190 Bay OR 215CC?

I am interested in purchasing a Triumph. I live in Northern Virginia with access to the tidal Potomac near Washington, D.C. I also want to be able to go to the Chesapeake Bay for stripers, and the great Lakes for salmon, steelhead, etc. So igues I am looking for a do it all boat for frshawater bass, and saltwater coastal and "near" offshore. Will the 190 Bay work well for these purposes? The 215CC seems a little "too deep" for bass fishing, but great for saltwater. I would very much appreciate your input. I have visited Hooked on the Bay, which is about 110 miles from my home, but they just seemed like a tremendous outfit. Also, I really like the T-Top configuration, is this a good idea, or is the bimini top a better one? Thanks in adavnce for your guidance. I look forward to joining the "club" soon.

[cagrove]

Shaun,
I also live in the NoVA area and am on the Potomac almost every weekend. From what you describe your intended use the 190 Bay would be an ideal boat. Matched with a good trolling motor on the bow, it can handle the shallow water Bassing as well as the chop the Bay gets on occaision. Please keep in mind that there is no perfect boat for all situations. If you plan to fish the larger bodies of water, you will need to pick your days and make other plans when the water is too rough. You may also want to look at the 195CC as it has a deeper vee on the front and can handle some of the rougher stuff. The 215CC is a wonderful boat but you will not be able to use it effectively in the shallows around the Potomac creeks. Also, if you intend to fish any of the Bass tournaments, you will most likely have the slowest boat out there...very few of the Triumph line will do over 45 MPH on a regular basis.

As for the cover, I have a bimini top for my 170CC and it works well for it's intended purpose. It provides lots of shade for the occupants of the boat. However, it does have a habit of getting in the way when casting alot...like Bass fishing. A T-Top would give you some shade (but not as much as a bimini) and still be out of the way when fishing...and you can add things like extra rod holders and electronics boxes to it that you can't add to a bimini.

I hope this helps you out a little. Good luck with your search. The Triumph boats are a great line of watercraft.

p.s. Have you looked at Stafford Marine ( Stafford Marine - Scout Boats,Yamaha Marine, Accessories, Parts, & Apparel ). The owner, Mike, is a great guy to deal with.

Tight lines.

[rscott]

I was wondering why you didn't include the 195cc in your choices if you were also looking at the 190 Bay. I chose the 195cc over the 190 Bay so I could fish the Great Lakes. We often, as recently as yesterday, Walleye fish until we are looking at the 5' chop of Lake Erie without concern. I am very happy with my choice. The addition of the bow rail on the 195cc is nice especialy when we pull the hook in those kind of seas.
Roger

[OspreyVic]

Shawn, glad you found this web site.

I agree with all that posted before me.

Only question I have would be if you have a wife or girl friend you plan on taking out with you?

If so, please look in the "Articles" section. One of the main reason's we went with the 210 CC was the place for the "porta-pottie".

In my house, if mama ain'y happy then no one is happy.

[agereety]

Shawn -

I have a 190 Bay with a T top. It handles rough water quite well. With an electric trolling motor mounted to the bow - I can go extremely shallow. My 190 Bay is set up very similarly to a bass boat - with a front mount pedastel seat and a rear mount pedastel seat. The T top is preferrable to me - over the bimini top - because I don't want the straps that secure the bimini top in my way when I am fishing. I used to have a 22 foot boat for saltwater and a 16 foot aluminum boat for freshwater - now I have one "do-it-all" boat.
Some other things I like about the 190 Bay:
-it trailers very easily with the single axle trailer
- the raised casting decks in the front and rear are great for fishing, but if it gets rough you can hang out around the t top (plus the t top offers something secure to hold onto when the water gets rough).
I have launched from shallow dirt ramps. Recently, I launched at low tide while other larger boats were waiting for the water to come in. I have had mine in freshwater rivers and lakes, but I have also had it in tidal rivers and the ocean.
The one limitation I do have with the T top is that I can't clear low bridges on the water. With freshwater bass fishing now - I need at least a foot of water, whereas with my aluminum boat - I might have needed half of that. So, there are compromises of sorts, but overall - I am very pleased with Triumph's ability to get me and my crew out in freshwater and saltwater. Good luck. - Andrew

[gsdiener]

All the above have great ideas and points. As 215 owner and fishing most the same places. Look hard at all options,I've had my old 210 in some bigger water that a shallower boat like the 190 would have worried me. Not that the boat would have been problematic but my comfort would be. Most dealer will let you go for test rides,play on the boat on gound then take rides on the water. As this is a major buy try them out to test your comfort as well as those who will regularly be with you. If do not need bass boat like shallow water ability the deeper boats like 19.5 and 215 are great platforms. My wife and grand kids feel a lot more secure in the deeper boat and the ablity to have a comfort station onboard helps. As with all of us will be happy to give opions. It sounds like you fish a wide range of water so will most likely have make some degree of compromise between shallow vs deep water ablity. Good shopping.

[boostjunkie1]

I too have a 190 bay and I have had it out 4+ miles in some rough stuff along with skinny water Trout and Bass Fishing. I Love the layout of these boats and the toughness. Take each boat out on the water and see for yourself which one you like. If you get the Bay 190 a T-Top is a must. This will give you place to store more stuff in the dry. Good Luck! jb