Jamey

Yeah, an outboard. Price range is probably $4k to $14k or $15k. We don't need to be comfortable. When I was 9 my parents and two siblings and I spent a month on a 16' sailboat. We moved up to a 24' and thought we were kings of the world. Most likely I'd be sleeping alone in the cuddy. My wife and daughter would want to sleep on solid ground.

Thanks guys. Lots of good tidbits here. I used to fish walleyes a lot-thus the walleye boat. Haven't had time to fish much since my daughter was born 6 years ago. She's old enough to fish now, so last year we spent a few days on lake of the woods pulling in walleyes with her tinkerbell pole-fun fun stuff. I read about the trout and salmon fishing on Lake Superior last june. Thought it sounded fun, so I dug out the old junk rivieras that came with the boat but never worked. I took them apart, cleaned the grease off the clutches, replaced some parts, bought some cheapo rods, some spoons and the most detailed chart I could find and now it's all I can think about. The best part is how fabulous those lakers cook up-tasty tasty tasty. Downrigger fishing is by far the most fun fishing I've ever done. The only bad thing was when I threw a coho back because I was worried it was a steelhead and wasn't quite big enough to keep. Next trip I had good pics of all the salmonid species in the boat. My preferred spots are 15-25 miles from the ramp and I can't afford twin outboards or anything like that. I'd say 200 hp moving 25-30mph is about all I can afford to fish on my own regularly-should get me around 4 mpg or $40-$60 per trip. When I have no land-lubbing ladies aboard, I can just tuck in somewhere, sleep in the cuddy and spread the cost over two or three days. Dam does that sound fun! Only 5 months to go. I'll still take my daughter up to LOW this year to chase walleyes, but other than that any fishing I do will be on superior. Will be taking my first trip to Isle Royale this summer-been planning it for a month already. Just gotta find someone to come with me.

Forgot to mention. Boat will stay in Bayfield all summer, so trailering isn't a big deal. Pros/cons on walkaround versus full width? Just space? Easier access to the bow on deck is appealing.

Thanks for your thoughts guys. My current rig is a 19' Alumacraft w/ a 115 merc outboard. No cabin, pounds badly, very tough to troll a straight line in rough water, takes a tremendous amount of focus to catch fish solo and I fish alone A LOT. I don't feel the least bit unsafe in it, but my wife and daughter generally don't enjoy fishing lake superior in it. I average about 2.3 miles per gallon with it out and back and trolling. I wanted to find a cuddy that would move fast enough with a 150hp engine. A 22' Islander seems to go 40mph with a 150? I'm having a hard time finding a used Islander set up for an outboard. And now I'm hearing the ride is rough in the chop Superior sees pretty much everyday. Originally I thought any boat I got had to be 22', but it sounds like a 20' Grady might handle the waves as well as a 22' Islander? I'd really like a 22' Grady, but I think I'd need a 225hp outboard for it and that's more gas than I want to guzzle. Used Grady's are a whole lot easier to find. Also seeing some nice 21' pursuits, but again it seems i'd need quite a bit bigger engine than what I'd like. I really like the Pursuit the best though. Gonna have to do some research on fuel economy. I think my wife and daughter would probably feel the most comfortable in a 21' pursuit or bigger. Tough decisions. Sorry so long. Again, thanks for your thoughts. Jamey

I fish superior out of Bayfield 5-7 times a year. What's a better boat, a 22' Starcraft Islander or a 20' Grady White Overnighter? How about a 21' Pursuit? Why? I need a cuddy to sleep in. Thanks