Tiller, good or bad choice for 2-3 foot waves

[Jason T]

Just curious if a 19-20 tiller would be alright in 3-4 footers or am i gonna get soaked. Could you got very fast in 2-4 footers.

[BT]

You will get soaked, but it is great. Also the driver seems to get less soaked than the passenger. If boat control is important, get a tiller...BT

[spartan]

You won't necessarily get wet. Depends on the hull design (spray rails), the size of boat, your speed, and which angle you are heading in relation to the waves.

Yes, if there is spray coming up into the boat, the tiller area will be a wet ride when compared to a console/windshield. I personally think the decision is between a full windshield and tiller. I don't think the small consoles do much but take up valuable fishing space.

[Dodge1]

A 19-20’ tiller would be fine for 3-4’ waves but you’ll need a set of good rain gear.

You can go as fast as your back and filling will allow and depending on your rigs ability to span the waves, faster can sometime provide a smother/dryer ride. Just use a good healthy dose of common sense and you’ll be OK.

FYI, I personally throttle back and take it easy when the going gets rough. So it takes a little a longer to get where I’m going but my back, boat and passengers are more important to me then saving a little time.

[Jason T]

Thanks for the info.
I was also woundering if 1998 Mr. Walleye Tiller with 125 mercury for 12,500 is a good deal.

[Dodge1]

I’m not familiar with what that rigs worth but you can get a rough idea at http://www.nadaguides.com/. Don’t forget to add for the trailer, motor and all the gear but a boats condition is ‘extremely’ important in determining its true price. BTW, it’s not uncommon for a real “cherry” outfit to sell well over NADA.

If the boats being sold by a private party, I’d suggest you spend the $’s to have a dealer check everything over and have them take it out for a test run. If a reputable dealer is selling the boat, they should have already done a compression check etc. and have that information readily available for you to examine.

[rebelrn2001]

I have a Pro-V 1775 tiller. I do get more wet than if I had a console. BUT, you should also consider that you will have a smoother ride in the stern than if you are up 6-8 feet further towards the bow. My wife can attest to that!!! Ha ha, I keep telling her to try and learn how to drive the thing (IF I HAVE A HEART ATTACK OUT ON THE WATER) but she doesn't want to (MAYBE SHE WANTS ME TO HAVE THE BIG ONE!??!--OH WELL-THERE ARE WORSE WAYS TO DIE)

[ConsoleGuy]

I just bought a dual console wind screen boat. I have tried all 4 types of boats (tiller, single windscreen, dual windscreen, and full windshield) and fished a lot out of all 4.

The full windshield DOES offer the most protection, but it sure got in the way for netting fish if there is someone fishing from that front deck. Also, in hot weather it robbed us of a cooling breeze while motoring from one hole to another. If I fished ONLY bad weather and made long runs the full windshield would be my choice.

If I were to make ONLY short runs and cast cranks a lot, the tiller would be my choice. However, I make long runs and cast cranks only occasionally and for me the tiller was a real pain in the neck.

Personally, I would prefer even a single console boat over either a WTW or tiller for all-around use. However, if I fished with a partner most of the time I would choose the dual console windscreen boat for all-around use.

I bought our new dual windscreen because I wanted my wife to have a console in bad weather even though she kept insisting our single console was fine. Well, I had the boat out yesterday in 55 degree weather and my wife was with me. We were breaking in the motor on the new rig. I had her sit between the consoles at about 35 mph (top speed on our old boat) and told her "This is how it USED to be for you when we had that single console boat -- do you prefer to be 'in the wind' or back behind your console?" She laughed and sat back behind her console in a hurry.

I then drove the boat in circles to create waves (there were zero other people on the water) and quartered some of the bigger ones. She DID get some spray but her curved windscreen took 90 percent of it. She looked at me and said "I would have been DRENCHED without that screen ... I sure like this." I just smiled and added "husband points" to my list.

The dual windscreens appear to let in enough air to help us cool off in hot weather, too.

Hope this helps.