I have been told here on Sam Rayburn or any TX lake, you need a fast boat to get up and out before weather gets ya. I have a deep/wide Lund tin boat, and a tiller at that. It is a 2003 Lund Pro Angler 16 with a 60 hp Merc 4 stroke EFI. It runs 27 gps. So I need to trade in/sell my Lund and get a fast bass boat, at least 20' and at least 225 hp. What is your experience?

I just fish, no tournaments. I have been in some bad weather in my Lund, always make it back OK. I like to fish for LMB, crappie and whites/stripers/hybrids.

I have to say that on a lot of lakes you need to be able to out run a storm ONLY if you do not know it is coming. Your boat, while not the fastest and pretty short, can handle most of the weather out there if properly handled. Heck, even 32' boats get into trouble if they are not handled right. The best thing you could do is get a weather radio and take it with you. Look at the forecast before you leave the house, and leave the water before it gets too bad for you to handle.
I fished out of a 17' Bass Tracker for a couple years. This boat DID NOT handle rough water that well. But I fished it with no major safety concerns. The key is to get off of the water before it gets unsafe.

your boat will be fine. You already know how your boat handles in rough weather/high winds, so, why re-learn.

I think you have a great boat. Lund is hard to beat in an aluminum boat. I would stick with what you have, try it out, and if you decide you need a larger boat, get it then. There is always a market for a Lund boat.

Thanks for the responses, I will do just that and see how it goes. Need some back trolling walleye boats down there for sure.

Thanks again.

I fish Sam Rayburn most every weekend-
A few times i've been stuborn enough (not stupid mind you)to wait too long so i just hit the nearest cove & road it out -
I don't care if your boat will do a hundred +
It's going to happen- Stick with a boat you know & trust AND LIKE

That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Did they also tell you that nothing will pull a boat off of a boat ramp except a jacked up 4x4 diesel with a superchip? Don't listen to that stupid carp. You have a great boat for any lake in Texas. Check the weather on weather.com or weather bug before you go fishing, if its too windy or if there is a chance for bad weather, don't go. Its really that easy. Don't buy into the notion that you have to have a 21 foot boat with a 250hp motor on it. A smaller boat allows you to fish areas that you cant get to with a big bass boat.

That's interesting, I'll use that excuse next time. Your boat is fine if your happy with it and know its limitations, all boats have limitations and its more of planning and experience than anything. Watch the weather predictions,wind,direction,launch closer to where you want to fish,if bad weather is coming don't take the "one more cast" attitude. Remember boats don't drive themselves or get into situations they can't get out of, people do, be smart and always leave yourself an out

LOL Thanks. I like my boat quite a bit. I guess I heard that "need big fast boat" one too many times, and the last guide trip at Rayburn in April, was what they said was one of the worst for wind. Also the last time I was told you need at least 19'. I did not do any checking just showed up at the ramp at 7am. It came up fast, but not without some notice. It was some get your attention wind action. Something I need to get familiar with.

I could always fish Veach and just run the boat over to my lot if the wind comes up. Veach basin is as big as some of our lakes in NM, I could spend some years fishing that. LOL

There are enough ramps at Rayburn that you should be able to cover most of the lake by just putting in close to where you will be fishing. No tournaments mean you don't need to run 20 miles to fish.

If you don't "do any checking" and "just show up at the ramp" your family is going to need a good insurance policy on you!

I always go to the lake armed with weather forecast and a weather radar bookmarked on my Blackberry.

A deep V boat like you are talking about is fine for bad waves and stuff. Your better off with a boat than can take it if you get stuck than you are having to always rely out running it. There is out running the bad stuff once your stuck in it, and like others have said: sooner or later you are going to get stuck. I have a great example of this myself: On night me and a bud were out fishing for catfish on Palestine. We were up behind some islands, shielded from the main lake, so we didn't realize that the wind had picked up to about 20 out of the south. When it was time to go home we ended up having to go slow through that nasty [censored] all the way across from the west side we were on to the east side of the lake, and then we had to idle up that bank all the way back. Luckily we were in his glass boat and not my boat, because his handled it much better than mine. You think its scary in the day time to be stuck in it, it sucks worse at night. Sorry for the rant, anyway, keep your boat it will serve you well, no reason at all to buy a new one if you like it.

Thanks to everyone, good advice. I have been in some bad stuff, I am very careful when I am the Capt. I am going to have to get familar with the lake. I am getting to be more of a fair weather fisherman in my old age. But since I will be living on the lake I can always fish from my dock or off the point. I will put some brush piles out that I can hit with a minnow and bobber.