Dream Boat?

[eyepatrol]

Just a general question here....

If you could get your dream boat, what boat brand would it be, why would you get that brand, how big would it be and why, what would you have it set up with, and why would you set it up that way? Just curious as I'm getting rid of my boat and will be getting a new one in a little over a year and am interested in what others feel.

[Rost]

I have lot's of dream boats. One day I'll feel that another tiller would be great, then the next day I'll want a wheel.

Let's start with the tiller dream boat.

Alumacraft Tourney Pro-185, 90 Johnson 4 stroke, T-8 kicker, Lowrance electronics.

Wheel boat-

19 ft ProV or Alumacraft TP. Single counsel (or DBL bubble), 175 V-Max HDPI, T-8, Lowrance electronics.

I would not mind a ProV 1900 Tiller, but Lund is not making one next year!!!

[LocalGuide]

My dream boat would have to be a Ranger.

It would be a 621VS, dual console or full windshield, with a 250 Verado, kicker, biggest/best MinnKota on the back and the front.

I would have the newest Lowrance electronics with one on the dash and one in the front of the boat. (Right now that depth finder would be a LCX-111c HD on the dash and probably a LCX-110c in the front)

Of course I might need some downriggers on each side, so id have the Cannon electric ones.

With that all said and done I better start saving for a long time. Nothing like describing $65,000. lol

[CHM]

Good thread to start! I'm just starting to dream. I should be able to buy within 5 years.

I like fiberglass. I have a small, old one now. A friend that always ran glass bought aluminum the last time around. I recently saw him and asked why he made the switch to aluminum. His answer..."So I can go back to glass!"

So for me, I'm going glass, but I've also checked out the three main aluminum makes. All nice boats...but glass is really nice!

1) I want a tiller.

2) Big enough 4-stroke to move out with three men & gear.

3) Decent rod storage is a must!

4) Livewell, baitwell, AND cooler!

5) Drive on trailer.

I'm thinking of an 18-20 footer. Ranger, Skeeter and Warrior will all get looked at. Warrior has some really nice rigs. I'm afraid the Skeeter is a bit small at 17', 6". Ranger's are really pricey!

If anyone has experience with Warrior boats I'd love to hear it.

Chuck

[Willy]

I would like about a 620 or do they make a 621 tiller Ranger.

Rig it with the biggest tiller motor you can put on it. Either a Yammy 4 stroke or an E-Tech. Then have Wackers, a Yamaha T-8 on one side and the biggest Vantage they make. Put a Maxxum on the Front and Rig it with the newest Color Electronics they make. Also a vex in the front and back and a seperate GPS.

[eyepatrol]

CHM

Experience with Warrior boats??? You've put the right question on this post!!! I have at this time a Warrior V1790 (17'-6") DC Eagle with a 150hp Merc Optimax, 9.9hp Merc tiller kicker and a Minnkota 724 (48lb) electric on the bow. Pics and other info I've got on the boat can be seen in the FOR SALE forum. Come August 12 I will have had it for 7 years. It's the first boat I ever bought...got it 2 years after college. If you want a boat that is a great ride, handles big waves well, is rugged, has lots of room, storage and on and on, then you might want to really consider Warrior. They are nice and deep, good width and really push those waves down and away from the boat instead of out and up like some aluminums do. I'd recommend 100% the dual counsol. Nothing like hiding behind that when driving in rain or driving in cold weather. It's got a HUGE front livewell and a sizeable livewell in the back. Two ice chests, one of which is pretty good size. Baitwell in the front. Both the livewells and baitwells are aerated with lights, timer, etc. Warriors are set up pretty nicely for walleye fishing without a doubt! Nice platform in the back of the boat which I can sit on and use the kicker motor for trolling...only downside to that is I need to use the boat cushion/flotation device for my butt! Only two other downsides, if you want to even call them, I consider on my boat. One is the walkthrough windshield is just a little too narrow for me, but then again, I'm kind of a wider guy. The other is the fiberglass floor in the front end, but there again, they did have the option of a snap-in carpet floor that I could have gotten, but I didn't. It's just a little more of a pain in the butt to clean the fiberglass floor as compared to simply vaccuuming a floor. Otherwise, if you're looking for a great walleye boat, Warrior is DEFINITELY one to consider, hands down. If you have any other questions, just let me know. Only reason why I need to get rid of the boat is we're having lots of house re-hab work done and we're having our second child next month, so we need to sell the boat to help pay off some other debt and make our monthly cashflow position better. I'll be looking HARD though at Warriors when the 2007 boat show comes around. That's when we plan to get another new boat.

[Dave B]

QE II

[CHM]

I just fished out of a dual console Lund and didn't care for it. I was the middle man and those windshields were in the way all the time. We were bass & crappie fishing. I'd maybe go for a single side console, but I like the room of a tiller. We'll see. Thanks for the input! I got a Warrior catalog that I can drool on until the time comes!

Chuck

[CHM]

Here's a thought...I've seen lot's of used bass boats around. What if a guy bought a decent used bass boat for 20K and a decent used walleye boat for 15K? Then I'd have both types of fishing covered for 35K. (Plus another 15K for another garage)

Dreaming is fun, but honestly, I had a blast learning to fish in a 14' Jon boat with an old green Johnson 5 hp on it. My father-in-law had a 12' Mirrocraft with a 7 hp on it that we used at his cabin. We caught hundreds of fish out of that! I'm ready to move up when I can afford it, but for guys that can't afford to dream... the main thing is having a fishing rod in your hand!

[WalleyeWeather]

We are lucky or unlucky enough to have a loan out for our dream boat. It's pretty much exactly what Roast was talking about:

2005 AlumacraftTournament Pro 185

90 hp Johnson 4-Stroke with EFI (Tiller)

Minnkota pd troller

Lowrance electronics

And (of course) another loan for the nice/Ford that tows it around. We like everything about it. The only thing I'd change is get the 4th seat (we'll have it soon). There's normally just 2 people in there, but, on those rare occations it'd be nice!

[nofishfisherman]

As a man without a boat I would take anything right now. A cooler big enough for me to sit in and a paddle seems pretty good to me.

[CHM]

Been there! Consider this though...I caught my biggest walleyes from shore!

My adult son was given a 12' aluminum. He's just thrilled to have a boat! He can't afford one...three small kids, etc.

[SteveWilson]

Hmmm, let's see.

I would probably park a Triton 2690WA with a pair of 200HP E-Tec's and appropriate electronics (finder, radar, radio) up in Duluth.

A decent river boat with jet would reside in the garage for hitting the rivers.

A Lund 2150 Baron Gran Sport with a 250 HP E-Tec would sit at the dock at the house on 'tonka.

Finally I would probably build a 16' San Juan Dory rigged with a 25hp Johnson and an electric motor for hiting the city lakes and other small stuff.

[Wadinator]

Lemme put in a shout for Yar-Craft, another great glass boat.

We just purchased ours this spring, and I have to say that so far there's not much to complain about. It's a 19' Michigan, full windshield, 175hp 2stk Mariner and matching 9hp 4stk Mariner kicker. Very nice 24V Minkota trolling motor up front, and Lowrance eletronics.

Other than wishing it'd tow a little lighter, I can't really complain about anything about her. She's great for trolling, jigging, drifting, or taking the family out for a cruise around the lake. The canopy works great on those seriously hot summer afternoons too. Huge livewell and storage in in the bow, storage cabinets under the dash on both sides, rod locker down one side in teh back, storage and another livewell on the other side. 4 seats (two removeable) and an extra butt seat for pitching jigs.

You can comfortably go full throttle down the middle of the lake in 3~4' waves with full gear in tow, not rattle your teeth out or get wet, and not worry about your gear going airborn.

I seriously don't know what I could do to improve her.

[PERCHJR]

Miss Budweiser, with a kicker!!!

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FISHING!!!

[eyepatrol]

hahaha

Not much of a casting platform on that one though!

[waskawood]

Enjoy your dream for as long as you can. I purchased my dream boat last week and now I am worrying that I made the correct decision!!! Oh well like it or not, it is still MY dream boat. Good luck with your decision.

[pikerliker]

The brand wouldn't matter to me. It would be 16-17ft long, have a baitwell and livewell. It would have some decent electronics and dependable motors. Something that would fish 3 guys comfortably and carry 5 or 6 just for boating. A decent trailer that loads easy and I'm set. I'm easy to please. All for less than 10,000 and that would be my ideal boat.

~piker

[Walleyeguy31]

My dreamboat is the one I have currently, next year it will be a different rig! Lund Tyee 1850 grandsport. It has: 150 mariner, 15 mercury, 2 live wells, lowrance x102c, vexilar FL-18, bottomline 1200, fish on and scotty rod holders, rod rack/set of tubes, 7 storage compartments, 5 seats, this is a wonderful rig. Got it at Doug's anchor in Watertown SD.

[fishing-addict]

I have my dream boat for my budget, Trophy 190, 120 Evinrude, 9.9 4-stroke yamaha, 24 volt auto-pilot, but if money was not an issue it would be glass, Ranger, Warrior, or Yar-Craft.

[Dean Schellinger]

One Word, RIVERPRO either HI or LO Pro, doesn't matter, beggers can't be choosers right? I mean those things are good.

[wallywalleye]

Ditto