This^^^ Good post.

Oh Hop, so young and naive.

Decide which is more important to you in your finite life span, then go after that. If it's fishing and the tools you want (need aside), then do that. You only live once, how much does it mean to you?

Work all the time instead of fishing to pay for your fishing boat

fact is way back in the 70s the hp limit for BASS was 85hp, this is what they should have never got away from. Its not even logical to think one needs a 20 foot boat with 250 hp with all the latest electronics to fish from.

Its absoultely ridiculous that anyone would spend $40-80k on a bassboat. Manufactures have to get a big laugh out of that.

:rolfmao: that is what I get for venturing out of the OT.

I remember the days that I was cashing checks from a 14 ' lonestar with a 25 behind it and a flasher screwed to the seat. Those were the good ole days! I know fish from a 92 21' astro that I paid three grand for! Don't cash checks these day cause I'm to busy running my son around the junior trails! But If I had the money to throw away I sure would have one of them new fancy boats!

I didn't know that is was an 85 hp before that. Wow. Weird thing is back in 2000 the 150 hp boat at 18 ft would cost you 24k loaded. Now it is $33k loaded. Wow. 19 ft with 200 loaded cost 30k now $41k. 20 ft was $45k with 250 now $55k. Now this is the small graphs so equal. Then fuel now $4 a gallon opposed to $2 a gallon it sure expensive to have and go.

25hp? Wow - that was a big engine back in the day. We had to make do with an 18hp on the back of a 14ft Alumacraft and a sculling paddle.

The good ole days were when the first electric trolling motors came out and we thought we were in hog heaven not havin' to scull the boat down a bank!

the real meaning of fishing was lost many years ago. Nowdays its about looking good at the ramp for many regardless of what it cost.

This thread has me wondering - given today's cost of materials and labor could existing bass boat hull designs (say Ranger, Bass Cat, Skeeter, Legend, etc.) be cost engineered to reduce retail cost significantly by eliminating bells, whistles, and frills without sacrificing hull strength and durability?

Say 25% less to bring them more in reach of a larger customer base.

How and which of the bells, whistles, and frills could be eliminated or replaced with lower cost parts and materials etc?

For instance... all gel coat and no metal flake and fancy logo graphics; fixed cleats instead of popups; why do I need lights in the livewell - fish can't read; other interior amenities; etc.?

You can catch just as many fish out of the smaller (18') boats with lower hp engine, 150 hp. The biggest thing I see between them is the safety factor of the 20' over the 18' in rough water. Been fishing a long time and run a 20 ft boat now. It's night and day between that and my first glass boat which was a 15', my second one 16' and the countless 18' boats I've fished out of. Just the smoother, dryer, safer ride is great. But I agree, new boats are out of my market too. Mines a paid off 1997 model.

A limit of 150 HP on tournaments would hurt the market. It would kill the high end boat sales because anyone who could afford and so desired a 21+ footer with 200-250 would be excluded from fishing those tourneys with the lower limit. With the higher HP limit, anyone with a 150 can still participate, so it's open to a wider range of owners.

Just because the upper tourney limit is 250 doesn't mean you have to have the maximum HP allowed to be competitive.

True, but I think the rise in hp limits has also been the driving force in boat prices as now it is a competition to see who has the biggest and baddest. HP limits dont directly effect the weekend guys but, you see joe blow win while in a so and so with a 250 and thats the rage. Kind of like how nascar started. There are many other factors driving the price but look at the cost difference between a 150 and a 250. Rediculous! As they say, you have to pay to play!

The reason they abandoned the 150hp rule is real easy. They could`nt regulate or inforce it. They were discussing changing the rule at a bass tournament. At the lake during the tournament playing with a radar gun, when all of a sudden one of the pro`s came by their boat and clocked 83mph in his tournament rigged 18ft bass boat with a 150 Merc. They looked at each other shaking their heads then one turned to the other and said that guy carry`s an extra trolling motor too. Believe it or not some guys have the money to buy any boat and pull rig they might want.