Dual purpose boat

[JDS]

I have owned a Skeeter I used in the bays for years, and a 28' Harborcraft that I used up to 40 miles offshore for years. Due to the fact that off our coast it seems that one can only fish relatively flat comfortable water about 3 months/year, I am looking for a bay/light offshore boat, (to 20 miles on very flat days).
I have done a search on the various bigger bay boats, but have not found any reference to this type of boat, and don't really know if there is such a thing.
Important features to me are;
- dependability/durability/stability
- comfort, both while riding and fishing
- storage
- a well thought out functional design with easy access to batteries, etc.

Not so important;
- ability to run super skinny
- speed

Thanks

[Capt Scott Reeh]

JDS,

Take a look in the classifieds at my 26 Southshore !While she will run skinny, sounds like she has all the qualifications your looking for.The 26 Southshore will do it all w/ tons of storage, a wide stable 9'6" beam and easy access to all 5 batteries.Give me a shout or PM me if ya need more info. :)

[rodwade]

One design has probably done it more then any other boat, Panga. Not the american ones, but get you a true Mexican or
South American Panga. Mine will float in 8" of water and run offshore in 4-5's with no problem.

[Fishcrane]

A 23 ft. Haynie Bigfoot would work good.

[Wading Mark]

Whaler Outrage or Guardian

[Mako232]

Check out Whaler, Grady White, Mako, the standard classics

[msdt-99517]

Triton :)

[Gottagofishin]

22' or 23' Whaler Dauntless. It drafts 11" but will handle a pretty big chop without trying hard. 3 footers in the bay and 4 foot rollers in the gulf aren't any problem for it. 90 gal. tank gives it a pretty decent range.

[landlockedd]

I bought my boat for exactly the same thing you want one for. As a matter of fact I have had 2 of them. I bought a hydrasport baybolt 23 It has a good dry ride plenty of room and storage and I can fish the bay, offshore within reason on flat days and the lake. On my first one I went probably 30 -35 mile offshore but on that day I got caught by a thunder storm and that was not fun but we made it back whatever boat you get always watch the skiy and monitor the weather radio. If you check into hydrasport they have a pretty tough hull. Anyway I like mine

[HydraSports]

I bought my boat for exactly the same thing you want one for. As a matter of fact I have had 2 of them. I bought a hydrasport baybolt 23 It has a good dry ride plenty of room and storage and I can fish the bay, offshore within reason on flat days and the lake. On my first one I went probably 30 -35 mile offshore but on that day I got caught by a thunder storm and that was not fun but we made it back whatever boat you get always watch the skiy and monitor the weather radio. If you check into hydrasport they have a pretty tough hull. Anyway I like mine

I have had mine offshore on ice cream days, no problem at all. Have also had it at end of the jetties in some really nasty stuff, handled it well enough. I love the ride and great fit and finish. Certainly not a skinny or fast boat, but overall performance excellent. 77 gallons of fuel as well.

[Redstalker]

One design has probably done it more then any other boat, Panga. Not the american ones, but get you a true Mexican or
South American Panga. Mine will float in 8" of water and run offshore in 4-5's with no problem.
And, you can run it with a way smaller motor than most and still get reasonable performance and safety.

[landlockedd]

I wanted to add something to my comments. My boat has a yamaha 200 and the boat will run around 40-42 max so if you can find one with a 300 that would be great if I could have a wish for my boat I would have a 300 on it and I think that is the max for that boat

[vdr]

JDS,

Take a look in the classifieds at my 26 Southshore !While she will run skinny, sounds like she has all the qualifications your looking for.The 26 Southshore will do it all w/ tons of storage, a wide stable 9'6" beam and easy access to all 5 batteries.Give me a shout or PM me if ya need more info. :)

More on Scotts boat

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=195035&stc=1&d=1238030367

http://www.southshoreboats.net/images/ss26news.jpg


The 26 Pro and 23 Classic hulls are designed as
Multi-Purpose Use Boats .
Built to handle Skinny and Big Rough Water -
All in One Combo Boat

Draft: These hulls can be ordered in two ranges of draft choices
depending on your needs on the water

1. 9”– 11” standing draft at rest…
depending on “custom” weight and materials used
Or
2. 6”– 8” standing draft at rest…for shinny water
depending on “custom” weight and materials used,
and with modified keel
Length - 26’ & 23’
Beam - 9'4" & 8'6"
Design - Tunnel V with Variable Deadrise
Storage galore


SCOTT'S BOAT:
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=149060&stc=1&d=1205963644

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=149061&stc=1&d=1205963655

[JDS]

Thank you all very much for the replies, this site is always great.
Thanks Capt. Reeh, but you are a bit out of my price range. That is one beauty though.
Couple of questions for you gurus;
Where does one find a South American, or Mexican panga?
I have never had a tunnel hull, and I know that most any boat will swap ends, but are they not much more likely to swap ends than other type hulls? (sorry about the run on )
Again, thanks very much. I have to find a boat soon or my Son, and Daughter are going to mutiny.

[Dark 30]

I think my 20' Hydra-Sports in the 2coolclassifieds might fit your bill. Great riding all around coast boat. I fish the bays & have been out to 25 miles... Its an older hull but SOLID...

[longboat]

Where does one find a South American, or Mexican panga?
I have never had a tunnel hull, and I know that most any boat will swap ends, but are they not much more likely to swap ends than other type hulls?


Do a google search for Panga dealers, there are a few around, especially in Florida and TX. Pangler is one of the more popular ones, but they can be expensive when fully outfitted. You might also check with custom boat builders. Boatright's LaFitte skiff might come close, and it's aluminum.

As far as swapping ends, tunnels are more prone to only because the motor sits up so much higher. If you have a pointy bow with sharp deadrise going to zero deadrise at the stern, then you are more likely to swap ends in a high-speed sharp turn. With a flat bow or with some deadrise in the stern, you are less likely.

That being said, I'm running a 2560 tunnel, flat-bottom with mod-V bow. With the jackplate all the way up, high-speed sharp turns will throw the back end of the boat out, but it's never swapped ends. It's kinda like driving a 60's musclecar on gravel roads and having the rear end slide around on you in the corners - kinda fun, really!

[hoogenda]

Not trying to hijack the thread but what do you guys think about Seahunt - looking at a 2004 232 model with a 225 yamaha..nice boat and I like the ride..thoughts?

[JDS]

Great, I will check your add Dark 30, and thanks for the info longboat.

[Arlon]

Thank you all very much for the replies, this site is always great.
Thanks Capt. Reeh, but you are a bit out of my price range. That is one beauty though.
Couple of questions for you gurus;
Where does one find a South American, or Mexican panga?
I have never had a tunnel hull, and I know that most any boat will swap ends, but are they not much more likely to swap ends than other type hulls? (sorry about the run on )
Again, thanks very much. I have to find a boat soon or my Son, and Daughter are going to mutiny.

Lot of panga info on this yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/panga_style_boats

[rodwade]

I got my 26.5' panga from a guy who got it for $150 yes that's not a typo at a DEA auction. THat included a Yamaha 150 with less then 200 hours on it. I didn't get quite that good of a deal on it, but I got it for WAY less then what the motor was worth. Panga.com had some good molds, a lot of the US pangas have bloated to wide boats needing much larger motors. There is a company that imports Nicaraguan pangas. You can find them in the Panga Yahoo group. I talked with the guys from http://www.astillerosmimsa.com/us/pangas.php named David. He gave me a price plus he can container ship up to 4 boats to Houston or other Ports for the same price.

[Drifter]

A 19' South Shore Angler just came up forsale. I would definitly go for a test ride in that boat. I have a 24VDR and it is built like a tank. From what I hear thats how Cliff builds all of his boats!!

Good Luck,

Drifter:texasflag

[Hydra Man]

Most boats are a compromise. I guess you need to ask yourself where you are gonna spend more of your time. The traditional type center consoles from Mako, Hydra-sports, Wellcraft, Robalo, etc in the 20 to 23 foot range fit the bill if you're more of a jetty's/nearshore guy. If you plan on sticking mainly to the shallow portion of the bay, with jaunts offshore in 'ice-cream' conditions once or twice a year, then most low sided / shallow running bay boats in the same length are a better choice.

[txfishbait]

Rather than talking brand names and hull types you should also consider the layout of the boat.

For example....pay close attention to the deck configuration of the boat you are interested in. Most "bay boats" will have shallow freeboard and large raised casting decks...those things are useless offshore even in calm conditions. You need a reasonable size cockpit with reasonable freeboard.

You should also consider the number of anglers you will normally have along. For example, the Panga style hull is a proven hull but the beam is extrememly narrow, prohibitively so when it comes to fishing more than just a couple of people comfortably. Storage space can also be a challenge. However, they will draft less water and run decent in a chop and they are extremely fuel efficient.

The Southshore pictured looks to be a good compromise...plenty of beam, more than average cockpit, good storage, and seating. The downside...very low freeboard and most of the cockpit is ahead of the console...less room for light duty offshore conditions.

The Hydra BayBolt was also mentioned....I own one so take it for what its worth. Positives to that hull design are ample cockpit space(the newer hulls have less space ahead of the console, it was converted to casting deck), decent freeboard, wide beam, and features you would normally find on an offshore boat like bronze seacocks on all thru hulls, oversized scuppers, etc. The downsides to the BayBolt are it doesn't run super skinny, relatively slow, not great on fuel, and will drift faster than the other boats mentioned because of the higher freeboard.

If you go with a deeper V hull in the same length the main trade offs are faster drift(higher sides), more roll at drift in the short bay chop(deeper V causes this), more draft, no casting decks for bayfishing. The advantage of that style hull is higher freeboard offshore and a little smoother ride offshore. In my opinion...these "Deep V" hulls in the 19-21ft range aren't what you are looking for.....this style hull will only get you marginally more access to offshore waters and you give up too much convenience in the bay.

[vdr]

More on Scotts Boat:texasflag

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=203102&stc=1&d=1242265346

SouthShore Boats has been in business going on 13 years.
.........and was a pioneer in building larger shallow water hulls for the Texas coast.

The 26 Pro has proven it reputation since it was first built 13 years ago.

The SouthShore 26 Pro and 23 Classic hulls are designed as
Multi-Purpose Use Boats .
Built to handle Skinny and Big Rough Water -
All in One Combo Boat

Draft: These hulls can be ordered in two ranges of draft choices
depending on your needs on the water

1. 9”– 11” standing draft at rest…
depending on
“custom” weight and materials used
Or
2. 6”– 8” standing draft at rest…
depending on
“custom” weight
materials used,
and with custom modified keel

Length - 26’ & 23’
Beam -
26 - 9' 4"
26 - 8' 6"
Design - Tunnel V with Variable Deadrise
Storage galore - Scotts has 13 storages




You design it…. and SouthShore will build it

http://www.southshoreboats.net/images/draft.jpg

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=144231&stc=1&d=1201712683
http://www.southshoreboats.net/images/ss26news.jpg