Boats

I’ve posted this on FTL but thought i’d throw it out here too.

Now that Pike season has closed and I know this question could be old, but I thought it would be interesting to see what the visitors to this site have for boat interests?

What size boat do you prefer?

Hull style?

Brand?

Motor?

Interested in seeing what peoples choices are and why they chose them i.e….. Family, specific body of water, Tourneys……

For me it is a glass boat. I have had both and the glass seems to be a better ride. Also, you can’t beat the look of glass. I just bought a 2002 Ranger 620 with a Mercury 225 Optimax. Love the look of both as well as the performance. Prior to that I’ve had Alumacraft & Lund. For me it’s glass from here on out.

Hook, good topic!The first thing I look for in a boat is storage,rod storage and seating capacity. I need to be able to fish 4 people some what comfortably because of guiding purposes. I do prefer a single console boat V.S a dual console, it just seems more roomy to me. Next thing I will look for is it going to be set up to fish the way I spend most of my time. A lot of my time is spent on the bow and in the back of the boat running the kicker motor. So I need to have plenty of area to move around on the bow with no clutter to get in my way. It has to have a good seating area to run my kicker motor comfortabley all day long. The boat needs to be able to handle some good rollers for those windy days on the lake. There is nothing better than staying on the water when everyone else heads for the ramps and just smoke the fish. The boat has to have a nice smooth ride. I do not want a boat that is going to wrench my back everytime I smash in to a big wave or another boats wake. I have found everthing I ever wanted in a boat on my Crestliner 182 Tournament Series. All of the above items I have in this boat.

Motors, this year I am running a Yamaha 175hp HPDI and a Yamaha T-8 kicker motor. The 175 HPDI is just great on gas. Last year I ran a 115 merc and the HPDI gets me further on a tank of gas than the 115 did. This motor has the power and speed I need to jump around and find active fish. Once I am on fish there is no other kicker motor in the world that will compare to the Yamaha T-8 kicker motor in my book. With the oversize prop, the boat control on this little gem is phenominal! This T-8 allows me to have the utmost boat control at all times, even on windy days. The T-8 matched with the Crestliners Tru-V 17degree Uniweld Hull is a great match for the ultimate boat control!

My favorite boat is my next one. So someone help me out and buy the one I have now, it could be your favorite..LOL!!!…..B

I have to admit my Crestliner 1650 Fishhawk rocks, it is priced well, compared to say Lund and it preforms great! The ride is smooth as silk (no rivets on this baby) just a smooth bottom that handles big water real well, the three year warranty on the boat is great(anything breaks they replace it) and the 20 year hull warranty is the best there is. I do find myself looking at a 1775 pro V from Lund as my next boat but maybe I should stick with the Crestliner and move up into the 18′. I fish some big water in Canada and a bigger boat is definetly in the future, owe well I’m a year or two from that decision. Botom line I wouldn’t shy away from another Crestliner its a great boat.

Remember there is a classifieds section, which comes at no cost, to try and sell your rig. Who knows maybe there is a boat for sale that you just might have to have.

First and foremost, I devote all my “on the water” time to Bass Fishing. So, my reply is from a Bass Fisherman’s perspective. I have had both aluminum (Xpress) and glass boats (Gambler and now a Charger), and both had advantages that the other did not. When I had aluminum boat I was not as afraid to get the boat into ugly situations, basicly due the amount of investment. I have literally found out the hard way about hull design and how they ride in rough water, because on the weekends it is usually pretty rough. The Xpress was so light it beat you to death, and the design of Gambler’s fast hull sacrificed a good ride in anything over two foot waves. I prefer the 19 to 20 ft models for extra length to smooth out some of the waves, but the 21 footers I think may have trouble manuevering in skinny backwater cuts. All three boats have nice big front decks to work from, but the Charger blows the other two out of the water for storage, and comfortable ride. The Charger however being a heavier boat, does not float in as shallow of water. Once again, my reply is based on a Bass Fisherman’s perspective. The main thing is to get a boat that is going to do the best possible job for you, don’t take any shortcuts like I did and find out the hard way.

ps. can’t go wrong with a proven winner for a motor, MERCURY!