What is the best walleye boat

[H.F.L.]

Looking to buy a new boat this year , what should I consider Glass or tin (tiller or console)

[cisco]

If you're a Minnesotan, Lutheran, and of Norwegian ancestry, it is required that you buy a Lund.

[ETT]

Otherwise buy whatever sits your style of fishing. Why do you think they make so many different ones.

[Eyez]

There is no "best" walleye boat. If there was a "best" walleye boat, why even bother making anything else? There are so many good models out there, and so many good manufacturers. Everyone has their favorites, but you need to find what works for you and the kind of fishing you do.


Dusty

[T-Mac]

Buy mine. Walleye Central classifieds. "Montana section"
It deserves a better fisherman, with more free time than me.
LOL ;-)

[Sonny Reynolds]

Or buy mine, KY section, Boat is starveing for water, great deal for someone.

Sonny

[REW]

What do you need? What kind of water do you fish? How many folks fish with you, or do you fish by yourself? Do you need the boat for cruising? Do you need the boat for water sports, like water skiing or tubing? Do you fish shallow rocky rivers? Do you fish the great lakes? Do you fish the gulf or the ocean? Do you live bait fish? Do you troll? Do you need to make long runs from your launch point, before you fish? Do you fish tournaments, and need excellent livewells?
Do you need rod storage for more then 4 or 5 rods?
etc. etc. etc.

Answer all of these questions, and you will automatically have the boat of your choice.

If you fish shallow small rocky rivers - get a john boat with a 10 hp or electric motor and you will be in good shape.

If you fish small inland lakes, get a 14 foot or 16 foot aluminum boat with a 15-30 hp motor and you will be fine.

If you fish wind swept inland lakes - go with a deep v boat with at least a 17 degree of dead rise. This boat may be aluminum or glass. If you fish a lot of the rocky canadian shield lakes, and you need to do a bunch of shore beaching - get an aluminum boat, or at the very least an excellent bottom protector for your glass boat.

If you fish the bigger inland or great lakes go with a 19-25 foot deep sided boat with a dual windshield, walk through or my boat of choice - a center console.

If you fish tournaments with a partner -- insure that you have twin livewells.

In general go with as much power as the boat is rated for. Better resale, gets you out of the hole better - and off the lake quicker in a pinch.

Go with a 4-stroke, or pressure injected 2-stroke - to meet the emission, economy, and EPA regulations of today and tomorrow.

If possible go with a good bunk trailer -- better for your boat, easy drive on -- but if you use lots of very shallow launches -- go with a many many many rollered trailer. You need lots of rollers for excellent support of your boat hull.

At the very least -- insure that you have an adequate tow vehicle - for the new boat of your choice.

You don't want to burn up your tow vehicle, because your new boat is overloading the towing capabilities of your rig.

Consider -- YOUR -- needs and requirementss, family, friends, and neighbors -- and get what works best for you.

Take care

REW

[Fuzzy]

Print REW's post or commit it to memory. He nailed it. Follow those guidelines and will be a happy boat owner. By the way, I'm gonna print that one for myself for future reference.

Thanks again REW.

[RANGER]

It depends on your situation. Big water; small water; rivers?? You need to be more specific.

RANGER

[chrism]

That's simple - The best boat is
-one you can afford
-one that is reliable
-one that you can tow
-and one you can carry all your walleye toys in.
Good luck!

[RMB]

Hey REW, Glad to see ya post so we know you're still out there! If you're like me.....been trying to avoid all the political retoric. Seems like there's more of that going on here at W.C. lately than info. sharing. Now that I've got YOUR attention, what's your opinion of the 2000 Optimax 135 and 150. I'm looking at rerigging my TP175 with one and value your thoughts. Thanks.

[ALGORE]

I invented Walleye Boats!

Want me to neck with Tipper now??

Thank you,

ALGORE (soon to be washing your windsheild for a quarter on a freeway off ramp near you)

[Kdog]

The best walleye boat in my opinion is whatever one im fishin out of on ANY day!!!If its my 17' footer my partners 16'tiller,or a big 20'Erie type boat im HAPPY : ) You have to comprimise and find the boat that fits your needs the most.My boat is great on local lakes but on Erie i always wish i had something bigger.But it fits my needs 80% of the time.Theres alot great boats out there,pick the one that you can afford and that fits your needs the most and have a ball!!Kdog

[Bison]

If you're not sure what to get, try a Lund Pro-V with a Merc or Yamaha. That rig will have as high a resale value as anything out there, and if you decide you don't like it you can sell it in a couple of years without loosing your shirt. You have to fish out of a boat for a while to decide what you really need and want, and a Pro-V makes a good baseline. If it rides too hard and wet for you, get a glass boat next time.

[Eyez]

I'll buy your's OJ, but we gotta do something about that price. Mind knocking a zero off the end? :)


Dusty

[Brian/MN]

What part of the world are you in? I'm in Minnesota, and you're welcome to drive my 150 optimax to see if you like it. E-mail me.

[REW]

On that vein, why not get the best of all worlds.
Get the 14 foot jon boat for the shallow rocky rivers and the electric trolling motor.

Get the 16 foot tiller with the 15 hp motor for the small lakes.

Get the 17 ft tiller for the larger lakes.

Get the 19 ft console for the wind swept reserviors - with the 150 hp.

finally get the 22 ft center console with the twin 225's on the back.

I suspect that that combination of boats that you keep in your 10 car garage, will take care of all your needs.

Interestingly enough, there are a few folks out there who have such a stable of boats.

Just as there are quite a few folks out there who have a fleet of vehicles for their different "wants."


Take care

REW

[The old man]

One of the most important things to remember no matter
what kind of boat you want. Buy from a good dealer who is
going to take care of you after he gets your money.
theres lots of great boats out there . Talk to others in
your area for good referals. If you find a boat you like
check with the guys or gals on eye central they tell it like it is.

[Ron]

That would be the LundCrest AlumaRanger.

[Michael]

I think the Tracker Traga 18, dual console, 150 optimax, 15 four stroke, is the best boat around. you don't see many around but there great.Its good for anything rivers, lakes, etc. Its also good in the wind.

[no, it's]

>That would be the LundCrest AlumaRanger.
>No, It's
The LundcraftAlumaRangerTracker1800FisherDVXSmokerTrit on1800zxTSDVSXT

[GORD]

Beware of "twofootytis". Many of us bought a 14 footer, then needed a 16 footer, then needed an 18 footer etc. Doing it right the first time will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. This is a classic example of..... THE POOR MAN PAYS TWICE.

[EyeBoy]

Al the "Squeege Man" Gore!
Now there's a mental image that I can cherish.

[GreggB]

IMO from my research it seems that Yar-Craft builds a darn nice boat. They dont cut any corners and the ride is suppose to be unmatched. I have a Alumacraft Trophy 170 now and I think the Yar-Craft will be my next. Alum. beats you up to much on rough water.

Good luck!

[sdwalleye]

I have an easy answer to this question. The very best walleye boat must meet the following criteria. Its kinda like which is the best brand of beer.
1. Have lots of room and comfortable seating.
2. Have plenty of horsepower.
3. Have well stocked coolers of beer, pop, snacks.
4. Have well stocked baitwells with the current hot baits.
5. Roomy livewells for my fish.
6. A stereo would be nice.
7. Have all of the gear and gadgetry that I will need..
8. A place to take a nap when I tire from catching too many fish
8. Be owned by someone who will call me everyday to go fishing.
Oh, and the best brand of beer.....someone elses. lol :-)
Couldn't resist having a little fun here.

[L.]

Glass over tin. Much better ride for size of boat.

[bigtiller]

I have access to the best walleye boat, especially if you want tiller hull control and console horsepower. I currently run a 150hp. tiller hull and built a 225 hp. tiller for my brother.

[H.F.L.]

BigTiller, Tell more about your tiller motors and boats to with them.Thanks H.F.L.

[H.F.L.]

& Boats to with them

[Nofish]

Great post Gord.

If a fellow was to buy the 18 footer right away, you shure would save some of the hassles, and your wife wouldn't mind only goin through the boat loan proceess only once! And, a guy might just save himself some time too! (and money!):-)

To H.F.L.,

Read REW's post again. Before you even get past the statement, "Man, I need a boat." You have to know how you want to use the boat and where you want to use the boat and what you plan to fish for.

Then you can tackle the Glass vs Aluminum debate. But, buy wisely and you should not have to buy a "bigger" boat for some time. Also, if you have done your homework well, when it comes time to retire your new boat, you will replace it with the same model/brand, or a similar size boat and motor.

And I have the answer to the question posed in the subject line of your post, "What's the best Walleye boat?"

Mine!

My boat that I own now, (well, Bank owns 60%, I own 40% for right now :P )is the ultimate walleye boat! My Ranger 620 does everything I need it to do and then some! There is no better boat on the market today!

FOR ME AND MY USES!

When you get your new boat, you should be asble to say the exact same thing after the 2nd season you run it.

Choose wisely and Have fun..........R

[bigtiller]

I love tiller boat control and the space it offers. Tillers with 80 plus hp. do not get any respect when you put them up against 150 plus console machines. I also believed that you can run big hp. for backtrolling, especially in four to seven footers. I wanted to prove all my theories. This was the first year I put a transom electric on, only because it was a sponsor requirement. I have to tell you up front that I decided to build a little respect into tiller boats and operators. My brother hasn't been a tiller man for 25 years. He watched this unit of mine for three years. He gutted a new Crestliner 202, to put this package in. He can probably sleep ten big men on the floor. I have run my current boat for four years. I never made a change in the equipment or design in all that time.
We were both at the RCL last month. Whatever boat you purchase, this conversion will fit. SO, to sum up; you will have pinpoint control of a tiller, hp. based on a console, balance and ride like never before. My e-mail is mmkoizumi@hotmail.com. I would like to take this discussion further but off the message board. Thanks for the reply.

[BAKndaPak]

Just fished a tournament a week ago, saw three Targas, all of which had "For Sale" signs taped to their windows! And Ugly, I'm Sorry. Go with the Warrior Eagle 1891 side console W/ 175EFI Merc and 9.9 kicker for trolling, Great for any water!

[ClayPidgion]

Hey bigtiller,

good ta hear that somebody's doing good withthis big tiler thing. I've wanted one for a while but nobody seems to have what I'm looking for. Can you give us some more details about your brother's rig? I'd sure love to hear mroe.

How does that 225 handle, speaking of handles, what kind of motor is it and where did you get a tiler handle for it? Do you get the heck knocked outta your arm when you crack that throttle open? I'd think it would pull your shoulder apart. If not, how'd you get around that little problem?

Do you fish tournies with it? If so, tell us a bit about the performance and the results.

Thanks! Clay P.

[Kevin L.]

I'm sure you are aware that many tournement fishermen are going with tiller boats for the controle they offer when they get to the spot they want to fish.

Glass boats, as you also may have heard, gives a better ride. You will also stay more on the dry side in most high quality glass boats.

Speed? Well, in some cases you can get good speed, both on the upper end (150 Optimax with a tiller handle and power steering) as well as great control on the lower end with the same motor.

What boat you actually pick will have to be the one that you want or like. Don't let us pick it for you.

Kevin L.

[ufda]

Listen to the guys who tell you to write down YOUR requirements. Hearing about boats that allow you to fish in 4 to 7' waves is nice unless, like me, you fish for fun instead of money and fishing in 4 to 7 footers is not fun so I don't do it. On the other hand, I'm getting old so running into the wind on a cold morning works much better with a full walk-through windshield. But then I like having a pedestal seat in front and one in the back for my lady. So, I found one that converts. Also, in AZ if you don't have a bimini top on a good summer day, by evening you'll look like a piece of turkey jerky. I also needed a boat that would water ski the grandkids and my 90 hp 4-stroke will do that all day (and my boat is comfortable for the driver while doing it) - try that with a super rig and a 150 - 200 hp motor - and it will troll sloooooowwwwwwlllllllyyyy all day without loading up. Please note, I didn't try to sell a boat or motor brand or composition or that my requirements are yours. Just that everyone has different needs so KNOW YOURS! Then pick the boat that matches, not the one that someone else recommends.
IMHOWMWSISH (In My Humble Opinion Which My Wife Says Is Seldom Humble) :-)
ufda

[Man]

What about the tuffy's good walleye boats.

[Boy]

Lund 2025T with a yamaha 115hp fourstroke man great rig. Boy

[bigtiller]

Sorry I'm so late ClayPidgion. Go back and retrieve my e-mail address. I am not trying to sell the product, but there are a number of exciting things you will want to know about. It can't be done here. Too much information. Thanks

[Trust]

Is Ranger coming out with a new tiller boat for 2001?