Welcome! Introduce Yourself

[rm_hm]

Hi,

Richard here in Gig Harbor Washington. New owner of a 1988 Sea Explorer 15 with 1996 Honda Bf75. Everything is in near mint condition. I plan on using it mainly for play in the Hood Canal.

My occupation is parts manager and 50 Ton Marine Travelift operator at a small boatyard.

[Vancouvertechie]

Richard,

Welcome to the Arima world and to our forum.  Congrats on the purchase.


VT

PS: any pics?

[Fishtales]

Hi all.  My name is Janine AKA Fishtales.  I had been on this site a couple years ago, but now have my own Arima SeaChaser17.  I am in Southern California.  I will be over time, looking to restore my boat to its original splendor, but for now, I am working on cleaning it up.  LOL!  Where do I start!?  No.  Really.  Where do I start?

Janine

[La-Z-Buoy]

Welcome Janine,

I guess I would start with making the boat safe and reliable to operate, motor(s), fuel system, electrical/wiring, bilge pump, all the stuff that you NEED while on the water.  Also the trailer is a key item, tire age regardless of tread condition, bearings, brakes if equipped with them. Then go for the cosmetic stuff, canvas, etc. And lastly (or maybe not last) the add on items, trim tabs, power steering, bigger better depth finder. As you've probably read, we WILL help you spend your money  :biggrin: . Also we love before and after pics.

[croaker stroker]

Start another thread...post lots of pictures....and let us spend your money by pointing out all the mods you can make.    :party:

Welcome to the group. 

[Fishtales]

Ok.  Yeah, so the boat is safe, floats, bilge pump works, it fishes well.  Trailer probably needs work but it functional.  I guess I will first start with a cover.  I will attach pics and let you guys chime in on where to begin!

janine

[joyce8034]

Hello everyone - I'm wanting to sell my restored 15ft '77 open bow tri-hull and get an Arima.  I'm going to look at a '88 15'11" Explorer powered by a '14 60hp Honda tomorrow. Although it's an old boat, I believe the boat is all glass so dry-rot won't be an issue and if the boat's been covered when stored the fiberglass should be in good shape. I'm getting too old to be taking a cold shower while being pounded by the NW chop. Later.............Steve

[GregE]

That HOnda 60 is a sweet motor.  I had one on the Sea Hunter we had a couple years ago.

Start a new thread with pictures and info about your find.  WE'll help you set it up. 

[WaterJunkie]

Hi! I wanted to share with everyone my first fishing boat! I was saving up for a 19 when I saw this combo and couldn't pass up on it. I didn't want to wait anymore! It is a 1996 SR 17 with 2014 honda 75. The hull seems solid, but she needs some serious cleaning and detailing. I am no expert so i look forward to asking you guys for help, but I am pretty anal about keeping a boat clean and well maintained. Trailer needs new wheel bearing for sure. My other boat which is pending sale, is a 1996 Maxum 19.5ft cuddy and I am loving the Arima so far. Sad to see her go. Had some good memories with her, but oh how i hated that damn carpet when used for fishing. So excited! Can't wait to clean up the Arima and take her out!

[FINREAPER]

Your gonna like your new Arima! Can't blame you for pulling the trigger. Search the forum on cleaning. It's been a topic several times in the past. Some good ideas floating around in there.

[GregE]

RockON  try not to be your name while boating../\   

Lots of cleaning products out there will get the basic gunk and crud off.  If you have some stubborn/ rust stains FSR (Fiberglass Stain Remover) is a blue gel that will work on most anything.  Use gloves and don't splatter it in your eyes with a brush. 

[Stroker]

Hello, New to the group. Looking for the SR 17 but registered here to let everyone know that I think Mr. Arima's boat is up for trade in bothel. Its on craigslist. It doesnt fit in the current owner's carport and so he wants a smaller boat. Great time to own a 19' arima it would seem. See you around

[BrianM]

Hello to all. Been lurking for a while and found lots of helpful and entertaining posts. Thought I should finally register and introduce myself. My name is Brian. I own a 2002 19 Sea Ranger with a Honda 135 and a Yamaha 8 kicker. Grew up in Seattle area fishing Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, Neah Bay, etc., but now live in Portland and fish primarily out of Garibaldi with occasional trips to Buoy 10. I would like to learn the Columbia River near Portland better, as it's closer to home. Here's a picture from a few years ago. I'd like to offer a more recent fishing report, but presently I'm having some electrical "issues" that I hope to fix soon. (Somehow I managed to melt a battery terminal while trying to install a new FF/GPS -- opps -- more on that later as my "fix" progresses). 

[BrianM]

Ok, let's see how I do posting pics.
http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u430/BrianM16/P7180242_zpslqwlavgd.jpg

[GregE]

Close Brian...

Use the IMG link at the bottom.  You can add to your link above

[BrianM]

Thanks for the tip.

[enem178]

Hello all, My name is Ron and I'm from North Jersey. Not many Arima owners out here but maybe one day i'll be one of the few!

[Down east]

Hi All! My user name Is Down East. Just got a sea legend 22 never thought I would get a boat like this back east. I lived in CA . and seen these type of boats but never back east. It has the glass bulk head not sure about that. I do need some advice. I have a new aluminum I beam trailer I will put under it and would like some info on bunk placement. O it is a bunk type oops! I have glide covers installed on the bunks and target bunks for the bow guide. The hull is slightly deformed where the rollers are  think that is normal? It has been on the trailer for several years without moving. But was stored inside. Any ideas where to put the bunks??

[Doryboy]

Hi,

Signed up awhile back and finally was able to join in on the ownership of my first Arima yesterday. Found a 1989 Sea Chaser about 20 minutes from home just parked alongside the road with a sign . Offered him a lower price after giving my concerns with the age of the motors (twin Merc 50's) and to my surprise was able to take it home for $3500! Looking forward to learning more from everyone as I get to tackle putting the boat together how I want. Also can anyone help me figure out if it's a 16 or 17' chaser or how the correct way to measure is? Previous owner told me he thought it was 15.5 so it was considered a 16 but when he got the title to sign, it said 17?

Thanks!

[Diablo]

Welcome. You will have great fun with your boat.
Post the hull number from the starboard transom, that will tell the year built and model.

[Doryboy]

AMISC029D989

[Diablo]

AMISC029D989

Here is the code breaker.
http://www.arimaowners.com/index.php?topic=109.0

I guess the length is not in the code. Try this plumb down to the ground on bow and stern and measured that.

Put that boat in the water.

[Doryboy]

Found this under the thread, "What is my boat???"

I was working on the boat tonight and for some reason decided to measure it with a tape.  It turns out my 1985 17'?? Sea Chaser doesn't quite measure up.  It has a beam at the widest of about 93.5" and total length seems to be about 16'4''.  However. the serial number would indicate that it is in fact a 17' according to Belinda;

"16 ft is 15'11" and did not come out until about 1990.  The 17' has always been 16'11", the 15' is 14'7", the 19' is 18'11".

One other thing, the serial number will tell you what model it is.  If it says SC or SR then it is the 17' boat.  If it is the 16' SC then it will say 5C or C5 in the serial number.  The 19' boats have 9C or 9R." 

That quote was taken from Gary's thread about his size discrepancies.  So I guess what I'm wondering is if anybody else has actually taken a tape and measured?  It would be interesting to find out if there are differences.

Cheers!

Good news, looks like it's a 17

[toddshog]

Hello all.  I found this site about 6 months ago when I decided I really needed another boat.  I had narrowed the search down to a North River, Jet Craft and an Arima 22' SL.  I had heard good things about all three boats (and owned a 20' Jetcraft) as well as good things from a friend who fished a few different Arimas.  Mostly it was the people on this forum that made my decision, the dedication, all the good things said and the talk of the Arima support.  I was pretty well convinced I could pick up a 22' legend HT on the east coast that was for sale at the time, put some work into it and still be okay.  What I wasn't counting on was the bank thinking my house had not gained in value since the last time they appraised it in the recession so the Legend dream floated away with hopes of the loan.   A few months later a 89 19' SR skip showed on CL and I was on my way to pick it up.  It shows its age but is not in bad shape and I am looking forward to spending some money and elbow grease on it this winter to have it ready for the spring run.  Before any offers please note, I am plenty good at spending my own money 

My plans are as follows:
Trailer first, foldaway coupler, disk brakes, new wiring, tires, rollers, guide bunks with a ladder and move the axle back.  It was a treat towing it 200 miles with about 40lbs of tongue weight. My daydreaming, while looking through the mirrors, would be suddenly interrupted each time it started fishtailing.   

Hopefully, if I can find a doner boat, the 150 Merc will come off to make room for a 4 stroke, If I can't find one cheap enough the Merc will have to do for awhile. 

Then the hull. It needs to be cut and buffed as it is pretty oxidized.  The rear port cleat had been pulled through (I can't believe there were no backing plates on them) so I have to do a little glass work there and fill some small holes where antenna wiring went through the helm walls (I want to mount the antennas on the skip tower), and small holes where downriggers had been placed and removed.  There are also a few places on the rear deck, next to the tank that the glass is cracked and finally small crazing throughout the deck which I am not sure how I am going to fix.   The non skid on the deck is worn pretty bad and the previous owner told me the deck is very slippery. I haven't decided yet if I am going to paint and sand the deck or gel coat with sand.   

After the glass work, the wiring gets upgraded and all the wood replaced with plastic. 

With all the money I convince myself I have saved by doing all the work myself, I will begin to upgrade the electronics. 

I am sure I will be shouting out for help or suggestions so thank you in advance.  I also hope I am able to help others where I can.

I was going to wait and introduce myself with a few pictures of the boat, but tonight is a boring night at work so thought I would take care of this novel while I had the chance.   Todd 

[Hydro-Therapy]

Welcome aboard Toddshog. May you Arima experience be a pleasurable one. Your first project on the boat seems to be quite an undertaking with rebuilding your trailer. You may want to first check the GVW  on the single axle . We have found that quite a number of boats in the era of yours were originally sold with light weight trailers. I bought my 1989 19 SR with a trailer much the same condition as yours and instead of chasing repairs because of the overload I found a tandem for about the same or less than it would have cost me to rebuild the single axle . Not trying to spend extra money for you, maybe save some time , money and aggravation.

  H-T