Posts: 32885
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | That 'lip' is a structural portion of the boat/deck, that's why it is there. As I said, the room up there under the deck is for a couple vests or the like; that's all it's supposed to be. The Esox is 'made for a bow mount', and now has a small front deck cap for that purpose as you can see in the photo above. Before that addition, Tuffy offered an aluminum plate to mount the motor to. As I said, I fished that hull for years, had my base on the very back of the deck, and found it quite comfortable. I use a Pro Pole and Bike Seat up there...plenty of room. Most folks DO check out the rig first, and there are quite a few sold every year despite Tuffy trying to discontinue the boat for years.
The 'half base' I was referring to is a part you can buy from Tuffy, not a base cut in half. Give them a call, you can order it from Laurie and have it shipped to your door. It will give you several inches more room in front of the pedestal.
It sounds to me like you needed to find an Esox LTD. That boat is 17', has a larger deck, and has storage in the bow. It won't be a problem selling your Roustabout; they are hard to find 'used' and in demand.
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