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Posts: 117
| Looking at a (distant) boat purchase, and I'm having a hard time seeing some of these boats, as there are extremely few for sale anywhere close. One of the complaints I have on my current boat (lund mr pike 17) is the height of the gunwales above the front casting deck and the size of the casting deck. I really want lower gunwales and longer deck so I can lay rods down flat on the front deck without hanging over the gunwale and make short flip/pitch casts without hitting the gunwale, console or the trolling motor. A bassboat is a strong possibility, but I'd rather have a bit drier, smoother ride when it gets choppy.
Anyone who is inclined, would you measure the height of your gunwales above your front casting deck, and the usable angled deck length where you would lay down a couple rods, and if you have a single or dual console? I'm especially interested to hear from owners of older ranger 17-18' fisherman boats, tuffy x190 and deep v g-series boats, champion fish hunter, and other mid-sized boats of this type.
Thanks! |
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Posts: 163
Location: lake st clair michigan | i have a 13 tuffy 1760 osprey dual console w/t 12.5'' (deck to gunwale) and 82 '' of front deck surface |
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Posts: 117
| Thanks! Do you have the capped gunwales or a g-series boat? |
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Posts: 131
Location: Lake St. Clair | I have a 2012 X190 and it is awesome! I primarily fish Lake St. Clair and the boat is great in big water. Very fishable in up to 3 footers and you will stay dry. They front deck is HUGE! You can very easily have 2 guys fishing off the front deck on the same side of the boat. I have mostly 9' rods and they lay on the deck pretty well. With the butt ends against the front of the deck, they will lay right next to the windshield at the tips. It is a single console. which I love. A console doesn't take up that much space, but it is nice not to have it there for open area purposes. Also much easier getting from the back of the boat to the front with the net and not getting hung up on something. I would strongly recommend this boat. I am running a 200 opti and the boat flies! between 3500-4000 rpm it will run about 38-40 mph. Mind you that is not pushing it at all. Top end is right around 60 mph depending on the load. 3 guys, gas, gear, etc you can get to about 57 mph. The gunwales are not low like a bass boat and that is a nice thing to have. They are low enough that they are out of the way but tall enough to keep the water out and make you feel like you are not going into the drink! I added whitecap splashguards on the back, and they are a nice addition to keep some of the extra water out on rough days. The best part of all, Tuffy is a great company and their customer service is top notch! Overall, it is a great, durable boat. The perfect muskie machine in my opinion! If you have any other questions, I am happy to answer them. PM me or post them here! Good Luck! |
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Posts: 117
| Great info, thanks! Do you mind measuring the gunwale height off the deck when you get a chance? The boat is high on my list to check out, but I don't think there's one within an 18 hour drive of me, so info is hard to come by. |
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Posts: 163
Location: lake st clair michigan | capped |
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Posts: 1168
| What year is your Mr. Pike? I have one, it's a bit older but I don't have the problems you speak of. Maybe I'm just taller than you are or you're a midget but regardless of that I still use 8ft plus length rods. |
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Posts: 247
Location: Uxbridge Ontario | Check out the Lund Predators. I run a Predator 2010 and I think they are like 5" above the deck. Very much like a bassboat, but with a mod V hull.
the 1810 is similar, but much smaller. |
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Posts: 117
| Midget...maybe, but only if you hang out with some majorly corn-fed types. I'm 6'3" tall. My boat is an 03, gunwales are 10.5 inches off the deck. The gunwale height is only a problem if I'm flipping (I bass fish a lot too). Underhand casting, pitching, it's easy to hit a rod tip or a lure on the head of the trolling motor, on the console, or on the rod tips laying over the gunwale though. Most of my rods are 7-7.5 ft.
Predator gunwales are 7.5 inches according to the lund catalog. |
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Location: Not far enough north! | 1760 gt 8-9 inches depending on where you are in the boat |
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Posts: 1168
| The year thing makes more sense. By that time they went to the side loading rod storage in the gunwale so those are wider. Personally I hate that design. Mine is older with the top loading boxes that are the same height as the deck so my rods not in use can just be set on top of those. Longer rods don't fit inside of them anyway.
Still don't have an issue flipping baits past the trolling motor. You just swing them out a touch farther and implement more of a side arm into it and problem solved. Since I put an ipilot on my boat I fish from the back about 90% of the time and still really don't run into issues with the side height becoming a pain. |
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Posts: 267
| I have a an older Ranger 680c Fisherman and the gunwhale up front is about 6 - 8" above the front deck. There is not enough room to place musky rods fully on the front deck but this model has long side decks on both sides which I place my rods on top of and where they are easily accessible from up front. This boat only has a 7'6" rod locker however. The few year newer 681's have longer rod lockers I believe (and of course the newer larger Fishermen's do as well.) |
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Posts: 131
Location: Lake St. Clair | I would say that the X-190 gunwales are about 8" or so above the deck. This was a big plus when I was looking at a new rig. I also didn't want a bass boat type setup being that I am on big water 90% of the time. Tuffy's are hard to find depending on where you are. I haven't seen another Tuffy on LSC besides Berman or Hulbert in the last 3 years. Despite the drive it may take to find one, I would strongly recommend it. |
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Posts: 89
| Get a bass boat, My legend is extremely smooth and dry. I dont know were you are located but if it isn't to far you could look at it and I could take you for a ride. Plus I can fit 9 1/2 to 10 ft rods it |
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Posts: 117
| Most of you guys arent very close, im in Northwestern Vermont...but if you ever make it up to champlain to bass fish or chase the elusive Chazy river/Otter creek/mississquoi muskies id take you up on it in a heartbeat. |
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