I am looking to buy my first bass boat sometime late this spring and was wondering what people's opinions were about the length of the boat. Does the length affect stability or performance greatly? How small is too small? What about the width of the boat? Thanks,

Sean

Get a boat that has a beam width of at least 90" and you will be fine

I have a sprint bass boat that is a few inches shy of 16 ft. We had to go small so it would fit in my garage. On rough water you feel it. I have not ever put myself in a position where i thought it was unstable.. mine is 72 inches wide and maybe 30-36inches deep (from top to bottom) at it deepest part. With the smaller boats you just have to be more careful on what days you go out. I have been out on rough days and all you get is wet and a headache! Good Luck

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  Shawn
  www.[censored]

[This message has been edited by shawn (edited 02-12-2003).]

The smaller boats - up to 16-17 foot - would likely fit in a garage. I say that because my first bass boat (a 17 foot SeaArk or floating beer can) fit in my garage. Garages are different, though, so I would measure if you go that route.

My SeaArk was a great beginning bass boat. Not to say that you are a beginner fisherman, but that having a boat changes things up some. It was 17 ft. and I don't recall the beam length. I could run it into trees, stumps, and shorelines without worry because it was aluminum. When I moved to fiberglass (I now have a 202zx Skeeter) it was a bigger change than I ever thought it would be.

As far as your question about the optimum starting length for a first boat.....I would venture to say that I would go with a 18 foot or better. Having said that, I want to say that your comfort in such a craft has to be number one. Boats aren't cheap and I know all too well about not being used to a bigger boat.

Length does affect stability and peformance a great deal. With length you will gain inches on your beam in most cases and your boat should resond better at higher speeds and in rougher water.

Too small???? Man, there is no such thing! A tube is a well respected rig in many cases. Good luck to you in your search.

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Charlie

A good question to ask yourself....How big of a boat does your budget allow you to get ?
You can get a larger boat with very few upgrades,and maybe not be really happy with it. Or,go with a little bit smaller boat and do some good upgrades.
Or,you could just go wild and get the big boy with all the goodies.Then you can look at it sitting in the garage because you can't afford to take it out LOL.
There are alot of good looking choices out there. Almost make it a pain in the butt to choose one.

Good Luck on the boat hunting.
Keep Reel'n
Vance

Sean,

In spring and Fall when the wind picks up, u will always wish you had a bigger boat. I would highly suggest a used boat to get what you want. Length and Beam directly relate to stability in rough water. Can't think of many times when i have fished and the water was calm all day, It does happen but not often. I can remember taking off on relatively calm mornings a few times and returning during a wind storm with 5 and 6ft waves.

Shameless plug: My Nitro 896 is for sale... its stable....and long.... good boat for a first one.

All good post above but they have left out some other aspects to consider... with the same length and width a boat that is heavier will ride better than a lighter boat will... also a deeper V'd hull will ride better than a shallower or flatter bottomed boat will. 17-18' is a good size for most applications for bass fishing, but I got rid of my 17'10" Ranger in a heart beat when I started fishing Texoma almost exclusively 'cause it was beating me up and keeping me wet too much. My 21'6" saltwater styled Center Console with a huge "Carolina" flair in the bow to push the spray under the boat and the 19* V bottom at the Transom where the boats rides when on plane work a lot better than the bass boats I've seen... but is still not enough boat sometimes. Most of the guides at Texoma have graduated to 26 & 28'ers ... so choose the size ans style based on where you are going to fish most of the time. If I were going to start over even for a general utility fishing boat for bass or anything else I would go with a Center Console regardless of legth now that I've had a couple of them. They are more functional (maybe not as glitzy with all the metal flake and carpet)than the true bass styled boats. But thats just my opinion after owning 8 bass boats and 2 Center Consoles in the last 30 years.
Ron

Just hang a 300 hp outboard on it...that way you don't have to worry none, nothin' but lower unit in the water. Make durn sure you got her lined up dead straight to where you wanna go next, though....

Oh, yeah...and it'll punch thru any sized wave you come up against, guaroooonteeeed!


[This message has been edited by redfin (edited 02-15-2003).]

sweadock:
Yes, there can be a great difference in stability and performance between smaller bass rigs and their bigger brothers. Buy the largest bass boat you're budget allows, keeping in mind that the larger boat also will cost more to operate. This will give you some room to grow as you venture further from the path of a beginning boat owner, and help build your confidence, along with the safety factor of the bigger boat.

RedFin ...the only problem with puttin' that 300 on it is that unless ya got stock in ExxonMobil ya can't 'ford to filler'up these days ... and the hull will still only be nuthin' but a floating gas tank!!! LOL
A buddy used to own a 650 lb 19 1/2' Allison that had a "massaged" 235 E'rude on it with above water exhaust that was the fastest thing I ever drove... without the nitro bottle it would radar in the upper 90's but he couldn't fish but about a total of 8 or 10 miles from the ramp with an 18 gallon tank of super premium. The previous owner raced it in the old Stock Circuit on the east coast and said with the Nitro bottle he had been radared at 107 in a rolling start quarter!!!!! You had to do a lot of preplanning on where you were going to fish!!! "Anywhere you want to go as long as there was a gas pump handy!!!"
There is a benefit to not being able to run over 70 on the water but then I never caught any fish running over 3 or 4mph trolling either. An I'm like that little kid who always wants to see just how WILL it run!!! like the happy Harley rider with bugs on his teeth!!

Sweadock, Barber Boats on Harry Hines in Dallas has a new never sold '99 model RedFin with a ??? sized Yamaha on it that they bought in another dealers inventory last year. I'll bet they will make you a great! price on it for a 18-19'er. Call Jerry Batty and ask him what they'll take for it.
Ron

Ron,

Reminds me back in the days of the Bloody Mary I, II, and III...remember that bike?

Had a 365 Corvette engine in it and he had to lay down on it to run it. Can't remember what he did the 1/4 mile in but it looked like he was shot out of a slingshot when he left the line....saw him at the spring and summer nationals the same year waaaayyyyyy back in the early to mid seventies, I think.