Every one,

I hate to bring up the subject but I need some info. I have recently moved to DFW area from Austin and with my new job I will have a some time to start fishing again. (Thank God!) Sold my CC a couple of years ago and now it is time to buy a used one.

1. Would like some feedback about Plano Marine and how they are to deal with.

Also,

2. Champion bay boats. 20'-22'

3. Sea Pro bay boats 20'-22'

4. BlueWave 20'-22'

5. Any other dealers in the area that might have something I might be interested in.
(Websites seem to not be updated very regulary.)

Thanks for everyone's help
Bruce

_Hey Bruce: Dont know what your thoughts are about Aluminum Welded Hulls..But West Boats in Mesquite has the Xpress Bay Boats www.westboats.com also the Xpress main site at www.xpressboats.com they're much more than a Jon Boat..a real performace hull and smooth... dry ride!! Jimmy Smith a local Striper Guide at Lake Tawakoni opperates the 21ft model and loves it!!

_Butch and Beth West will treat you like family from day one and have the best service after the sale you could ever immagine!! Give them a holler and tell them Charlie Williams of Irving sent you to see them for a good deal on a Bay Boat. They are open Tuesday thru Saturday... closed Sunday & Monday...gone fishin!!

_Happy Holidays..Good Luck Boat Hunting and Catch A Big'un Yall!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Bazztex<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Hey Bruce, Welcome to the TFF.

There are some previous posts about Plano Marine. Use the TFF search feature and you can probably locate them. I have no personal experience with then except for purchasing a few small OMC spare parts.

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steve pine

I just bought my second Sea Pro boat, (SV2100). It has a great dry ride.

DannyB

Bruce-

A buddy and I bought a BlueWave 220 Classic from Plano Marine about 2 years ago, but according to the service department they are no longer doing warranty work on the Blue Waves (not that I have a warranty claim right now). Would imagine that they'll only sell the remaining BW's that they have on the lot (I know I saw a few new ones still on the lot about 2 weeks ago) and get out of the Blue Wave business all together.

I have never had a huge problem with Plano Marine, but the quality of work and follow-thru by the Service Dept leaves a lot to be desired at times. The next time I buy a boat I will pay much more attention to the rating of the service dept as much as the features of the boat. If I had to do it over, I would probably not buy a boat from Plano. I don't want this to turn into a bashing forum, just trying to provide my opinion.

As for Blue Wave itself, I sent an email to them about a obscure question and actually had the owner (Mr. Parks) call me back personnally. He really helped me out and even gave me his cell phone number in case I ever have another issue. Mr. Parks told me that they are looking to develop a relationship with another dealer here in the DFW area. If you want the name of the possible new dealer, please email me as I don't want to post something that might cause Blue Wave any legal issues.

Matt
matt.bray@fnc.fujitsu.com

Danny and Giggle,

How do you like your boats so far? Where do you guys do your fishing? I am looking for a bay boat that I will use mostly for striper fishing. I want something I can put a trolling motor on and will handle the wind up here on the big lakes. (up to a reasonable wind, not like the last few days)

Bruce

I just bought the one I have now. It is 21.5 feet long with a 150 Yamaha. I have had it out twice---both on real windy days. It handled the rough water great.

The previous one was a 19 footer that I had on Texoma and Tawakoni in pretty rough water and had a dry ride.

I think the overall quality of the Sea Pro is pretty good. (I did buy a second one).

The only down side that I can see is that the floor is slicker than ever if you get just the right mix of Sand Bass **** and water. Also working on anything under the rear deck is done in pretty tight quarters. The oil tank has to be removed just to change the battery.

But overall I am quite pleased with it. You can check them out closer on Sea Pro's website.

Also AxMan that posts on here from time to time just bought a new one. I think he did quite a bit of research before he made the purchase. You might email him with a question.

Shad, if you have the time check out the Polar Center Consloles, Jerry Whittle in Lewisville has a 20 boat in their showroom there setting up right now. Next week there supposed to have the 2004 18' model. I looked and decided the 20 was just too much boat. Looking forward to seeing the 18'er. I usually fish at least 1.5 hours away from the Metromess to save my sanity and stay out of Jail due to the idiots

Kneal,

I have checked the Polars out on the web and I really do like them, however it looks like I will be getting a used boat that is 2-3 years old. Can't justify the price of a new one and then having to rig it out.

Do you know what they are going to be asking as a starting price for the 20'?


Thanks,
Bruce

Don't know if this is the dealership you are referring to, but Barber Boats has had Blue Wave boats at the Ft. Worth store for a few weeks now.

I have a 2002 Sea Fox 215 with a 200 Merc EFI that is like new and ready to fish. All my fishing buddies have boats and it has stayed at the house more than at the lake. I am also an active member in the Texas Striper Assoc and can help you in catching those stripers. If you are interested in the boat or fishing. Send me an email. I live in North Richland Hills. (thomas-p@swbell.net)

Bruce-

I fish Texoma almost exclusively with a 22' Blue Wave and for the most part it does fine. I've only taken water over the bow once and it'll handle rough water reasonably well. If I could do it over and knew I was going to fish Texoma as much as I do, I would look for a boat with a little higher sides like the Polar. I really like the looks of that boat...

MBradford-

You confirmed what Mr. Parks told me- Barber Boats is the new Blue Wave dealer.

Plano Marine is HORRIBLE. Customer service is absolutely horrible. Bought a new bass boat from them and the salesperson had no clue about proper break-in procedure.(had the service guy correcting him on everything he was telling me I could do) They are one of the only boat dealers in the area and their attitude reflects this-you have no where else to go so it doesn't matter how they treat their customers. I live in Lewisville and it takes 45 minutes/1 hour to get to the service department-half the time they don't fix the problem the first time out and I end up driving an hour back to have the problem fixed again. Another example-I had a "bar" of some sort fall off the motor-had something to do with the trim-as you can tell I am no where near a mechanic-so I drove in to Plano and explained the situation to the service person. He took me back to the Parts Room and pulled up a blue print of an outboard motor with 1000 parts and how they are assembled and asked me to point out the part I needed. Of course I didn't have a clue and I asked him if he would walk 20 feet to the parking lot and I could show him exactly what I was talking about. He refused, recommended what he "thought" would be the right part and all I could do was take his word for it. Long story short they just don't care about you. Won't work with you. He did get the part right for what it's worth. I will drive to Tyler(Dales Marine) for all future repairs on my Skeeter. It's a 2 hour drive but anything is better than dealing with Plano Marine.

I participated in the Tournament of ChampioNs at Sam Rayburn in mid October and they had at least one of each of their Bay Boats there. Man, talk about a good looking rig! If I was in the CC market, it would definitely be at the top of my list (of course I'm not biased! ) Can't comment on Plano Marine, but Nichols is a long time ChampioN dealer in Longview. Also might check with Todd Morgan at C&O Marine. You won't find anyone that will beat his price on a Champ. He's sold a couple of bass boats in the Central TX area. For a guy to make the drive from C-TX, his prices must be great.

Whatever you choose, may your livewells always be full!

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shad boy -

I stopped in at West Marine (see >>>Bazztex<<< reply above) to look at the Express and I'm impressed. They've got a fine looking center console (X21B) with a great looking layout rated for a 225 hp motor. I was looking at their 1756PFC for a crappie boat (75 hp 4-stroke or 70 hp 2-stroke Yamaha's) and it has a mighty fine layout as well.

I'm gonna start saving my lunch money....