I have a post today that I am working on that I have not been prepared to make. I have sold my Proline and bought a new to me boat , a Sea Chaser. I have been planning for this day for a few years but it doesn’t make it a better day. I enjoyed my Proline for so many years I have nothing but the greatest of memories on that boat. Any issues I have had have long since been forgotten and I now remember all of the friends I have met through this boat and how many great adventures I have had along the way. But a new chapter has begun and I am excited to have an opportunity to go further than before.
It is strange to see “my boat” on another lift but I helped the guys that bought it move it to the Little Wicomico river last week. Every post prior to this one was on the Proline and this thing was a “fish magnet” as Ron always says.
My new boat is a 2018 Sea Chaser HFC 27, made by Carolina Skiff. They transitioned to a new name to designate the blue water boats from their inland series. I am sure they are in the same complex and they just reversed the letter designation from CS to SC. The boat is 27 feet long and approx 10 feet wide center console. I bought it from a family in Fl and much further down if you want to read I will detail out my adventure in getting it to my house.
Some more details about my new boat and the reason I got it. Chuck and I have been discussing for some time now about I really need one more boat before I get to the age where I need to ride with someone rather than drive. We had always decided that would happen this time in 23 and I was content to wait for that day. Main reason I did not want to finance any purchase. Well my friend Rick that fished with me a bunch this year discussed multiple times that he wanted my proline and that I should just go ahead and get it. Well finally I decided life is short lets go ahead and launch.
The good news is I had been looking online to find the boat make and model I wanted for some time now. I even had a spreadsheet called “Boat Dreaming” where I would put examples of boats I liked and write things I liked and disliked about everyone. I went through a lot of research about length and more importantly width and engine details. The one main thing I found out is that not every boat manufacturer is the same and that some old tried and true manf. are riding the past more than I think they should. I’ll add that to this article as well. Anyway I kept coming back to the Sea Chaser, it checked off every item I felt important and so I just narrowed my search to this model.
Here are some things I liked about this specific boat. It has:
- 2 Garmin 7612sxv Chart plotters/fish finder with side view etc.
- Rhodan GPS Trolling and Anchor 84” shaft
- 2 Suzuki 300 HP engines (yes a lot but nice)
- Simard digital gauges
- 2 (3 bank battery)
- Lewmar Windlass
- Nice seating in front and rear. I really like how well built the seating is and they fold away very easily for fishing room
- It is what I call a real 27 foot boat. So many of today’s manufacturers add a little tail section to the back just to the rear of the engines. Now that adds to the measured length of the boat but not at all to the space of the boat.
- Many other just quality items
I took a couple of years to find the kind of boat I wanted and about 3 months to find the one that I wanted.
Here is the crazy story of how I got it from FL to here. My brother that owns a Chevy dealership got one of his car carriers to bid on getting it put on a trailer then delivered to me here in Reedville. Seemed everything was well planned but the person I bought the boat from said they left without it being on a trailer. The operator said they had changed their mind and were just going to tow it. I argued, heck I could do what I wanted on a trailer. Ultimately, they said that was going to be about $3500 so I said I will do it.
I borrowed a big crew cab 2500 diesel from my friend Jim and headed to FL. I left early in the morning and drove straight through to St Augustine, picked up the trailer and boat and headed home. My intention was to drive until nightfall but I was so hyped up from the nerves of pulling this wide boat I just kept going. At about 10 pm in Kenly, NC I had a tire blow. This is where I know God has me firmly in hand. As soon as I heard the tire an exit was there just as I slowed down. The exit had a huge paved area where I could pull off from traffic and still be on the pavement. I certainly expected to have at least one blowout during the pull so I packed my 3 ton floor jack and all of the tools I needed. I changed the tire but I noticed the front tire was low on air. That front tire low was what caused the rear to blow. So going as slow as I could I head north and within a half mile was a truck stop. I filled all of the tires with air but noticed the front tire had a slow leak. I knew that was a recipe for another blow out so I just stayed at the truck stop in the morning. I had to go to three places before one had the tires I needed but it worked out well. This was an experience that I am glad I had but certainly don’t want to do it again.