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Old 01-07-12, 07:25 PM   #1
Bmars
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Default Boat for dad, me, & my boys

My sons are 9&10. The four of us are currently fishing from a 19-foot hydrasport with a 175 Johnson. I want to get us (my dad) a new boat. I want something as roomy as possible (we fish 2 on front deck, 1 in the spot in the floor where the passenger console would be, if it had one, and one on the back deck). I do not care much about speed. We never fish tournaments and I have no desire to go "fast" with my kids in the boat. I just want to be able to get on plane and get where I'm goin. Ideally I'd like something 20'6" or bigger with either no passenger console or a removable one. Assume I have $40,000 to spend. What beside Nitro should I be looking at?

I have been looking at & reading reviews on aluminums like xpress, excel, seaark, etc. Like all boats, they all have fans and detractors. I have become concerned that virtually no tin boat mfg will even guarantee dry storage. Also, we fish Kentucky lake and lake Barkley a lot. Both get very choppy at times. I'm concerned about fighting the wind all of the time while tryin to run the trolling motor, given the higher profile and lighter weight of tin. Therefore, I'm lookin for glass. I just honestly don't know which mfg's are even in my range. Most boat dealer sites say "call for price" and whatnot. I know ranger is out of sight $$$-wise, but can't seem to figure whether the tritons, skeeters, stratoses, etc of the world make a boat as big as I need that I can touch.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.
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Old 01-07-12, 10:18 PM   #2
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40K buys allot of boat, you should be able to find something easy.
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Old 01-07-12, 10:32 PM   #3
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i agree with taves on this. 40 grand can buy oyu a LOT of boat. take a look at the PHEONIX'S. skeeter,procraft, heck check em all out. test em out real good. drive em like ya stole it. ask so many questions oyu make the saleman sick of you. then wear him down and make a deal. he'll throw in so much stuff jsut to get rid of you. lol.
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Old 01-08-12, 12:15 AM   #4
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I will start by saying for stability with 4 people fishing I would shy away from a tin boat. I am running a 2011 Triton 19XS. It has a removeable passenger console that only takes a minute to remove or install. The front deck is plenty big for 2 people to fish comfortably or pitch a tent on and camp out. The back deck is also pretty big. For a boat that is 19'9" it fishes bigger than the 520 Ranger I had. Plus GPS speed is 73mph with a 225 Pro XS.
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Old 01-08-12, 12:45 AM   #5
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You dont want a tin lizzy for Ky lake,most popular are triton tr20 and 21 and stratos,pro craft,bullet ,allison 20 ft being the min for a decent ride here chop isnt the correct term.
Almost every drowning involves a johnboat duckhunters etc.
Barkley is a cake walk no comparison.Older rangers the ride aint so great beat one to death prior to topping all the waves out,newer ones are ok but as you know high but definately can get a decent ride for 40 k.
Paul Nichols over at soddy daisy has a 21 xd for 35-36 k 200 and some hrs on a 225 http://www.nicholsmarineinc.com/
And near the dam at ky lake rangers and others half a doz would fit the criteria http://www.jetamarina.com/
Think big,24 or even 36 v troller for ky lake and when it hits the fan,not to be able to go out but to get back in when it does hit the fan.40 buys a fairly new but used 20-22 ft ride most likly with some warranty left

Last edited by lilmule; 01-08-12 at 01:06 AM.
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Old 01-11-12, 07:33 AM   #6
NewfoundLakerMal
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Default Tin Boats can handle the Chop

If you want to look at being able to handle the chop you might encounter on Kentucky Lake, consider this. I have seen numerous Lund's and PolarKraft's that regularly ply the waters of the Great Lakes with ease. They handle 4 foot seas easily. I have a 16' Lund and handle 2-3 foot waves with ease in the Lakes Region of NH. You will find the Lund has the best hull design and stability of all the tin boats out there. Here's a link to try: http://lundboats.com/
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Old 01-11-12, 10:12 AM   #7
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Odd in the 5 going on 6 years ive lived here(kentucky lake paris landing)
Ive never ever seen a lund or polarcraft other than in a bay crappie fishing.Suspect they want more protection than say a lowe,when doing so.90 percent of those drowned each year here were in an alum boat.
The lake will break many a transom on a good boat,alum ones just leak as pulled apart at the wields or rivets,that said they are great backwater or bay boats.
Anything else under 20 ft generally pick and choose when and where you launch,the great lakes ive boated on as well,as moved here from ohio.
Ps saw more lund boats back there than here in west tn.
Ky lake is shallow and waves very close together so one doesnt view how tall the wave is because the next is prior to its base,and chop isnt a kind word for it.
First half of the pic is deceptive protected water halfway to the barge,building is hiding something like an abrams tank.

Running in a pack after blastoff one cant see but tops of heads in other boats at times when 100 ft away.

This isnt chop.Boat is in semi protected waters of big sandy arm,near the mouth.
Same sign post in both pics.

Last edited by lilmule; 01-11-12 at 10:27 AM.
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Old 01-11-12, 05:35 PM   #8
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I would go with a bay boat like mine. I have a 2201 Mako center console. Room for 4 is not an issue. Trolling motor works fine in the wind.. 40 k will get the boat and some good electronics.

Lots of bay style boats out there, some like mine do shallow water. Mine can handle 4 foot seas.

But do not narrow down to a Mako since so many are out there.

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Old 01-12-12, 11:19 AM   #9
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Smile @lilmule

From the looks of those pictures, that is a good little chop but nowhere near the conditions on the Great Lakes. And there may not be any Lund or Polarkraft dealers in the Kentucky Lake area, but I'll bet a Lund Baron 2150 would be more comfortable with it's air-ride seats than any bass-boat or Mako type boat on that lake any day.
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Old 01-12-12, 01:04 PM   #10
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Capt MikeStarett is correct in that many boats would fit the bill including bay boats,I would however make it an all composite boat with no wood.
As for the pics of ky lake they are decieving as no white caps,waves are to close together only when a space occurs does the boat disappear from sight.
Im formerly from ohio have boated erie out of sandusky bay,barring nov gales kylake is worse on the average day.But my own opinion based on what it was like on the days I ran it(erie who knows maybe was there on good days only).We have all kinds of alum boat dealers,mostly only takers are those who crappie fish in bays,and 90 percent of the fatalities were in alum boats.
40 k will buy a nice almost new boat possibly with some warranty in either a bay boat or large bass boat.
A wood transom may last two seasons(ranger is an exception) here,alum ones pop rivets or wields.
Late july,aug,early sept anything can be run here with caution,trackers(alum) are the most common but most under your current 19 ft length.

Last edited by lilmule; 01-12-12 at 01:29 PM.
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Old 02-04-12, 02:00 AM   #11
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Looks like a Tracker Tundra may work for your situation. Should work well for the chop as well as the seating condition. Selection in 18 or 21. Bigger walleye boats would be a good consideration as well.
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