Is wider better?

[IaDave]

I am looking at A Lund 1675 Explorer tiller which is 90" wide or a Lund 1650 Explorer tiller which is 81" wide. I think I can get them at the same price and the 1675 has a larger gas tank and a extra live well. It seems the wider boat would be awkward to troll with. I'm I crazy. This would be the first tiller boat I have purchased.

[SLIPKNOT]

I have a 99 mr pike 17 and love it because it is 92" wide. It is very stable for a 17ft boat. so to answer your question, yes, I think wider is better. good luck!

[Dave C]

I may create more questions than answers. I have a 98 Lund 1660 Pro V tiller that I bought new after it sat on the dealers lot for a couple of years. Traded a 1700 Pro Angler which was a shallower V design and wider, but didn't seem to track very good in backtrolling. I like to back troll and I'm not sure the shallower design of the new IFS lends itself as good as the old design for this purpose. Probably lots of you out there know more about this than me. It sounds like the IFS is great for getting on plane faster and seems to be a drier ride in reading this board - I'm guessing that backtrolling is just not very popular anymore. Maybe rather than comparing width, look at the design. Seems like the deeper V would give more control for backtrolling. Would be interested in hearing from others who have a lot more experience than me.

[REW]

Without a doubt -- go with the wider boat.
Take 9 inches, and multiply that by 16 feet -
You end up with almost 10 more square feet of fishing room.
That is a LOT of extra room.

I think that the extra width will be enjoyed by everyone that comes to fish with you.

I have several friends with the exact boat that you are thinking about buying - they do a lot of backtrolling, and are very pleased with the performance.

Wide - is good - wide is stable - and with the right chine and splash rails - wide is drier.

Take care
REW

[mezmorized by marble eyez]

I know guys love to rant and rave about thier glass boats, but when you look at beams, it seems like the aluminums are the best bet. Im so used to the huge footprint of my 16 footer, it will be hard to find an affordable glass boat that has a beam thats close. I was looking at the Ranger 617....but the 86.5" beam turned me off. I also dont like how wide the gunwhales on glass boats are...if you look at a Triton or Ranger, it seems like 24" of beam is gunwhale. My gunwhales on my Crestliner are about 2-3" wide.

Its just my opinion, but Id rather have a wider aluminum than a skinnier glass. Now guys are going to say...the Ranger 620 is 94.5".....but it's also about 35+ grand! Get the widest boat you can afford, I know you'll be happy you did.

[work2fish]

Everyone,

Comfort notwithstanding, disadvantages of wide boats are apparent when they're out of the water: storage and trailering. Many roads are narrow and so a boat that is 9 or 10 feet wide on a trailer can be a bear to maneuver under certain circumstances (for example no shoulder, bicycles in your lane, oncoming traffic). Same issue for storage in a standard driveway/garage. Having said that, my new boat is 9.5' wide and so I admit I'm still learning how to deal with this... Is this an issue for others?

Regards,
work2fish

[RO]

I have a 1675 SS w/ 90 Honda. I love the width. My next boat will have a 90" beam or wider. It's a great boat to fish from. Very stable and room for 3, add the Honda 90 and you have a awesome package.

RO

[hawg]

iadave- i have that boat w/ 60 4 stk merc. only change i might make is to the 75,but not sure of that. its a great boat. you will love the width. dont let anyone convince you otherwise.

[ejh]

The widest a trailerable boat can be is 8.5 feet. Anything wider would need to have an oversize permit (at least in Minnesota).

[Jigging 5]

Go Wide!!!!

[IaDave]

Thanks for all your advice. Because of the storage problems I have to go with the 1650 tiller with a 40HP. I'm glad someone mentioned that otherwise I might have bought a boat that I couldn't store anywhere and it would of had an undersized motor. You guys saved me spending alot of cash on something that would be just a big headache. Thanks again for helping out this rookie.

[Husky]

Be sure to measure the width of the entire RIG, including the trailer. I have seen narrow beam boats with trailers that place the tires/fenders on the outside of the boat. The result is the rig takes up the same width as a wider beam boat where they design the trailer so the wheels and tires are situated within the gunnel width.
My boat is 94.5 wide yet the entire width of the boat and trailer is 96inches.

So measure first, that wider beam boat may not take up as much space as you think!

[work2fish]

Sorry guys,

My measurement was incorrect, don't know what I was smokin'. My boat is 8.5' wide, 23' long on the trailer...

work2fish

[Fishtail]

It depends on what you want- a wider boat has more room for storage and open floor space. A narrower boat will ride better, because the running surface is less. Most boat manufactures and evidently buyers think wide is good, I however like a narrower boat that rides better.
Fishtail

[mezmorized by marble eyes]

if you're going with a 1650 Fishhawk Tiller and are putting a 40 on it...you are undersizing the power plant by quite a bit....I believe max is a 60. I have a 50 and with I had bigger.

[RVRRAT]

I agree with fishtale!