no expert in anything marine but I looked around for over two years before making my choice.
Good luck!
Fully agree with your comments spot on argonautilus60. The kaptan twin i had was the first model but now they have increased its sides. with regards to engine you are very correct. Mine was equipped with 25Hp johson than changed to 30Hp electric start and 9.9 aux 2s with three persons its ok planes etc but as soon as another person is onboard it gets "stuck" so a bigger engine is needed. Max it takes 40hp if things did not change.anyway it was a great boat. with regards to launching and retrieving upto 17ft its ok (generally two are needed but as you get bigger you will need extra help .