Considering purchasing this boat for my family to go fishing for multiple species. Some of my concerns are:
1) I cant seem to find any used for sale in north Texas, are they bad Texas boats or are they so good that nobody wants to sell theirs?
2) Seems to be rated for 5 people but only 625#? Is that 5 skinny people , considering going to the 175 size but how important is the 625 vs the 5?
3) Concerned with shallow water, anybody knows how much of the haul/motor is under water? Coming from kayak fishing this never is a concern.
4) Motor choices? Mercury 10 HP difference important?
Any info or help is greatly appreciated

Pershing

Weight is not really an issue. I would go with the 60 HP...50 was okay with the 2 stroke but with 4 stroke I would go with 60. That boat does not draft much water.

Gotta go to a 17 foot boat. You want the biggest motor you can get.

I sold them, it's NOT a shallow draft hull at all.

Not really all that popular down here, I think the sides are way too high, they become a empty sack of chips in the wind. But to each his own. Ride smooth, and can take a decent beating.

Thanks all for your feedback so far. Yes the wind is one of the conns of this boat. However having the family with young children and possibly a small dog is my concern. This will keep them at bay. Traditional bass boat is out of the question. You guys have suggestions as to what would fit the bill? (no party boats). Thanks...

Pershing

A lot of guys crappie fish and catfish out of alum. deep v's. I have a lowe stinger 17'8 alum bass boat and a fishing buddy has a lowe fishing machine 16'. Both boats have an identical 50 2 stroke motor. I like his boat a lot more than mine. It rides smoother and drier than mine. If you can afford and store one a center console (non tunnel) fiberglass is a good way to go.

Once they eject themselves once, they'll probably not do it again...

THIS!

A 17' boat deep v is a lot bigger than a 16' deep v in terms on the height of the bow, the beam, and the floor space. Bobbycatfishing guides out of a 17' deep v tracker and I believe he has a 90 optimax on it that he likes. It might be a 4 stroke. He is a mod so PM him or look up his number on the internet and call him.

I honestly advise anyone that is considering an aluminum boat to buy used and check for weld marks on the bottom of the hull. Too many of these things experince hull fractures. If it makes it to its third birthday (considering normal use) without a fractures it probably never will get one. Just get a mechanic to check out the motor, electrical, etc.

Thanks for the input. According to the catalog the 175 is 11" longer and takes 90 or 115 4 stroke. Foot wider and 96" beam vs 88". It also has 10 more gallon capacity. However all this gets me in terms of weight capacity is 140 pounds. Why is everyone pointing me to a bigger motor. Wouldn't that consume more gas? Keep in mind Im not tournament fishing and Im not going to go 100mph through the lake. As for the used boats, I wish I could look at some to see how they hold up but I cant find anything similar to this model. Keep the info coming.

Pershing

A 90 horse will get better economy at 60% throttle at 30 mph than a 60 horse at 100% at the same speed.

Because we know more than you. The 11,995 rig,you mention,is a 30 horsepower engine and with 3-4 people you will be lucky to do 24 mph,the boat will be over crowded,and will not handle well.

16ft 4 people nada 4 people at least 18ft at least, 20 a lot more comfort

Don't lose any sleep over the weight issue. You are not going to sink that boat with 5 full grown men in it. The 16' boat only fishes two comfortably...3 in pretty much the max.

The motor isn't just about speed. You have to make big increases in horsepower to gain a little speed. A larger horsepower motor can get you up on plane faster and can help provide a smoother, drier ride. A

Not questioning your knowledge, but the rig Im describing is like 16+K could you be confusing the boat with the super guide 16 sc which is around 12K? Im talking about the Pro Guide version. The Pro Guide offers 25,50 and 60 HP motors. The last 2 being the options Im considering. The seating arrangement is pretty much the same so Im not getting more seats on the 175 version. But if I cant seat 4-5 people and fish out of it then I need to scratch the whole idea and look for something else.

Pershing