Hey guys I am really starting to think about getting a new rig. The biggest thing for me is the rear deck space. I know odd thing to look for but I take my farther fishing with me all the time and he has Parkinson. Right now I have a Ranger 185VX and I hardly use it since I feel more comfortable taking him out in a hobie kayak then him in the ranger. Havent had any problems yet in the ranger but there has been some close calls. So I want the biggest rear deck so just in case does fall there less of a chance of him going over board. Right now Falcon F215 is leading out of what I have looked at. There rear deck is 51"L 85"W. Now they are one of the few manufacturers that list the size of the rear deck. So if you think your boat has a big back deck let me know. Thanks everyone.

As someone who fishes off the back, the new Phoenix boats have a huge back deck.

I would say that most brands nowadays have wide back decks. I know BassCat has narrower back decks on some models but they even have a few models now with wide back decks. Just go to each manufacturer's website and see who has the widest back deck.

Depending on your father's age & condition, the challenge for him will not be fishing off the back deck, it will be him getting up onto the back deck. I take a gentleman fishing every year that is fine once he gets up on the back deck but he needs assistance getting up there.

You may want to consider that.

Thanks yall. I wished ranger still sold the z522. Now there Z522D is hybrid boat.

Yeah he is the same. But he refuses to say anything when he gets up to go the bathroom. Thank god for the talons on my rig now. And by lunch time he is leaning hard to one side of seat. Thats another thing i want to see about is getting a "captains" chair for the rear so he has arm rest to hold him if his meds are not doing the trick that day.

The phoenix is big plus the have nice step pads on the back that are great for using the bathroom. No more slippery boat to stand on. I can measure mine when I get home.

That be great Skipper thanks.

You can definitely get a captains chair for the back. You can order any seat you want.

Why not buy a center console?? It's a lot hard to fall out of one.

Bingo! Because I'm an old man now, my dad is real old :-). I'm blessed with still being able to take my 83 year old father fishing but what's quickly becoming the limiting factor is getting from the running seat up onto the rear deck. When I'm fishing with him I often stay in an unproductive area way longer(no run and gun fishing) just because what a chore it's become for him to keep jumping up and down onto that rear deck. And if I go somewhere without a courtesy dock? That front deck on a beached boat seems like its a mile up there when getting him in the boat. Kudos to you for trying to make a change to include his needs!

I just went out and measured my FX21 and the back deck was 77" (6'5") at the widest part (behind the seats). And to maybe make you feel more comfortable about your father fishing on the back deck, I've fished from the back deck of my boat and I had plenty of room. I'm 6"3", 330 pounds too. Granted, I'm not as old, but it's still something to consider. I can stand on the back corner of the deck and that boat won't rock at all. Skeeter's are super stable. That's something you'll have to consider as well; the boat rocking back and forth when standing up or moving around.

Hope this helps you out a little bit.

Here are the Phoenix Rear dimensions, I have a 619 and the rear deck is pretty roomy when you are back there. Something to consider is getting a pedestal mount in the floor, I added that option mostly to store the seat when trailering but have used it when fishing 3 people before. It would keep him from having to get up to the back deck on bad days at least. Only thing is if you have a dual console it probably wouldn't work.

921/920/721
78"x52"

619/719/819/919
78"x48"

618
76"x39"

A friend of a friend has a 22' ranger and Ive ever seen a back deck that big in my life, heck the rear box lids look like rod locker lids. mini aircraft carrier

Well my partner can completely stretch out and fall asleep on the back of the Phoenix 921 pro xp. I do think most brands in the 21-22' range are going to have pretty big back decks.