Bass boat in choppy water?

[Black Bass]

Which bass boat, mfg. and model, do you like on choppy water? $8,500 or less.

[northgabassfisher]

Ive rode in a ranger and a triton and both did good in chopy water

[cart7t]

Quote

Which bass boat, mfg. and model, do you like on choppy water? $8,500 or less.

Good boats in rough water- Champion #1, Charger, Stratos, Allison (not for $8500 though), Storm (same as Allison), Blazer (same as Storm), Nitro.

Not so good - Ranger, Skeeter

So-so - Triton, Basscat.

That's rough water ride. Now fishability once the boat has stopped is another matter.

[cart7t]

I probably should've added this to my first post.  A boats ability to provide a good Rough water ride is almost always in direct correlation to the amount of V in the hull.  A quick look at Champions and Chargers will show a pretty extreme V while boats like Skeeter and Ranger have a far less pronounced V and a much flatter hull.  There is a tradeoff usually, a Skeeter and Ranger will usually be a better fishing platform at rest. Of course, that all goes out the door when talking about lightweight hull boats like Blazer and Allison. Those boats are literally capable of skipping across the tops of big waves at speed.  The same can be said for those Cat hulled FastCat bassboats.  

If you're looking at only spending $8500 on a fiberglass you'll need to shop around.  Look for models that have a deeper V than others. Also realize that even with a deeper V hull, the ride you recieve is also dependant on the ability of the boat driver to correctly run in rough water.  Any boat can give you a bone breaking, vertebrae impacting ride if you don't know what you're doing.

[RobDar]

Cart7 offers some good info again....

everyone has their preferance for their own reasons, but while shopping for boats and talking to guys in our tourney circut about their boats here is what I have been told...

Triton...

mixed reviews. While the guys love them as far as fishing platform goes, there have been two guys in our club ( both who often fish lake michigan which gets rough) who sold their tritons because they said they have a tendency to "spear" the waves rather than ride over them. One of these guys bought an Xpress instead...and is in love. Another bought a Stratos and...in his words..."has no complaints"

That is two Tritons out of 9 or 10 in the circut though and I do not know what the other guys fishing tendencies are.

Our director has a new Triton and loves it.

Javelin/Stratos...

no performance complaints other than..."it takes a long time to come to plane". of the four guys I have talked to with Stratos and Javelins...they like their boats. One guy said he wishes it had a better livewell. My father in law LOVES his Javelin. took it back across Lake Michigan in a tourney in 6-9 footers and had no problems other than his speedometer broke on the trip.

Ranger...

There is only one newer Ranger in our circut, the rest are older boats. The guy with the newer one likes. He does not typically fish anything but inland lakes and rivers so no commentary of rough water. He does like his Evinrude E-Tec though. The guys with the older boats have no complaints. Personally...it is the price tag, even used, that turns me off the Rangers. Way too expensive!

Champion...

only one in our circut but the guy loves it. says it has done everything he has asked it to do, runs good and runs smooth. He used to own both a Ranger and a Triton and prefers the Champion.

Skeeter...

only three Skeeters in our club and all are old used boats. Only one complaint from one guy is that it dances around in turns at speed, but his boat is a late 80's early 90's and I would think that there have been some big hull improvements since his boat was built.

Bass Cat...

only one in or club and it was bought because it was Denny Brauers boat and because it was fast. The guy who owns it is somewhat of a nut...riding with him is like riding is a fighter jet...fast and scary as hell...but he has never complained about performance. Never talked to him about rough water though...he is almost exclusively a river guy.

Storm...

only one Storm boat. The guys commentary was..." I will race any boat on the water in this baby"  Not really a determining factor for a good bass boat in my eyes.

Legend Boats...

you guys forgot about this one. Seems  similar to the Stratos/Javelin to me. A guy in our circut had one on loan from his brother in law while his boat was getting fixed. He fell in love with this boat and says when he gets a new one it will be a Legend. Said it handles really well and he like the layout.

the best reveiws I have read on aliminum boats...

Triton Magnum ( but you might as well buy a fiber boats at its HEFTY price tag)

G3 Eagle and HP series

Fisher ( largest percentage of deadrise in aluminum...deepest "v")

Polar Kraft ( only sticking point was ride was not as dry in rough water as the other boats)

that is about the extent of my research. As far as availabilty...In my area, USED Rangers and Tritons are a dime a dozen, but also usually the most....ummmm..."well used" boats available. For the money, if buying used, I would probably try to find a Champion or a Stratos...but that is just my assessment. See if the folks you are buying the boat from will take you out in it...and decide after testing it!

[cart7t]

Storm boats were originally a specialty boat built down in Florida to take on the big waters of Ocheechobee at speed.  They're not a production built boat and are built one at a time which tends to make them more expensive.  Long and narrow, yes they're fast but they can take on tuff water at speed.  Expensive, hard to find used.

Legend. John Storie, the Champion guy started up this company. It was an off-shoot of the short-lived Hawk bassboat company.  The original Legends were more like Champions than anything. The company has since changed hands and I believe the hull design has changed as well.  Supposedly a nicely put together boat. I have no info on how well it runs in the rough stuff.

[Way2slow]

Stratos and Javelin, hard to get on plane, where'd that come from???  I own a Javelin R20, totally launches out of hole.  I've got two Stratos', both have very good hole shot.  I have several friends with 201's, none of them have hole shot problems.   Now, if you want to consider under powered boats, you can list just about every boat made.

[Nick_Barr]

A good Friend of mine is a pro-staffer for Legend Boats.  I REALLY LIKE THE BOAT, it rides like a champion, yet still goes 72 mph Fully Loaded. REALLY NICE BOATS

[Sam]

We hit rough water in my friend's Bass Cat on Smith Mountain Lake and all I could do was to try to hold on as we bounced all around.

I got bounced up and fell back on one of my spinning reels and broke the bail.

I had to support myself with my hand (know what I mean?) as the ride was like a roller coaster hitting a concrete base.

Man, was I glad to get into a creek where it was calm.

[Its a big one]

you are going to bounce in rough water. its in the reentry and the nitro 9 series is the best skeeter too. i can go air born "motor and all" in my nitro 901 cdx and land pretty soft back end first. never speared a wave. unlike boats like ranger that go threw the wave not over them.and the 901 is 1715 lb. 100lb. more than rangers 19ft.

[cravenfish]

If you are only spending $8500.00, then be happy with what you can get. Your options are going to be limited. I fish alot of tournaments and dont think Choppy water would bother anyone. When you get into those chops that are over 3 foot alot has to do with the driver. I have a ranger 521 and have fished out of alot of other boats. Everyone has an opinion and mine would be if your not fishing tournaments, then pick the days and places you go fishing. If they are calling for 30mph winds, stay in small creeks on stay home.

[tipptruck1]

Well I think the bass boat guys arnt going to like what I have to say. Get your self a deep v boat. My friends lund can handle good sized chop. One time while heading home we were running behind a ski boat. The boat turned around and we hit its wake at 45mph and we didn't even feel the first wave. But we felt the second one. It was like hitting a speed bumb at 10mph in a 4x4 truck. We can also get his deep v in 18inches of water.

[FutureClassicChamp]

what kinda chop are we talkin about...like great lakes chop?  ive been in a couple different kinds on lake erie with 4-5 footers (which isnt all that big for lake erie).  i think champion and basscats are the best that ive ridden in.  but if youre gonna fish that kinda water, you need a 20'er +.  and thatd be kinda hard to do with $8500.  but like tip said....there are some other options.  ive never been on one, but i think its a bass tracker targa, or tundra....something cold....that has like half decks.  or a crestliner fish hawk

[VAbacklash]

My first choice would be a Ranger. I don't own one, but have rode in several. For your price range, try a Sprint 296 (discontinued) or any of the older heavier bass boats. A heavier boat with a deep vee will ride smoother than lighter rigs. I'll take the smooth ride over rocketship speed any day. I ain't never caught a fish going over three mph.

[flechero]

I like Champion for rough water, that's the reason I bought mine.  I lake tested new boats on windy days for just that reason.  I've ridden in most of the brands at one time or another and I always like Champion's ride quality and handling the best.  

If I was buying a used boat for $8500 or less I would look for the best mantained boat and best running motor more than I'd limit myself to a good rough water reputation.  Now if you are on great big water and HAVE to have a boat like that, you may need to be patient to find a good used one in that price range.

Good luck in your search!

[cart7t]

My first choice would be a Ranger. I don't own one, but have rode in several. For your price range, try a Sprint 296 (discontinued) or any of the older heavier bass boats. A heavier boat with a deep vee will ride smoother than lighter rigs. I'll take the smooth ride over rocketship speed any day. I ain't never caught a fish going over three mph.

Sprints are OK but you have to make sure you stay away from the Travis edition sprints.  Cheaply made with more unsealed wood than a Northwestern Pine forest.  

[Black Bass]

Thanks y'all for the great information. I haven't yet fished a tournament. I hope to this coming year. I live near Lake Livingston, TX. So I'm also near Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend. I have been told that Livingston can get dangerous with storms coming up very quickly which is why I wondered about boats taking chop well.

Thanks again for all the great information.

[flechero]

Thanks y'all for the great information. I haven't yet fished a tournament. I hope to this coming year. I live near Lake Livingston, TX. So I'm also near Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend. I have been told that Livingston can get dangerous with storms coming up very quickly which is why I wondered about boats taking chop well.

Thanks again for all the great information.

I've been on Rayburn and Toledo Bend on rough days...  they get pretty darn bad at times!

[hootersdoug]

Love my Skeeter zx150, but I have to say that there are better boats for rough water.  The bigger skeeters do fine in chop, but my 18 footer likes to go airborn.  If your spine can handle it, go ahead!!!

[CJ]

I would think looking for a late 90's model stratos may be your best bet.For $8500 you probally won't find a 21' boat.From what I have collected the 19' Stratos handles exceptional for a shorter boat.

BTW,my 21'Stratos is very quick out of the hole.It might have something to do with the 250 Merc.

[cart7t]

Which bass boat, mfg. and model, do you like on choppy water? $8,500 or less.

This guys got a really nice Stratos for only $5800!!  

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1155931495

Check it out!!

[5bass]

It's hard to believe that nobody mentioned a Gambler to this guy yet.

I have owned 3 different Rangers,a Skeeter and a Stratos.I have ridden in Champions,Sprints,Bass Cats,Pro Crafts......only ones that were close to a Gambler in rough water was the Champ and the Bass Cat.

Want a smooth ride in choppy water?Buy yourself a Gambler.