6 replies to this topic

[FishingSeaDoo]

Hi guys

I am looking at possibly purchasing a Sea Doo (maybe Challenger or Islandia) for recreation fishing and general boating fun. I have a few questions; hope you might be able to answer a few.

*Can it be used for fishing in saltwater and fresh?
*How does it perform?
*What are the up and downsides to this boat?
*How does jet motor cope in ocean?
*Do they require much servicing?
*Is there other types of boats that might suit what I need better?

Sorry for all the questions; I'm a first time boat buyer and want to get some good advice before making a decision.

Many thanks in advance
FishingSeaDoo

[Kevin Leclair]

I don't see why not, any boat can be used for fishing, it just depends if you feel if it is the right boat for it. Personally I would rather buy a "fishing" boat rather than use a SeaDoo for fishing but it is completely up to you.

Typically SeaDoo's are used for watersports and having a good time with family or friends, but then again any boat could also do this if you wanted it too.

Just see if it fits your needs, everyones needs are different so no one can define this for you. Good luck with your decision!

[vwDavid]

probably the seadoo won't lend itself well to the installation of rod holders, down riggers, fish finders, and trolling motors. Oh yeah, you'll want a trolling motor because the jet pump will be silly for trolling. But it would also be silly to install a trolling motor on a seadoo. Not impossible I suppose though.

Don't get me wrong, I love my seadoo, but as the other poster said- its mainly a fun boat. If you go install all that fishing stuff it will all be in the way for tubing skiing etc and you'd probably have a hard time reselling it.

[fialoe]

I suggest you get a Rib!

[demodahl]

I'm also going to do a bit of fishing with my new 180 Challenger SE, I'm getting a friend to install a fish finder and will try to design a live well.
I also looked at the Tahoe Q5SF fish/ski boat but I liked the Seadoo better.

[H-do-O]

If its the salt water you are worried about, no problems there. I use my boat quite often in the puget sound around seattle. I have never fished off the boat but I have done some crabbing. Just watch out for big logs, sticks, etc. that could be sucked into the jet.

[vaawards]

I have an Islandia that I have modified for fishing. I have added tons of rod holders and a GPS / Fish finder. I was very limited on where to mount the fish finder. I put it on the left side of the dash. It worked out great. The only negative thin is the islandia is a NICE boat and fishing from it gets it nasty. For the rod holders - you can drill hold on any of the flat areas and insert rod holder inserts. Be sure to make the hole a bit larger than the insert so that it does not stress the fiberglass. If you asked a dealer to do it they would probably tell you no just because you can't undrill the hole. Once it's there you can't undo what you did. good luck