25′ Willie Raptor

In 2022 I traded in my 25′ Willie Raptor for a 34′ center-console Venture. I love the new boat but at times, like during Springer season, I occasionally miss my Willie. We still run the majority of our trips out of sleds and this page should give you a good overview of how these boats tend to be set up. They are designed and built with our customers’ comfort in mind while also giving us the best set up for productive fishing.

There are a ton of reasons to own a Willie boat, but where the rubber meets the road for me is in their ability to build exactly what I want. Willie Boats builds one-of-a-kind boats better than anyone and for my desire to have the very best fishing machine in the NW, this sort of ability is a requirement. The boat will fish up to 6 people, but most of you know that I prefer to fish just 4. I’m not here to pack people into my boat for the sake of my bottom line. I want to go fishing and have a comfortable time with friends (clients) doing so.

The interior is totally spacious and a joy to fish out of for the day. Get up and walk around or just kick back in the Willie signature seats.

The rod lockers allow me to carry all the options for our day on the water without cluttering up the boat. The rod lockers are 14′ long and hold about a dozen rods each.

The power package on this new boat is second to none. The main motor is a new generation 2019 200 hp 4 stroke. It’s quiet and sips the fuel compared to the older outboards. The kicker (gas trolling motor) is a 2014 9.9 Mercury Pro Kicker. The motor is equipped with electric start and power trim.

The final piece to the power package is a 36 volt, 101 pound thrust Motorguide Great White Saltwater Electric Tolling Motor. This motor allows us to troll down to speeds that a gas motor simply can’t do and gives us a super stealth capability that most guides simply don’t have. It’s just another tool in the toolbox and one that catches us a lot of fish throughout the year.

Of course no fishing boat is complete without an electronics package and I believe I’m pretty safe in saying that there’s not a guide boat in the Pacific Northwest that is equipped like this boat. Garmin TR1 Auto Pilot, Garmin GPS 6208 and GSD 24 Fish Finder. For safety the boat is also equipped with an EPIRB which is an emergency locator beacon and a Garmin VHF 100 Radio.

The boat is run by a very elaborate set up of 8 Life Line AGM Batteries, which are the top gel cell batteries made. The gel cells allow us to install the batteries on their side and even upside down. They have a reputation for durability and reliability that is unsurpassed. The batteries are all connected to on board charging systems for the ultimate in end of the day convenience. The electronics system was designed and installed by the top Electronics installation company in the west, Portland Marine Electronics. Todd  and Jim (rest in peace Jim) are at the top of the food chain when it comes to designing systems that help us catch fish. I can’t say enough about their abilities and commitment to creating the best electronics system on the water with this new boat.

I feel a bit boastful telling you all about this boat, but every bit of this boat was built for my clients. It was designed and constructed with comfort and fish catching performance in mind. My clients are the best and they deserve to be fishing in the finest craft built.

If you have any further questions or would like to book a trip, simply contact me.