...once I am moved later this year, I am thinking of getting a bay boat - one of those intended for inshore saltwater fishing. It seems like such a boat would also work well in freshwater, in the numerous reservoirs in Central and Southeast Texas. I've done the tournament bass boat thing in the past, and while speed is fun, versatility seems more attractive.

Sound like a viable plan? Comments are appreciated.

Could you be a little more specific? Is an 18' Bayrunner close to what you have in mind?

I have a Triton 19' LTS bay boat. While it is a useful boat, it doesn't do anything particularly well. It sails when the wind is blowing, and the draft isn't the best either.
If I were to buy another boat I would get one that was type specific, instead of a do it all model.

You are headed in the right direction. There is no other style of boat that can do it all as well as a Bay Boat. You can easily bass fish out of one, but they are not as nimble as a bass boat. You can fish the interior bays and marshes with ease, though maybe not as shallow of water as a flats boat. I live in Louisiana and it is by far the most popular boat in the state. Lots of folks even fish offshore in them for snapper and ling and such. While their range is limited offshore, on a nice day it is not at all unheard of to see bay boats out 5-15 miles.

Friend of mine has a 18' Ranger center cousel bay boat. Fished 10,000 Islands area with it.and has had it on Mille Lacs. Good boat, not the best for Mille Lacs, worked well down at Fort Meyers, were off shore a couple of miles with it on a good day ( no wind) and would not take it out on Mille Lacs on a windy day either!

Friend of mine has a 18' Ranger center cousel bay boat. Fished 10,000 Islands area with it.and has had it on Mille Lacs. Good boat, not the best for Mille Lacs, worked well down at Fort Meyers, were off shore a couple of miles with it on a good day ( no wind) and would not take it out on Mille Lacs on a windy day either!

There are a number of bay boats that share the hull of an 18-21' bass boat but a different layout inside. My dad used to have one and it worked well in what you describe and pretty much on the same lakes - Rayburn and T-Bend and then took it speck and redfishing all the time. Just make sure you get one with a decent sized front deck if you still want to bass fish out of it.

Some of the "bay" boats will have a deeper hull and more like a deep V than a bass boat - just a heads up, but others will share the same hull.

The skeeter ZX20 and ZX20 Bay boat share the same bottom hull design with a different transom and cap and lower sides, one for bass and the other for the bay boat but the same hull just as an example.

Once you get into the 22 and 24' bay boats you really start getting into boats that are purpose designed and of course heavier and deeper than a 18-20' bass boat.

I actually have a set of plans sitting here on the drawing board for an 18' center console flats boat that I was thinking of building to do the same things you mentioned but I can't pull the trigger on building it for fear of the lack of pretty much any V at all.

Something like this, for fishing?
http://www.gregorboats.com/oseries.htm

He's talking about something lik this. VERY popular on the gulf cost.

Skeeter


Ranger


Basscat


Pathfinder

I live on Narragansett Bay, and a "Bay Boat" here would be a little different. The boat in the picture would be considered a "pointy coffin". I've got a 21' Sailfish Deep V and I've had my butt kicked out here. I recommended to someone before to talk to your local coast guard and see what they recommend for your conditions. Old time boat builders would build boats specific to where you were going to use them. There's Narragansett Bay boats. There's Buzzard's Bay boats that are longer with higher sides because the waves are bigger! When I got my first boat here, the coast guard told me I should go with a boat at least 17 feet with 3 foot sides. They said they also rescued quite a few cobias so I might want to avoid that particular cathedral hull boat. I talked to a lot of commercial fishermen and bought a 20' Wellcraft deep V. I used that boat for 10 years and it was great. I replaced it with the 21' Sailfish which is also a great performing hull. A shallow V boat with low sides can get you killed here. The smallest boats I see that are not Deep V hulls are 17' Boston Whalers and Carolina Skiffs. They are more seaworthy than their size would suggest because they are cathedral hulls and Whalers, of course, are unsinkable because they are filled with poly foam. They will beat you up though if you run too fast for conditions. Of course, there's always the refugee fleet out there with anything that will float. Whenever there's a strong run of fish, anyone with a boat is out there. It's dangerous though. I saw two old Cobias sink in the same place within 10 minutes of each other. The coast guard had to pull them all out of the water. I was sitting in a boat 3' longer fishing in the same conditions. It's a very dangerous strip of coastline because the tide runs out opposite the prevailing winds and big waves kick up. There's a launch there and I don't use it because the water can be rough, but I watch people try to launch and recover boats there all the time. It's a disaster. I've been on some lakes up here that can get just as nasty too, and those big Lund aluminum V hulls are popular too.


This is a 19' Whaler and is the smallest boat I'd have here. Decent length, good hull design, deep V, and high sides.





This is a 19' Sea Hunt Triton, a popular boat here. They are lighter, require less power, and cost about $10K to $15K less than the Whaler. I tested one and see a few on the water whenever I go out.

There is a good reason those Sea Hunts don't cost as much as a Boston Whaler. It is because they don't take near the pains in building them. Some of it you can fix.

I like the way you think. Yes, there are ample boat choices that will run skinny enough for the bays, and still do the job in lakes, and rivers. 'Bout the only things that would be a necessity in my view would be a WIDE beam, and fairly shallow draft. Light weight is an advantage if you plan on trailering, but light boats do get bounced around in rougher water.

I prefer welded aluminum for ease of maintenance, light weight, and rust resistance. To each their own - stx has a dandy glass hull that'll get 'er done in either environment.

Spec' everything for the worst-case-scenario (salt). Upgrade electrical connections, wires, saltwater series trolling motor, saltwater series motor etc.

Add gas, a good fishin' pard', and have fun!

Having been on the coast in TX since the late 70s... as a kid fishing...

I have an airboat for shallows and duck hunting, no boat can compare for that work.

For other work we keep a 16 foot john boat for the river and short lake outings.

The mid boat is a 21 foot Hydra Sport. It will run offshore a bit though a hair small, will handle any bay water I've ever seen, and get you back safe and sound. Yep, I have to have almost 24 inches or more of water to run in or get up in, but if I"m about to wade, anchor, hop out and fish... I can walk it deeper to get out of there if need be.

The only issue, everything you buy will be a compromise unfortunately.

Bass boat is the only thing we never had or saw a need for, unless I'd have been a tournament bass person.

In laws have an 18 blue wave... I begged em not to buy that small...... fine some days on the bay, but more than once I've seen em scared to put it in, or come back with it... IE having to follow in my prop wash....

i know the Stoners, they build a nice boat

http://stonerskiffs.com/

Skeeter ZX20 Bay......150 4 stroke Yammi ...........and trim tabs.

I've done a lot of bay fishing and I really like what they call 'scooter boats'. There's a decent amount of room on them and it's easy to get around on them with two or three guys fishing off of it. We've used the same boats to hunt ducks in salt water bays and estuaries too and they work well.

Used to see scooters all the time. Built more than one and rebuilt more than one in my days....

For bay fishing they are a good boat, but I don't like rough water at all with them. I've seen the whole decks go under getting back home more than once.

Yep - hull form similar to a bass boat, maybe a little deeper V. Definitely not for the Atlantic, or Pacific ocean. Basscat has a pretty good reputation in the bass boat world, I did not know they were doing bay boats as well.

This boat obviously would be a compromise - not for tournament bass fishing, nor running 20 miles offshore Although I once did see 2 guys a couple miles off San Francisco, in a 8 foot plastic bass buggy

Mako boats has what they call the inshore models, anyone have any experience with them? They don't seem to be selling very well..

Didn't we talk about this for about 16 hours?

These do not look seaworthy. Solely for very protected waters.

Ran a Hewes bay boat for 3 years, 150 Suziki w/ poling platform and trolling motor. Sent it down the road. Too clumsy in the shallows and not especially adept in sloppy condition either. Read that as "wet".

Also ran a Hewes Bonefisher down in the Keys for about 6 years and did everything with it you can do with a bay boat. Flats, diving, offshore for Mahi and tuna...nothing I couldn't do with it that wasn't easier and cheaper than with the bay boat.

I might add I'm a fan of "smaller is better" with boats to the extent practical. Quality of construction, design rule. Hull design is 90% of everything in successful and proper function IMO. Light weight is my mantra.

Most of those shown aren't Bay Boats. They're bass boats with center consoles meant to take advantage of the current popularity of Bay Boats. Rob posted two of what I'd call Bay Boats.

If you're fishing primarily freshwater lakes, like you described, I don't see the advantage over a bass boat. I've fished in Texas pretty extensively. When you get out of east Texas, most of the reservoirs I've fished are almost identical to ones in Kansas. They are flat, open, shallow and catch the wind very badly. This creates a contrast. The protection of say, a multi-species boat with a wrap around windshield can be very desirable, while at the same time, the greater draft of the hull is undesirable in the shallow water.

Personally, I like a medium-draft fishnski with wrap around windshield.

I really like center consoles I am up here in Michigan on the Saginaw Bay here they are not as practical because of the early and late (at times early summer mornings) fishing seasons you need the protection
I have had a few "whalers" are Whalers almost an investment (also good for my 401K)
When others are loosing they are atleast maintaning value
That being said there are a lot of nice boats
This spring I sold an 18ft Winner it had an old 135 V6 Merc (they last a bit longer up here) it was old but no wood and everyone who was on that boat really liked it inc me
I could name many good ones I am very impressed with Dusky made in FL

What a great thing to ponder buying
Hank

I go out fairly often on a pards 2001 24' Blue Wave. It is a huge upgrade from the Triton he had.

24' sounds a bit large, until you're going out through & past the jetties in Galveston or Port O'Conner (Yikes!) with a little wind & a tough tide. The Yamaha Saltwater outboards are durable as hell too. He has a 225HP. The Pure bay is about the closest to his style & look to be available in 22 & 24'.

Give the Bluewave a serious look & you may be impressed.

http://www.bluewaveboats.com/boats/2400-Pure-Bay-32.cfm

Nah, only a couple hours. The rest was on shotguns

check out the Stoners, Patrick.the fact that you can't find a used one for sale speaks to their quality, that and he'll custom build it for you.

Small and light suck when a 40 mph gale blows up ..... btdt in my airboat and thank God its not that small....

Of course you can be a fair weather person too and never go out in iffy weather. Around here its a 125 mile one way minimum drive, and unless its dangerous, we can get out and find some waters to fish and hunt that are protected, but it might not be water for a small light boat to cross to get there in the process.
Different strokes as they say.

Or run the pass cavallo instead of the jetties going out... ugh.... no place for small stuff.

Met the "Three Sisters" going out between the Port O' jetties one very early morning heading out for a tournament. It was pucker time..

Thanks, I will check them out, too.

It's all about compromises. I agree with DD on the small and light ... provided you've got a hull design that's appropriate. I ran a small light boat in Alaska for ten years and it served me extremely well. It was the perfect compromise for the different types of fishing that I wanted to do.

I'm not familar with the Hewes Bonefisher but I looked it up online and it has all the features that I'd want in a "bay boat". Sharp V up front, wide flat stern, very nice lay out and it appears to be a quality boat.

Bigger can be better but then there's the compromise on cost. They're substantially more expensive up front and depending on power options they can more expensive to operate.

Well, that's 'cause I couldn't talk you into aluminum. I don't do glass boats, unless they're a tax write-off.

I'll add this too. When it to comes to airboats ... bigger is definitely better. I've been in small and light and bigger heavier more powerful and the bigger airboats rule.

So what aluminum boats would you suggest for that use ?

Heck, I see sixteen foot flats out at Central....twenty miles from the end of the rocks. No accounting for what some people will do.

My usual fishing partner just got a 24 foot bay boat, and it works fine for Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne, and the Shell Beach/Hopedale marsh....and we'll run it out to Central and Battledore reef if the weather is OK. It's never gonna be a deep V in a rough sea, but it will snuggle up in skinny water where our old Wahoo V wouldn't go.

they are compromise boats, but a pretty good compromise, where I fish.

That's what a bay is. But I have taken similar boats out to the first set of rigs in the gulf MANY times to fish if you watch the weather and being able to hit 50mph+ helps stay out of the worst of it. I wouldn't take it out to say West Delta 82 or the lumps for sure.

If you get anything bigger, deeper than that you pretty much might as well go for a real offshore boat because you have totally killed off the ability to use it on the lakes in southeast TX the OP mentioned where you will be fishing in 4' of water a good part of the year and dodging 1000 stick up trees every 3 feet.

Yes the lake actually looks like this for about 3/4 of it's 140,000 acres. Everything is a comprimise but to get any bigger you can pretty much kill off 1/2 the listed use for it.

Many moons ago we went probably 20ish miles out in a 16 foot whaler designed hull... needless to say I was in highschool and or just out.... some mornings we'd wait for a big hatteras to slip through the jetties so we could suck up in its prop wash and ease through... would hold up a ways offshore too coming in to wait to follow one back in....

I need to do some more motor work on teh 200 as there is a weird sound in #6 before I run offshore a bit with it again... I really wished I'd have just bit the bullet and bought a pair of 90s or so to stick on the back of the Hydra sport..... but at leats its its a heck of a solid hull.

I loved going out the jetties... I just have not had the chance in many years....

Thats not always the case either.... once stuck with a bigger one.... you'll bitch a bit... but it forces one to buy a larger motor and prop generally after that... WTF its only money.

As to cost of operations.... I can run my 16 foot AL john boat really cheap and be probably safe 50+ % of the time on the coast in the bays... but what exactly is my life worth actually?

We all know in the end it would be cheaper to go with a guide once a month for the whole year than own any kind of friggin boat....

this from an idiot that can't swim and currently owns 2 john boats, a bay boat, and 2 airboats..... WTF....

Sampled the Pass Cavalo route on a rough day in my 17' Whaler. Don't want to do it again, but made it without a hitch. During a Boston Whaler tornament.

There are lots of custom aluminum boat builders around S/E Tx and La. Mine is a "Borels Boat Works", out of Little Cypress, Tx. They'll make anything you want, from pirogues to houseboats. Mine is a 15'/48" flat bottom with 72" beam, rated to 200hp, though I only have a 50 on it. Bullet proof.

Whalers are heavy & bulletproof, but pretty darn expensive, too. I did the "build this boat" option at their website and it came up with $56K for a 18' Dauntless, with fairly modest options empty weight is 2000 lbs, which is a LOT more than many other boats...

i found a 03 90hp merc with 2 spare props and controls for 2000 i'm going to put on my 17.6 flat bottom ranger.

Heck of a deal there. Years ago I got a "deal" on an old Tidecraft bass boat, with no motor. A new 115 motor was going to cost me about $11K, installed at the time.

Thanks, Pat, I will look into them as well.

Many many many a time its just fine... and you make it through... of course ask me about the power dieing on my airboat in a hard left turn once.... it could have died about 5 seconds sooner or about 10-15 seconds later and life would be just fine to this day.... as it was... captain of a submarine....

I shudder to think what we ran through in that 16 foot copy of a whaler hull years ago, how many times the prop came otu of the water jumping crests.... how many kingfish you could get into a small boat.... and so on....

My only experience with airboats was in Alaska and mainly in rivers or streams. One of my buddies had a smallish airboat powered by a Mazda rotary engine. It would go "OK" but it lacked both freeboard and power. If you got it stuck it didn't have enough power to get unstuck on it's own. That and he almost killed himself and his brother when they hit a big wave in the Yukon River, swamped it and turned it upside down.

A couple of other guys had larger airboats powered by fuel injected 350 chevys and they'd power through most anything. Gravel bars, beaver dams and short stretches of glacial silt were no problem.

I could see where a bigger boat could get you into trouble running in swamps, tidal zones or mud flats. That's way different from the places I've been and I hadn't really considered that aspect.

I forgot to mention that my boat is 17 years old and is on it's 2nd outboard and trailer.

I'm very happy with my 2472 seaark. Running a 50/105 Yamaha jet

The thing about airboats is the noise, so freaking loud even with hearing protection they are loud. It's a whole different skill driving one as well and keeping it pointed straight instead of crabbing along.

they're expensive and heavy and overbuilt, but that's why you see so many old Whalers...and Grady Whites, too....still out there fishing.

We had a 16' Winner bassboat for many years. It was just too small for the family. It was solid though. As you say, no plywood. Right up there with the best bass boats made.

You found the Dauntless! There are a few used for sale here. They are the Fish and Ski combo boat. Less Deep V, more utility. They cost a little less than the Outrages.
Here's an 18' for $15K along with a few others. Not bad. http://boats.oodle.com/boston_whaler-dauntless/for-sale/

Grady Whites and Boston Whalers are top of the line here for "bay boats." Off Shore, Regulators, Albins , Hatteras... The Bay right outside my front door has a number of boats bobbing on moorings right now. There's nothing under 20'. There are Gradys, Parkers, Whalers, and then big boats like Regulators, Albin, Hatteras...

The boats pictured, again, are what we call pointy coffins. You will not see them here. You buy a boat to weather the worst conditions you are likely to run into. Here, those that can afford Whalers, Pursuits and Gradys buy them. Then Parker, Sailfish, and Sea Hunt... They're good boats for a lot less dough. I picked the Sailfish 218 and rode in pretty much all of them. The 18' Grady with a 115 Yamaha 4 stroke was 35K and I got my boat, motor (Yammy 150 4 stroke), and trailer for about that.

By the way, my Sailfish is a no wood boat. It's Penske Board and doesn't absorb water. By the foot, the best rated, and one of the most expensive boats out there: Grady Whites use wood. They older ones are infamous for developing soggy decks and transoms. You've got to watch them. I've replaced 2 transoms on Gradys. They're still considered top of the line. The CVII hulls are very tough to beat. The old Seacraft deep vee hulls were really nice too and my Sailfish is a copy...

Yeah but the problem is the possibility of bass fishing a freshwater lake out of any of those are about 0%. They are great boats however.

The boats I posted will cover 100% of the freshwater in TX and about 75% of the coastal water which is a pretty good boat for the money.

If you need capability than that get a boat for each even if one of them is a cheaper boat.

I appreciate the comments. That Sailfish and Sea Hunt do look like they'd be very capable, should I get a wild hair (moi?) and decide to chase fish a few miles offshore.

I am slightly familiar with those "pointy coffins"



hit "CTRL +" a couple times and you'll be able to read the speed on the GPS.



My old bass boat (97 Champion with a '01 200 Optimax)would run 65+ if I got it trimmed just right. If I didn't get it trimmed just right, it would chine walk but it was still a sweet ride in smooth water, just loafing along at 50 or without even breathing hard.

You have to accept the limitations of the boat. My Champ was a fine bass boat, but it was fairly common on the CA Delta to encounter big boats coming in from SF Bay. On one occasion I'm cheerfully running up that same slough, and in the distance I see a yacht making a humongous wake. 100 yards off I finally have to disgustedly drop off plane and slow to idle. It was some 40-50 foot trawler thing that had been overpowered, and instead of running at displacement speeds, it was running sort-of on plane, and making a wake about 5 feet high. I rode slowly through it, the nose of my boat bobbing like crazy. Had I took it on plane, it would have been disastrous. Maybe really fun on a jet ski, though

Other times in the Delta, wind would blow up the river, and you'd get 3-4 foot rollers in the main channels. You don't run bass boats fast, there, either.

The California Delta and Erie are two non-traditional places I've always wanted to fish.

This is Truman Reservoir, straight east of where I live.

The Delta is indeed a fine place. If the job hadn't pizzed me off everyday, I could have tolerated living there





Those two fish were caught within about 20 miles of one another. Lots of history there, too...

Sweet. What did the bigmouth weigh? I'd love to live in California if it weren't for all the draconian laws and the constant threat of more. I gots to have my AR's. Frisco may be a weird place, but lots of history there. A lot of people don't realize how big the ag economy is in Cali either.

7 lbs 9 oz my personal best. That particular day I caught, IRC, 10 fish, and the top 5 weighed 23 lbs. There was a tournament the day before in the same area. Had I entered my top 5, it would have been worth a few hundred dollars in prize money.

The salmon was 30 lbs. A 1/2 hour later I caught one that weighed 29

Yes, the ag industry is huge in CA, so of course the amateur social engineers are trying to regulate it away

True story.

Agree with Rob P as far as local waters and boat design/type. I owned a 17' Whaler years ago. Solid little rig, but man did it pound, even in relatively flat seas.

'Pointy coffins'? Nice.

False. I know of two. Both are resting at the bottom just outside the Merrimack mouth...

Very nice fishes.

When I was a teen, I dug quahogs with my friend Joe. My Brother had 2 Bull Rakes and my friend had a 17' flat bottom plywood skiff with a 70 horse tiller. That boat was made in someone's garage and I never felt safe in it. We were kids and making money. One day, we were coming up the Narrow River as the tide was going out. We had water up over the gunnels and we swamped. We bailed out a 17 foot boat with a 5 gallon bucket. Not fun. Fishing in the Barrington River in my 14' Lund, a bloody cruise ship decided to move around it's dock which sent a 10' wave across the river. I went down the trough and the wave came down on top of me. Again with a 5 gallon bucket. Again, not fun. The kid down the street and another kid drown duck hunting when their boat swamped. I managed to live long enough to gain some sense. I've come close to losing 2 boats though.

My friend lost two 20 foot boats. One Aquasport (which broke in half) and a Sea Ox. He was a commercial striper fisherman and was on Quicks Hole off the Vineyard both times. He said he was hit by rogue waves. He was rescued twice and he went out and bought an old 20' Wellcraft he had when I met him. I bought the same boat. I used it for years before it went on to another owner and I got the Sailfish. They market the 21 as a small offshore boat. I think my friend's 25' Gradys and Parkers are "small offshore boats." They want me to go out with them tuna fishing. I have no business out there in my boat. I can stay in the bay and rivers and hopefully have a good margin of safety.

We have some big boat builders : Bluefin, Northcoast, Ocean Bird, Sturdee, Dyer, and Pearson within 5 miles of here. I spent a summer building 26 foot friendship sloops at Quick Step. Aside from the sailboats, we have a tendency to build tall sided boats with deep V's and flared bows. It's almost a formula for our conditions. I always fancied the Western boats and wanted an Osprey with a big hooked bow. Too much bread, but they look seaworthy. They look like they'd float like a duck. We all like to say "when I win the lottery."

I don't play in such big ponds. That said, I've been on some pretty big lakes. I suppose you could get too big of a boat, but I never have. Mine is 19' which is fair sized for a bassboat. The old bassboats were 14-18'. I think there's one now that's 21'. Lots are 19 and 20'. The fastest ones like Norris crafts, Allisons and Storms are awfully shallow-drafted. Guys on the bassboat sites will say you have to know how to drive them, but if you encounter a 10' wake like you're speaking of, well...

In his OP, Texncal doesn't speak of any saltwater fishing. I think he alludes to it later, but when I say a fishnski I'm not talking about any but the most close-in salt stuff. I wouldn't off advice about stuff like that because I don't know about it. Texas Reservoirs...I'm no expert but I've fished a lot of them. Ones in Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri too.

The real Bay Boats have a fairly deep draft. They look about like a Multi-Species boat. I think these craft would be fine for most inland lakes like he's talking about but you give up speed. I'm not a speed freak but if a big, dark cloud is on the horizon, I like to be able to beat it to shore and get loaded up. Be advised, I haven't a few times and like baling water with a coffee can, it ain't fun. That is especially true this time of year when lots of times it's 90 degrees and a front moves through with rain dropping it into the low 60's.

I guess you can call anything a "Bay Boat", but IMO some of the things called such nowadays are more bass boats with center consoles. I don't like a bassboat that sits too low in the water and has water about to come over the back end and I do like a full windshield that protects me from the elements.

I don't have plans to put my boat in the salt though.

Man, I love this place. The subject is "bay boats", and in reading through the posts, everything but carriers have been discussed.

'Luminum, modified V (11*, or so), 18', or longer, equip with saltwater motor, troller, and rigging - catch or shoot 'til your heart's content, and remember, always practice catch 'n' release (release, to the grease that is).

+1. My Whaler was a 60s model. I owned it in the late 90s...

Early Makos have an earned reputation as well. Few however would be considered "bay" boats - but then, neither are the majority of boats being discussed in this thread.

In my case I was in my 20s, and it was a friggin' 90' party boat that blasted by. Swamped me with a 8' roller, in between the jetties in the mouth of the 'Mack. It could've been deadly.

I went every night for 5 days to the dock where the boat was out of. It's probably a good thing I never found the skipper of that vessel.

If I could justify it, I'd love an Amesbury skiff for running in rivers, bays, harbors and inshore stuff on flatter days. Oldest continuously operated boat works in the country. Building them since 1793. Place is about a mile from where I live.

www.lowellsboatshop.com

I think most people missed the part where the OP said he wanted one of those type of boats that was used for inshore coastal areas and wanted it to be used on freshwater lakes not the size of Lake Michigan. Lots of boats suggested would never work for bass fishing on a freshwater lake (assuming you could even launch them 1/2 the year due to low water) but really aren't even inshore or near shore boats.

Where's your sense of adventure, man?



Smart move.

You can argue that Champion had the wrong motor on it, even though it was rated for 200 hp. It had been repowered when I got it, and that wonderful V6 Merc weighed 500+ lbs. The boat had a 87-88" beam, IIRC. In later models, to accomodate heavier motors, they had widened the beam, and modified that "boat-tail" to add a little more bouyancy aft.

As it was, to get it on plane, you had to trim the motor all the way down, light it up, then trim back up to run efficiently on plane.

On one occasion I was nearing one spot on the Delta that tends to collect some mini-rogue waves, where three sloughs run together. I wasn't running very fast, maybe 35-40 or so. I hit some waves just right, and manage to launch the boat a sizeable distance into the air. After I landed and collected my wits, I look over at the bank, and several bank fisherman are standing up and applauding.

There was/is a successful pro bass fisherman on the west coast named Gary Dobyns, who was running fast in his Ranger a few years ago. He hit a wave wrong and found himself UNDER the boat, with cracked vertebrae and busted ribs. He hadn't flipped it, simply got thrown out. He had a heck of a lot of experience running fast boats in all kinds of conditions.

Water be a fun, but incompressible fluid, and a harsh mistress.

Yeah no kidding lol. I got caught out in a freak windstorm in a 14' flat boat while coming back from a duck hunt once. It was like once in a century type of deals. No rain, no real clouds, not predicted at all. I was basically only crossing a wide creek on a large lake as it was and it got pretty scary. I got home and they said the wind had got up to 90mph gust and 70mph sustained and wasn't a thunerstorm. Whole part of the state was without power for weeks. Figures it only does that stuff when I was out in a boat.