Posts: 433
Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin | I would guess a 300 would run about 20 mph faster than a 200 on the same hull. As said before a 200 on any hull rated for 300 hp would be woefully underpowered. I thought the rule of thumb is 5hp per mile an hour increase once you get to 40 or so mph.
If you need a 300 you are pushing a huge musky boat and it won't be bassboat fast because of the weight (five batteries or more, 60 gal of gas or more, kicker and trolling motors. It would probably suck at least 50% more fuel than a 200hp rig because you would be throttled up to keep that big heavy boat moving.
If you can afford a boat that can carry a 300 and have one on the transom you obviously have enough money that gas prices aren't important, neither is fuel consumption, so that shouldn't be a factor.
Fished from a bass boat and I sure wouldn't buy one for my fishing. You get out in fall with snow on the deck and that 1" high gunnel rise between you on the deck and the lake isn't too impressive. Most important as stated before, pretty much not designed for trolling, no place to hang a kicker, and no room in back to run rod holders. If all you do is cast, OK, they are serviceable, but still, other than going fast, not near versatile enough for me, especially on bigger water.
If you do get a higher hp rig and fish alone one console is enough but if you have a fishing buddy that you want to keep, get a dual console. Freezing your butt off or getting soaked or pounded with hail out in the open isn't much fun. Also getting pasted with bugs running in at night isn't too much fun either.
Only you can decide if you want a big open water boat, a small lakes boat or a compromise. I took a compromise because I do the extremes very rarely. Take a look at the Tuffy X-190 and see what a nice compromise musky boat floor plan looks like, huge front deck for laying rods down, room in back for running the kicker and rod holders, 60mph rig with 200hp, fishes three easily, and won't scare you to death trying to get back in if the wind kicks up 4 footers. It's not a big water boat, not a small water boat, but a nice compromise. There are many boats to chose from and each has its strong points so carefully define the needs of your fishing and look at boats to satisfy those needs first, then worry about other options. |
