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Aluminum boats #11150200 10/07/15 04:41 PM
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GoBears870 Offline OP
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Do any of you fish big North Texas lakes out of a big (20') jon boat, like a Tracker Grizzly or War Eagle? We're looking into getting a "do-all" boat for fishing and duck hunting, but I'm a little concerned the shallow draft on these things would be bad news out on the main lake in the wind looking for whites/hybrids. Thoughts?

Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11150274 10/07/15 05:22 PM
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PKfishin Offline
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Better be careful in a boat like that. There's no foam to keep it up if it fills with water. I have a 175 TXW I use on Possum Kingdom. I had a cigarette boat do a circle around me last year and kick a big wake over my boat. With a foam filled boat you can just flip on the bilge and try to control your language as you watch your boat fill with water.

This spring on Texoma I had a large cabin cruiser come out of Caney Creek while I was fishing on the point in my Sea Eagle Foldcat. I saw some waves coming at me so I turned the boat to face them. As they reached the shallows on that point they went higher and higher until I estimate them at 12 ft. The foldcat is basically a balloon and it went over them, but I figured I was done for when I saw those monster waves. My tracker boat would have been swamped badly.

Be careful if you buy that boat and watch out for idiots because they will not watch out for you or stop to render aide once they swamp you. Stay safe.


John 21:3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee.
Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11150286 10/07/15 05:27 PM
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DU SOUTH5 Offline
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There are several "types" of large aluminum boats out there. I have previously owned an 18'6" war eagle MV Center Console with a 115. The boat was really nice and built very tough. It was overall a good boat. The problem I had was it was almost impossible to fish on days when the wind was 20mph of which we have a lot of here in N Tx. During the spring and fall. I would mostly have to idle once in choppy waters. Now they make even larger CC with deeper Vs such as the Xpress Camo Hyper Bay 22'. A good friend has this boat and it can handle pretty much any thing TWAK can dish out. Down side to that boat is it drafts as much as a glass boat and was nearly 38k$. So your losing the shallow water draft you would get out of more of a Flat bottom or a MV like the war eagle with a 12degree V. War eagle also makes the black hawk with I think a 22degree V cuts the chop a lot better but on the same page you are going to pay for it. It's really tough to find a do it all boat. I saved my pennies for a long time and bought a mud rig and a glass boat the best of both worlds. If you are really trying to do decent with both look at the 860 or 2072 war Eagles, or the same in an Xpress. If you want to get shallow stay away from the deeper Vs as the stumps tend to reek havoc on them more than the flatter 12degree hulls. Also think about horsepower when in shallow water the larger motors are very heavy on an aluminum boat if you have to push.

Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11150287 10/07/15 05:28 PM
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DU SOUTH5 Offline
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War Eagles are foam filled and only since to the gunnels. "They say"

Re: Aluminum boats [Re: DU SOUTH5] #11150386 10/07/15 06:09 PM
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TCK73 Offline
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My cousin has a Lowe 20' aluminum CC boat, its the camo roughneck hunting model, and it will jar the fillings out of your teeth in medium chop, and 2' rollers wear it out. It has some foam, but Im not sure if it is enough to keep it from sinking.

Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11150398 10/07/15 06:16 PM
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I got an excel bay pro 220 a little over 2 months ago. So far I love it and it's handled a pretty good chop really well. It is foam filled. The only major cons I'm noticing are it drifts extremely quick and can be a slightly noisy ride.


Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11150427 10/07/15 06:39 PM
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GoBears870 Offline OP
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Good stuff, guys. Thanks a lot. Confirming a lot of my suspicions. We had mostly considered a good-sized center console bay boat up to this point, but with duck season coming on we started to recalculate. As suggested, we would probably just be better off with a true fishing rig and save up for a smaller duck boat later down the line.

Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11150510 10/07/15 07:19 PM
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Birdman7 Offline
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Originally Posted By: GoBears870
Good stuff, guys. Thanks a lot. Confirming a lot of my suspicions. We had mostly considered a good-sized center console bay boat up to this point, but with duck season coming on we started to recalculate. As suggested, we would probably just be better off with a true fishing rig and save up for a smaller duck boat later down the line.


Just depends on where you're hunting. I plan on using mine to duck hunt, obviously not hunting out of it (heck with all the idiots out there hunting and playing a their kazoo's non stop hunting next to a boat might be a good confidence decoy). If I take it down shore a ways, park it in some brush, and cover it up with camo netting I think I'll be fine. I can drive through a foot and half of water with no problem, might be even better if I get a hydraulic jack-plate, where I hunt that gets me close enough to either drop the gear off or raise the motor and walk in close enough to drop the gear off.

Last year we used my buddy's 16' tracker and there were several times we were limited to where we could go because it wasn't safe to cross big water. Biggest thing is finding a boat that will match your hunting situation. For me where I hunt I'm confident I can get most any where that a smaller aluminum boat with an outboard can get. Only difference is I can get there quicker, safer, and still go out on most crappy days. Now I'm not comparing my boat to a mud boat that's a completely different monster, just saying outboard vs outboard I wouldn't buy a smaller aluminum outboard boat and then a larger glass boat.

Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11150776 10/07/15 09:36 PM
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striperswiper Offline
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I have a war eagle 2072 ldbr, with a 115 etec on a jackplate, and have not yet found a place it won't go. 3-5 footers on texoma, flats around Port A, duck hunting the marshes on the louisiana coast. . . . the thing is awesome! I paid too much for it, but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for used and ordered it direct from the factory (something I said I would never do). I had the console pushed as far forward as I could, and it makes a huge difference compared to most CCs that have it located further back.

I will say this. . . having a go-anywhere ride is awesome. I have a Falcon king striper boat for fishing texoma, but this is my "go anywhere" toy . . . .and it works. I love it.

Last edited by striperswiper; 10/07/15 09:36 PM.

20' Grey/White Falcon Striper King
20' Camo War Eagle
Artificials Only

Anyone can catch a lot of fish when they're hungry . . . . My favorite days are the ones where the fish don't want to eat, but I make 'em do it anyway.
Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11150916 10/07/15 10:48 PM
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We chose a "walleye" style boat because of it's versatility. Decided on G3 because of they reputation and layout. I did my research on the walleye boards, because of the regular use on Great Lakes. We had ours out on Texoma in some big waves, Tawakoni and Whitney as well on windy days. It floats in pretty shallow water showing as shallow as 2 foot on the graph. That being said, I don't duck hunt, so most of my shallow water is around ramps and the like. Just wanted to give you another option.

Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11151466 10/08/15 04:23 AM
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dieselpower97 Offline
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we have a 1860 Tracker Grizzly, with a 60hp rear tiller, we enjoy it, can pull a 300lbs man knee boarding, kido wake boarding and tubing. good all around boat, but when it got waves out there it a RUFF son of a gun ride, can beat the heck out of ya, but good hunt fish boat. it got some foam in the front and rear of it. I not worried about it sinking and we have had waves come over the front on it. good times fishing :-)

Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11153034 10/09/15 12:40 AM
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Check out my War Eagle. click link on my signature. Best boat ever! Bulletproof!

Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11153041 10/09/15 12:43 AM
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CamoKing Offline
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does 43 mph with 4 people... Foam filled. Bought new for 28k.

Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11153586 10/09/15 12:35 PM
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Rodney2100 Offline
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I just purchased a Gator Trax 2072 center console. It has a large front deck with a built in poor mans power pole.












Re: Aluminum boats [Re: GoBears870] #11153768 10/09/15 02:11 PM
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Scotty P Offline
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I have a 19 foot Crestliner deep V aluminum boat. I love it! Have had it for 13 years. Handles Texoma great.

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