Fishing Boat Advice

[Country Bladesmith]

Thinking of pulling the trigger on a War Eagle Blackhawk 961 center console. I’ve been borrowing a ProGator 17’ bass boat for taking my son and his fishing partner for their school fishing team tournaments. I’m constantly tripping over shit getting to the front and rear decks to untangle lines (happens a lot with ten year olds). Plus there’s just not much room for three people in the boat. I’ve never been in a center console boat before, but the layout looks much more friendly towards having to tend to young anglers. Plus I think I’d like to be sitting higher to spot snags when we have to fish the Red River.
Any thoughts?

 

[Misanthrope]

Keep borrowing the ProGator, and use the money you'd have spent on the new boat to fill the ProGator with tobacco.

 

[verporchting]

Kids in boats with fishing poles = localized chaos and great memories.

My childhood memories and discussions with my dad makes me think no amount of extra boat, better gear, patient explanations of what was expected, etc. made any difference whatsoever.

Add in a dog (or in one instance a baby raccoon) and a cooler of beer and it was just a circus.

Fish were caught, fun was had, and great memories remain. I don’t think a bigger / better boat would have made the slightest difference. Some of my best memories were from a time with a completely shitty cramped and occasionally leaking boat.

Just my take though. I can totally understand the compulsion to buy a new boat!!!

 

[mikethompson]

Kids in boats with fishing poles = localized chaos and great memories.

You just foreshadowed a week in July for me. Looking forward to it ?

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Usually center console boats have a deeper draft than a typical bass boat. That would limit how shallow you could go, etc.

 

[briarbuck]

Borrow your Buddy's.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

We all know this tournament thing is a rouse. Get the boat, because you know you want it.
I can back a cattle trailer to a dime, cargo trailers, RV, any trailer. But, for some reason backing a boat trailer turns me into a cussing, fuming, Neanderthal.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Usually center console boats have a deeper draft than a typical bass boat. That would limit how shallow you could go, etc.

Yeah, that is a concern I have. I do need to go through some skinny water to get to some oxbow lakes on the river sometimes.

 

[BROBS]

Yeah, that is a concern I have. I do need to go through some skinny water to get to some oxbow lakes on the river sometimes.

Get a Lund. ?

 

[craig61a]

That War Eagle doesn’t look like it would draft much more than a bass boat...

 

[mso489]

CoffeeAndBourbon beat me to it, but draft is important, especially if you like skulking in the shallows for those fish hiding places. A deeper draft isn't bad, just a different approach to fishing, and maybe a little better if a storm comes up. Maybe keep shopping for a while, as long as you have the boat to borrow. You want the right amount of boat, not too much and not too little. Used gives more latitude on price, etc. etc.

 

[niblicck]

Have a friend looking to buy a new bass boat myself and he's telling me they are in short supply now. The one he wants he can have but not untill September if he orders it now @ $31,000. Or he can buy the same one now that is 3 years old for $35,000 used.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Have a friend looking to buy a new bass boat myself and he's telling me they are in short supply now. The one he wants he can have but not untill September if he orders it now @ $31,000. Or he can buy the same one now that is 3 years old for $35,000 used.

The prices even on aluminum boats makes me want to order sheet metal and a TIG machine.
There is a place down in Morgan City that builds custom boats, and the price is not too bad, from what I’ve seen. Not sure what the wait is like.

 

[niblicck]

The prices even on aluminum boats makes me want to order sheet metal and a TIG machine.
There is a place down in Morgan City that builds custom boats, and the price is not too bad, from what I’ve seen. Not sure what the wait is like.

I think he was talking about a G3 with a 150hp on the back that is 19ft.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

This War Eagle would be 19.5’ with a Yamaha 115 SHO. The price is pretty close to what you quoted. I can’t find a used one near here, or with the extra livewell I need.

 

[tbradsim1]

Cajun Country, Jeanerette, Morgan City, New Iberia are hubs of aluminum craft, boats, air boats, been away for some years, DONT know the price of them nowadays, if it’s custom you want, thats the place to go, during the start of our conflict in Asia I was sent to Bayou Vista, near Morgan City to help rectify a problem with Swift Boats, got a handle on it and made the corrections, job done. I like Aluminum over Fiberglass, lifetime boat.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Cajun Country, Jeanerette, Morgan City, New Iberia are hubs of aluminum craft, boats, air boats, been away for some years, DONT know the price of them nowadays, if it’s custom you want, thats the place to go, during the start of our conflict in Asia I was sent to Bayou Vista, near Morgan City to help rectify a problem with Swift Boats, got a handle on it and made the corrections, job done. I like Aluminum over Fiberglass, lifetime boat.

Yeah, I’m thinking about just taking a weekend trip down that way in a few weeks to shop around. It’s only a few hours on I-49.

 

[BROBS]

This War Eagle would be 19.5’ with a Yamaha 115 SHO. The price is pretty close to what you quoted. I can’t find a used one near here, or with the extra livewell I need.

Y u need such a big outboard?

 

[tbradsim1]

my experiences with boat motors, big you can throttle back and get almost the economy of smaller motor, and if a storm boils up you can get the hell out of Dodge Faster which could save your life.

 

[Misanthrope]

Y u need such a big outboard?

Max vroom makes big wheee!