I can't pick a boat!
I am looking at Fat Cats, Majek extreme or M2, Shoalwater 23, Dargel Skout or 23 Kat.
I am also checking out bluewave stl, skeeter, tidewater
So many and not sure which one I want. I primarily want to stay in the flats. I also move around a lot being in the military so need something for lakes if I get landlocked. I would like to go out 5-10 miles to the closest available reef every now and then for some table food.
I plan on doing some guiding when I get out of the military. that is my retirement job a few days a week. Really want to get involved with the wounded warrior project now and when I retire.
Any suggestions?

Blazer Bay.

You need to ask yourself what do you plan on doing MOST of the time?
Everything on a boat is some manner of compromise. What makes a hull run shallow is also what makes it ride hard. Try to make something do everything means it won’t do anything well.

Your cat hulls will run pretty shallow and give a decent ride until you get in two foot waves then they will be rough. A V hull works good in Galveston but will be frustrating from Port O Connor south. You’ll really limit the water you can cover.

So determine what you really want to do most and pick something that does that best and compromise on everything else.

And don’t buy anything before you take it to the water and make sure it’s the right fit for YOU.

What Pat said ^^

We chose the 2110 BM tidewater and love it. Haven't been to the coast with it yet, but will soon enough. Our fishing is primarily lakes with the occasional salt trip. Good luck

Lake & Bay has some really nice, versatile boats.

x2

One boat will not do it all.

So basically a boat version of this car?



It's hard to beat the versatility of a bay boat these days hence their growing popularity. Take a look at bay boats like the Bluewave Purebay 2300 or the Skeeter SX230. Skeeter will have the most robust dealer network of any of the boat manufacturers so you'll likely have a dealer near a base where you PCS to. Bay boats will fish all but the skinniest water and handle any of the Texas bays and jetties with no problem. On calm days you'll have no issue going out 15 miles. The deck is similar to a bass boat with rod lockers to stow away rods off the deck and compartments to store tackle and life jackets. Bluewave also insulates their compartments so you can pack them with ice and use them as fish boxes. The other nice feature is the flip up rear seats so your passengers don't end up having to just sit on the floor.

Think about how you fish and take an inventory of your gear that you need and who you want to go out with to give weight to features that are most important to you that way. Storage is usually always one of my major considerations. Running in 8" of water may be a non-negotiable for you which would rule out a bunch of boats.

X 2

Your choice of bay will dictate your choice of boats.
West Matagorda and east, you can run your big V hulled bay rig with out a lot of trouble. Bays are deep and rough, without a whole lot of shallow water that needs to be navigated.

Port O' Connor South? Different deal. You'll be running a non tunnel aground constantly. The back lakes are pretty much off limits, and running around reefs can be an expensive learning experience. What makes a true flats rig special is the ability to navigate with your eyes. Dark bottom? Good to go. White sand? go around. Wave height shows water depth, a wave is 1/2 the water, so a six inch wave is a foot of water, if you know what you can run in, you'll quickly learn to watch the wave height and bottom color and pushing that big tuna schooner off a shoal reef can be avoided.

The other factor, which few noobs consider when they start, wading is by far the most effective way to fish the bays, and dragging your carcass over the side of a high sided bay boat after a three hour wade can be quite a hassle. The lower the sides, the easier it is to get in and out.

Some of us go to the extreme shallow water ability, the ability to run through a 2" deep pass to get into that 2' back lake eliminates all the potlickers and binocular pilots away. If you know, you get it, if you've never been there, hard to understand.

If you want to come through Seadrift some time, I'll run you around and you can see what shallow water ability will get you, then you'll be like most and reconsider your priorities pretty quick.

I have a 23' Transport with all the horns and whistles to be able to run where ever I want.

It is a joy to fish out of, as you can literally run around the boat while fighting a fish.

Gotta be careful with it, if you do not pay attention, you can take a wave over the stern and fill the boxes on the stern with water, not good for the battery and other stuff in that box.