Am looking at a couple of 21' Bay Boats to purchase. First is Sea Pro with 200 4 Stroke Yamaha, second is Key West with 225 Honda 4 stroke. I know several TFF pros either have or are familiar with similar Bay Boats. Would appreciate any comments (pro or con), advice, etc. before I make any decisions. Thanks in advance, I value your opinions.

I have been in Steve Bradbury's boat wich is a Seapro, rides good,lots of room...I know MikeC has a Keywest and I havent heard him complain...

Thanks John. Intended to come meet some of you folks at the TFF at Lavon, but have had to start commuting up North to work, so am gone more than ever. From what I know of all three of you guys from the forum, that's great info. Hopefully both of those guys will find time to contribute their testimonials. Appreciate the reply.

I wish I had a 200 on mine, but he 150 fuel injected does pretty good, but with the 200 you will need hydraulic steering. Doyle Holman had the same boat as me, minus the t-top and leaning post and has a 150 direct fuel inject with hydraulic steering. He could post about the steering. I do not have it and do not miss it at all.

Way to go on the 4 stroke, if you are leaning that way that would be what I would do.

I got mine in Temple at Marine Outlet, I can get you the number and I would ask for the owner Rick Smith and tell him I told you about them and see what they can do.

I really like mine and the ten year warranty on the hull is real nice.

I just wish I had got a bigger motor at the time and the striper model which is missing the front bait tank and has a place for a big tank instead of cramming my greyline in the front.

key west is a good boat too. I do not think you would go wrong with either.

e-mail me if you have any questions.

steve

one comment I will make... I have had lots of people make comments about having a step up to the front deck. may not seem like a big deal until you have to step up and down all day long.

I have a Ranger 2180 Bay and have been very pleased with it. Extremely stable and rides well in rough conditions. It works equally well for bass, stripers or bay. It is heavy though...with a 200 Yamaha I top out at about 44MPH. With a different prop I might get a bit more. It runs very well in the shallows with the jack plate and essentially planes instantly (they come prerigged with trim tabs).

One feature I really like is the leaning post/standup 80 gal livewell, and excellent storage capacity. I can easily get a dozen rods in the lockers.

Mine is rigged the same as the one at the following link.
http://www.rangerboats.com/pages/boats/2180.cfm

Good luck. You're looking at a number of good boats and I think you'll enjoy fishing from a bay boat.

I also have a SeaPro and love it. It is a 17ft with a 90 Yamaha. Plenty big enough boat for me. These boats ride great in rough water. They are definitely heavy duty. Mine has two livewells, under seat storage, center console storage, anchor locker, and a big insulated fish box or storage area in the bow. Of course I've got all the bells and whistles, including a bimini top. I got mine in Temple but there is also a dealer in San Antonio.

Dennis Bolton, the guide, has two SeaPro's.
Center consoles seem to be increasing in popularity. If you need more details let me know. Hope this helps.



------------------
Ed Utley

That is what I wish I had on mine kapbill.

The stand up leaningpost with bait tank under it. would have simplified my fishing long ago.

Forgot about that one.

I forgot to mention that I have also been in JD's Baystealth, and it is also a great boat, rides good and handles very well in rough water...I am going to have a hard time when I purchase me a new one, I have been in alot off differnt boats in this last year, so I will be very picky,,,

On a in shore bay boat I ended up wanting
to get the new 24ft triton bay. It was
beautiful. They had the 22ft at boat show.
It was built very sturdy like the bay ranger
but 24ft is the ticket./ I ended up buying
a Polar 22.11" I wanted a larger front on my
boat because I have taken waves over boat on
Texoma in 20ft bass boat. When you break over
large waves on a windy day. This Polar has
a 12" draft so it should go any where the bass boat did. I also Liked the Scout but it was very high priced.

I have a 21 foot SeaPro with a 150HP High Pressure Direct Injection Yamaha with hydraulic steering. I really like the boat and motor. The ten year warranty on the hull is a plus and there is no wood of any kind in the boat which is another advantage of the SeaPro. Very easy to clean the inside of the boat, just pull into a car wash and in about 5 minutes and $3.00 your boat is clean. I get excellent mileage with the HPDI Yamaha and the 150HP is sufficient for the boat and my use. With 4 people in the boat, I can run 45MPH. The hydraulic steering is great and makes it easy to handle the boat if you are in rough water or running very fast but if you have never had hydraulic steering, I don't believe you would miss it. I have the removable ice chest seat instead of the leaning post and a pedestal seat in the front and one in the back. Steve has two pedestal seats mounted in back (one on each side of the motor) which I like better than just one like I have mounted. Like Fisherman Ed, I have a bimini top but have only used it two or three times in 2 years.

I also purchased the boat at Marine Outlet in Temple so go by and talk to Rick Smith. They also handle other Bay Boats and will discuss the pro & con of each. Rick will treat you right. When I decided on a SeaPro with HPDI Yamaha and started looking around, Rick beat all the other dealers in price.

If you have any questions, E-mail me.

You won't go wrong with a Seapro 2180.I have
a 2180 I purchased 2 yrs ago.Fishing in the
boat while anchored or drifting is very
stabled & comfortable for You & your family.
One thing I do recommend is if you do any
wade fishing you need to invest in a stepup
ladder to get back onboard the boat with ease after your wade session.Its family
friendly with good seating cushions on the
bow storage locker doors.

I fish several coastal bays & lakes without
any dificulty.But if your fishing backlakes
and shallow bays might consider a tunnel w/
a jackplate.

The seapro is a smooth & dry ride.And w/my
150 saltwater Merc.its quite fast enough for
me top speed 55.(WOT).Everything mention already about the hydraulic streering, boat
foorplan,baitwells is right on target.

One other thing I also recommend is when you bring that new boat home of your choice.Be sure to corrosion proof your electonics wiring under the CC as well as under the
cowling with product like corrosion X.It will
help you spend your money for fishing and not boat repairs in the future.

Enjoy that New Boat and good luck.

This is certainly a great topic. I have been looking at a bay boat for a while now. I try to fish (Key word being TRY) for different types of fish different ways. So my question is how is crappie fishing out of a bay boat whether in the spring for shallow water or bridge fishing? I hope this is not a stupid question. Thanks


MattH

Matt

[This message has been edited by MattH (edited 04-20-2003).]

[This message has been edited by MattH (edited 04-20-2003).]

A Blessed Easter Sunday to everyone and thanks to all for a lot of great input.
TFF is like having a great big family, all of whom are knowledgeable and sharing about your favorite interest.
Can see you Sea Pro afficianados are sure proud of your purchases!!
Still would like to hear a comment from MikeC or anyone else about the Key West.
By the way, did you Sea Pro guys with downriggers remove the side rails, or mount them on the deck with pedestals?