Striper Boat Quality?? (2025)

Re: Striper Boat Quality??

If you are referring to a SeaSwirl Striper, there is a Stripers Owners Club (SOC) on the web.

Which model do you want to take offshore?

Re: Striper Boat Quality??

I bought my 2101 new in 2004 and have been very happy. At times we go 10 - 15 miles out and I always feel comfortable. However, I won't do that in more than 3-4 foot seas. It has held up very well over the past 5 years and I use my boat from April through December each year.

If you have any specific questions, let me know. But definitely check out the seastriper website. I am a member there and the owners definitely tell it like it is. I would say it is comparible to this site for the quality of the people and responses.

Re: Striper Boat Quality??

I've never had it offshore, but my new-to-me 1997 Striper 2100 DC seems solid as a rock.

About 9 years ago the 2100 hull design changed; the newer hull design boats are renamed 2101. Most folks at the SOC forums agree that the newer 2101 hull rides the chop much better.

One very minor annoyance with my 2100 is the scupper drain holes are a bit low on the transom - right about at water line. When a couple of people are at the stern, some water comes in onto the deck while drifting. Not really a big deal, the water just flows back out. But, if the kids leave a towel on the deck, it will get soaked.

And here's the link to the SOC...

http://seastriper.com/

Re: Striper Boat Quality??

Hey JD, I have a '98 2100DC. I agree it is a solid boat. One thing I have found is that if you have a couple of folks in the bow at planning speed, occasionally the bow will catch in a wave, and turn violently. You might want to watch for this, since it can be surprizing. With no one in the bow, I have not found it to happen.

Re: Striper Boat Quality??

Chris,

Thanks much for the tip. I haven't had people in the bow (without also having a couple at the stern), so I haven't found this nice surprise yet. I will be aware.

I did note that I had to keep the OB trim all the way down pretty much all the time, or I'd get bow rise and porpoising. Granted, this was without the extra weight of people in the bow, but I never trimmed the motor up even to the mid range.

I put the Smart Tabs SX on about a month ago. Big difference. Quick planning - no more bow rise. And at planning speed, I now trim the motor up to about the middle of the gauge. This lifts the bow out of the water just a bit, but keeps it nice and level with NO porpoising. It seems to be a bit faster (no GPS), since the bow isn't plowing thru all that water.

I'll bet this may alleviate the surprise turns with folks in the bow, since I can now trim out as needed without the porpoising. I'll keep alert, though.

Thanks again,
Jim

Re: Striper Boat Quality??

Jim, I have not ever been able to porpoise the boat no mattery how much trim I apply. The prop just blows out before I get too much bow rise. I have been experiementing with mounting the motor in different heights on the transom. I have had the motor mounted all the way down, all the way up, and in the middle. The middle seems to be the best alround mounting height.

I also never had any problem planning the boat. I do not have trim tabs. It drops onto plane quite easily, w/o much bow rise. I have a Johnny 150HPV6 on it with a Mercuriser 19" pitch prop, right now, which gives about 42MPH at WOT. What motor/prop are you running?

BTW - the day the hull caught a wave and turned, I had two in the bow, 4 in the middle and two in the jump seats.

Also, do you ever trim the boat up to run on the "pad"?

Re: Striper Boat Quality??

I have a Johnson 175HP V6. Prop is aluminum, 15 ? X 17. Never had the prop blow out; maybe my motor is mounted lower than yours. Also, I usually have a few people in the back and no one in the bow. Plus, my area is almost always choppy. Maybe the extra weight in the rear led to the porpoising.

I have no GPS, but the speedo shows about 40MPH at WOT of 4900 RPM, on a medium choppy day.
I found a brand new 15 ? X 15 prop at a yard sale for $5. I may try that for the heck of it. It should raise the WQT RPMs a bit.

Since I got the Tabs, I can now run on the ?pad? on the rare day when the water is flat, but I usually just cruise around at 3000-3500RPM.

Jim

Re: Striper Boat Quality??

My dad bought a 2001 24' walkaround brand new and he loves it. Real solid hull. Huge gas tank(150gal), more storage than we need, huge livewells and baitwells, spashwell is great, self-bailing hull with well-designed scuppers to clear the deck from splash, rain, waves over the bow.

Planes out great with a 225 4-stroke Yamaha and trolls all day cheaply with a 8hp 4-stroke Yamaha. I'd like to see it with dual OB's but not enough room for all three on the transom/kicker plate.

He opted for the hardtop with sliding windows on the sides...keeps you warm and dry in ANY conditions with full aft curtains that still let you jump up to grab a pole in a split second.

I'd recommend Seaswirls for offshore trips...we run out 9-15 miles into lake huron to a shipwreck that holds fish with confidence(although we could use a radar unit to see the storms a bit ahead of time).

I have pics in my photobucket link below if you want to check out the rig.

Good luck deciding