Deep V Bass boat or a "real" Bass boat. Need opinions please

[Mr.Twister]

Hi everyone, I am in the market for a new to me fishing boat. I am fishing in some of southern mid-michigans best inland Bass lakes. I mainly fish for bass, my wife on the other hand fishes, just to fish. (which is cool, as she's my wife and fishin partner, and supports my fishin habit)

The current boat is OLD and tired. Its an old runabout, closed bow, full windshield.....Not a "bass boat". It served its purpose. Heres the question, I want a "bass(style) boat" Ive always wanted a Skeeter. Ive been looking at Lunds also. Deep V, lots of room and storage areas. Bass boats have storage areas too....We MAY fish a few local tourneys here this summer, but not as a career. Do I need the 500hp speed fishin beastie? (d**n it'd be cool 8-)) or do I go with the deep V wide beam, equipped like a bass boat Lund type? This may seem like a no brainer to some, but its got me perplexed. One day its SKEETER,SKEETER, SKEETER!!, the next....well the deep V is an excellent platform....more sensible, stable and light....Hmmmm  Sorry for the long post...Can y'all help a fellow forum member out?? Thanks in advance    Twista........

[Scott C]

I had the same delima that you had. I too was looking at both deep vee's and bass boats.

I think that you will find that the fit and finish of bass boats to be better than that of a deep vee. So if that is important to you, then there is your answer!! Bass boats also draw less water, so if you want to be in shallow, you def want a bass boat.

If you find yourself out on wide open (=windy and choppy) lakes a lot, or if you troll a lot, You will probably want a deep vee.

For me, it came down to availability and price. I found that there were very few Deep Vee's near me (more common in your neck of the woods), so I would have to be driving at least 5+ hours to get a good deal. The ones that were near me were obsurdly overpriced.

Ultimately I ended up setteling on a hybrid...an aluminum semi-vee bass boat. It was 15 min from my house and was right in my price range....so kind of made my decision for me. Either way you go, its going to be an upgrade, so I'm sure you'll be happy with it!

[Popeye]

My Boss has a 18' Skeeter with a 90 HP Yamaha 4 stroke and I love it!! More than fast enough to do the fishing we do and plenty stable. On the other hand, my "new" used '95 ProCraft V150B with a 75 HP Merc suits all my fishing needs as well. I'd opt for a "real" bass boat. That's what I did. Just my thoughts and opinion.

[Mr.Twister]

Thanks for the replies guys, I wont be on the "big lakes" much at all. Maybe a once or twice a season run to the detroit river for wallys, or to Lk St Clair for smallies(my old stomping grounds). I was planning on a 18' size bass boat or a 16-18' Vee. I dont do much if at all trolling. I dont NEED the 200+ hp motor, but if thats what the boat has on it, well, so be it...as far as room, do the bass boats have enough "deep" storage for say a tall plano tacklebox? I really wouldnt want it to sit on the deck while in motion...Thanks Again,,,keep the opinions coming!!!  Twista.

[kreed]

...as far as room, do the bass boats have enough "deep" storage for say a tall plano tacklebox? I really wouldnt want it to sit on the deck while in motion...Thanks Again,,,keep the opinions coming!!!  Twista.

I leave mine in the boat, not on the deck but on the lower floor of every bass boat I fish out of. If you hit something hard enough to lose your box you won't even notice till you finish swimming yourself. My dad and his best friend spun out at 70 mph. NOTHING was strapped down. six or so rods sitting on top of the rod box and several tackle boxes and a cooler sitting on the floor. They were in a Vision bass boat with a Mercury 225. The rooster tail blistered their faces and a DNR officer who happened to be watching said they disappeared for a few seconds. Wanna know what damage there was to the boat? I'd have never believed it, but all it did was loosen (partly strip) the bolts in the seats where they grabbed on.  They didn't lose one single rod!

[NBR]

I lived in the Kalamazoo area for many years then moved to Fenton and fished from Lake MI to Lake St. Clair so I am pretty familiar with your area. I would look closely at a fiber glass bass boat.

You might want to visit some boat shops that specialize in fishing. D&R Sports on the north side of M43 just west of Kalamazoo is one and just west of them is Leaders Marine. Both have new and used rigs. D&R is owned by Randy VanDam, KVD's brother, and is a great guy. D&R also has a very nice tackle store. So watch out for the bait monkey!

Most new basic packages are spec'ed with a minimum sized motor to keep prices down but beware you won't be happy with being under powered in the long haul.

Most bass boats have more than ample storage. My boat is nearly 20 years old and I have room for probably 20 rods and reels 3 or 4 tackle boxes and a bunch of other "stuff" all under cover in dry compartments.

They also run very dry when you have learned to trim them out to suit conditions. My boat runs more comfortable,a lot dryer and at a much higher speed than my previous deep vee aluminum.

[Ohio Bob]

so... how much ya' want fer the tired ol' closed bow runabout? 8-)

[fishfordollars]

Get the real deal. You will be happier in the long run.

[Mr.Twister]

Ohio Bob     PM Sent    8-)

[bassdocktor]

Might be more than you wanna spend and it isn't a Skeeter but what about the XD series by Triton. It was designed for big water like a deep v but has the inside of a bass boat.

Definitely check out D and R Sports. Great guys over there. We had a few minor issues when we first got our boat and Randy himself was actually working on it. Plus the service department is great.

Only thing to watch for at leaders is their prices. Alot of their stuff is higher than D and R. Never talked boats with them but they have a great staff for stuff like ATV's, snowmobiles, and PWC's.

And although I live in Chicago I do spend alot of time in MI and I definitely prefer D and R to the Illinois Triton dealer. I feel they really stand behind their stuff there.