I think the Larson 1600 tiller has some potential. Very wide, talked to Tony Capra quite a bit about it. The 3 tiered flare on the hull design will really spray water away from the cockpit, or at least as well as any tiller can keep you dry. It has a 16 degree deadrise and he said really slices through the water well.
The exterior looks very sharp like the other Larsons, the interior is fairly basic and “utilitarian,” not quite as upscale as the larger FX series, but again there’s a price point here.
The model at the Boat Show does not have the side rod lockers in it, just some straps for rods. He showed me a picture of one with the side lockers and for me that would be the way to go….there would still be plenty of floor space with a 90 inch beam….and I like somewhere to lay my rods on top for easy access.
Regarding horsepower… he said the hull is designed to pop out of the hole very easily. He said even the 25hp does this with a top end speed of approx 23. He also said at about 60hp you really get a boat the moves across the water very well…75 hp is max.
It is intended to be a multi-species rig and I think that it is. However, it strikes me as more of a walleye boat. The hull is made to backtroll efficiently. Also the sides of the boat come up a little higher in the middle of the boat which would make it a little more challenging for the bass crowd that flips baits, and lips fish at the boat. Casting deck is not huge, but would work fine for most applications.
Comes with a portable 12 gallon tank, some might not like that…not a big issue for me.
If I were spending upper teens for a new glass tiller this would have potential. If I were targeting mid-20’s would be hard to beat the Backtroller.
