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Posts: 7040
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Getting a little itchy to replace my 2007 Tuffy I stole from Mr. Worrall.
Any suggestions? I'd love to go to an 18 or 20'er but my garage stubbornly refruses to grow regardless of how many kayaks, boats, rods and reels lin it....so stuck at 17"
And NO, not going to buy a 10-20 yr old boat that is no longer made because the layout is perfect. Already have that and thiking of going newer versus retooling my boat, again. |
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Posts: 353
Location: Western U.P. | There doesn't seem to be very many options for new 17' Glass boats anymore. I believe there are some 17' Bass Boats still made (Nitro for one), and some Center Console/Bay Boats still available in 17'. For Muskies, your options may be Tuffy, or Tuffy, unless I've missed somebody. I had to go old for my glass 17.5' Javelin. Good luck with your search. |
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Posts: 1268
Location: E. Tenn | Kinda hard to beat a Tuffy E Mag within the parameters you described...
Down here Carolina skiffs and Boston Whalers aren't uncommon, but I never really seriously checked them out.. |
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Posts: 7040
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | miket55 - 8/5/2024 9:47 PM
Kinda hard to beat a Tuffy E Mag within the parameters you described...
Down here Carolina skiffs and Boston Whalers aren't uncommon, but I never really seriously checked them out..
eMag is a great boat, unfortunately I like to have the ability to fish Lake Michigan a few times a year.....es no bueno in eMag!!!
Kinda considering another Tuffy....but but but... |
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| Slamr - 8/6/2024 8:33 AM
miket55 - 8/5/2024 9:47 PM
Kinda hard to beat a Tuffy E Mag within the parameters you described...
Down here Carolina skiffs and Boston Whalers aren't uncommon, but I never really seriously checked them out..
eMag is a great boat, unfortunately I like to have the ability to fish Lake Michigan a few times a year.....es no bueno in eMag!!!
Kinda considering another Tuffy....but but but...
Not sure why, but one of the dealers in the northwoods had a Carolina Skiff for sale early this year. From the pics, deep v and I understand they use those in coastal waters that can get rough. |
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Posts: 7040
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Hadnt thought of going that direction....thanks!
*and answer your PM! |
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Posts: 353
Location: Western U.P. | Center Consoles/Bay Boats are a solid fishing platform, and usually pretty well built for Ocean use. I see a lot of them on Chequamegon Bay (Lake Superior). |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Whaler is a heck of a boat, really well built. Website insinuates they build a 17' side console. |
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Posts: 639
Location: Duluth | CC are cool but lack cockpit space needed for trolling, plus all the passengers need full foulies if you are doing a long run.
Tough to find a glass SC or Walk Through in your size range. Glass really makes it tough. 17 foot Whaler Montauk wouldn't be awful but would still require some modification. Not going to bash any builders here but there is a significant gap in ride and quality between Carolina Skiff and BW. |
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| CincySkeez - 8/6/2024 3:50 PM
CC are cool but lack cockpit space needed for trolling, plus all the passengers need full foulies if you are doing a long run.
Tough to find a glass SC or Walk Through in your size range. Glass really makes it tough. 17 foot Whaler Montauk wouldn't be awful but would still require some modification. Not going to bash any builders here but there is a significant gap in ride and quality between Carolina Skiff and BW.
Is there also a big difference in price? Been a long time since I have seen a whaler for sale. |
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Posts: 752
| If you done mind a tiller this is a great option... John has been making them since 2012. Anyone I have talked to that owns one or its predecessor...the Back Troller never had a bad thing to say about them.... https://www.crucialboats.com/
Edited by Mojo1269 8/7/2024 3:41 PM
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Posts: 619
Location: Bloomington, MN | Not that I've looked in the last 8 years, but there is no Tuffy Boats web page. Are they gone? |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Don't think so, they probably just didn't take care of securing the domain name. Now they'd have to buy it back. It seems they might have a dealer now, Badger Marine.
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Mojo1269 - 8/7/2024 3:38 PM
If you done mind a tiller this is a great option... John has been making them since 2012. Anyone I have talked to that owns one or its predecessor...the Back Troller never had a bad thing to say about them.... https://www.crucialboats.com/
I looked one over a few years ago, nice ride for sure. |
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Posts: 291
Location: Minneapolis | The web site is gone; it was active a year ago. The FB group is still active: https://www.facebook.com/tuffyboats/
I had the same 17' foot garage limitation, so I went with Tuffy. Put money down in April 2022 and picked it up in August 2023. Love the boat; didn't love the process as much. |
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Best 17' Fiberglass for Muskies