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Posts: 346
| Never fished from a bass boats. Found a sweet deal on 17' 2001 Javelin with a 115 Merc. 8' Beam I believe. Used responsibly, how would this boat handle big/rough water?
Thanks,
MJB |
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Location: Hayward WI | One thing that will happen if it's a true "bass" style boat, is that you will take larger waves over the bow when fishing. In my neighbors boat we've never taken enough water on to concern me, just enough to soak the front gear in the storage compartment.
As you said, used responsibly, the boat will be fine! |
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Posts: 3926
| I heard of some guys who took thier bass boat out a river into Lake Michigan. It was a calm day wind-wise but there were some swells. At one point, they were tooling along when the boat somehow plowed straight into a swell, the front of the boat didn't rise as they expected, and the boat was immediately swamped.
Just a story I heard.
ANY water coming over the bow or the transom would concern me. But then, I don't like swimming much. |
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Posts: 326
Location: Plainfield IL | I run a 201 Champion 20'1" and have taken it on Leech, Cass and Lake Michigan having no problems. The boat has seen 4-6ft rollers on all 3 of those lakes. Yes it is un-nerving, but running responsible we had no problem. There are no fishing boats I know that can handle 4-6ft's in comfort. I have a friend that Runs a 519 (20 ft)Ranger on the same lakes with the same results. You wont be running hot in big waves. 17ft might be a little short, but ask around.
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Posts: 259
Location: Alexandria, MN | Rinning Hot nailed it -- Bass Boats will run the big water, but short ones will be a problem.
If you 19' or more you will be fine. Those 17 footers are two short and bow dipping will be a problem.
Good Luck Boat Hunting.
Steve |
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Posts: 103
Location: Illinoise | I was up on Cass Lake last September and my 18' Nitro handled some pretty rough water really well. It seeems to me the fiberglass boats ride higher in the water and give a real nice ride. |
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Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | If you're like most fishermen then getting wet on rough water won't be a concern...and I guarantee, you WILL get wet in a bass boat. Having said that, there are certain models that have a reputation for performing well on rough water but are 20-21'er's. The ability to reach out to the next swell really makes a difference. And a motor that's hearty enough to get you up on plane quickly. I've been told by my dad and uncles that their Stratos 201Pro will really keep you dry compared to most. The hull design and length are the reason. Get what you can afford and be responsible. Then get a larger boat later and make your trips a little more adventurous. Good luck!
Edited by stephendawg 6/5/2003 8:32 AM
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Posts: 167
Location: IL | That Javalin aint going to cut it in the ruff stuff. If you really want the best bass boat for rough water buy a Gambler. If you only fish big water a few times a year most 21 foot bass boats will work.
Edited by mskyfin69 6/4/2003 10:34 PM
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | Everyone has an opinion about boats so I'm sure you'll find no shortage here. I also run a bass boat at 19ft which has been on some fairly big water without much problem if driven responsibly. You cannot expect to go plowing through waves or skip over them if they are large. That said I also believe you are nearly as apt to get wet in a big old Lund tug boat as you are in a 20ft bass boat in rough water, especially if you are not clipping waves directly head on. IMHO No boat is totally dry in rough water.
Edited by Luke_Chinewalker 6/4/2003 10:36 PM
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Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | Yeah, what Luke said.... It's not a matter of keeping dry so much as the safety issues anyway. My 19' deep-vee has a 125 on it with the console way up front. On a windy day you'll still get spray across the bow. But it is safer on rough water.
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| Cool boat and picture setting Dawg. One could almost see Laura running through the fields in the background; a modern day "Little House on the Prairie"!  |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Ditto on the Gambler, it does pretty good in the chop. And, (please don't take this wrong) maybe Ranger isn't the best person to take advice from on rough water safety. Read his post from last weekend! hee hee. It really depends a lot on what kind of water you'll be fishing the most. I still don't plan to take the Gambler on Lake Erie, but many folks do, and small craft, too. m |
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Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | Sponge, If you saw the rest of the setting on this farm you'd really think, "Little House on the Praire"! It's at my in-laws and just to the left of the boat is a barn that's over 100 years old and a house to go with it. A really beautiful place. My question is, "Why is this boat in the barn lot and not in the water?" |
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| Keep it in the family dude, 'cause places such as that are quickly disappearing! We spent 30 years in a house built in 1855, and all the land behind the house now is developed; fields used to be chock full of quail, foxes, deer, etc., but the only wildlife there now are the "cool cats" zipping around in their SUVs trying to keep up w/ each other...am I off topic yet again? |
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Posts: 3926
| It's true, Cornbread (Mikie) is right, my safety record is not all that great. Your post just reminded me of a tale I had heard. Listen to those who have the hands-on experience, there are plenty on this site. |
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Posts: 346
| I did a little research, and along with the muskie first folks, even the southern bass guys said that it would be extremely limited on big water. I think I'll just go with a Tuffy 1760T Esox Deep-V. Anyone have any opinions on a 70HP Suzuki?
Thanks,
MJB |
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Posts: 696
Location: Northern Illinois | We have a R72 Sport Ranger and we've had it out on Lake Michigan. The weather really got bad and my uncle was smart in his boat to just go slow near the shore. We were in 6-8 foot waves easy and the boat seemed to handle it pretty well. We definitely got wet and it felt like a roller coaster ride. You could hear the prop as the boat hit each wave which propelled it through the air each time we hit one. I wouldn't recommend it but you could handle the calm days in my opinion. |
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Posts: 44
| A 17' Ranger in 6-8 foot waves? I fished a lot of different water in a Bass boat over the past twenty years and I can tell you straight up, you would swamp that 17' boat on the first wave, period. It's irresponsible to even tell someone a story like that. As far as the Javelin goes, a 17' boat has it's place, however it's not for rough water and certainly not for the Great Lakes. Javelins have a tendency to stress crack around the transom quite a bit. I have seen a few that really look bad after a few years. If your going to fish large lakes and want a Bass boat, a Champion is probably the best riding hull in rough water. Most people have a tendancy to overstate the size of waves. A 3 foot wave when your out on a large lake will look very big to a person. I was out on lake Michigan in 8 footers in a 34' charter boat and we had to stay inside the cabin until we got behind a island for protection. The waves were coming over the back deck one right after another. This is just my opinion, but I would not buy a Javelin Bass boat. |
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| Living near (Manitowoc WI) and fishing Lake Michigan all of my life, my recommendation is to not use a bass boat on big water. But if you must, stay very near a harbour as the waves can come up in a hurry.
The power of those rollers on Lake Michigan behooves you to use a boat with a narrow-hull high riding bow. |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I had a 1760 last year. It was extremely limited for space( two man boat) and didn't take a net or third angler well at all.If you opt for a 1760 Tuffy, it should be a tiller. My 1760 C was slow for a 17 1/2' boat powered with a 150, only about 50, and was not good in the big stuff at all. The hull has a tendency to 'fish tail' with a 150, something the Osprey didn't do. If you want a Tuffy, look at the 1900 Esox Deep V. That is a GREAT big water rig. |
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| As far as bass boats, Bass Cat and Champion are probably the best on the market for rough water. I run a 20ft Bass Cat Cougar and this rig is awesome in rough water. As far as a 17ft Javelin, I would take it easy and fish smaller lakes in the wind. I once ran a 17ft Skeeter and that thing would kick the crap out of you in anything over 2footers. |
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Posts: 335
Location: Orland Park | Well, Runnin Hot is right. Driver responsibility. I have a Ranger 519 DVS and it handles quite well in rough water. Been on Cass in several storms, and got caught out on Leech a few times....5 footers on Leech. I'll tell you what, it wasn't easy trying to get home. I caught a few waves the wrong way, and I thought the boat was going to split in two. Who cares about getting wet..... that's why we all have rain gear in our boats. I bought the 519 because it's close to the water, it FLIES, and it's simply an unbelievable boat. Fishing isn't that important to me in 4,5,6 footers. I'd rather stay in the lodge and have a couple Captains. Casting is no fun in big waves, no matter what kind of boat you're in. |
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Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | Yeah, but like most musky nuts you're gonna be faced with a windy day where a wind blown point is saying, "Musky in here! Musky in here!" and you're gonna wish you could fish it safely. I only wish that the first time I heard those voices I'd have had a boat that could handle those conditions. I waited for 3 years till I found the boat I have now. Used and well cared for it was $8000 bucks. Worth the wait? It was hard at times but...YES! Either buy what you can afford and fish wisely or buy what will meet your demands and uh,.....still fish wisely (but on bigger rougher water). |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I spent the weekend on Winnebago ( a HUGE lake in Wisconsin very similar to Mille Lacs in ability to 'kick up' in the wind) fishing the Merc National. There were 300 boats in the event, and not one was a bass boat, despite the fact there are many bass rigs sold in the area. Deep V models ruled the field, and believe it or not, a very large percentage were fiberglass. The reason for the deep V models? On many days a 20' bass boat would be fine out there. The problem is most are not set up for trolling, which many anglers do out there, and the lake can kick up to as much as 3' with only 10-15 MPH winds. A 20 MPH wind makes for very rough conditions indeed, and many of the runs one might take are as much as 10 miles. Yesterday, a wall cloud and tornado went through the center of the lake while we were still fishing. Bill and I had run from it two times, moving 21 miles in the process, so we had a decent ride into the harbor, but some ran the entire system in the storm, something a bass boat wouldn't be suited for at all. Mr Bluegill has some incredible shots of a warterspout out there yesterday, it was NASTY! Simply put, if you are not going to troll, you usually fish two, big water (over 4000 acres) is fished rarely, and you don't mind having to select the water you fish by the winds, a bass rig under 20' works fine. Bass rigs are set up for stand up fishing, so are well suited for muskies. BUT! There was a very good reason Ranger, Champion, Fisher, Tracker, Stratos, Javelin, and other companies located in the heart of Bass country built deep V models like the ones Tuffy and Yar Craft pioneered. Regiional and other national and saltwater companies have joined the market, too, including Patriot, Warrior, and others like Starcraft and Pro Craft, who have given up on their V projects due to limited sales. Deep V models now are engineered to run fast.I can run 57 GPS trimmed down down in 2 footers comfortably and mid sixties with 55 gallons fuel, full livewells, gear, 4 batteries, a 4 stroke kicker, and two anglers onboard trimmed up. Even in the 2 to 3's we ran yesterday, I was able to run 63 with good comfort, plenty fast enough for any motor jockey. I spoke to a 620 Ranger owner running the same motor I have, a Mercury OptiMax 250 XS. He said he was running about 60 to 61 tops. ZOOM! Many bass anglers here in the mid west are opting for the models like the Ranger 618, 619 or 620, Patriot 1710 or2050, Champion Fishhunter, and Tuffy Esox Deep V 1760 or 1990, all models that can be purchased with a factory installed rear deck and side by side seating. Bass interiors in a deep V, ideal muskie rigs, but with a place for the tackle and NET, a big problem in smaller bass rigs. Owning a Deep V allows one to fish anywhere, anytime, with little compromise. The models starting at 17' 6" and peaking at 20' or a bit more are what one needs if in the big stuff alot. I have owned several Skeeter Bass rigs up to 19', and will opt for the deep v for sure because of the areas I find myself fishing, and the versalitility of the rig. |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | As an experiment, take a tape measure and pull out 36" of tape. Set it next to your leg, and see where the 36" mark his you. THAT is a 3 foot wave. It is easty to misguess wave height, that is for sure. |
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot |
Edited by Muskie Treats 6/9/2003 9:52 AM
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | I have to agree that there are a few times where a deep v will be necessary, but for the vast majority of the conditions your going to be fishing a bass boat is just fine. Steve Cady and I were out in his Procraft 190SP in 2-4'ers on Mille Lac and it absolutely BLEW through them! We raced a big Lund 2 miles back to the landing and we were out of the water before the Lund made it into the harbor. Even with the boat completely out of the water, we didn't have any bone crunching hits. I would even go so far as to say it's smoother then the Ranger 619's I've been in.
With the hulls bass boats have now, I don't ever see the need to go deep V. Trolling would be the only downfall, but they're not too bad depending on the setup you run.
The way I look at it, if I've got to go through 5' plus waves to fish, I'd probably have more fun in the bar  |
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