Seajay 3.86

[seastorm]

Looking to buy a second hand tinny so my son (8 years old) and I can fish down the pin and chase crabs up the rivers, I have come across a Seajay 3.86 with a 20hp yammie does anyone own one and if so what are the like?
Are they a stable boat and is 20hp enough on the back

[Seahorse]

My mate has old 3.9 Stacer with pod 25 hp John a nd it flies, so a 20 would be fine

[PADDLES]

hi seastorm, i've got a stessco 3.85 with a tohatsu 18 (which supposedly makes a shade over 20 if you believe the rumours) and it goes great with two big people, one kid and a bimini, it's plate limit is 20hp anyway, so like seahorse i'd be thinking the 20 would be fine too. whilst i don't own a seajay hull, they are known as one of the premium pressed alloy hulls and their new purchase price reflects this, i'd be pretty confident that it's be a good thing, just have a real good look over it like you'd do any hull and keep an eye open for any sign of stress fractures or damage. at the end of the day a 3.85 tinny is a river/creek boat so they're very rarely taken out of their comfort zone enough to damage them structurally.

[joey_1987]

Both boat and motor are reputable brands, but how old is the motor/do you know is history in detail? If it's the same one I saw for $3900 in Manly West when I googled used Seajay 3.86's then that motor looks like it could be older than the pictures suggest, unable to tell but I haven't seen a 20cv around in a while and they made them in the 80s. Packages like those hold their value extremely well so you'll likely find something similar with a late model outboard on it. I myself own a Stacer 395 with 30hp and after looking around at second hand similar boats circa $4000-4500 I went and bought one brand new with a 30hp for a bit more $$. Could be that the boat and motor you found are a really good package I would just want to know about the age of it if I were buying.
Cheers.