BigBendFishing.Net

evening fellas. i found a few boats that caught my eye, but since i dont know much about bay boats i'd like to get some opinions. generally i fish alone so i dont need anything big. budget is $9-10K. thanks guys!


http://ocala.craigslist.org/bod/3225078851.html

http://panamacity.craigslist.org/boa/3254401699.html

http://macon.craigslist.org/boa/3271784677.html

http://okaloosa.craigslist.org/boa/3243466944.html

all of these are fine looking boats. if it suits your needs (wants) - go for it!

If I was spending that much money I would want a little longer boat for when it was choppy. 16 would be minimum and 17 or 18 foot would be good. 19 handles rougher water and has more storage but if you are by yourself it starts getting harder to load on the trailer.

thats what i was thinking rhettley. something small enough to easily launch by myself. i really like those 15ft key wests for some reason though....

Have launched my 22' panga alone more than once at Ecky. And will say that if going with fiberglass, would add my vote to going a bit bigger. Fishing buddy Sharkman got a 18' panga skiff and that 4' smaller boat has kept him from running out to 15' to 25' waters on days I didn't think twice about going out a ways. Just my .02.

Also FYI, I have run 16' G3's, a 17' G3 and now the 19' G3. It is not all that big of a difference in launching. You don't want to end with a severe case of
twofootitis.... read too many stories lol.

I will have to back up what BBG says. I have the Carolina Skiff Sea Chaser 185 roll gunnel. The V-hull makes it possible to go out to deeper waters on days with a little chop. But it is small enough to get in fairly skinny water. I also like the extra safety of the double hull. The skiffs with the "triple rib" front are going to make that hard to do. My boat is 19 feet and I can load it no problem alone.

As for loading, I am puzzled as to why folks have so much trouble loading. All trailer/boat combos have a "magic spot" where it is deep enough to get on the bunks, yet high ebough to have enough friction to hold it until you get off and fasten the strap. Find that magic spot, and use a guide to stop there. (I have a spot on my fender I use to see when I am at that magic spot in trailer depth). The only time I have to adjust is on really steep ramps, which I avoid anyway. Now if you have a roller trailer, throw that all out the window, but in my opinion, it is crazy to have a roller trailer on anything under 24 feet anyway.



Dubble

Dubble I have the same boat but it's a 1950RG. Great boats. I'm still figuring out the sweet spot on launching and loading. I need to use the same ramp several times in a row. The previous owner had it out 35 miles on a few good days, it handles 2 foot chop without getting me wet or beat up, and floats shallow enough for the flats, although I wouldn't take it into an oyster bar for reds. I have a trolling motor I need to fix and mount and it'll be a very good all around boat.
I have the 15 foot Gheenoe with a Merc 9.9 if I want to get skinny, or a kayak would fit in the boat nicely, although I don't like the idea of leaving the boat anchored and getting very far from it.

Call me if you get a chance Miles.

I used to have a 17' Key West. Loved that boat. Put a Ton of fish in it also...Just Sayin

A small boat is fine until you get one more person and their tackle and rods and drinks and food and ice and fish and ..... you get the picture. I have a 22 ft Bay Boat and wish it was 24 sometimes.

Seachaser wrote:A small boat is fine until you get one more person and their tackle and rods and drinks and food and ice and fish and ..... you get the picture. I have a 22 ft Bay Boat and wish it was 24 sometimes.

That's called two foot itis

I wouldn't worry so much about launching a longer boat by myself. I have a 21 ft kenner and fish by myself sometimes and it's something you get used to.

I know this may draw some criticism, but I don't care for that type of a Carolina Skiff hull. To me, they ride rougher than the older flat-bottom Carolina Skiff, and the cup in the hull throws water out in front of you when it's choppy so they are very wet.

I had a buddy in the NFGFC that had the 18' version of that boat, and fished on it a good bit last year.

- Steve Stinson

Don't worry about launching. It's all about the same in that size range. If anything think about gas consumption more than launching...