Rough Water Bass Boats

I'm looking for the best boat for fishing in rough water. Meaning, I want to be able to drive down the lake on a windy day and not have my [censored] hurt with every wave I go over. Preferably looking for someone who has used different models of boats. I really don't want to hear why your boat is better unless you have had experiences on other boats. I currently own a 21 i-class Skeeter and it does not handle rough water well. I was sold on how well it handled in rough water. I can tell you that is a lie.

deep V, center console, big motor....

I guess I should have clarified. I'm looking for a "bass boat" type model.

Clint Wade has a Basscat Lynx for sale here on tff. One of the best rough water boats out there,

I have a 819 Phoenix and the ride is much better than other 18 to 19 footers I've been in. I would imagine the 21 would be amazing.

That’s funny, I have always heard the I is a Cadillac. Check a champion, Allison, or 21x bullet out.

If it's really rough any bass boat is going to be an arse whooping.....that being said I think some are better than others and length matters. I have a Skeeter FX 20 that does about as well as it can. Knowing how to drive in rough water also makes a difference.

Champion Boats are the best I have been for rough water

>>> my 21 foot Triton is the best "rough" water boat I have ever been in <<<<
2nd would be Bass Cat ---- they are pretty darn good as well
Both are better rough water boats than my Skeeter was.

Charger Elite

Phoenix, champion, charger all make good rough water boats but all will ride like junk with a bad driver. After hearing so many say the i-class is a great rough water ride you might have the wrong prop or just need some more seat time to get it to get better.

I’m going to go with the 223 Champion being the best.

Best current made: Allison, Phoenix, Bullet, Charger elite

Best no longer made: Skinny Champs and then wide body Champs

I’ve had bass cat “cougars” they are good riding , currently in a skeeter fx21 it’s actually a softer ride in the big stuff.
Key is slowing down and driving them in the big water if you want good ride.
Any bass boat is going to beat you up in rough water if you’re in a hurry.

I did the Toyota Texas tournament as a judge for 10 years and rode in Skeeter, Ranger, Basscat, Triton, and Nitro. In rough water driven by pros who like to go fast. I run a TR21 Triton, my experience is the Nitro is the smoothest ride. Skeeter the worst. Ranger is rough & wet. Basscat and Triton do very well in big water.

I think all 21 foot bass boats do a good job with rough water, some a little better than others, no way I would give up how a boat is laid out and fishes for a little smoother ride, I spend about 10 percent of my time running the boat, the other 90 the trolling motor is down. Right now I am in a Triton 21 TRX, it rides really well.

Apparently, you're not a very good driver in rough water cuz the boat that you have is one of the very best rough water boats on the market. I could crank up my 20i in a 20mph wind with boat wakes coming from every which way at the Skeeter owners and smoke past most all of the field. I give driving lessons for cheap, if interested. There's not such a thing as a smooth riding boat in any brand when the wind gets up to 25+.

RedRanger is the best driver in Rough Water

Hands Down...............

Recon Boats built in Wisconsin, best rough water bass boat made period. It's really a walley boat, built for big water, but it's closest to a bass boat as any I have ever seen.

Would you like to retract that last statement? I've been in ole' Red.

Put your eye glasses on

I said Me (RedRanger) is the best rough water driver

Reading Comprehension is what you need to google...……….

"Good rough water boat" and "Bass Boat" together is kind of an oxymoron lol. Like several have stated above, if it's really kicking there isn't a brand out there that wont be a rough ride and if you didn't like the i-class in rough water I'd get a center console or Pontoon boat!

Well. I can add this. DO NOT GO DOWN TO A TZX190! There is a reason it’s nick named “The Skeeter P***er Beater”.

In rough water, a 21 ft boat with a hydraulic jackplate, and experience. Period. Make/model doesn’t matter nearly as much as knowing how to pilot a boat in rough water.

If it was the best rough water boat out there I dont think he would be selling a brand new boat to order a Charger elite.

I have fished out of most brands of bass boats over the years. The old Champion hulls were the ones everybody tries to compare their boats too. Champion was not the fastest boat on a slick calm day but put 3 footers on the lake and the champion excels all day every day. Champions downfall has always been financial issues. Now Charger is producing the 198 and 210 elite hulls with a charger cap/topside. Charger has always been a good rough water boat that produced a low volume of boats compared to the big names in the industry. The champion ride was like riding in a Cadillac on water and easy to drive. No chine walking or backsplash coming over the back of the boat when you come off pad.

Get a Lund with some of those shock absorbing fishing seats always advertised on “In-Fisherman”. Course you are prolly going to have to move way up north hey? https://www.lundboats.com/ https://waveproshock.com/ Next thing you know you will be back trolling with leaches!

I rode as a co for two years in the BFL's, did the marshal gig on Toledo twice and none of the boats I rode in ride as good as my Phoenix 721. With that said, the best of any I rode in was with Dave Lefebre in his Ranger on Toledo, that dude can flat [censored] drive a boat living on Lake Erie.

I have had 3 back surgeries and love the ride of my boat.

As an aside, I am toying with designing a shock absorbing seat base to put in my boat, the biggest problem is the space to do it in, but I love a challenge!

Whoa?

I have an older skinny Champion that I love. Best rough water boat that I have owned or been in. There is a trade off though for the deep vee. It isn't the most stable fishing platform with 2 people in it.

Very true. I’ve owned skeeter and have a 21’ ranger now. In moderately rough water where it’s bumpy but not bad enough to spear a wave my ranger is as smooth as they come. In larger more spread out waives and rollers like you’ll see on Texoma on windy days it’s very difficult to keep the nose up on a longer boat. That’s where knowing how to drive comes into play. I still spear a few and learn every time I do. In the 20ft boats that have a 250 I’ve noticed they’re able to keep their nose up easier in the really big stuff. Regardless you’ll have negative results no matter what you’re in if you don’t know how to drive it. I’ve been in newer rangers, bass cats, skeeters, and tritons and when the conditions are really bad they all suck. Just ask all the bass champs guys who fished the championship this year on Texoma and had to make the run back to way ins. Every cove on the way there was filled with all makes of boats pumping water out trying to let their bilge catch up.

I've owned Tracker, Ranger, Triton, Nitro and Champion 18-22 footers in Bass Boat hulls. The Triton, Nitro and Champion hulls that I have owned have all been 20-22 footers though. I've also fished over 6 years as Co Angler in the Top100/Top150 and Elite series when they allowed it. My opinion is the best rough water boat out there is the one you can drive the best in the rough water-You have to figure out which one works for you. Generally speaking though the longer the hull the better but that's a generality. I've owned a bass boat pretty much every year since 1988. I currently own a 2017 Triton TR22. I would say the TR22 or the 2006 Champion 210 were the best rough water boats that I've owned with the Triton TR21's running a very close second. Get out and test drive one-you'll need seat time to figure out if you want to drive it nose down/up or snowplow in rough water. If you want to test drive mine I live down by Cedar Creek lake. Just get me a heads up and we'll go out sometime and get you some seat time and I can show you how I try to drive in rough water with my TR22. One of the trade offs for a better rough water ride is you lose a little bit of top end speed-neither my TR22 or the Champion 210 were fast but still made right at 68-70. Hope you find what you're looking for. A 21' Skeeter is a nice rig though.


RR521

I've been in most of the brands mentioned, Charger 596 has the best ride. At almost 22' long with a deep V, I personally don't believe there's a better ride out there.

If a 21I is to rough for you, you probably won't find anything in a bassboat that will work for you. My girlfriend never complained about the ride in my ZX225. Guess she was tougher than some of these guys.

Love my ZX250, had a ZX225 before, and the ZX250 is hands down a better ride. I've been in Ranger, Triton, Phoenix, Basscat, Gambler and Nitro boats. I prefer my own ZX 250 over any of them because I'm driving. The Phoenix is a close second, then Basscat and Nitro, as far as ranger, never been in a bigger one, but I am sure they would be a top 3 from a general consensus.

My flat bottom Polar Kraft is the best rough riding boat out there!!

If a boat hull doesn't have 21 degrees of dead rise it will not ride smooth in rough water. Unfortunately, there is not a Bass Boat built that comes close to 21 degrees. Most have between 3-5 degrees .

And this one time I conquered the Seven Seas in my bassboat.........

Champion or Charger, honorable mention to Ranger or Legend. Anyone who says Basscat... LOL, a smooth ride is not their niche.

Same ole [censored]...Everyone line up and let's get this pissing match going. SMDH

Not a procraft my nads are still sore from yesterday.

It's going to be tough to beat a Mt. Home ChampioN.

It NEVER fails ^^^^^^^

Then you want a really heavy boat that goes really slow.

The heavier the boat, the less it is affected by wave energy.

The faster you go, the harder the waves hit the hull and that energy is transferred to whomever is aboard.

Now, most people go with light weight, hi-speed bass boats. It's awesome when the lake is calm. It's a bear when it's not. In Texas, is windy 50-50. On Texoma, it's windy 100-0. However, I've found the most will put up with the "energy transfer" just so they can put the hammer down every once in a while.

Surely you mean Saturday? If they hurt from Sunday then you better sink that thing and buy a jon boat!

Maybe just add a seat cushion.

I ran wide open from the back of Little Mineral all the way to Alberta Creek with a 20 MPH south wind, nobody passed me, I was even steering with one hand, I been wanting to mount a 60 inch Ultrex on the front of my 27 foot Cobalt 262 Bowrider.

I've owned a Cajun, Skeeter, Champion (202 original "skinny hull"), and now a Legend. My fishing partner owns a Pantera Basscat. (That Pantera is the roughest riding boat I've ever been in, and I've ridden in it probably over 100 times) The Cajun and Skeeter were 18 foot boats. The Champ a 20 footer, and the new Legend is a 19 foot boat. I know this for a fact. My Champion was able to go over 2 foot swells with no sweat at just about any speed I wasn't scared to drive it. And I could maneuver my way through anything bigger. Anyone who say they can run fast or "wide open" in three foot and larger swells has never hit one head on doing over 50 mph and launched their boat. Ask me how I know this one! If you're in BIG swells...there's no such thing as a "smooth ride". There's a smoother ride, but it ain't smooth. On Lake Travis when these cigar boats/wake boat and gigantic party boats start going all over the lake, you've got 3 - 5 foot waves coming at you from all different angles. I had my 202 on it several times and it sucked! Two footers...Champ. Anything bigger...better drive it and decide for yourself.

Trim it down. It’s all about angles into and out of waves. Also running perpendicular to wind/waves will tear stuff up!!! Lol They all will beat you up in the 20-30 mph winds we have had lately.......if you trying to run hard in those conditions.

This must be a troll thread....no way a 21i class rides bad in ruff water. Just trim the nose down and floor it....nothing more to say!

There becomes a point when none are great rough riding boats, hence "lake wind advisory."

I have a skeeter 20 I class, it rides good. The best riding boat I have ever owned was a 202 champion.

sounds like you might need 35 foot Bertram

Is their really a bass boat that is smooth in rough water? Probably some better than others but think you are looking for a unicorn.
J D

Triton 22trx is the smoothest I've been in and that's why I still own one.

221 or 223 champion. It's really no contest

You're not gonna find a better riding boat than a 21i unless it's a 22i. The 21i is very comparable to a Champion 210 Elite as far riding goes. Go take a ride in different models.

His Ranger beat him up so badly he hasn't had it out in a few years

Triton bass boats will not get the mentions/responses here that others will because in Texas, not that many Triton dealers, therefore not as many fishing Tritons. In my opinion, it's the beat big-water bass boat. I've owned most brands and my TRX22 is what I own. Check out how many pros are driving them and for how many years.

Very true. Virtually all bass boats ride nearly the same in rough water. Which is rough at best.
How well they do in rough water depends almost entirely on the driver and not on the boat. If you take the very best “riding” bass boat mentioned here and drive it to fast right into the waves it will be rough but drier. If you drive it cross wave it will be rough and wet. If you run the troughs when possible it will be smoother if the driver can keep it in the trough.
Many much of the boats mentioned in this thread will ride different with every driver. Best advice is take your time slow down and keep the nose up.

Champion is hard to beat in rough water.

No. Unfortunately, I'm serious. From what I'm reading, maybe it's me as a driver. All I know is that I always glance over at whomever is riding with me and see them whining about their butt hurting. On really bad days, I feel it too. It's almost as if I don't have enough cushion in the seats. Also, when I come off a wave, it sounds like my boat is considering disintegrating upon impact. The final straw is when fishing Lake Ontario (yes I know) my trolling motor put a hole on the top of my boat and broke my trolling motor. Yes, I forgot my stabilizer. But I wasn't even trying to go fast. I was merely trying to get off the lake. I don't think I drove faster than 10 mph.

I like Champion boats but I have ridden in a couple of them, they did not ride any better than several other boats that I have been in, I think it was the driver because I was not that impressed, especially when I spilled coffee all over me.

better just get yourself a WorldCat offshore boat if you think a 21i is a rough boat. Unless you drive it too fast in the rough stuff, it just plows through the waves. you have to use the front bow angle to break the waves or else you are just bouncing the bottom off them. any boat will be rough when you do that....even a world cat

I can't tell you what is best, but I can tell you with certainty that the best doesn't have the word "Pantera" in its name.

I like my Mountain Home made 1996 221 Elite Champion.

The key to a good ride in rough water is knowing how to drive. A bad driver can make the BEST boat a terrible wet and rough ride.

I will second that. I own a Pantera Classic. It's a rough ride. Real rough. Not all that wet but rough. Only so many ways you can drive it. I never have been impressed with the ride in any BassCat I have rode in but haven't been in all the models. To me the best riding brands are Champion, Charger, Phoenix.

BassCat is solid built. The hull is a tank.

I had a Skeeter 20i and it had an amazing ride, way better than my Z521. There has to be something wrong,the 21i is a very well regarded rough water boat, especially for a boat that fishes so well. Just remember, if you want something that rides great you are going to give up something when the trolling motor is down.

I recently rode in a Bass cat, don't remember what series but it was one rough azz ride and it wasn't even that rough of water.

I grew up driving Champions, mid 80's, with the pro driver that did the commercials showing Champion doing the high speed u-turns and breach stops. It was a rush driving with those guys, I learned a lot. We would get those boats riding with maybe 6 inches of pad touching the water, every boat will chine walk if you get enough boat out of the water.

There are 3 factors in how good or bad a boat rides , driver, prop and engine height. I have owned several Champions and the first one came with a 4 blade trophy that had Champion logo etched on it. Switched to tempest for more speed which I got , (2 mph ) but it wasn't even close to 4 blade for ride and handling. If you haven't had a properly setup boat for rough water your not going to like most any brand. Most if not all boats sold now are setup and marketed for top speed. I'll give up a few mph for a better riding and handling boat all day any day.

I think the conclusion has been made. Find someone who really knows how to run rough water and let them drive your boat. Sit in the passenger seat and soak it in. Pay attention to anything and everything. My college partner and champs partner had 2 different 21i's. I still have not been in a smoother ride and have ridden in pretty much everything. I wouldn't even call him that good of a driver.

So this one time I was running 4 footers at 70 MPH in my (insert your boat brand) boat.



A good boat operator will make a mediocre boat perform well in rough water and a bad boat operator will make an excellent boat perform terribly in rough water.

The operator is 85% of the performance in rough water.

Learn how to drive your boat in rough water , Steering , Speed , Safety is what it’s really about , as mentioned before : I Spend more time on the deck with trolling motor down . If the wind is going to be hard I’ll be prepared , Time and Location .

I'm a Skeeter guy... but IMO Charger makes the best rough water boat on the market.

Had a Triton TR-21, now have a Triton 22TRX, a little different hull design (wider/longer), but both are the best I've been in, in bad rough water. Hated to let it go... but had an '89 Stratos 201 PRO (heavier), that was also the best ride ever.

That flat footed Buda could make a naval destroyer ride rough the way that maniac drives.

Seeing threads like this makes me remember that most things are all about personal perception.
I'm an ex-West Coaster, so when I hear rough water boat handling, I think about the pictures that I took back then.

It is my humble opinion that rough water handling is all about the driver, his boat and knowing their combined limitations.




and






I have hundreds like these. No, I wasn't in the USCG, I just spent a lot of time offshore.

Marc

Link to more of the same

None they are all rough.

The bigger and heavier the Bus, the smoother the ride is;)

And yet another reason a Bay Boat trumps a bass boat.

I think those pictures are from me on Toledo during a storm a few years back. &#128514;

I’ve owned several(laser, skeeter, hawk, nitro, Basscat, Allison and now a Phoenix).of those it is a toss up between the Allison and the Phoenix.

The Allison was much more fun to drive. Aside from the speed the handling was incredible. It was so responsive it made driving in rough water easy. The Phoenix isn’t as nimble but has a deep V and weight on its side.

Great pics!!! Thanks for sharing

Bullet 21XRS

The top picture, of the three, was what my Skeeter looked like on Richland Chambers last Saturday.

Why are there not more Allison’s in Texas, at least southeast Texas? Fairly common in Tennessee and I have a friend friend that’s owned Allison’s forever. It’s the only boat he’d own. I haven’t fished out of one since high school. I believe there’s a dealer near Dallas isn’t there? If I got out of a Bass Cat I’d own an Allison.

My son and I were fishing in Tennessee last summer and a guy had an Allison with a flashed 250 SHO on it. He was making some high speed passes early one morning. He was hauling, not sure how fast he was going but he was moving.

I love these sorts of posts. If there are fifteen different types of bass boats you will get fifteen different opinions. I like a boat that travels well and on plane at about 30/35 mph in waves. Trying going faster in rough water will hammer everything in your boat and compress your spine. You will need surgery and spinal fusion by the time you reach my age which is over 60. I now own a Skeeter ZX 250. It runs well in the roughest water I take on. But when the wind blows at 30 mph on a lake like Toledo Bend, I don't want to take on the waves.

Bass Trackers and then the old school Bombers ride the best in 3’ers.

Because lightweight fast boats don’t ride good (LOL not), if I didn’t own a Bullet I’d own an Allison XB21 and forget about it, best riding boat made. People down here just don’t know much about them. All these comments about heavy boats ride better haven’t been in a true light boat. To a degree they ride better, but then someone talks about energy transfer... that heavy boat is a lot of energy hitting than wave. And it hurts. Now I do agree a lot of the brands ride just fine. I’ll rarely bag on a brand but Legend... wow... worst riding boat I’ve ever sat in as far as the 19 footer, and I can DRIVE, I can’t believe some of the good riding legend stuff I’m reading. V hull, not as much but the 19. Ouch. Someone else mentioned a light boat being nimble, and that’s just it... the nose stays up, you can maneuver very very easily based on the waves spacing, and the light boat doesn’t come down so hard when you come over one and give you that kidney lurching feeling. I’ve ridden in a lot of boats. Weight is not it. My comp bullet rides better than my standard bullet did. Same hull. Why? It’s lighter. It kisses water. My buddy with a 2018 skeeter was SHOCKED and I mean rolling on the floor calling his buddy’s shocked when I took him for a ride in my Bullet last week... and and Allison rides even better than that.

Crazy the cool aid I see drank in Texas!

Fishing World Performance boats in Dallas is an Allison dealer. They are great boats. My problem was we have two kids and with the 4 of us the Allison was just to cramped. I plan to own another one day. Cost is also a factor in with an Allison. Equally equipped, they are much more than your "traditional" bass boat.

I have a TR-22. I am not sure if is simply just the size of the boat but that Triton is amazing in rough water. I would say 2nd is Ranger.. I believe they ride a little higher in the front and have hull designs better suited for smooth rides and less on speed.

I fish a lot of co-angler draw style tournaments and I can't tell you how many co-anglers who had never been in a Bullet before, by the end of the day tell me they have switched their hopes and dreams of a certain bass boat brand over to a Bullet.

That’s them I think, my friend in Tennessee was talking about driving down and buying a new Allison from a dealer in Dallas. They had some great deals he said but that’s been a few years back. Allison makes an awesome boat. When I moved here from Tennessee and asked about Allison and Bullets everyone told me they were too light and not good in this area. Thought is was odd but know each areas of the country seem to have specific brands of boats. My friend with the Allison has broken 100 mph, it’s an impressive boat for sure.