# Haynie or ShoalWater?



## "Skinny Dipper" (Jul 9, 2012)

Hey fellas, I'm in the market for a new boat and am considering a 23' Haynie cat or 23' Shoalwater cat. I currently have an 18' Shallow Sport Sport model with a 130 Etc. I'm looking for a smoother ride in the chop, more room and storage but still allow me to get in the skinny water if need be. Anyone out there have any input?


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## capfab (May 21, 2010)

PM Blueberry here on 2cool. He is looking at the exact two boats and has been on both. He has a lot of knowledge about them.


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## boltmaster (Aug 16, 2011)

Both great boats.......but I would say the haynie will be better in chop and better for support after the sale.


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## 5moreminutes (Jan 14, 2014)

The shoalwater cat in 23' is a sick looking boat. Waypoint marine might have some roll out ready.


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## bowhunter63 (Dec 9, 2005)

*23 warrior freedom boats*

Look at the new 23 warrior by freedom boats


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## Spots and Dots (May 23, 2004)

Haynie
If for nothing else, service if you need it
Oh, and quality

Rides are prob about the sames


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

Mr haynie designed the shoalwater...Then Haynie (chriss marine) is the upgraded redesigned version.


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## FishAfrica (Jan 23, 2010)

They are basically the same hull underneath, same man designed both. I owned a Shoalwater and currently own a Haynie.

Haynie is heavier with taller sides, so it gives deeper storage, better ride in chop. It also offers the wide gunnels which are awesome
Shoalwater wins on holeshot
Draft is very similar, so is top speed and price

I prefer Haynie mostly because of the customer service from Chris' Marine and the factory.
If you do get a Shoalwater get trim tabs no matter what they tell you!


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## gunsmoke11 (Apr 30, 2012)

Shoal cat I like them both just dont really like the look of the haynie cat never been in the hc but I know the shoalwater will not disappoint.


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## kitty cat patrol (Feb 27, 2009)

Customer service before and after the sale get a haynie.


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## rr1496 (Dec 14, 2005)

My father bought the Shoal 23 cat about 2 yrs ago and I bought the Hay 24 cat about a year later. Shoal has the 225 opti, Hay has the 250 proxs. 

The hull difference I see is the shoal cat tunnel in the back isn't as deep as the haynie. 

The shoal has lower sides and lower decks which make moving around the boat a dream. The Hay has more storage with higher decks. The hay has raised console with fuel tank under console. My dad's Shoal has fuel tank in console (I believe you can get raised console with fuel tank under it). Dad elected to go with flush console because he wanted to move easily around his boat. I could have too, but I wanted storage. 

Shoal cat is lighter and floats over chop. Haynie is heavier and plows thru chop. Both are equally dry. 

We haven't had a chance to run them thru trials...like whose floats the shallowest, whose runs the shallowest, whose hole shot is the best, etc. 

We both just got the 19p turbo os 1 prop. We both are dieing a slow and painful death because we haven't had a chance to put the prop to the test. 

I haven't been on the Shallow Sport sport. I hear they are extremely skinny. Like I stated earlier, we haven't put our boats to the extreme test...primarily because both boats are the nicest boats we have gotten to date and it isn't in our nature to tear it up. I know I float in 14" of water...it looked like 7" but the fish check stick said 14".


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## efish (Nov 4, 2012)

Both great boats. If you go with shoalwater make sure you pik the right dealer for service after the sale. 


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## younggun55 (Jun 18, 2009)

Both hulls are fairly equal. But I would go with haynie, you can't beat the customer service and Chris and his crew all will jump through hoops to get you back on the water if a problem ever does arise. I ran haynie cats for a couple years and had nothing bad to say about them at all, built like a tank and the ride/shallow water abilities are great


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## g2outfitter (Jul 21, 2009)

As i have posted my experience with both many times on multiple forums. The short version is. Haynie, I have owned 3 Shoalwater im still waiting for a return phone call after telling them I had cash in hand and wanted to buy. Chris's, his boys and his others like coastal bend marine (where I bought my last) always have jumped through hoops to get me back on the water. 

My first was a Haynie 21 cat that was converted from a tower to a center console I bought used. I took boat into chris's marine for service and chris himself saw my boat and insisted that he re gel coat the boat because the conversion shop did a sub-perfect job. His exact words were "My names on the boat and I dont want others to think I do that type of work" since that day I will be a haynie owner for as long as I own a boat. 

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## Bone Saw Phaser Beam! (Feb 24, 2014)

5moreminutes said:


> The shoalwater cat in 23' is a sick looking boat. Waypoint marine might have some roll out ready.


That's the most important quality I look for in a new boat... that it looks siiiiiick! haha


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## Lakeandbay2 (Apr 15, 2012)

My dad has a shoalwater 23 cat with a 250 pro xs love the ride! I've been running it 3 years not and have no complaints. I'm ordering a 21 with a 250 pro xs in two weeks.


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## "Skinny Dipper" (Jul 9, 2012)

Thanks for all the facts and opinions fellas!! Soaking up the info. Much appreciated.


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## Whoady (Jan 23, 2014)

Lakeandbay said:


> My dad has a shoalwater 23 cat with a 250 pro xs love the ride! I've been running it 3 years not and have no complaints. I'm ordering a 21 with a 250 pro xs in two weeks.


21 w/250 pro xs is the way to go if you don't need the extra space of the 23,I have zero complaints about mine smooth,shallow an fast


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## [email protected] (Jun 25, 2005)

They are both great boats. Best advice is to take a ride in both and get the one you like best. You can't go wrong with either one so you need to get the one that fits you best. It's not like one is **** and one is solid, they're both solid boats so we can't say which one is best. I would go Yamaha SHO or Mercury Pro Xs as your motor. Both are lightweight, reliable and great on gas. Get trim tabs on the one you get no matter what the salesman says. Shoalwater is dumb and says you don't need tabs on their hulls but you do need them for holeshot and to stop porpoising. You only need to put a little bit of the tab down to stop it from porpoising and the tabs will really help getting on plane in shallow water and will help keep the bow down to eat the chop. I would suggest a 250 hp engine on either hull.


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## efish (Nov 4, 2012)

Sure thing trim tabs will help you out big time 


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## SeaY'all (Jul 14, 2011)

Just curious, why not look at the 21 mod v from shallow sport? They draft and get up just as shallow as the Haynie or the Cat? I have the 24. Its dry, handles the chop well and I can get back into the shallow marsh drains


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## leadhead10 (May 14, 2010)

SeaYall, shallow sport makes a great boat no doubt but I personally think the Tunnel V's older technology and are being phased out. My old tunnel V (22 Legend) was very stable at rest and took the chop "ok" but its not in the same ballpark as my 23 Haynie Cat. 

Skinny Dipper, I love my 23 Haynie Cat by the way! I don't think you can go wrong with either the Haynie or the Shoal cat. PM me if you have any questions about the Haynie.


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## "Skinny Dipper" (Jul 9, 2012)

Sorry to disappoint some of you but i think i'm leaning towards the Haynie. Stopped by and looked at both and I am scheduling a test ride soon. The test ride will be the decision maker, of course. Thanks to all who took the time to throw out some info and opinions.


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## [email protected] (Jun 25, 2005)

SeaY'all said:


> Just curious, why not look at the 21 mod v from shallow sport? They draft and get up just as shallow as the Haynie or the Cat? I have the 24. Its dry, handles the chop well and I can get back into the shallow marsh drains


I don't think the Mod V gets up as shallow as the cat and it probably doesn't run as shallow either. I know they are very shallow for a vee hull but I don't think they are as shallow as a cat hull. Also they are pretty inefficient hulls as well and cats run quite a bit faster with equal horse power. I know the Mod V takes bigger rough water better since it's a big v hull but the 23 foot cats take rough water pretty good too. To the OP, I think if you're leaning towards Haynie right now then you will probably put a deposit down with them after the test drive. They are pretty good in the chop, maybe a little bit better than the Shoalwater due to more weight and they run just as shallow on plane. Also you get the backing of Chris's Marine which is one of the best service centers on the coast. Chris and Brian and Scott will take great care of you and your boat. I worked there one Summer while I was down from college and they are all great honest guys who really value their customers. I know with Shoalwater it's almost impossible to get Gene on the phone but you can get hold of Chris right away if he's on the premises and will call you back if he's away.


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## Coastline Marine (Jan 27, 2008)

If you like the quality and shallow water capability of your shallow sport you would also want to test drive a 24 sport. The 24 is 500 times smoother than an 18.... Compare 24s vs 24vs across the board


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## SeaY'all (Jul 14, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> I don't think the Mod V gets up as shallow as the cat and it probably doesn't run as shallow either. I know they are very shallow for a vee hull but I don't think they are as shallow as a cat hull. Also they are pretty inefficient hulls as well and cats run quite a bit faster with equal horse power. I know the Mod V takes bigger rough water better since it's a big v hull but the 23 foot cats take rough water pretty good too. To the OP, I think if you're leaning towards Haynie right now then you will probably put a deposit down with them after the test drive. They are pretty good in the chop, maybe a little bit better than the Shoalwater due to more weight and they run just as shallow on plane. Also you get the backing of Chris's Marine which is one of the best service centers on the coast. Chris and Brian and Scott will take great care of you and your boat. I worked there one Summer while I was down from college and they are all great honest guys who really value their customers. I know with Shoalwater it's almost impossible to get Gene on the phone but you can get hold of Chris right away if he's on the premises and will call you back if he's away.


James, not to turn this into a measuring contest but, to give you actual stats, not published on a website or hearsay, I can get my 24 up in 12 inches on a hard bottom. I can also run in 6. The SS may have a deeper static draft but, i think 10 inches is pretty skinny. These numbers were all taken with a full fuel tank, gear for 3 people, full live well and 3 grown men on the boat. I may not get 94 mph but, 46mph suits me just fine.


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## [email protected] (Jun 25, 2005)

SeaY'all said:


> James, not to turn this into a measuring contest but, to give you actual stats, not published on a website or hearsay, I can get my 24 up in 12 inches on a hard bottom. I can also run in 6. The SS may have a deeper static draft but, i think 10 inches is pretty skinny. These numbers were all taken with a full fuel tank, gear for 3 people, full live well and 3 grown men on the boat. I may not get 94 mph but, 46mph suits me just fine.


I figured the Mod V would be around those numbers in shallow water performance. That's about what my Stingray will do, but those true cat hulls are just a bit shallower and to some guys they need the extra few inches. Personally running in 6 inches is good enough for me but some guys like the ability to run across a flat if they see water standing. But yeah those Mod V's are the shallowest running V hulls that I know of for sure plus you can go offshore on a decent day which is always a plus.


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## SeaY'all (Jul 14, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> I figured the Mod V would be around those numbers in shallow water performance. That's about what my Stingray will do, but those true cat hulls are just a bit shallower and to some guys they need the extra few inches. Personally running in 6 inches is good enough for me but some guys like the ability to run across a flat if they see water standing. But yeah those Mod V's are the shallowest running V hulls that I know of for sure plus you can go offshore on a decent day which is always a plus.


I saw a few of your boats this weekend in Sargent/East Matagorda. One white with a gray interior coming up the ICW and a black one as I was coming up Caney creek. They are good looking rides.


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## George Portele (Oct 25, 2016)

*Haynie BF vs. HO vs. Cat*

I'm in the market for a Haynie. I've ridden in the Haynie Bigfoot & HO & 25'. All it took to sell me was their ride in the rough water along with being able to get up in the little bit of water. But, I've never been in the Haynie Cat. I like the idea of being able to get up in shallower water, but how do they ride in rough water compared to the other Haynies?


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## salty_waders (Feb 13, 2006)

I was in your exact situation...I wanted something that rides better than my Shallow Sport but I didn't want to sacrifice too much shallow capability. After much research I went the new Haynie LF 20. So far I really like it. They don't have any info on the website yet but its basically a 20' version of the Bigfoot (the LF stands for Little Foot). It floats in about 8" and rides very nice in the chop. I powered mine with the new Yamaha 115 SHO. Costs a lot less than the SS Mod V too.


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## North Cut (Oct 11, 2016)

salty_waders said:


> I was in your exact situation...I wanted something that rides better than my Shallow Sport but I didn't want to sacrifice too much shallow capability. After much research I went the new Haynie LF 20. So far I really like it. They don't have any info on the website yet but its basically a 20' version of the Bigfoot (the LF stands for Little Foot). It floats in about 8" and rides very nice in the chop. I powered mine with the new Yamaha 115 SHO. Costs a lot less than the SS Mod V too.


That LF is a great looking boat. What kind of numbers are you seeing with the SHO 115?


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## salty_waders (Feb 13, 2006)

North Cut said:


> That LF is a great looking boat. What kind of numbers are you seeing with the SHO 115?


I don't know...I don't have a speedometer. If I had to guess probably around 40 mph, but I have it propped for hole-shot, not speed. I don't really care about going fast. That 115 SHO seems to be a perfect match for the boat.


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