Finer Points Between 18ft. & 19 ft. Bass Boat ?

[crypt]

my next boat is an X19 with a 200 SHO  on it. some time this summer.

[Troy85]

I have an Xpress H18 and I love it. Hyperlift hull rides  smooth and handles the areas I fish without any problems.  I looked at both the H18 and H19, main difference was HP rating.  As far as the layout, its pretty much the same between the H18 and H19.  I'm sure the 19 will handle waves just a tad better, as its a longer boat.  Overall, I'm more than happy with the 18.

[ChrisD46]

1 hour ago, Troy1985s said:

I have an Xpress H18 and I love it. Hyperlift hull rides  smooth and handles the areas I fish without any problems.  I looked at both the H18 and H19, main difference was HP rating.  As far as the layout, its pretty much the same between the H18 and H19.  I'm sure the 19 will handle waves just a tad better, as its a longer boat.  Overall, I'm more than happy with the 18.

Good to know !

9 hours ago, slonezp said:

My buddy has the X19 with a 175 SHO and is more than happy with it.

One would think a 175 HP would be plenty of power - wonder how many units of the 175 HP SHO versus the 200 HP SHO Yamaha sells ? ... Might be better to go with the 200 HP SHO if a over - inventory situation developed or a sale due to what's most popular equates to a good deal !

[uncustered]

I have a tracker txw 175, it measures 17'8". I've tourney fished it for 6 years now. I concur on loss of storage on shorter boat.

 

I tourney fish Gaston, Kerr, Chickahominy and James River.

 

 

Quite frankly, it's too small. Distance between front and back fishermen too close. Gets real "beaty" in more then 2' chop, it's also very wet into and  with quartering seas.

 

It is also a beast trying to maintain a track or location on trolling motor in ANY wind.

 

If going aluminum, IMHO get the biggest, heaviest, highest horsepower rig your pocket can cover.

[Troy85]

If it helps. I bought my h18 used with the Yamaha 115. I never have an issue with hole shot with 2 people, I fish some pretty shallow water too. I can pull skiers, tubes, etc without issues. Top speed alone with fishing gear is about 48. With 1-2 passengers it maxes out at about 44mph. Overall the performance is fine, but if I was gonna buy brand new, I'd put the 150 SHO on for sure.

[Further North]

On 1/31/2018 at 1:35 PM, NHBull said:

This is the last boat I am going to buy.........again!

I am...pun intended...in the same boat.  I fully intend to die with the boat I have, because it does what I want it to do really, really well.  Electronics 'n' stuff will get upgraded as life goes on, but that is what it is.

 

What could change that?

1. I could wreck the boat...like run it into a BAMF rock not on the charts in Canada.  Odds are slim, but it could happen.  Solution: Buy new Crestliner Bass Hawk or Lund Pro-V Bass.
2. The boat could get wrecked in an accident.  A texting cretin could run a stop sign and wipe out the boat.  Could happen.  Solution: Buy new Crestliner Bass Hawk or Lund Pro-V Bass.
3. Could blow the motor, or wear it out.  Solution: Re-power to a 150 four stroke.  Brand to be determined based on whatever cool stuff has surfaced n the market at the time, plus price and efficiency.
4. I could lose interest in the way I fish now.  Solution, buy a pontoon boat, or a walleye boat, and fish with bobbers 'n' bait.  I hope some kind soul puts me out of my misery if this happens.
5. Some kind of physical limitation farces a change.  Solution: Re-evaluate and buy a new rig based on whatever is going on.  If it's #4, see above reference to a kind soul, and misery.
6. Some kind of seriously impactful, genuinely cost reducing technology will pop up and have the real potential to enrich my experience while reducing my costs.  Solution: Evaluate carefully, if it's real...make the jump.

What could #6 be?

 

I dunno...but...what if Tesla started making boats?  Think about it.  I've done the math, and the technolgy has the potential tp be truly useful, much less damaging to our shared resources as well as less expensive.  Would I jump?  Depends on the $$$.

[J Francho]

Look at what Torqueedo is doing @Further North  

 

Might be a repower in your future. 

[slonezp]

sent you a PM

12 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Look at what Torqueedo is doing @Further North  

 

Might be a repower in your future. 

Or this. $60k for the motor and batteries. Boat not included

 

[Further North]

52 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Look at what Torqueedo is doing @Further North  

 

Might be a repower in your future. 

Very, very cool.

 

...not there yet:

1. Way light on HP/thrust.  Gotta move an 18 ft. long, 8 ft. wide boat with a ton of storage somewhere near 40 MPH.  For now.  This will clearly change in the future.
2. Insane prices.  Feels like they are trading the environmental "feel good" impact for prices that are 4x what they are for a 4-stoke of similar power.

We'll get there.  I believe that we'll see, in my lifetime, reasonably priced, effective, efficient, electric power that will work very well for fishing boats.

44 minutes ago, slonezp said:

sent you a PM

Or this. $60k for the motor and batteries. Boat not included

 

That's cool...but again, at that price it feels like bragging rights, not a cost effective, efficient solution.

 

Motor and batteries are 4x what my whole boat cost...can't make that up in gas money, not when I have to pay for the electricity.

 

...but really cool and a harbinger of things to come.

[J Francho]

They're testing a 150 hp equivalent.

[BassNJake]

The Electric Only tourney trail I used to fish participated in the The 2017 Electric Bass Angling National Championship, sponsored by Elco Motor Yachts. They won a 20 HP electric motor from Elco motors.

 

https://www.facebook.com/EEBANC/

[J Francho]

The Elcos work well, but don't match the lithium performance of Torqueedo.  They used Elcos on 18' Tritons at the King Fisher Society, and they were like a hyper drive trolling motor.

[fish'n Jim]

You're not going to see much difference in 18' vs 19'.   Pick widest(beam) one.   I would be mostly concerned with the construction; gauge aluminum used(not just hull) and if it's fully welded or not.   No rivets on big HP.   I'd not recommend aluminum, if use in brackish (part salt) conditions, which is a factor in FLA.  Same for trailer, need galvanized down there.  A flats type glass skiff would be a choice, so you can go intercoastal as well.   What you have for home boat storage and lake accesses.   Some longer boats won't fit a "standard" 22 -24' garage. Otherwise, it's a personal choice.   You can always trade it off.     

I've owned both.   There's places I won't or wish I didn't take my fiberglass boats.   They don't get along with rocks, stumps, or sandy bottom and you can't launch a big glass rig in a small lake with no/poor access but I could with the alum and the 4x4.

Part of the puzzle is bass boats have gone out of sight on pricing and they're all about the same price on size, making the choice more difficult.                   

[J Francho]

Xpress uses a saltwater safe coating on their bay and skiff models, as do most others.  Ever see what all those salmon charter fishing boats are made out of in Alaska?  Yep, aluminum.

[slonezp]

3 hours ago, fish'n Jim said:

You're not going to see much difference in 18' vs 19'.   Pick widest(beam) one.   I would be mostly concerned with the construction; gauge aluminum used(not just hull) and if it's fully welded or not.   No rivets on big HP.   I'd not recommend aluminum, if use in brackish (part salt) conditions, which is a factor in FLA.  Same for trailer, need galvanized down there.  A flats type glass skiff would be a choice, so you can go intercoastal as well.   What you have for home boat storage and lake accesses.   Some longer boats won't fit a "standard" 22 -24' garage. Otherwise, it's a personal choice.   You can always trade it off.     

I've owned both.   There's places I won't or wish I didn't take my fiberglass boats.   They don't get along with rocks, stumps, or sandy bottom and you can't launch a big glass rig in a small lake with no/poor access but I could with the alum and the 4x4.

Part of the puzzle is bass boats have gone out of sight on pricing and they're all about the same price on size, making the choice more difficult.                   

No rivets on big HP? You better tell that to the engineers at Lund and Alumacraft. They've been doing it wrong for a long time. Those 350hp Mercs must be littering the bottom of all of our northern lakes.

[Catt]

4 hours ago, fish'n Jim said:

  I'd not recommend aluminum, if use in brackish (part salt) conditions, which is a factor in FLA.  Same for trailer, need galvanized down there.          

 

Serious!

 

Saltwater aint gonna hurt aluminum as long as it primed & painted!

 

Everything I fish except Toledo Bend is brackish & I chase Specks-n-Reds in saltwater.

 

Been doing it for years ?

[Further North]

4 hours ago, fish'n Jim said:

You're not going to see much difference in 18' vs 19'.   Pick widest(beam) one.   I would be mostly concerned with the construction; gauge aluminum used(not just hull) and if it's fully welded or not.   No rivets on big HP.   I'd not recommend aluminum, if use in brackish (part salt) conditions, which is a factor in FLA.  Same for trailer, need galvanized down there.  A flats type glass skiff would be a choice, so you can go intercoastal as well.   What you have for home boat storage and lake accesses.   Some longer boats won't fit a "standard" 22 -24' garage. Otherwise, it's a personal choice.   You can always trade it off.     

I've owned both.   There's places I won't or wish I didn't take my fiberglass boats.   They don't get along with rocks, stumps, or sandy bottom and you can't launch a big glass rig in a small lake with no/poor access but I could with the alum and the 4x4.

Part of the puzzle is bass boats have gone out of sight on pricing and they're all about the same price on size, making the choice more difficult.                   

 

36 minutes ago, slonezp said:

No rivets on big HP? You better tell that to the engineers at Lund and Alumacraft. They've been doing it wrong for a long time. Those 350hp Mercs must be littering the bottom of all of our northern lakes.

I had the same thought...there's a lotta BAMF Lund Pro-Vs running around this part of the country that would be shocked to find that out...

[fishnkamp]

No Aluminum boats in salt water?  I guess we better tell all the dealers here in MD to stop selling aluminum jons and bass boats because fish tidal Chesapeake Bay rivers!  LOL  There is not one dealer around here that does not sell a line of aluminum skiffs, bass boats and jons. Heck our Bass Pro sells more aluminum then fiberglass.

That is why the Lund Pro V Bass I sat on last Saturday was ordered without a trailer and the dealer had put a ShoreLand'r galvanized trailer under it instead.  Amazing.

[slonezp]

21 minutes ago, fishnkamp said:

No Aluminum boats in salt water?  I guess we better tell all the dealers here in MD to stop selling aluminum jons and bass boats because fish tidal Chesapeake Bay rivers!  LOL  There is not one dealer around here that does not sell a line of aluminum skiffs, bass boats and jons. Heck our Bass Pro sells more aluminum then fiberglass.

That is why the Lund Pro V Bass I sat on last Saturday was ordered without a trailer and the dealer had put a ShoreLand'r galvanized trailer under it instead.  Amazing.

Not to mention all the aluminum ocean going boats in the northeast.

[Catt]

Hanko’s Metal Works Inc. specializes in aluminum work boats used in the Gulf of Mexico along the Louisiana/Texas coast.

 

That's a 52' x 16 

[Further North]

17 hours ago, J Francho said:

They're testing a 150 hp equivalent.

That's cooler that heck...but until they get pricing down to at least 4-stroke parity + gas for a couple/few years, it's just bragging rights and environmental smugness...and this comes from a guy who has been habitat focused since the 1970s...

 

IMO, of course.  People should spend their $$$ as they see fit...

 

Gotta include the costs of charging, environmental impact of coal fired power generation, and $$$/environmental impact of battery disposal in that equation too...

 

All that said...the idea of zipping across a lake at 45 MPH, no noise other than the slapping of the hull on waves and the wind...no carbon in the air...no exhaust in the water...Makes me smile...

 

...but I can't get 'er done at 4x the cost of the rig I'm running.  It soesn't pencil...not even close...I'm not rich enough to support other people's dreams...

[Fishing Rhino]

On ‎2‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 8:49 PM, Further North said:

I am...pun intended...in the same boat.  I fully intend to die with the boat I have, because it does what I want it to do really, really well.  Electronics 'n' stuff will get upgraded as life goes on, but that is what it is.

 

What could change that?

1. I could wreck the boat...like run it into a BAMF rock not on the charts in Canada.  Odds are slim, but it could happen.  Solution: Buy new Crestliner Bass Hawk or Lund Pro-V Bass.
2. The boat could get wrecked in an accident.  A texting cretin could run a stop sign and wipe out the boat.  Could happen.  Solution: Buy new Crestliner Bass Hawk or Lund Pro-V Bass.
3. Could blow the motor, or wear it out.  Solution: Re-power to a 150 four stroke.  Brand to be determined based on whatever cool stuff has surfaced n the market at the time, plus price and efficiency.
4. I could lose interest in the way I fish now.  Solution, buy a pontoon boat, or a walleye boat, and fish with bobbers 'n' bait.  I hope some kind soul puts me out of my misery if this happens.
5. Some kind of physical limitation farces a change.  Solution: Re-evaluate and buy a new rig based on whatever is going on.  If it's #4, see above reference to a kind soul, and misery.
6. Some kind of seriously impactful, genuinely cost reducing technology will pop up and have the real potential to enrich my experience while reducing my costs.  Solution: Evaluate carefully, if it's real...make the jump.

What could #6 be?

 

I dunno...but...what if Tesla started making boats?  Think about it.  I've done the math, and the technolgy has the potential tp be truly useful, much less damaging to our shared resources as well as less expensive.  Would I jump?  Depends on the $$$.

I doubt an electric boat would fare too well.  A boat is always going uphill.  It takes very little horsepower to maintain 60 mph on a level road in a vehicle.  Take your foot off the gas or the transmission out of gear and on a level road you'll coast a long distance.  Pull the throttle back on a boat (I don't advise taking the motor out of gear) and the boat will slow rapidly.  

 

Not sure the batteries would like that constant load.  Then you can add the ton of batteries it would take to get up to comparable speed a gasoline engine provides and you are increasing the existing drag by a considerable factor.  Where would you put all those batteries?

[slonezp]

17 minutes ago, Fishing Rhino said:

I doubt an electric boat would fare too well.  A boat is always going uphill.  It takes very little horsepower to maintain 60 mph on a level road in a vehicle.  Take your foot off the gas or the transmission out of gear and on a level road you'll coast a long distance.  Pull the throttle back on a boat (I don't advise taking the motor out of gear) and the boat will slow rapidly.  

 

Not sure the batteries would like that constant load.  Then you can add the ton of batteries it would take to get up to comparable speed a gasoline engine provides and you are increasing the existing drag by a considerable factor.  Where would you put all those batteries?

I vote for hydrogen powered outboards. Zero emissions and an unlimited amount of fuel

[Fishing Rhino]

40 minutes ago, slonezp said:

I vote for hydrogen powered outboards. Zero emissions and an unlimited amount of fuel

Now you're talking.  Just don't name it Hindenburg.

[Further North]

3 hours ago, Fishing Rhino said:

I doubt an electric boat would fare too well.  A boat is always going uphill.  It takes very little horsepower to maintain 60 mph on a level road in a vehicle.  Take your foot off the gas or the transmission out of gear and on a level road you'll coast a long distance.  Pull the throttle back on a boat (I don't advise taking the motor out of gear) and the boat will slow rapidly.  

 

Not sure the batteries would like that constant load.  Then you can add the ton of batteries it would take to get up to comparable speed a gasoline engine provides and you are increasing the existing drag by a considerable factor.  Where would you put all those batteries?

The batteries on my trolling motor are running under a constant load about 75% of the time I'm on the water...and for much longer periods of time...hours at a stretch, much longer than I run my big motor.  They are standard lead acid and they last years.

 

I did the math on the batteries a while back...on my boat they'd fit where the gas tank is, and/or under the rear deck.  We'd have more weight in the batteries, much less in the motors.

 

Google says Tesla batteries output 375 volts...batteries weigh 1,200 lbs. Close enough for government work.

They claim HP equivalency at 382 - 691...even at the low end, there's not a lot of fishing boats that won't move pretty well...so lets drop it to 250 HP eq. to save a little weight on the batteries. Call it 1,000 lbs. even, just for fun.

Did another Google, claims the Tesla motors weigh 70 lbs.

An Evinrude E-Tech 250 weighs 507 lbs., a Yamaha VMax 250 is 539 and a Mercury Verado is 635 lbs. Average is 560, give or take.

60 gallons of gas is 378 lbs.

560 + 378 = 938

So we're 60 lbs. apart, actually ahead by 13 pounds if you're running the Verado.

I left out the lower unit...so throw 50 lbs back in. 110 lbs.

Trolling motor batteries are another 210 lbs, easy, add the charger...call it 250. Shouldn't need those. Looks like we're 140 lbs ahead with Tesla's Bass Boat.

Get that big girl out the door for $60, $70K, no $180 gas pump charges on the Cabela's card for the boat...call that $5, $6K a year*...it'd sell like hot cakes as soon as anyone did the math...and figured out that an electric motor would get a boat up on plane right-freaking-now and run pretty much silently down the lake at 60 MPH...

Drop that down into the real world where guys like me fish 19 foot aluminum rigs with 150 HP motors...even better**. Walleye guys could troll all day at 2% power, run back to the lodge at 45 MPH....and they can BS and lie about their fish in relative quite while suckin' down a Coors Lite on the way back...

*For reference, I fish about 45-50 days a year right now, on well less than $400 in gas. The TBB would have to account for that...but we're talkin' about that 19 footer with 150 HP equivalent power. I think it's doable.

**150 HP in my boat will touch 60 MPH. I've driven it, could have bought it...but didn't...glad I didn't, it balances better with the 140. The new Crestliner Bass Hawk is a virtual copy of my boat and is rated for 200 HP. That's gonna pop some eyeballs if you hang a Verado back there...My friend John has a 20' 2" reallyeffingdeepV Crestliner that'll touch 60 with a 225 HO Verado on it...1/4 tank of gas and two guys, no gear; I've driven that, it's pretty stable. A Bass Hawk with a 200 Verado is going to be like skipping a rock, but with less control.

***The Bass Hawk with a 175 Verado (plenty motor) set up like it should be, MSRPs at $45,840. Figure a smart buyer can buy it all day for $42K, maybe less. Boats are simpler than cars, by orders of magnitude. Tessla could do this. Partner with Lund/Crestliner...or better yet, Johnny at Bass Pro/Cabela's.