I'm used to fishing in a bass boat. I recently fished in a bay boat and it handled the waves very well. What are the pros and cons of having either boat for stump fishin', having kids on board, taking on water? Give me your opinion, because a purchase is in the near future.

DON'T CATCH'EM ALL!!!

I owned a 18 1/2 foot bass boat for 10 years. I used it for fishing and waterskiing it had a 150 hours motor on it and it went 60 MPH. It had a fancy red flake metalic finish with matching red interior carpet, it was very cool looking and I loved it.I sold it 5 years ago.

Last year I purchased a 21 foot Kenner center console with a 125 merc. The boat is bigger and handles waves twice as well as the bass boat. The new Kenner only goes 40 mph so I can't peel back my eyelids anymore but I still take the kids water skiing. The Bass boat could hold 3 people comforably for fishing or skiing. The Kenner can easly hold 7 with 3 coolers and a ton of gear. When the new Kenner gets a little fish slime, sunflower seeds or beer spilled on the floor its no big deal. Just a hose, pushbroom and some tide and its as good as new.

I have had both and would never go back to a bass boat. Bay boats/center consoles come in many different styles the Kenner I have is the 2102 it's the top of the line with extra seating and storage I love it. There is a big price difference as well a Bass Boat of equal size would run about 23K the Kenner was only 15K with trailer. I hope this helps and you find what you are looking for.

Sorry didn't see the stump fishing piece. You need a shorter boat then 21 feet for stump fishing. Maybe a 17 or 18 footer. Also the bay boats will not go in quite as shallow of water.

I have almost the same story. I have had a lot of bass boats down through the years. I am in my second center console now, a Sea Pro SV2100 with a 150 Yamaha. Top speed for me is around 47.

I don't bass fish at all. So I can't say much about the stump jumping. But we do fish quite a bit for Sandies, Stripers, and Crappie. We ski a whole lot. I had about ten kids in the boat for my son's birthday party last June. We always have a few people, tons of gear and occasionally the Border Collie.

I will never have carpet in a boat again. If the floor gets dirty we throw buckets of water in or turn on the raw water wash down pump and flush it out. Ours is a liner boat with the self bailing cockpit. So wash down water just flows out the back. And as far as taking on water that is seldom. And the time or two we've been out when it was rough enough to possibly take on water fishing was too difficult and we came home anyway.

I don't know about a Kenner but I think our boat runs real shallow.

I have owned 3 bass boats and 2 bayboats ( both
BlueWave). I will never own another bassboat.
A bay boat will catch more wind and drift faster
than a bass boat. It may be harder to anchor as well. A bass boat will do better in a stump
field than a bay boat is there is a breeze.
In every other way, I prefer a CC. I have
caught everything from crappie to blacktip sharks
out of my boat.
Good luck
MO

Omega4,

I don't think there is any one boat that does it all well. I have a bass boat but for the last year or so have done more silver lineside fishing than bassing. I stopped by Ray Roberts last week to whack some sandies before I went on up to Texoma for some nighttime striper action. As I was coming off the water, there was a guy launching a nice big 22' Bay Stealth. I said I wish I had that to take to Texoma. The guy said he bought it for the same reason, thinking to use it more on big lakes and salt water. But it just didn't happen and it wasn't at all suited for the Ray Bob creeks and the stuff in them. Said he was seriously thinking about selling it and getting a bass boat. So there's the dilemma. I think you gotta try to figure out what you're gonna do the MOST. If fishing usually includes the family and some on-the-water fun stuff, then there are some pretty versatile fish-n-skis these days. Or maybe a pontoon boat. Not too sporty, but pretty comfortable for a group. I think bay boats are better on rough water, but a 20+ foot bass boat is not too bad. And, if it is important to you, most of them will run circles around the average bay boat. If I was in the market for a different boat, I might consider this for the way I MOSTLY use one. Most bass boat builders offer a no-carpet option with fiberglass/composite non-skid decks like bay boats have. Bass Pro even has a Nitro NX-898 (20', 4" with 200 Opti) on the lot equipped this way. Something like that appeals to me. Striper blood or catfish slime, just hose it off. Kids muddy feet, just hose it off. 20'-21' would handle all but the roughest water. You'd still get wet in rough water but don't believe anybody that says you WON'T in a bay boat. Anyway, just my .02 cents. Do a lot of thinking before you buy. Better to get one that will satisfy MOST of your needs up front rather than try to switch a couple years down the line. You take a big hit that way.

Hossman

I used to fish out of a bass boat too. Then i fished a few years ago with my cousin in his 21ft Kenner, then started fishing at the coast with my Bro-in-law in his 23ft Boston Whaler. Nothing else compares. Now i have a 19ft Cajun Center Console and I Love it. Nothing else compares. More room, dry ride, still on the lake when its too rough for the bass boat crowd. Fish 3 people out of it all the time and no one ever gets in each others way. Have hauled 8-9 people around, no problem, goes where ever a bass boat will go. Plus i can take it to the coast where i love to go. It dont go as fast as a bass boat, but im getting old and gofast doesnt appeal to me like it used to, plus i feel a lot safer and now my wife will go fishing with me (she was scared of the Skeeter)
Center Console is the only kind of boat ill ever own from now on. My dad even has a fairly new express bass boat, but would rather go with me in my boat.

What everyone else said... CC 18' or more don't get a little one.
Also - go with at least a 70# TM or more... 24 volt
and put ya the Eagle480's ( 1 on the TM and the other on the dash) and finish her off with a nice GPS.
Good luck!

Most bay boats, properly powered are 45-55 mph rigs. Higher sides are safer for the kids. Some will run shallower than bass rigs. My Bay Stealth 2180 tunnel will run in an honest 10" but it takes 12" to float it so I have to be carefull. As others have said, they are extremely easy to clean and maintain, and handle rough water well.

If speed is your thing, there are several center consoles that almost, I said almost, perform with the bass boats. Pathfinder, Blazer Bay, and Majek v-hulls all can make mid-sixties. If your wallet is fat enough, there's Lake and Bay, Shearwater, and my favorite, the Ranger Cayman. These all have lower sides and sit lower in the water than regular bayboats. If you want to outrun your tournament buddies, look at Simmons Custom Boats. 80mph+. http://www.simmonscustomboats.com/

My Turn - a few you might want to look at - as gas keeps going up consider an aluminum rig - Dura Craft makes a great bay boat,aliminum hull, fiberglass inner liner, so you have ease of washdown and a tough hull. Aluminum is much more user friendlly if you are fishing stumps alot, or rocks for that matter, Sea Ark makes a similar boat - 4 stroke are heavier and top end is lower, 2 stroke are still good engines and are faster. A Bay boat is usually flat bottomed or with very little deadrise (usually less than 12 degrees and will float SHALLOWER) there are a lot of boats called bay boats but most I have ever run had to go skinny as well. Blue Wave is a great bay boat, the company that bought out Redfin is making a good hull, Sundance makes a good bay skiff, Shallowsport, there are a ton of great TRUE bayboat MFGS on the Texas coast.

Don't forget to consider the economy of it all...tow vehicle, engine size, gas tank size, etc. I can't afford weekly trips to the coast, but I can afford bi-weekly trips to my back yard lake and those within 100 miles.

I have a Lowe Alum 18ft.er....it has had striper massacres on it's decks and just washed it out no problem. I sometimes wish I had a big gunnel boat on those 25mph+ days on those 2-3ft swells on Buch, waves over the bow, etc.....I love my lowe. Man, what a boat! A real fishing machine in my book.

You can't do the job right without the right tool! I have some friends that can't make up their mind salt, big water, bassin', pondin'....so they get one of each.

R

I would have to agree with the alum fishing boats
as an in between fishing rig, I have a 17 ft
sea nymph runabout that I did a little custom
work on to make it more fishable and love it. I
would like a larger boat for the room but I go
alone a lot and this is easy for me to handle
Not a speed wagon but it gets me there fishes
well and a decent dry ride, I like the high sides
and the closeable winshield to get behind in the
cold. all that being said, I will fish out of
most anything that floats but you will enjoy
the more room in a larger boat, it makes fishing
more comfortable.

same story with me, i had two skeeter bass boats in the past, and about four years ago i invested in a kenner 18'6" cc wit a 90 hp johnson and i'll never go back to a bass boat, there is a lot more room to walk around and it takes a lot more people and gear..good enough from small creeks to the bay..good for kids learning to fish and wife that wants to take on some rays..

Keep in mind that some bay boats are not designed to handle heavy water. If you primarily fish large reservoirs, make sure you get a boat that can handle heavy water. If you want to fish shallow flats a bay boat with a tunnel hull may suit your needs. I have heard that tunnels don't perform as effeciently and don't handle rough water as well as a V bottoms but as I have had no experience with tunnels you should get advice from someone who has.

I have searched for the perfect boat most of my life. I have had all types of boats including bass boats, deck boats and run-abouts. I now have a Fish Master 2250 CC with a 150 Yamaha. I love the boat, best I have owned for my type of fishing. It does have a couple of design issues that I don�t like though. I primarily fish open water for sandies, hybrids and stripers. I also like to fish for catfish and crappie and I make the occasional run to the cost for red fish.

You posted your question in the White-Striper-Hybrid forum so you will typically get answers from open water fishermen. If you spend most of your time in the stumps a bass boat or shorter bay boat may be a better choice. Bay boats do catch more wind unless you get a low profile flats boat. Storage is also a consideration. Most bay boats don�t have as much storage as bass boats. Some of the liner bay boats do have plenty of storage. Mine has a fair amount of storage.

If you have never fished out of a bay boat I suggest you try before you buy. I�m always looking for a fishing partner and will be happy to take you out.

Every one of these posts are basically saying the same thing - all have a boat that fits THEIR style of fishing. And I think that is exactly the right position to take - consider your major fishing style and buy a boat that fits that style best. Sure, there will be situations where one style of boat will be better suited than another but most boats will perform adequately in a wide variety of situations. The key here is to buy the boat that fits you and be responsible in taking it into other situations. (i.e. don't be wreckless with a bay boat in heavy cover and/or take a bass boat beyond the jetties - with some exceptions of course, just always be safe.)