OK guys im lookin into buying a boat I really want to have something that can bay fish and handle offshore... is there such a thing or am I dreaming?

The boat you want will do neither very well. You can fish deeper waters (3'+) in the bays and it will probably handle 3-4' swells but not as well as a boat that was made specifically for offshore use.

Start with something around 24', 4 stroke motor, high gunwales, deep v hull, no tunnel hulls. Bilge pumps, 3 or more batteries, gps, EPIRB and other safety eqpt.

Plus trim tabs.

The bigger the bay boat the better it will be off-shore.

The smaller/less draft the off-shore boat the better it will be in the bay (but less comfortable os).

Off-shore as in 50+ miles, or jetties to 15 miles only on good days?

Bay fishing as in skinny water flats, or anchoring off the channel and wading?

You can't really pick a boat until you set your priorities I guess. Where do you want to compromise the most? But yes I think it does exist just as long as your ok with compromising as LandPirate said.

Parker SE 21-23 are great do all fishing boats with shallow drafts but medium freeboard for open water. There are others as well.

Maybe my definition of "off-shore" is way off. My family has fished a lot near shore (10-15 miles from fairwell) but we never had a 24' loa, extra bilge pumps, a 4-stroke, a gps, 3 batteries or a EPIRB. Actually the two boats we used most often were mod-vee as well. I guess we never got too serious but we still caught a lot of fish with a compass and common sense.

I've run lots of bay boats out to 20 or so miles without all the safety gear and navigating only by compass too. I'm not saying it was the smartest thing I ever did either. I've spent enough time offshore that seen things go from perfect to near disaster in mere minutes.

With the technology available today there is no sense in risking it. There's no sense in risking others lives over a few fish.

When I take a group of friends or relatives fishing on my boat I take my role as captain very seriously and I take responsibility for their welfare.

A shallow sport latitude 27" would be alright.

Agreed about safety number one.

Really my point is without knowing how serious the off-shore work will be a 24' high profile deep-vee is a lot of boat for a fellow. A 24' would cost roughly double a 21' would, it will burn twice the fuel, and be a PITA towing or using in the bay as well. A boat like that will require twins which again will be twice the maintenance and up keep.

To the OP the 243cc Everglades is a good one too. Definitely not a bay boat but not quite a serious off-shore boat either. Bascially a bay boat with high gunnels or off-shore with low gunnels which ever way you want to look at it. I have seen several used ones but still way out of my price range when I was in the search.

Keep in mind that right now there are lots and lots of offshore boats of available for sale. Many of them are running twin outboards and have complete electronic packages, t-tops, safety eqpt, etc. for around $30k. I also see lots of bay boats that cost twice that much. Take your time and look thoroughly. Do your research too.

When fuel efficiency comes up remember that sometimes twin 4 strokes will be more efficient than a single two-stroke. Case in point: I was running a 24' Kenner with a Merc 225 EFI (2 stroke) and typically only got 1 mpg offshore average. My buddy runs a 28 ft catamaran with twin Suzuki 150's (4 stroke) and averaged 2.5 to 3 mpg offshore. A much bigger boat, two motors, much more weight but 2 to 3 times the efficiency.

Yes but your unfairly comparing an old style EFI 2-stroke to a modern 4-stroke. Those EFI Mercs made a lot of HP but were very thirsty and burned almost as much gas as the carb motors. Ask anyone who has one, a DFI Optimax on the other hand burns about the same or less fuel then comparable 4-strokes. Way less at trolling speeds.

Sounds like too you were not able to go fast enough in your Kenner to plane out and were just plowing through the waves. Did you have trim tabs and a stern lifting 4-blade prop? 1 mpg would get expensive fast, not to mention no range.

A 28' cat getting 3 mpg, that is impressive. I would have guessed 1.5-2 mpg as that is what most makes that size get. What brand?

just curious, would a catamaran type boat in the 20' range work well for both?

Off-shore Cats are great in the rough stuff but do draft a lot water. Probably more then a comparable deep-vee but that is what makes them ride so well.

Cats draft more water than a comparable sized mono-hull.

If there was one thing I learned while I was in the Coast Guard it was that the when the gulf is rough....it's rough. Whether you are on a 47ft motor life boat or a 22ft blue wave.....it can be miserable. The gulf is more like a bath tub. Swells don't really exist and 90% of the time is basically chop (if you compare it to the pacific). I love offshore fishing and I love bay fishing. I own a 20ft nitro bay. It has a deep v in the front for the choppy bays, high gunnels for the offshore/nearshore fishing I like to do and its also got a tunnel for running quite a bit more shallow than a larger center console meant for light to medium offshore fishing. I believe my boat gets the best of both worlds.

The Nitro CC hull is the same hull as the Kenner hull, which is also the same hull used by Mako. All of which are now owned by Tracker Marine.

They are definitely great hulls and very sea worthy. I've had a 21' Kenner and a 24' Kenner. Of the two the 24' was a better bay and offshore boat.

The hull is a 1'+ wider, the bow is 24" deeper, it has taller freeboard and the console is much larger/taller which makes it better for running offshore, especially if you're taller. You won't have to stoop over to hold the wheel while pounding through 3' chop.

The 24' would run every bit as shallow as the 21'. The larger motor and wider beam allowed the 24' to plane quicker than the 21'. Both of mine had the pocket tunnel which would pound when coming off the backside of waves. I'd opt for the v-hull without the tunnel if I were to buy another.