Ok Tiller People

[MNUser]

I currently have a Lund console boat. We got it in '04 in hopes that the kids would want to ski, tube and do other water related activities. It turned out that all we really do is fish a lot and pull a small tube once and a while.

I have been looking at getting a 08 1675 Pro Guide with a 75 Honda EFI tiller. I have never had a tiller so I'm not sure how I would adjust to the tiller since I have had console boats along. Would my arm take a beating running this motor?

Give some of your ideas on the whole tiller thing. All my three kids and I do is really fish. Would we still be able to pull a small tube? We troll a lot on the Spring. Fish Mille Lacs a lot in June. Fish crappies all Spring. Take a couple family joys rides during the summer. Go out to North Long Lake and swim on the sandy flats. Take a boat camping a few times.

I'm really torn.....my wife could care less.

Thanks for the thoughts.

[PerchJerker]

I've had tiller boats and console boats. I currently have a console boat and don't see myself going back to a tiller anytime soon.

Originally I got my tiller boats for fishing, but I soon got tired of the relatively slow ride (I like going to big lakes) and I got tired of getting wet riding in them. It didn't take long for me to go to a side console boat, which I liked a lot and had for several years. Now I have a full windshield boat and am very happy with it too. I got into the console boats before we had kids, but now we have 2 kids and go out in the boat a lot as a family and the console boats are great for that. I have no desire to go back to a tiller boat anytime soon (not until I get tired of wrestling with my bigger console boat).

I liked my tiller boats for fishing. I felt they were comfortable enough to drive, although it can be a pain trying to see over the front when you have passengers. I don't think you need to worry about your arm taking a beating --- but given the choice I would take a console boat for fun-riding and pleasure cruising any day. The reason I don't own a tiller now is because they are slower and wetter than my boat.

Some guys will say you get better boat control fishing in a tiller vs. a console. This is true in many cases, although the way I have my console boats set up I can fish just as effectively and with just as much control as any tiller boat out there, so I personally don't put any stock in that argument.

Good luck with your decision and I hope this helps.

[Duffman]

I would think that with three kids you will love the added room that a tiller boat provides. As for tubing behind one, I've got no experience in that regard. I also think the tiller will provide you with a little more boat control, and you will be able to back troll easier. The boat and motor combo you mentioned would be a great multi-species fishing boat, no doubt about it.

A 75 isn't to big to handle in some rough water. That Lund should handle most water conditions extremely well. It might be a little wetter than a console boat, but I'll take the extra room of a tiller any day.

[Borch]

The rig you are considering will do everything you mentioned. I've pulled tubes with my 16th predator and a 60 hp merc just fine. The extra room with a tiller is very nice and the reason I use them as well as they fit my fishing style best.

Perchjerker has an awsome rig and it looks to be set up very nice for what he does as well. It all comes down to preference.

[crappie todd]

I have had so many rigs over the years. started with a remote. learned to hate it quick when the steering cable began to tighten up and my control of quick response was turned to frustration for trolling purposes.

Next half dozen rigs were tiller. instant response for trolling and boat control is.... under control.

Two years ago, I thought.... Mm, Im alone now as the kids grown and... hell, I forgot the problems I had with the tiller. so being absent minded, I got a remote..... two days later I regreted it and still do.

Remote is great for cruising the lake with rough water. I have a Lund SS with a 60 HP 4 stroke. But when it comes to boat control for fishing. I wish I could wake up and find it was all abad dream and I really have a tiller yet.

Its personal preference. I need boat control to be happy while hunting fish.

[Phred52]

MNUser, I've had tillers and I've had consoles. Primarily, I fish Crappies and Walleyes. No real 2nd preferance. I run a Lund 16' ProV deluxe (console)with a 70hp O.B., a bow mount 24v mn kota troller and a Yammy High thrust 8hp kicker. I can stay on structure like I'm walking on the ice above it and yet I can pull 2 tubers to where I can throw them off at will. Life is good, what more could I ask for? If I were you, I'd stay with the console. Phred52

[ccarlson]

MNuser,

I know what you are saying with your kids at the age they are at. When my kids were just a year or two younger like yours, all we did was mostly fishing and a little tubing. Now they are getting older and you will probably find their interests expand to wanting to do more recreational stuff with their friends (wake boarding, tubing, skiing) as well as fishing. Believe me, I've had tillers and loved them, swore I'd always be a tiller person, but at this point I wouldn't give up a console boat for anything (as long as you have a transom trolling motor for better boat control!!)

The other thing I can see you guys getting into more is taking bigger camping trips out onto bigger waters up north. If you spend a week in a row running big water all day, you'd do fine with a tiller but would be more happy with a console as long as it is set up to be a good fishing boat as well.

At some point I can see going back to a tiller but we've just entered that stage in life with the kids where I'm really glad we have a console that is also a fishing machine.

ccarlson

[mnvikings1]

MNuser,

I've come to find over the years that its just a matter of preference and whatever a person has at that time, they are going to prefer (at that time). I've ran tillers and consoles and for fishing, nothing beats the control of a tiller. The ride in a tiller is 10 times better than a console(for the driver). The driver rarely feels the effects of rough water. The flip side to that is the driver almost always gets wet, if you are in waves over 2 feet. Even pulling up to a dock and loading a boat on a trailer is easier with a tiller. A tiller is more open and has way more room, which really helps with young'ins in the boat. I can honestly say, your only advantage with a console is a dryer ride. You rarely see a walleye guide on the big ponds in anything but a tiller. They just fish way better. I have pulled my little nieces in tubes with my my current tiller with no problems. My next boat is going to be an Alumacraft Tournament Pro 185 tiller with a 100 hp 4 stroke on it. I have done the research, best boat and features for the $$$$$....bar none!! The Lund Pro Guide you listed is a great boat as well, but with Lund you pay for the name for the most part. I have had an Alumacraft Tornament Pro 170 tiller for four years now. I fish Lake Winnibigoshish and Leech Lake exclusively and have taken on the roughest water they have to offer ending up with nothing more than some soaked clothing and extreme nervousness on those windy days. My vote is Pro Tiller, 100%.

[fishinJohn]

My father in law grew up on the Mississippi and they had a tiller with 40hp and they could get two skiers up at a time. He said it took a long time to get up but was fun. Sounds crazy to me.

[Sutty]

I am on my third boat. My first boat was a tiller, 2nd was a side console, currently have a dual console.

The boat control thing for me went out the window with the invention of the electric trolling motor. Tiller boats have boat control in reverse not forward (at least with me driving). Back trolling was a way of slowing down your boat when you were trolling with your main motor. No longer an issue. In big water no thanks don't feel like catching a wave. Don't want to put wave wackers on which will get in the way for other styles of fishing. I remember always getting frustrated that the front of the boat would always blow around on me since all the weight was in the back. I like to be able to see where I am going when I am driving across the lake with or without other people in the boat. I see a lot more consoles and full windshield boats on big water. I won't go back to a tiller.

[hanson]

MNUser- something to remember if you think your "arm will take a beating" while running a tiller is to get power assist steering on the motor.

If I was looking for a tiller boat, especially one with a bigger motor, thats an option I would definitely look at.

Your other option with a console boat is a kicker motor. Best of both worlds.

[Tom7227]

 Originally Posted By: fishinJohn

My father in law grew up on the Mississippi and they had a tiller with 40hp and they could get two skiers up at a time. He said it took a long time to get up but was fun. Sounds crazy to me.

That was back when a 14 year old only weighed 100 lbs - not the 175 you'll find today.

[chief]

MNUser,

I'm a looooong time tiller owner (mostly 17' boats with 75hp,s), but I've basically grown up on the water, and I've spent a lot of time in a lot of boats. Having said this, in light of the parameters in your post, I suggest a console boat. Yes, you'll lose some floor space, tracking accuracy, and a bit of turning radius, but you'll see functional gains elsewhere. Your seating arrangements (pedestal configurations) will offer better driver sight lines, and more passenger comfort in rougher water. This last point is important, for if you fish Mille Lacs, or other large lakes, standard water conditions are usually rough. Though tiller steering has come a long way, it's a very challenging method to use in heavier seas while watching out for kids. If towing skiers, tubers etc. is truly a part of your future, that's most comfortably done with a wheel. If, in any case, you'll usually have 2 or 3 passengers with you, a console makes it easier for you to socialize. A wheel is also far easier for your wife and kids to learn and use. (wouldn't it be nice to have launching help?)

All I do in my boat is fish, fish, fish. I don't think you can beat a tiller for this---provided your hp doesn't get much above 90hp. I troll and cast a ton, so I love being close to the water line, and I love maneuverability. When I encounter heavy seas, I wish I had a 20 foot rig with a 300hp. When I fish small metro lake and rivers, I wish I had a johnboat with a 10hp. However, I have no space and no money for these; and MOST of the time what I do have is just perfect.

Every boat purchase is a compromise. Don't buy any boat that's discouraging to use. Pick a boat that's easy to store, tow, and launch and you can't go wrong. The best boat you can possibly buy is the one that's easiest to use.

[Ray Esboldt]

I have similar thoughts as Chief on this. Some days I wish I had a console with a big gun on the back, and some days I wish I was still fishing out of my 1983 Lund Angler with a 40 tiller.

So, I am usually pretty happy with my 1850 Crestliner Fishhawk with a 90hp tiller. It just fits what I do. I like the space, I can fish any anything I want, and fish anywhere I want. I do know I would go back to a roller trailer. Bunks are nice with two people but stink when you're alone or on a shallow access.

I've pulled tubes without a problem with a tiller. In fact, I can keep one eye on the road and one on the rider. So, that's kind of a plus (a bit of a stretch).