Posts: 7038
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | I ran a 1700 for a year, so maybe I can answer some of your questions:
Is there any difference between the Osprey and the Esox other than the rear casting deck? Ive already learned that I can place a deck in an Osprey for around 800$
*yes and yes. I had the back deck extension, very nice. I liked it not only to give the fisherman or wife in the back more room to stand on while fishing, or to lay on while reading, but it makes for a great place for storage for those items you will not be reaching for on a consistent basis. Things like life vests, fire extinguisher, tool kits were nicely hidden in the two compartments that the back deck comes with.
Can three fish comfortably out of a 1700?
*yes...and no. three reasonably sized men and/or women who carry a normal to minimal amount of stuff will fish out of the boat comfortably. three large men, with gear, dressed in heavy winter clothes will not. remember, the boat is only 16'10", so if you have that back deck extension, you are going to need to stow the majority of your baits and gear in the compartments. the compartments will hold a ton of stuff, but when you have 3 large lakewoods, and someone's extra cooler, you're going to run out of cockpit space. in terms of standing and casting, yes there is room for three.
How fast would a 115 or 135 push push it?
*i won't put a number on it, but fast to very fast would be accurate. i ran a 90hp 4-stroke suzi on mine and it would hit 36mph or so with a passanger with me. the 90 suzi is known as somewhat of a dog on top end speed, but i've seen a 1700 with a 135hp go full speed across the lake....very fast.
My old bass boat can go into a couple feet of water can a 1700 do that?
*yes. i could float mine in a foot and a half of water.
Last question, my old champion handled waves and wind while trolling with complete ease and I have fished out of several aluminum v-hull boats (Lund and Lowe) in similar condidtion and I could not keep the boat where i wanted it because it was lighter and becasue the sides where taller and caught the wind more. My question is, will the same thing happen in a 1700 since it sticks out of the water a little more letting the wind catch it and make it hard to troll or does the added weight of fiberglass help keep it from drifting?
*a 1700 does not actually have very high sides when sitting in the water. i'm attaching a picture of two of us fishing from a couple years ago, and you'll see that there really isn't as much high-sided freeboard as you would imagine from looking at one on the trailer. i trolled mine on Lake Michigan, and though I didnt fish in anything larger than 2' well-spaced big lake waves, i did not find that i either got wet while trolling, nor did i get blown around by the wind. on smaller lakes, when the wind whipped up, i could get up on plane and ride over the waves. very dry ride.
And, the reason I no longer run a 1700...I moved up to a 1760!
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