Does anyone have one of these? My cousing told me about them and I have to say it peaked my interest. Looks like a great quality boat at a very good price.
I spoke with the owner on the phone and seems like a real great guy. He is currently in the process of making a console design. I am hoping to take a trip up there maybe this week to see what he has.
I thought I’d throw this out there for anyone looking for a boat and to support another local company.
Saw one on a trailer a couple weeks ago. Looked pretty sharp.
Won’t myself be getting a boat anytime soon, but at the sportshow I looked at almost all the tillers and wasn’t that impressed with them. I’m not a big fan of the whole plastic look like a yarcraft and the layout specifically the storage. Trailer looked pretty cheap to me as well but I’m no expert on that part. I saw them online some time ago and was excited to see them in person but found that many other boats will get my attention in the future.
No rod storage at all 
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No rod storage at all
The specs list a 9′ capacity, but doesn’t mention any other #’s. Backtroller’s must not hold enough rods? Or, is the layout bad?
They are a very good entry level fiberglass boat for the money. Their hull is laid up by the same company that does the hulls for the New Warriors. Keep in mind that most of what you spend for these boats are the motors. Backtroller is worth taking a look at.
The owner is very hands on and you will get what you want with a new boat order.
I did a test day in one last summer fishing on ML.
The boat had a 70hp Suzuki tiller with RPM control.
I can honestly say I drove the boat quite hard and made long runs that day.
It was a fairly rough day with 2-2.5′ rollers. I ran WOT into and quartering. The boat rode very high in the water and was quite surprised by this, It was a pretty dry ride and the hull carved the waves well. I did manage to spear one wave, I had to try hard to do that.
The boat could use more storage, but what boat couldn’t? There were rod lockers on one side but I dont remember the length.
As mentioned, the trailer was a Shorelandr roller, and a bit light weight. For long term use I would defiantly get a better trailer. Also this boat could use a power steering or assist system. That would be a must as my arm was pretty wore out. The splash well is pretty tight, you might want to check if a system will fit it.
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No rod storage at all
There’s more rod storage in the backtroller then any 17ft boat I’ve seen. MASSIVE lockers on both sides. I’ve demoed 2 Backtrollers on Mille Lacs and had them in some rough water. Excellent ride! They track really well too.
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They track really well too.
I really like the looks of the keel on that boat. I was wondering how well it tracked. I plan on getting a boat that tracks well while forward trolling.
love it when there’s some honest hands on experience and some very good reviews are out there. Then you got the uninformed guys who post something like no rod lockers
I will be picking mine up this weekend. The massive rod storage is one of the reasons I bought it. You can fit a smaller landing net in the rod storage compartments. On top of that the entire underside of each rod locker (and the other storage compartments) are all fitted with stainless steel compression latches and underside seals to create a watertight seal. I was up there this past friday helping decide on the final touches with the John(the owner). It has been a new experience in buying a boat. John really works with you to make sure that everything that goes into the boat and the placement meets your approval. I looked at all of the glass tillers this past fall and while they were nice the quality of the components on the backtroller and the fit and finish sold me. The list of these is too long. Go take a look at one and I think that you will agree.
-Brad
I have seen the boat. don’t own one. did not notice the trailer being wimpy. Shorelandr’s are not bad trailers in my eyes. It is no Ranger Trailer, but it is also not a 1800 Lb 618 either. I have had shorelandr’s on almost every boat I have owned ( aside from a 681 ranger) and I have been happy. I think some guys confuse Quality with flashy. Take the fenders off of a Warrior trailer or the stickers off of a Lund/Crestliner and what do you have? I may be wrong, but I am pretty sure they are privately labeled Shorelandr’s. Just my 2 cents.
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