First Bass Boat Question

[Eric Peterson]

I am buying my first boat, and plan to fish BASS Opens or the FLW Costa series in the coming years. That being said is it unreasonable to fish those events out of a 18 foot boat? Will I be screwed if the wind blows? Thanks for the advice

[Oregon Native]

Size does matter....used to fish the BASS Invitationals out of a 19 and fished the Columbia out of the same boat.  Did I get wet.....yes....but I liked the single axle for convenience as I fish a lot by myself and it's easier to move.  Good Luck

[TOXIC]

There are 2 "limitations" you need to know.  Your limitations as a boat driver and the limitations of the boat you are piloting.  IF you are a seasoned captain, you can probably get away with a smaller boat.  Seeing that you are in WI and there is some pretty big water on the Northern trails, that would be a consideration. By you saying this is your first boat....I would stick with a 20 footer.  There's a reason "most" of the seasoned trail fishermen (and women) are in 20 foot and bigger boats and it's not an ego thing, it's a safety thing.  You pay big bucks for a season or tournament on the trails  you mentioned and they regularly head out in downright nasty conditions.  Conditions can deteriorate quickly out on the water after takeoff as well.  Finally, as a boater you have a co-angler who is trusting that you wont drown them during the tournament.  

[corn-on-the-rob]

My dad and I use his 18 foot 97' hydra-sport with a 150 hp (newer evinrude). Been on the big lake since it was new.

 

We live and breath lake erie, and rarely does weather stop us, but like others mentioned, it comes down to your experience as a captain. The key is when in doubt, trim down, nose up, go slow.

 

As an aside, it is actually rather interesting in how boat handling correlates with length and wave size. For any given bass boat length there is different tiers/thresholds for waves that handle better or worse, for example:

 

*assuming average wave frequency and true wave size, and no typical fisherman exaggerating "4 footers"*

 

1 to 3 footers - No problem in 18 foot, but a longer boat would be smoother

 

3-4ish footers - Hardest. The waves are big enough to create a challenge getting the nose up, but not not big enough to give a ton of time to get the nose back up for the next wave, leaving little room for error.

 

4.5+ footers - Challenging, experience necessary for comfort/confidence, but waves are big enough that you typically handle them one at a time, with enough space between them to reset comfortably and get the nose up for the next.

 

That is my experience in an 18 footer, and also, the reason why I wrote those intervals, is that with a longer boat, certain intervals may be easier/harder, even counter-intuitively. 

[n2fish]

 

[rangerjockey]

Get all the boat you  an afford. Something along the lines of a z119 would be about the minimum I would go at that level.

Also , if you dont have a lot of co angler experience when it comes to opens and the costa you may be way over your head as a boater.