Bowrider useful in the panhandle?

[lonesouth]

I'm looking to get an 18-21' bowrider and would prefer an I/O. I've read up and understand the benefits of an outboard, but want an I/O for this particular boat. My question is, will I be able to use it in this area? I'm running the lakes, mostly Jackson, but Iamonia also, and out of St. Marks and Keyton Beach. I imagine it will be 70/30 sporting/fishing. The boats I'm looking at have a draft of ~33/16" drive down/up. It seems there is some concern about the draft being too deep for certain areas. While I understand that this is a fishing forum, and most here are probably outboard, what are the thoughts on such a boat for skiing/wakeboarding and scalloping?

[Tidedancer]

I say poor choice for a fishing/scalloping boat. If you want a Ski boat then they are great. You could do some fishing from one but it would not be comfortable. No bait well or live wells no fish box and so on and if your in 3 feet of water your hitting the bottom with the pro.

[captkeyser]

If you are planning on fishing the flats with a boat like this then I would strongly recommend that you become best friends with a tide chart. I wouldn't venture out much past the channel if fishing St. Marks unless you run out to the buoy line. Most of this area that holds fish also holds plenty of rocks and ghost traps. Just be extremely careful.

[Sir reel]

I would strongly recommend that you become best friends with a tide chart.

In addition, give your insurance agent a friendly call just to remain aquainted, run by either Parkway or Wavel marine just to see where they are located and introduce yourself, and then contact Sea Tow for a membership. A bowrider is designed primarily for family cruising, water skiing, etc. I loved to water ski in my younger days but I sure wouldn't try it around here. Freshwater is full of trees and stumps, Salt water is full of rocks and can really get rough. There's a reason you don't see very many out drives around this area unless they are off shore boats. I'm not sure you could launch that boat in Iamonia and even if you managed there's not a lot of open water.

[bman]

I know old Lonesouth and told him the same thing already
Thanks for backing me up fellas

[lonesouth]

what the difference in draft on a 19' OB compared to a 19' I/O? I get that 16" is with the outdrive in the trailer position, but it can still operate off idle to put around in the skinny water. What is the draft of either on a plane? I wouldn't be seeking out the shallow water with this.

edit: And I suppose more importantly, is this an issue with the hull design or with the nature of I/O setups?

[Jumptrout51]

If you want an I/O then buy one.
Just remember.......we told you so.

[Redbelly]

You have been given much wisdom in these answers.

[Aquamaholic]

what the difference in draft on a 19' OB compared to a 19' I/O? I get that 16" is with the outdrive in the trailer position, but it can still operate off idle to put around in the skinny water. What is the draft of either on a plane? I wouldn't be seeking out the shallow water with this.

edit: And I suppose more importantly, is this an issue with the hull design or with the nature of I/O setups?

A lot depends on the Hull design ( a deep v center console vs a Poling skiff) while both might be 19' they will differ a lot on how much water they draft; with the same size outboard (while still or on a plane).


I will go out on a limb and say that 16" draft on that boat is probably with 1 battery 1 passenger, a 1/4 tank of gas and nothing else (ie. not practical).

This setup would be fine for skiing on Jackson, but the layout of the deck area would hamper fishing (not to mention the draft). Look at some dedicated fishing boats such as Hewes, Maverick, Pathfinder etc. and check out how the bow of the boat is set up. Usually the deck is flat and open allowing someone to stand up front and fish with nothing in the way.

As far as fishing out of St. Marks you could fish some areas with no problems with draft,but you would be limiting yourself from the better fishing areas.


I don't think I would run an I/O in Iamonia....

It really comes down to whats important to you. With any boat you will have trade offs.


YMMV

[lonesouth]

thanks for the replies. I'm really looking at this more as a family sporting boat than a fishing boat, think ski n fish, not fish n ski. I've got a Whaler 13 sport for shallow and dedicated fishing, but its not much in the way of comfort, especially with more than 2 people. I'll look around at a couple of different setups, I/O and OB and different interior layouts to try and get a better idea.

[RHTFISH]

I've seen some I/Os "bite the dust" so to speak at Anky over the years.

[big bend gyrene]

If you are planning on fishing the flats with a boat like this then I would strongly recommend that you become best friends with a tide chart.

Let me shout an AMEN on what Reverend Captkeyser's preaching at you!

Bet if you could see all the board members' boats lined up side by side you would find it's not just that the bulk have outboards, many would also have jackplates and would be installed on shallow drafting boats. And it's not that we're all going up in creeks trying to get on reds in inches of water (though some of us are ), it's just you got skinny water as far out as a couple of miles out in the stretch between St. Marks and Keaton, you got hidden oysters in those same areas, limestone rocks big as VW bugs, ghost traps all over the place and depending on the moon phase got areas that can be 4' - 5' deep one hour and be high and dry before you can shout "I'm stranded!". In addition to the moon phase, be ready to factor in changing wind speed & direction, and to have storms scare you $^!#less when things get rough and the peaks are a few feet up and troughs are only inches deep.

Not that you can't have an I/O but if I had one I would absolutely stick to a couple of channels that would limit my travel to under 1% of our local inshore waters and always run out to deeper water where the fish might or might NOT be. And that aforementioned wind might often prevent ideal skiing conditions, so you're left with a big expensive toy that by design limits the flexibility you have to enjoy all our area. I don't fish inside creeks in my boat, but do draft under a foot, have a jack plate, and can't tell you how many times I've run it high as I possibly could after staying out on the water a bit too long during a falling tide.

I've mostly stuck to the salt life since moving to Tally, but will add that the freshwater lakes I ran by during our dry spells sure looked to have lots of stumps.

Captkeyser's opening line was true as was JT's closing one!!!

[Jumptrout51]

Are you drinking again John?

[big bend gyrene]

Why you ask JT, because I called Captkeyser "Reverend"?

[Jumptrout51]

NO. Because your typing mouth seems to run on forever.