# Go fast, Take the bigger bay water smooth, Run fairly shallow??



## ghost (Apr 23, 2005)

Ok, In the coming months I am looking to move out of my 20' Gulf Coast and into more of a tournament style, go fast boat. Here are my wants and here are the boats I am considering. Any input would be welcome. 

Go Fast (60+) would love 65+, Takes the bigger chop with a smooth ride, Lower sides if possible, Will draft 10", Run in 10" or so if necessary, get up in 1 1/2 to 2', No tunnel, V bottom (No Cat), 21' to 23' length, maybe 24'. 

Here are the boats I am considering new or possibly used if I can find the right one.

Southshore VDR
Transport XLR8
Haynie Bigfoot
Haynie High Output
Majek Extreme

Any pros or cons on the above boats would be appreciated. If you have an opinion on the ranking order of the above, I would appreciate the feedback. 
I hope to test each of the above boats in the coming months. If I have missed a boat you think will meet my requirements, please post it as well. Thanks in advance for your opinions.


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## wading_fool (May 3, 2005)

The Haynie Big Foot is a tunnel, your gonna need a big motor to hit 60, now the Haynie HO is the same hull without the tunnel and screams. Still has the Haynie dry ride


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## ProSkiff (Jan 2, 2008)

May I suggest the Shoalwater supersport no real tunnel and with the right motor is capable of 65+


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## [email protected] (Jun 25, 2005)

I have fished in a haynie H.O. about twenty times in the past year in the laguna madre. this boat handles chop like a dream and with a 250 pro xs will do 69 on gps you are looking at 70's with a 300 merc. great boat, my dream boat now.


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## Hoover (May 27, 2004)

Of course I'm biased but you can't beat a Southshore. I'm sure all the other boats are great boats, personally only rode in an XLR8 and a Southshore. I would recommend a VDR because I love mine.


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## Rob S (Jan 8, 2007)

go fast tournament style boat? have you look into the lake and bays?


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## Blackgar (Aug 4, 2004)

Marshall !!!


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## Capt. Forrest (Jan 5, 2005)

sent you a pm.

Of the ones you have listed, I would strongly look at the Haynie 24 HO.

Capt. Forrest


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## plugger21 (Dec 5, 2004)

*Go fast boat*

Ghost..........

I have owned an XLR8 and I now own a Majek Extreme. I have a fishing partner who has a 21' XLR8 with a Merc 250 and I also have a buddy that runs a Haynie H.O. with a Merc 225. If you have any questions on the performance of any of these boats, shoot me a pm. Here are some basic ideas I've formed from spending time in all three..........

Speed:

1. 21' XLR8 (65-70mph)
2. Extreme (61-66mph)
3. Haynie H.O. (58mph)

Like I said the Haynie I've been in had a 225 and I don't think it was propped right.

Smooth ride:

1. Extreme
2. Haynie H.O.
3. 21' XLR8

Haynie I was on didn't have trim tabs.

Room, comfort, storage, and all around fishability:

1. Haynie H.O. 
2. XLR8 and Extreme

The Tran may have a little more storage room that the Extreme, but the sides on the extreme are a little bit higher and with the cap it gives you more places to sit down.

Best tournament boat:

1. 21' XLR8
2. Extreme
3. Haynie H.O.

To be fair, I will say that I've spent a lot more time in the XLR8 and Extreme. I've only made two trips in the Haynie H.O.

Take your time and be sure to ride in all of them. Good luck.


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## ghost (Apr 23, 2005)

Thanks guys for the feedback so far. I appreciate the insight and personal experience as well as the other boats offered up. I will enjoy the months to come in choosing the right boat for my needs. Needless to say, for the money I am looking at spending, I will be holding on to it for a longgggg time. LOL. Keep the info coming.


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## POCO LOCO (Mar 7, 2005)

*Southshore*

I have ridden in and or drove just about every boat on the market and I will speak from personal experience and this is why I run a Southshore! I paid very good money for mine it was not free. I have been offered free boats for a year and even given boats to use as a guide. At my age I can't take the beatings that I used too! A little over 2 1/2 years ago, I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning, trying to get ready for a long day on the water with clients and could not hardly get out of bed, my back was just killing me from all the pounding of Baffin Bay, mind you I was running a very well built 25 ft boat, and today I believe it was one of the best built boats in Texas, but the hull design was very lacking, in the event of some rough chop! I had already guided out of a Southshore 26 ft. and loved it, I just could not afford it at the time and had settled for the other. I started looking at other Boats, and I have been in all the listed boats, at one time or the other. I will not bash any boat company, every boat has its place on the water! After all was said and done, I had to ask myself how much longer could I keep guiding with the pounding? I sold my boat and the next thing you know, with my beautiful wifes blessing, I was running a 24 VDR Southshore, as of today I can say enough about this boat. Any one wanting to test ride just call. I have seen it at 67 mph and no that was not with an E-Tec! So if you want a boat that can cut thru some bad stuff, take a very close look at the 24 VDR Southshore. If you need a faster boat then look at the 20 ft VDR (78 MPH). You pay for what you get and you won't find a cracked transome on anything that says Southshore! I do have a fellow fishing guide buddy that runs a Haynie down here and he cannot be happer, it to does well and takes a Baffin well!
Note: Just because its fast don't mean it fish's well, ride before you buy!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck! Regards Donk

Thanks to Cliff and his better half!


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## Capt. John Havens (May 28, 2004)

Give the SouthShore some serious thought; if I were in the boat buying market again I'm pretty certain I would make the same decision. My VDR24 has done everything I expected and more. Good luck on your decision.


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## catch 5 (Apr 10, 2006)

Dont forget about Pathfinder. With max HP you will be in the 60's, and this is a proven tournament boat.

This is not a biased opinion as I do not own a Pathfinder.


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## unclefes (Jul 13, 2006)

I Ran A Majek Extreme On The Redfish Cup For 2 Tournament Seasons. We Made Multiple Runs From Bayou Signett Park To Venice Louisiana Thru Rough Water To Fish In About 9-10" Of Water. Same Thing In Florida 80 Mile Trip One Way Across The Open Gulf To Get To Our Fish No Problem!!!!! I Would Reccomend The Extreme With The New Yamaha 225 Hp Short Shaft Four Stroke Motor. The Extreme Comes Stock With A 55 Gallon Fuel Cell. The Boat Should Run About 60-65 Mph With A 4 Blade Prop And With That Motor You Should Have Plenty Of Range To Fish Anywhere Within About 100 Miles Of The Launch Site. I Loved My Extreme And When I Sold Her I Got Back Most Of What I Had In Her .... Son You Caint Beat That!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## parkerb (Oct 19, 2004)

ProSkiff said:


> May I suggest the Shoalwater supersport no real tunnel and with the right motor is capable of 65+


My buddy had one of these, solid grey w/ 225 ProXS and the extra wide gunnels. It was a heck of a boat and looked sharp. It would do everything you described in the first post.


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## Capt Scott Reeh (Jan 21, 2006)

24 foot....9'4" beam....10-11in draft,safe,fast and stable in the real nasty stuff.Oh...and did I mention custom built to your specs?!Give Capt John Havens a call and go for a demo before you decide on which boat to go with.You won't be sorry that you did!Give them a look on the web at www.southshoreboats.net or call Cliff at the shop @ 361-972-3322
Good luck on your quest for a tourney boat,there are some good ones out there.


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## Little Jimmy Cook (Oct 22, 2004)

*Scb*

I do not own one or have ever riden in one but the SCB sounds nice!


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

I don't know what your budget is but the Lake and Bay 24 or 22 deserves a serious look. I believe Mickey Eastman's L&B 24 is still for sale.


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## BSweeny (Jul 18, 2006)

*boat*

Tran 21 XLR8 LS 250 merc xs or the new 20ft VDR wit 300xs both are sweet and over 70mph!!! I just wish Tran would of let me put a 300xs on my LS.


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## rick Vallone (Mar 24, 2005)

Shearwater 22z, Call Jeff at Ron Hoover Marine I know he has some left overs and he will male you a good deal, 361-729-9695


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## Sow Trout (Jun 28, 2004)

I have noticed quiet a few Extremes for sale. Might save you some money.


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## ghost (Apr 23, 2005)

Man, you guys have my head spinning. This will be a tough but fun decision.


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## POCO LOCO (Mar 7, 2005)

ghost, why don't you just come down fishing with me and I will help make your decision, you can tag along, the trips on me! Come on!!!!!!!! Donk


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## ghost (Apr 23, 2005)

PC, now that is an offer I won't be able to refuse. LOL. Where are you located? I am taking the week of Feb 4th to 9th to fish the Upper LM and maybe Baffin, based on the brown tides. We have Kevin C booked for Tuesday 2/5 and Wed 2/6 but we are going to do something on our own 2/4 and 2/6. How far are you from that area. I am staying across the bridge on the Packert channel.


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## POCO LOCO (Mar 7, 2005)

*2/6 looks good*

ghost, www.pocolocolodge.com fish Baffin! Call me we will get it worked out, you stay at the lodge with us, the night before! Donk 361-774-7710


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## hoosierplugger (May 24, 2004)

Might add K2 Blackjack to the list.

Craig


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## Mako232 (Sep 16, 2005)

You need 2 different boats


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## Stumpgrinder (Feb 18, 2006)

Go fast, run shallow, bust chop ................. aka The holy grail . 

Good luck finding your combo :spineyes: Seriously, ya gotta compromise a little somewhere, you just have to identify where it hurts the least.


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

If you're using it in tournaments, I would take big-water toughness. A tournament won't be called off unless the weather is absolutely terrible so you can be crossing the bay in a big boat with ease while a flats boat is stuck near the dock. Many Troutmasters and Redfish Cup anglers have learned the hard way over the years.


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## ssb (Sep 2, 2004)

*Holy Grail*

Good observation!
YES! For every action, there is reaction. Compromises.

NICE JESTER DONK....TO GHOST



Stumpgrinder said:


> Go fast, run shallow, bust chop ................. aka The holy grail .
> 
> Good luck finding your combo :spineyes: Seriously, ya gotta compromise a little somewhere, you just have to identify where it hurts the least.


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## ssb (Sep 2, 2004)

Ghost 
Take Poco Loco up on offer.


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## ssb (Sep 2, 2004)

FYI....update!

Cliff had Mercury Raceing Division send him a lab tuned prop and he hit 80mph the other day in the Southshore 20 VDR!!!
Same prop on 24 VDR will make it a alot faster also.


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## ghost (Apr 23, 2005)

Donk, I appreciate the offer and I hope we can work out the details. I messed up on the available dates. The 4th, 7th and the 8th are the dates I have available. The 5th and 6th are when we are already booked. Let me know.


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## DMC (Apr 2, 2006)

Havens said:


> Give the SouthShore some serious thought; if I were in the boat buying market again I'm pretty certain I would make the same decision. My VDR24 has done everything I expected and more. Good luck on your decision.


I own a Pathfinder, and I like it a lot, however this boat pictured looks like a pure fishing machine, no wasted cosmetic garbage, just great layout and plenty of fishing room. I also love the rod holder.


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## shoal me the money2 (Jan 10, 2008)

*hiiiiiiii.*

hiiii.

i like your :birthday2 story 

its my birthday.

byes.


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## Hoover (May 27, 2004)

Donk if we already bought a Southshore does that count for anything lol....


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## aggie80 (Aug 21, 2007)

i've got a haynie h.o. on order. i was considering the bigfoot but my wife liked the room the h.o. had so she said i needed the h.o. and even let me get the bigger motor (250 pro xs) pretty cool wife huh? any way, if you are considering the haynie i would highly recomend chris's marine. chris is more than helpful and their service department is awesome.


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## Capt. John Havens (May 28, 2004)

Ghost, I tried to respond to your last private message you sent me, but your box is full. Clean out a few messages and I will get back to you. I will be on the water Friday through Sunday, let me know what works best for you.


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## ghost (Apr 23, 2005)

I will get it cleaned out. Thanks


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## Redfishscot (Dec 2, 2004)

The new 22' Blue Wave Pure Bay has everything you asked about except the low sides. It worked for Jeff & Kevin to win the Texas Redfish Series. With me & Jim in the front of mine on the trolling motor, we float in 10". With a 225 Evinrude HO, it pushes 70. Mine with a Suzuki 225 is running mid 60's. It will definately handle big water. The nice thing that it has that the rolled edge boats you listed do not is a full liner finish. Something to look at. As a tournament director, I see a lot of boats, and like others said, no boat will do it all. Get the one that fits your style of fishing and come to a few tournaments. They are like a boat show in the water.


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## bowed up (Apr 1, 2007)

i have ridden an extreme at 68mph with two grown men and minimal wieght, but that is about as fast as it will go and still feel alright
with the high peformance merc 250 it will reach into the low 70s but it begins to "chatterwalk"-(not sure if correct term)
the extreme is a perfect tourny boat
havent ridden in the xlr8 but that would probably be my next recommendation


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## GoingCoastal (May 24, 2004)

ghost said:


> I will get it cleaned out. Thanks


That boat ride is gonna cost you. John's boat is one awesome rig. 
I thought our GulfCoast were the cats meow till I rode in it.

Dave


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## SKIPPER G (Mar 3, 2008)

*Gulf Coast Boats Fishing Tourneys*

Gulf Coast Boats will be having their 10th Annual Gulf Coast Owners Fishing Tournament on May 3, 2008, in Matagorda at the Harbor. Any question call Susan Gilley at 713/477-7119


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## ghost (Apr 23, 2005)

Well, after allot of looking and test driving I have made my decision. I found a good deal on an 07 Haynie with a 225 Merc Pro, rigged to the hilt the way I wanted it. I will pick it up Saturday 3/8. I want to give special thanks to Jim (Poco Loco) for taking me out in his 24 SS VDR and Tran for the test ride on the LS 21. All the boats I looked at (Haynie, SouthShore, Transport, Marshall) were great boats and every company I dealt with were first class. Each boat had it's +'s and -'s and overall the Haynie won my heart. Again, thanks for all the help and feedback provided by all.


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

I've fished out of Haynies on a couple of occasions and have always been impressed by them. I almost went with a Haynie myself. It was a close call, and the Haynie had the edge in speed, comfort, and storage. But really liked the cool pole you push it with, so I went with a Beavertail B2.

Congrats on the almost new boat. See you in Matty come June.


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