I’ve been saving for a bass boat for some time, I sold my Nitro a few years ago and couldn’t wait till I could get back on the water. Since then, I’ve added two little boys to the family and can’t wait to take them fishing, I really had my heart set on getting back into a 20-21’ bass boat. On the other hand, I want to be able to take them duck hunting as well. I’ve grown weary of the leasing game over the years, while it provides a place to hunt without fighting for a spot, I can’t afford a lease and a boat. My question is this, is there a duck boat out there that is a decent platform for bass fishing as well? I’d like to have a mud motor so I’m not going through lower units like crazy bouncing off stumps, something with enough power to make running to the other side of the lake an impossible task and something with a trolling motor and deck big enough to fish off of. I had a budget of around 20-25k for bass boat. Anyone with some input?
My buddy has an excel f4 hull and a 37 hp boss drive motor. I’m not a huge fan of the motor itself, but it’s an extremely stable platform. We regularly make trips across the whole lake scouting and hunting.
To answer your question, no is the answer, flat bottom mud boats are made for one specific task and will not even be close to a bass boat in terms of fishing. I have both, buy a bass boat and make due during duck season. A flat bottom boat will not track well at all with a trolling motor and very unstable in the wind to fish from. Also will not handle big water at all like a v-hull bass boat. I am sure some will chime in here and tell you how great there duck boats are but the comparison is not even close.
Stick with a true v hull fishing rig and just find places to hunt with it if you plan on fishing a lot, unless you like being wet, beat to death crossing big water, and going 20mph all the time.
To answer your question, no is the answer, flat bottom mud boats are made for one specific task and will not even be close to a bass boat in terms of fishing. I have both, buy a bass boat and make due during duck season. A flat bottom boat will not track well at all with a trolling motor and very unstable in the wind to fish from. Also will not handle big water at all like a v-hull bass boat. I am sure some will chime in here and tell you how great there duck boats are but the comparison is not even close.
Stick with a true v hull fishing rig and just find places to hunt with it if you plan on fishing a lot, unless you like being wet, beat to death crossing big water, and going 20mph all the time.
I know what you are saying and I know a flat bottom won’t compare to the capabilities of a bass boat. I won’t be fishing tournaments anymore so I’m not expecting that level of performance. It was more a question of, is it a decent platform to fish from. I’m definitely not going to run a ranger, skeeter, etc into stumps and shallow water to get into a duck hole and forget about camouflaging a shiny red, white, blue, etc bass boat. If I could afford both I’d definitely go that route. I even considered splitting the money and getting a half decent bass rig and half decent duck rig but HOA frowns upon boats parked in the street and I can’t afford storage for both. Also, I’d rather have one good boat vs two older problems. I think another thing to consider is that both my sons are 5 or under so snagging carpet, spilling drinks, hitting gel coat with weights, mud, etc would be much less of a concern with a duck rig.
I agree with Mo. You have to decide is it a fishing boat first or a duck boat first with the other a secondary. I could care less about bass fishing today and would not like it if I had to do serious bass angling from my boat. . If your just going to go out and crappie or catfish, maybe stay with a school of sandies then a duck boat rigged for fishing will be ok...its what I have now. My boat is duck first and fishing second. And if you want a mud motor then you will want it on the right hull which is a flat bottom.
I Have an Excel F4 viper side console with an outboard. I was like you and couldn’t afford both. It’s like they took their duck boat and added decks, livewell, baitwell and trolling motor. True, it rides crappy in rough water but it’s faster than a mud motor and can run pretty shallow. My family loves fishing out of it. I’d post pics but this is my first post and i don’t really know how to. Good luck on your search!
Unless you do not plan on using it much, do not get a mud motor unless you are very mechanically inclined and know how to work on a lawnmower engine because you will be working on it all the time or it will be in the shop a lot because stuff breaks all the time.
It will either be issues with the motor, valves, exhaust, pulleys, drive, lower unit, prop, trim units, switches, or throttle cables freezing up all the time. Something will break or need attention all the time if you use it much. It can be a money pit if you do not know how to do everything yourself and if your around DFW there is nobody around here that can work on them.
If anyone tells you otherwise they either have not had one very long or do not use it much.
Stick with a v hull aluminum bass boat with an outboard, you will be much happier.
To answer your question, no is the answer, flat bottom mud boats are made for one specific task and will not even be close to a bass boat in terms of fishing. I have both, buy a bass boat and make due during duck season. A flat bottom boat will not track well at all with a trolling motor and very unstable in the wind to fish from.
if prop is trimmed out of the water, tracking is a joke. Drop the prop, secure strait with bungee cord, prop/lower unit acts like a ruder, and my boat tracks fine for trolling motor. You seen how I rig my boat for fishing.
Unless you do not plan on using it much, do not get a mud motor unless you are very mechanically inclined and know how to work on a lawnmower engine because you will be working on it all the time or it will be in the shop a lot because stuff breaks all the time.
It will either be issues with the motor, valves, exhaust, pulleys, drive, lower unit, prop, trim units, switches, or throttle cables freezing up all the time. Something will break or need attention all the time if you use it much. It can be a money pit if you do not know how to do everything yourself and if your around DFW there is nobody around here that can work on them.
If anyone tells you otherwise they either have not had one very long or do not use it much.
Stick with a v hull aluminum bass boat with an outboard, you will be much happier.
Wow, why would anyone ever buy one if they break down that much? You’ve obviously had a bad experience, care to elaborate on what manufacturer and what issues you’ve had? What was the outcome?
the biggest problem i had with bass fishing out of my duck boat/jon boat is the wind blowing you around. your in a light boat with high sides that drafts very shallow. you wont have any boat control and will get frustrated very quickly fighting the boat and trying to fish at the same time.
with young kids, i'd get the bass boat and do a couple guided hunts a year. they will have good hunts on private land with birds close and over the decoys. public land duck hunting is a tough game.
the biggest problem i had with bass fishing out of my duck boat/jon boat is the wind blowing you around. your in a light boat with high sides that drafts very shallow. you wont have any boat control and will get frustrated very quickly fighting the boat and trying to fish at the same time.
with young kids, i'd get the bass boat and do a couple guided hunts a year. they will have good hunts on private land with birds close and over the decoys. public land duck hunting is a tough game.
It is, but I managed to do well on public back when I was cutting my teeth. That was with a row boat and some old, faded decoys. Hell, I even managed to scrape out some limits. I appreciate the input.
Manufacturer really does not matter, they all have the same crappy Briggs Vanguard powerhead with leaking valves, leaking gasket covers, and other issues. Throttle cables, props, and seals are pretty much the same as well regardless of manufacture.
I have over 400 hours on my current 2008 Gatortrax/ Mudbuddy combo, had a Godevil before that and I fix my own crap and have been lucky with mine but all friends have had countless issues and repairs that were needed. One current one has a motor failure and is about to buy a new power head to the one of $3,500, another friend is repairing his now from breaking something on the motor as well. another friend has broke two shafts, burned up bearings and seals, broke belts, bent rods, had to change out trim switches and clutches.
Lucky for me I have only had to replace the trim motor twice, changed out bent rods, adjust valves, and change oil and filters but I am lucky with mine. My point is be ready to work on it or it will be in the shop a lot if you do not know how to. I have also pulled the throttle cable off and lost the oil check stick from running in heavy timber, crap happens if you use it like it is intended to be used.
Unless you do not plan on using it much, do not get a mud motor unless you are very mechanically inclined and know how to work on a lawnmower engine because you will be working on it all the time or it will be in the shop a lot because stuff breaks all the time.
It will either be issues with the motor, valves, exhaust, pulleys, drive, lower unit, prop, trim units, switches, or throttle cables freezing up all the time. Something will break or need attention all the time if you use it much. It can be a money pit if you do not know how to do everything yourself and if your around DFW there is nobody around here that can work on them.
If anyone tells you otherwise they either have not had one very long or do not use it much.
Stick with a v hull aluminum bass boat with an outboard, you will be much happier.
Wow, why would anyone ever buy one if they break down that much? You’ve obviously had a bad experience, care to elaborate on what manufacturer and what issues you’ve had? What was the outcome?
Just get a prodrive and leave the tools in the drawer. They aren't quite as fast but hey I don't like working on stuff all the time
All this and with young kids,and or family? Sounds like you need a deck boat. I've seen them rigged up for everything your wanting,and great for the little ones.
This may not be what your looking for but I’m building a 20x72 flatbottom decked and railed like a boatright. I hav two 5yr olds. So I feel your pain. I fish on the coast so I don’t have to worry about trees. Plenty of FLAT deck for fishing and lots of room for them to move around.
Got a 16' Xpress duck boat with the HydraLift hull and 50hp Yammie. Haven't hunted out of it much but makes a good fishing platform with the trolling motor. Very safe feeling. Take it to Lake Ouachita every spring and does well in rough water.
I'm in the duckboats suck to fish out of crowd. There are things you can do to make them "better" but they aren't ever good...especially if you fish with wind. I've had them both and I wouldn't even consider doing more than crappie fishing in a river or tying to a stump with one.
Good luck!
Originally Posted by Phil Robertson
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel
To answer your question, no is the answer, flat bottom mud boats are made for one specific task and will not even be close to a bass boat in terms of fishing. I have both, buy a bass boat and make due during duck season. A flat bottom boat will not track well at all with a trolling motor and very unstable in the wind to fish from.
if prop is trimmed out of the water, tracking is a joke. Drop the prop, secure strait with bungee cord, prop/lower unit acts like a ruder, and my boat tracks fine for trolling motor. You seen how I rig my boat for fishing.
I'll give that a try. On a sad note I broke my dam trolling motor a week ago scouting. I figured I'd use it easing around in the timber to look/listen for quack heads. While using the big motor to leave a tree intentionally hit my dam troll motor and jacked it up. Lesson learned....use the troll motor for fishing and not timber duck scouting
the biggest problem i had with bass fishing out of my duck boat/jon boat is the wind blowing you around. your in a light boat with high sides that drafts very shallow. you wont have any boat control and will get frustrated very quickly fighting the boat and trying to fish at the same time.
with young kids, i'd get the bass boat and do a couple guided hunts a year. they will have good hunts on private land with birds close and over the decoys. public land duck hunting is a tough game.
I guess light is relative. I have a 20/54 3/16 bottom rig and light does not come to mind. I'm loving it so far though. Before a tree kissed it I was liking the way it was doing and I was in a creek with heavy timber. I could tell the tracking was not like a v rig but Guy may have helped me out some with his tip
Are you a duck hunter that wants to fish a little or a fisherman that wants to duck hunt?
Once you figure that out then buy a boat.
I am personally screwed because I am way too serious about both which is why I have both kind of boats, hopefully you can decide for yourself but if you like to bass fish and use a trolling motor you will be very disappointed with a true mud boat. Just imagine trying to fish from a sail boat with the sail up in 15mph winds because that's how hard it will be to control a true flat bottom in the wind.
I could tell the tracking was not like a v rig but Guy may have helped me out some with his tip
Yeah here is a pic. Drop the prop it will track strait with trolling motor, bungee cords keep it pointed strait. It drives fine like that as well, you can leave it rigged up all summer. It is nice having tiller pointed strait if you let go of it, otherwise it goes left and can catch trees and mess you up.
Are you a duck hunter that wants to fish a little or a fisherman that wants to duck hunt?
Once you figure that out then buy a boat.
I am personally screwed because I am way too serious about both which is why I have both kind of boats, hopefully you can decide for yourself but if you like to bass fish and use a trolling motor you will be very disappointed with a true mud boat. Just imagine trying to fish from a sail boat with the sail up in 15mph winds because that's how hard it will be to control a true flat bottom in the wind.
I’m serious about both, just can’t afford both. I don’t know what to do!
