New Boat

Ok i dont know if this is allowed here or not but i have a quick question. I am looking to purchase a new walleye boat. I have always run jon boats but i am looking for something a little more comfortable. I want a tiller that is atleast 17 feet long. What are some good options? I have looked around but im not sure what to get. I usually fish alone and on the mississippi river. So please any help will be appreciated. Even a picture of your rig will help. Just to see an actual setup. Planning on heading to some boat dealers soon. Just wanted some input on what is more helpful in a walleye boat.

Thanks.

A 17′ tiller should do you just fine for the Mississippi River especially if you only fish by yourself. Only recommendation I have is when you pick a outboard get the maximum hp rating 4 stroke you can put on the boat. You’ll never regret going bigger. Other then that you have to set the rig up to what works best for you and for the way you like to fish. Good luck. Also there should be a ton of boat shows going on right about now. I would check one of those out.

I have been looking at Lunds and Trackers. Probably going to put my Vex on the front. I just dont know what to get haha. Soooo many options and not enough garage space. Guess i just need to get to a show and mess around a bit.

If I were looking for a 17′ tiller I would look closely at Backtroller boats and Tuffy boats.

Go to a show and look around a bit. You seem to be looking at aluminum, but don’t discount fiberglass. The ride quality is a fine attribute if you fish where there is a lot of boat traffic so there are heavy wakes.

I can’t agree with the “max the HP” idea. On a tiller? Some 17s could be rated for over 100 HP. Not many guys want or need to run a tiller that big.

Buy an outboard HP that’s well matched to the boat and your needs. If you fish shallow rivers where there’s a lot of boat/barge traffic, you’re not going to blasting around at 40+ MPH anyway. Not if you want to live. Having more outboad than you need is just dragging around extra weight.

Grouse

I like those Backtrollers for tiller boats.

I run an Alumacraft Navigator 175 tiller and it’s great for the river. I fish alone and with others and its a great boat for both. It is also very wide and stable which is a huge benefit in my opinion. I think the new curent model of this boat is the Competitor series. This boat is very similar to the older model 1700 Explorer by Lund.

last year i bought the alumacraft classic 165. this boat is similiar to what you are looking for and i believe it has some nice features for the price range. i found mine for 15,500$ new but after i added the mods i wanted and customized it to my liking and after the taxes, title, fees we were over 20k, but i got the boat that i wanted and it should last me the rest of my life if i want it to. One nice thing about the alumacraft series is the 2XB hull. its a smooth ride compared to the other “similar” boats. The other boat i considered was a lund but at an avg price of 5k more for the comparable model i opted for the alumacraft. As these guys said hit up some dealerships and surf the web for some other forums. If you are into strictly fishing i like alumacraft and lund as a reasonably priced boat with lots of options. Ive heard that Lowe, Tracker, Starcraft, Smokercraft all have inferior rides. Aside from a smokercraft (which i can confirm is a bumpy ride) and an old starcraft (which did a good job for what it was) i cannot comment on those brands from personal experience.

crappie55369 wrote:

last year i bought the alumacraft classic 165. this boat is similiar to what you are looking for and i believe it has some nice features for the price range. i found mine for 15,500$ new but after i added the mods i wanted and customized it to my liking and after the taxes, title, fees we were over 20k, but i got the boat that i wanted and it should last me the rest of my life if i want it to. One nice thing about the alumacraft series is the 2XB hull. its a smooth ride compared to the other “similar” boats. The other boat i considered was a lund but at an avg price of 5k more for the comparable model i opted for the alumacraft. As these guys said hit up some dealerships and surf the web for some other forums. If you are into strictly fishing i like alumacraft and lund as a reasonably priced boat with lots of options. Ive heard that Lowe, Tracker, Starcraft, Smokercraft all have inferior rides. Aside from a smokercraft (which i can confirm is a bumpy ride) and an old starcraft (which did a good job for what it was) i cannot comment on those brands from personal experience.

You can’t go wrong with this boat for the river.

Tim Reszler wrote:

A 17′ tiller should do you just fine for the Mississippi River especially if you only fish by yourself. Only recommendation I have is when you pick a outboard get the maximum hp rating 4 stroke you can put on the boat. You’ll never regret going bigger. Other then that you have to set the rig up to what works best for you and for the way you like to fish. Good luck. Also there should be a ton of boat shows going on right about now. I would check one of those out.

I agree with Tresz84, max out the HP on a tiller. Tiller boats in general are not allowed as high of HP rating as the same boat with a steering wheel. I have owned one tiller that was under powered and it really sucked. I have ridden in several under powered (not maxed out) tillers and the sucked worse than mine did. I currently own a Lund 1825 ProGuide with a 90hp Yamaha 4 stroke. The 90 is the max HP and it does just fine. Top GPS speed is 35-36 with full load and 2-3 guys. The same hull I believe with a wheel is rated at 115 or 150.

If a 17′ tiller is on your radar Backtroller would be at the top of my list. Take this for what it’s worth, I’m running a 1725 Lund Pro Guide.

http://www.backtroller.com

I had a Tuffy tiller for years and then went to a Navigator. Love the stability and width of the Navigator. My only complaint would be front end movement in the wind. The fiberglass seemed to be better. I do fish alone and when sitting in the back with the 75 horse four stroke the front end turns too easy in a strong wind, even with the large front livewell filled as a ballast. If Backtroller was around when I was looking, would have strongly considered it.

After getting in and out of several manufactures boats I picked this 18ft. G3.Its been a great boat for my fishing style.

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Thanks for all the help. Gonna hit a G3, Alumacraft, and a couple other littke local dealers to see what they have or can get. Again I really appreciate all the input.

btw wmcox i purchased my boat at dans southside marine and i had a truly terrible experience with them. im not here to bash someones company but i was this close to calling the BBB and i let Dan himself know that – he didnt flinch. i wont spend time bashing them on this forum but i wanted to let you know that if you want MY advice, i would chose another alumacraft dealer.