KAYAK. After owning 3 boats I finally determined that fishing was more peaceful and enjoyable without all of the powerboat/trailer headaches, sold the last one and fish from a kayak now.

‘97 Champion 191 DC Elite with Merc 150. Got it because I am not going in debt long term to have a shiny new boat. Being an older model, I can fish anywhere I want without worrying about getting it scratched. I don’t feel the need to do 70 mph on the water so it works great for me.

Biggest plus about Champions is their history of being the best rough water hulls of all bass boats. There is a reason the hulls are being brought back into production. The demand for a good Champion is high and resale value stays high as well.

One important factor in a bass boat! The fish don't give a damn what that boat looks like. Its the person behind the rod and reel that counts.

@Big Lunker ....here's a huge AMEN to that

But you have to admit Bass Boats are just sexy!!

But the boat makes you look good trying.

Yeh. I often pull mine around behind my truck...even when not going to the lake.

We've been fortunate to own a number and without question the two best for us were these:




Prairie 29 trawler (32 OA): draft 2' 9". We surprised a lot of conventional "bass boats" with this when we'd pull up to the cattails, weeds, and into shallower areas of Okeechobee and bass fish. From the bow (9' up) you could sight fish in clear water elsewhere quite easy. If it got hot we went inside in the air conditioning. If we caught a bunch, cleaning and putting them into the freezer was simple and fast. If we had a great spot and wanted to stay, finding a comfortable on site hotel room was easy. All that and bought for less than 1/2 the price of a new "bass" boat.

Final Voyage Of The Mischief - our last cruise with it from Florida to Maryland:

The other is this:



The tender for the above: Boston Whaler 13 Dauntless (1993-97 series). This and it's sisters were the most expensive boats ever built by Whaler and almost sank the brand (and resulted in Reebok selling to Brunswick for a pittance of what they'd paid). Premium everything and to this day, most people who see them assume they're brand new. 9" draft. This one has a small live well but we throw everything in a cooler since we live on the water. They are still seen on the bow of ships and yachts of all types since that little boat will handle rough seas. What we like: ours has the casting platform on the back and it has a wide raised platform up front (anchor locker) so we can both stand and sight fish. It's small - easy to dump in anywhere - and 5 gallons of gas lasts seemingly forever with 30 hp. (we re-engined the boat from 40). We're fishing little coves and areas with it that few can get into with all their add on gear that adds up weight and draft. Since they're built the way they were, buying one with a shot engine and re-engining makes a lot of sense.

B/W re-engine story:
Boston Whaler Dauntless 13 Buyer's Guide To Update

The best advice I can give is buy something you will use a lot and like using a lot. That's the key. These worked for us - you'll find something that works for you. Don't be afraid to think outside the box.

Looks Tippy

My take is it looks like Popeye's boat. Looks that way because of the fisheye lens used - it's actually 12 feet wide. Never know it from that photo.

Here's a better photo that shows the beam:

Needs a tuna tower. Helps with spotting bedding bass. Oh and it still looks tippy

Probably so. Had a keel though and was totally stable. Sure embarrassed a lot of others that tried to follow into shallow water. The best thing of all - in the 5000 nm we cruised it oil and diesel was the only requirement (1 gph.) on a Yanmar 4 JHE (normally aspirated 52 hp.)

Looks like a great boat. Ever been to Amity?

Yep. Had to release them though since they weren't up to our standards. In seriousness, one of the eerie things about that boat is the engine makes that same valve clattering noise as Quint's boat. Spooky at night, especially.