Fiberglass tiller

[locomoto]

REW - I hear what you're saying about the gas kicker. I've been plagued by a dead battery that wouldn't turn the big motor at the launch. Thanks to my kicker I still put fish in the boat. As far as the HP restriction on tillers is concerned I should just get a 20fter and not worry about it.

Kdawg-You are right on being able to get fancy with angling in the garage. I am certain with a little outside the box engineering I can make a big boat fit. My last resort would be building a ramp in the garage to park the boat on. The leg of a right triangle is always the longest side.

[David Anderson]

Both the Skeeter and the Ranger make a great 20 footer and paired with a 115 hp you get the best of 2worlds. 35 - 37mph and the ability to troll down slow enough to eliminate the need for the extra kicker. 4 years ago I was hot on moving up to a 150 tiller however realizing that getting somewhere 3 minutes faster was not a substitute for the forward and back trolling capabilities of the 115's. Although an 18 foot tiller will give you more room, you are essentially in the same class of boat that you have. The move to that extra 1 1/2 - 2 feet makes a big difference, worth considering. Although I run Ranger, I believe you can get into that 20 foot Skeeter for about the same price as an 18 foot Ranger.

[Tim_Kelly]

Most of the boats in the tuffy range are available in tiller format.

[northernbite]

I have "Dave from Walker" 175 Opti on his old to him, new to me 2010 Pro Guide. I use the Pro Kicker all the time. The electric that is on the back never gets used. When Dave had it he used it all the time. I do fish Lake Erie and that makes a differant, I want that secound motor out there. The bottom line it is the way you fish that will deciding factor as what you use for motor. By the way this boat will do 47 with other people in boat. I run about 32 most of the time.

Paul

[eye4aneye]

IMO, the 90hp restriction is a serious hindrance to the current 18' glass tillers. It's too bad that Warrior isn't around anymore to make the 1890 with the 140 hp max. If you fish bigger waters, the difference between 35 and 45mph gets a little more important every time you go fishing.

If I were looking at 18' tillers, a used Warrior 1890 with a 140 Suzy would be tops on my wish list... a 115 Yamaha or Merc 4 stroke wouldn't be bad either. Hopefully a design that allows for more HP on the 18 footers isn't far away.

[locomoto]

I looked at a 2009 Skeeter WX1790T (Yamaha 75) and a 2010 Ranger 618T (E-Tec 90) today. Both boats were really nice. Of those two boats the hull design on the Ranger really caught my eye. It looks like that thing could cut waves like a hot knife through butter. The Ranger dealer offered to let me take the boat out on the water whenever I had time. I think next week when I have a day off I will take him up on that offer. I really am glad I got to see those boats in person. Even though my current boat is in the 18 ft class I have no doubts whatsoever that either of those boats would handle rough water better than my current rig.
I'm still waiting patiently for a Yar-Craft catalog. I can't seem to find a Yar-Craft or Tuffy dealer nearby that has either respective brand on hand so I may try a trip to each factory for a look as they are both not too far away.