Time for a trade...

[Random guy]

It has finally come time to lay the old Stratos down to rest; she has been a good fishing partner for several years. We have seen some good times and bad weather together but we are both showing our age and it is time.

What I was wondering is what you Musky guys like about your boats? I need to look into something that has lots of casting deck yet small enough to pull around a little easier then the twenty foot battle ship I currently have pushing my truck to the lake. I no longer am spending all of my time on the big waters like Leech, Mille Lacs, LOTW etc. and I no longer guide so I just don’t need such a big boat. I also have noticed that going 60+mph across the lake doesn’t have the luster it used to. I’m thinking maybe a 18’ or 16’ tiller to open it up a little. Trouble with a tiller is you lose the rear casting deck, and all I fish for is Musky so I need casting space. What to do?

Any ideas or “if I was to buy again I would’ve…”

[MetroSteve]

Jon,

I would be tempted to look at a Lund Alaskan.

Steve

[Brian Jones]

Jon,

My 20' foot tiller has a rear casting deck and for a 20' glass boat the Tuffy doesn't weigh as much. I'm looking to switch to a counsel because of all the musky trips I do on big water now...maybe we just trade Best thing I ever did though, was put a new Suzuki four stroke on it!

[cjac]

This one could take all winter!! Here are a couple things to consider:

So you finally hook up with the 55 inch fish and she goes to the back of the boat on you.....I'd be afraid with a tiller I'd trip or have something in the way that would prevent me from maintaining pressure or steering her away from the motor if need be.

Wouldn't it be a chilly ride all the way back without any windshield? Recall last Suturday's ride in the rain?

I fish multi species, but the musky fishing comes down to deck space and do I have the storage/features to keep a clean and organized boat.

I make do with what I have in a 1700 Lund. I like the 18 to 19 Pro V Lunds with the single console, similar to the ride lals has.

You know you're still going to hit big water several times a season....and why go if your boat is going to impair your chances at success. Merc is coming out with some sub 200 Verados, I think the 150 may be out already. One of those or a 175 would ride nicely on a 18 Pro V!

Meet up with ya at the Boat Show to compare notes...always fun to spend other people's money!

Chris

[MJBo]

I got a alumacraft nav 165 with a suzuki 90 4 stroke. If I had it to do over I would go 175 but I really like the layout minus the rod lockers. Beam is as wide as the west and she's roomy all over. Take a look.

[D-Rock88]

Jon, you don't have to lose a casting deck with a tiller, you just have a smaller space to work with. I made one for my Tuffy and if you are buying a new boat, I'm certain they will have something available from the factory. You are fishing alone every time I see you anyways!

I like my Tiller , but sometimes wish I was behind the console, sheltered from the elements. Grass is always greener.

[RuKiddingMe]

Jon,

One of the guys I fish with bought a Warrior 1898 (18' 98" beam) Eagle, he had the interior customized, bigger decks front and back, larger livewell and a few other things he wanted. The crew at the Warrior plant were very accomadating to his requests. He's got a killer musky boat there, lots and lots of room.

RU

[Lals]

Jon,

A boat selection is always tough but FUN -- a lot of trade-offs. I can understand the reason to downsize -- better gas mileage in the boat and trailering and easier handling.

A great motor is the Yamaha 150HP 4 Stroke -- reliable, quiet, not very heavy. I think you would find a single console 18' foot Lund (Pro V, Mr Pike, Alaskan) or Crestliner to have alot room, storage, can handle big water (when needed) and more affordable. You could easly guide from one as well. It is amazing how wide (roomy) some of these boats have become for their length.

Lals,

PS. Chris -- you know my boat! When we are on the water next year (assuming we make it through the winter) let's hook up. I would like to meet you.

[LunkerBaitCo]

John,

My 18 1/2 foot bass boat. Lots of casting deck space and a sweet ride to boot. I found this to be the best set up for Muskie fishing and these style boats also hold a great deal of gear/lures in all the storage compartments. I spent most of my time on Tonka with it, but also did fine on big water occassionally, but, of course, its not right for heavy winds. Its only 3 years old. Those casting decks give you plenty of room to fight and land fish, plus they are lower to the water for releases. Triton TR 185 DC with 150 Evinrude. Triton has a hull design that produces a really smooth and stable ride compared to other bass boats. Drop me a line if you want pictures and info. [email protected]

[Doonbuggy]

I'll throw the Crestliner 1750 and 1850 Fish Hawk SC model in the ring. The casting platform is huge so we can safely and comfortably fish three for 'skies in my 1750 - one in the front, one in the middle of the boat, but still elevated on the casting platform, and one in the back on the rear platform.

I think it's a great metro-lake boat that can also handle the bigger water, too.

Funny, but I saw your Stratos on the road once.....happened to be right around Thorne Bros...

DB

[Random guy]

Quote:

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Funny, but I saw your Stratos on the road once.....happened to be right around Thorne Bros...

DB

---

This one? I have no idea about Thorne Bros I NEVER go to Thornes I should just have my paycheck on direct deposit 1/2 to Thornes and 1/2 to exxon.

[Guest]

If you want alot of casting deck / space, do a bass boat. I love my tracker. Tons of flat casting area and great for ALL species, even muskies..

[VMS]

Hi Jon

I have the Alumacraft Navigator 165 Console with a 90 yamaha on the back. So far, I love the rig because of it's rear deck. By design, the deck is about 18" wide, but the nice part is along the gunnel, it is about 18" wide as well, which allows you to be right at the edge without feeling like you have nothing to stand on. Lots of room to kneel down if you need to do a deep figure 8.

The front deck is pretty large as well. Lots of room to move around and it is not too high above the water either. The rod lockers are decent sized and with one on each side, there is enough for about 4 rods in each, up to about 8 feet long.

If you want a kicker motor, there is plenty of room for that, and, if you decide to sit in the back and run the kicker, you can have a pedestal back there, and steer with your foot.

Wiring electronics,etc is very easy. In fact, you can do it without drilling a single hole. Up front, wiring is there for bow depthfinder, and you can go to a 24 volt system for bowmount.

If you want, feel free to come on down to Hastings and take a look at mine. It's in a heated garage and you can crawl around all you want.

Steve

(651)480-1105

[Steve Foss]

Jon: That 'yota's hauling quite a load. Not even Toyota's muscular 4-cylinder is up to THAT task, You must have the V6 in there.

[Random guy]

Put the V6 to the floor and start grabbin' gears. Love the downhill and hate the uphill.

[RK]

Hiya,

Yeah, finding the perfect muskie boat is a tough deal. I hate shopping for a new boat. It's worse than buying a house. Most 'muskie edition' boats are total dump. Somehow boat manufacturers have the idea in their heads that all muskie fisherman really need is a big livewell. I can't image a less useful feature in a muskie boat - what a waste of space. It's one of my real pet peeves about boat makers.

The problem with finding a muskie boats to me is, if you cast and troll, you have needs at completely opposite ends of the spectrum. You need big decks for casting (bass boat type deal), but gunwales that can handle rod holders plus a hull that tracks well trolling and enough freeboard to keep from swamping when you're in big wind (like a classic walleye boat). But too much freeboard and you can't figure-8 easily, you get blown around when casting, and releasing fish is a pain (literally if you have high sides and square-edged gunwales - I've had wicked bruises on my ribs from releasing fish in big wind...). And storage... There are some boats out there that would be nice muskie boats in other respects but just don't have the storage necessary. I looked at one this winter that looked great till I realized you couldn't fit a rod with a Garcia 7000 though the rod locker hatch... Every boat's a compromise. It just becomes a matter of finding compromises you can live with.

I've been running an 18' Tracker Tundra for the last two years, and I love the thing. Has a huge amount of storage for an 18 footer, lots of rod storage (room for 7-1/2 footers in the centerline lockers, and at least 9 footers on the sides. Runs well with a 135 Opti (tops out at about 51 mph) and trolls very well. You can't beat the ride quality. It's better than some of the glass boats I've owned, and nothing in aluminum comes even close. For big water ride, I think it's the best ride out there in the 18 foot class. It's got great hole shot, and low plane speeds. I can keep it on plane and under control (not wallowing along with the nose up) at about 20 mph. Those are two big factors in rough water ride. A boat that goes 60 is fine, but if it rides like a barge at 25 mph, it won't help you in big waves.

The compromise with the boat is since it's an 18 footer, the front deck isn't huge. You can fish 2 off the front deck (I do quite a bit), but you both need to know what you're doing, although that's true any time you have two on the front deck no matter what size it is really. For two anglers, the back deck is great for casting.

This year I ran a boat with a full windshield for the first time. I wasn't sure I'd like it, but after a year of it I don't think I'll ever have another boat without one. Wow is it nice. Kind of funny - I used to be such a diehard tiller guy that I'd tell my friends if they ever saw me behind a steering wheel they should shoot me. Now I can't imagine running a tiller on big water ever again. I'm getting too old for grinning and spitting with every wave when the wind's up. The comfort factor is huge with a WT, or even a DC. The walk-thru is worth a layer of clothes this time of year...

Anyhow, check out a Tundra while you're shopping. I'm overjoyed with mine.

[Random guy]

So far I have books on Stratos, Tracker, Lund , Warrior, Crestliner, Triton and Ranger. The options are endless, counsels, colors, floor plans, livewells and COST FOR EACH. What ever happened to standing on the front bench of the old 18' Lund Norwiegen Walleye tub cruising around in front of the Old 25 Evinrude?

As I started looking around I had an idea . What about a smaller saltwater/bay style type boat. They come in a few color options now so the blinding white is not a problem, no carpet to stain or get nasty, they are built tougher then nails, the smaller versions will handle just about any water I can find, they are very roomy with a large front casting deck, and a good sized rear deck (about 3'x beam width). The counsel is centered like it should be so you cand run laps around boat and not get tripped up. They are also set up for some hard core trolling, plenty of storage space and what I like most about them is no more scrubbing carpet or wet carpet for days after a rain and they clean up with a garden hose!

From what I have gathered they run out and draft about the same as most walleye/bass boats just that the money is put into strength, stainless steel, and weather proofing instead of fancy carpet, logos and seats with 42 colors in them. I really think this may need to be researched more. For A guy that cast for musky 95% of the time it's a good fit. Plus I could get one of the big billed saltwater hats with the cape on the back!

[Steve Foss]

Slippery footing when wet????

[Random guy]

Thats what I thought. But they have a traction material put right into the gel coat, it's like the spray in bedliner for pickups.

[Steve Foss]

Then I say you're onto something here. Chunkytrout, a mod over on the BWCAW board, and I have done a lot of laker trolling out of his boat, and he's been talking up inshore saltwater center console boats for that application, too.

[caseymcq]

Jon -

I have the Alumacraft Navigator 175 with a Yamaha 75HP EFI Tiller. It is a great boat. It has a ton of room, it is wide (93") and still has an ample amount of storage. Dual live wells (bow and aft) with a bow bait storage system. The Alumacraft HSOforum has a great picture of the boat to show how wide open it is. You can walk from the bow to the aft without having to take a step down. That is nice if you are working an active fish. I fish Vermillion and the boat handles the rough water pretty well. The 2XB Hull makes for a comfortable and dry ride. If you make any trips to Canada and end up bringing extra gas cans this might be a good boat for you too. It has a 40 gallon gas tank. If you are looking for a boat that would be a great multi-species boat besides a good muskie boat you should take a look at that.

I really love my boat, as I am sure you can tell. I just can't say enough about it.

[delmuts]

i've wondered about a bay boat for fishing too! but have always wondered about how they were in rough water.

[MetroSteve]

Looks nice, but where would I sit?

Happy holidays.

Steve