My fishing buddy's Triton went 45mph per the GPS and seemed plenty fast.

Is there any need for any more speed? How fast is fast enough? And what is the breaking point between performance and price (when is the additional performance no longer justifiable by the additional cost)?

I'm looking for input for a future boat purchase, and given the experienced boat owners here this should be the place to ask. I do not have any particular model/hp combo in mind; I am just trying to determine what to look for as far as performance/price.

Thanks,
Dave

Performance and price????? If you want performance in a bass boat get ready to pay the price as performance and price go together...
The average boat speed topend today is 65-80MPH. Your looking at paying $30,000.00 plus for one of these.
If you prefer 55-65MPH then they range from $17,000.00-$25,000.00.
It all depends on what you want in the way of a fishing platform, storage, electronics, performance, etc, the more you want, the more you will have to pay...

"My fishing buddy's Triton went 45mph per the GPS and seemed plenty fast.

Is there any need for any more speed?"....No

What is considered fast in a bassboat?

Over 75 to my way of thinking. Many "off the shelf" boats will run up to that speed, but you have to really have one dialed in to get it over 75. A combination of weight, hull efficiency, proper prop and proper setup along with a large amount of driving skill are necessary to pass the 75 mph benchmark.

Oh yeah...I'm talking true GPS speed, not what your speedometer on the boat says.

KD

Thanks for the responses. I guess to more accuratly state the question:

What is your max. that you have spent for a given level of performance? I do not want to be making payments on a boat that has capabilities that I do not even need... and regret it later.

(It is easy for me to get fired up about more power and forget the big picture/payments.)

Thanks again,
Dave

Mine speedometer will peg out on 80mph, but my GPS reads 74 to 75mph empty.

hummm!!!!!! mine !!!hee!hee! xpress 225 merc!!!!it is why it's called mojo!!!!! every body wants a good running boat a fast one we all do!once I got use to a boat I wanted bigger,I got one a little bigger little more motor,got use to it I wanted bigger and more motor.we all do!!!!I'm finly satisfiead good ride good power. more room,so basic it's what your looking for.and can afford.

Dave,it's been my experience to ask,how fast do you feel safe driving on the water?I have a 19 footer,w/a Mariner Mag.150 thats rated for a 200 HP,that, GPS's at 58 mph.To me thats plenty fast enough on the water.I've had faster boats pass me,but i've seen them "shut down" faster than you can say squat,when they hit a stump.If your looking for a future purchase,here are a few suggestions,boat trader online.com,DFW Boats .com,(consignment sales),and ther are many others.Take your time and set a max. price your willing to pay,and the type of bass boat you want.I have a 1998 Fisher dual console TX-19.the above speed listed is w/ a 45 gal. load of gas,gear,and a 220 lb. buddy.The wife likes the dual console too!If your not Married,then your future fishing partner will appreciate the wind breaker on a cold Jan.or Feb. morning.Good luck!

Dave--I think you will need to figure out what you want the boat to do. Do you want to go fast or do you just want to get to you fishing hole and fish and hopefully no one has beat you to it. But the bottom line you have to figure out what you want in a boat. If money isn't a problem, go with a good fishing platform with lots of storage and good power. You might not use the power all the time, but it sure is nice to have when you need it. I don't think anyone here can tell you what to buy and make you happy, you have just got to figure that out for yourself. There are allot of good fishing boats out there and I hope you can find what suits your fishing style.

brace_seal,

No matter how fast you go you'll find that the right sized stump will stop'em all dead cold. The bigger the motor, the higher the repair costs. I've got an Evinrude 50 that will clock on GPS at 30.2. Like the wind boy, like the wind!

My nitro with a merc 115 will run 50 MPH (GPS) with just me and my gear, add another person and his or her gear and i'm running 45 MPH.

"Fast" is a relative term. I always seem to catch more fish out of a boat that CRUISE'S comfortably in the 40-50mph range. That means it rides well in most water conditions, gets good gas mileage, gets up on plane easily and is able to plane at low speeds under 20mph while you pick your way thru a stump bed. Years ago my fishing buddy had bought a 19'10" Allison that weighed 675 lbs off the east coast somewhere..Virginia I think. It had an 18 gallon tank that would last him about 20-30 minutes at WOT running the highest octane gas he could find plus an octane booster additive....but WOT without the Nitro bottle was still close to 100...and easily over that with the bottle giving him a 30-45 second burn for about a mile run. The heavily altered and tuned 1984 235 Evinrude was dyno tested at 325-335 horses without the bottle and close to 400 during the burn. OBTW we fished out of my 16' Charger & 115 Johnson most of the time because it was more comfortable LOL!!! But the "monster" was awesome to drive...and it took an act of faith to push thru the porpoising at 70-75 before the boat would lay down and stretch out flat.
Ron

Brace,

Look at it from another angle. Rather than focus on speed, focus on length of boat to fit your needs (and garage). Normally, as the length of boat you want increases in size (18 ft and >) they can be equipped with bigger engines and therefore faster speeds to meet your needs. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY AS BOAT LENGTH INCREASES IN SIZE, A SMOOTHER RIDE FOLLOWS!!! Smaller boats (<18 ft) are much harder to handle on rough water and many times, you will have to plan your fishing trips based on wind conditions.

So I guess what I am saying, rather than FIRST set your base on speed, I suggest to first set your base on length of boat. Then decide how many horses you want to strap on.

Good luck!

Are we bass fishing or boat racing? Any thing over 18' & your are simply bragging!

Maybe, I'm missing the point, but can someone tell me what the purposes is of going 50-80mph to get to your fishing hole? You are there to enjoy yourself correct? And when I say enjoy, I mean being on the lake, talking to your favorite fishing partner, taking in the scenery, and just enjoying being outdoors. Not going 75mph back and forth from one end of the lake to the other seeing how close you can get to the guy that is anchored off.