Key West 246 Bay Reef
 

I am looking to buy a used 24 foot boat and wanted to see if anyone knows anything about the key west 246 bay reef. Seems like a pretty good boat to me but i cant find much info on them. I am currently looking at a 09 key west 246, a 07 skeeter 24zx, and a 07 Champion 24, which boat has the best ride?

You gonna get what u pay for...champion and skeeter are by far superior to the key west

The champion has the best ride by far and is the better bay boat. My best friend has an '09 246 Bay reef with a 250 Yammy and t-top. It's a really nice boat, but the ride is not even comparable to my Bay Champ. I have also gotten soaking wet in the Key West, and it definitely wasn't raining.

Skeeter out of those 3.....champion folded so if you have trouble you are on your own.

I like the Skeeters, Champs are nice . . . . . . . but like Montauk said you prolly be better off with Da Skeet!

Yep forgot to mention champion went out of business AGAIN...nonetheless still a great boat and I'm sure the safest bet would be the skeeter....I would choose that over the key west for sure.

No doubt!

Key West 246 Bay Reef
 

http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...tar-24-te.html

Capt. Allen,

I guess some people simply don't know so they guess or go by what they've heard. The Key West 246 Bay Reef has 19 degrees of deadrise which is significantly more than the Skeeter or the Champion, simple geometry. If you look at the Skeeter or Champion on a trailer next to a Key West you would be shocked, the Key West has a V that starts around your shin and a gunwale that lands at your chest. The other two look like bass boat bottoms on the trailer that someone placed a bay boat on top. The Skeeter and the Champion are nice riding machines, I've put many hours in both but in nasty conditions aren't near the ride of the Key West. My friend also has a Key West 246 Bay Reef, spray is never able to shoot around the wide Carolina flair of the Key West bow wetting occupants. Anyone that tells you differently really doesn't know or doesn't know how to run a boat.

In addition to having fished over 500 hours on the 246 bay reef, I also owned a Key West 216 Bay Reef for 4 years. One member who fished with me often on the 216 owns a Champion 22, he'll tell you it rides great but on very windy days prefers the dry, pound free ride of the Key West. It's not just my opinion, I've spent countless hours on the Key West.

To really research I will attach a link to a national challenge of the best riding bay boat, this will allow you to view what a huge national audience believes and not just one clown saying my buddy owns one of them. I also attached a picture of the bow of a Key West 24, look where the V starts, where the gunwale is in relation, and the sheer flair on the Key West. People may try but your eyes will not deceive you. Good luck with your decision, they still are all nice riding boats and I agree with the others of having the support of a company still in business. Key West has the top selling bay boat the last two years, there is a reason for that. Please see link at top of post.

Boy you'll make lots of friends on here with that attitude Capt. Cricket. I'm new on here, I'm no boat expert and don't have a gazillion hrs in a boat but you got to earn these guys respect before calling them out, saying that they know nothing. Other than that let me be the first to welcome you.

If I were spending the kind of money you are talking about I would go with the Key West assuming you like the ride of all three. You won't have a warranty with the Champion so you would be really taking a chance if you purchased the Champion. There was a thread on here recently about how many folks are getting rid of their Skeeters and having a tough time selling them. You should probably do a search for Skeeter bay boats and see what you come up with. Key West has an exceptional reputation for quality. If you go to the web site called the Hull Truth and search for Key West quality you will see all the info you could ever want. The good thing I doubt you could really go wrong with any of the three you have chosen. You might also want to look at the Triton 24 as by all accounts that is a very good bay boat and it you find a good deal you can get one for what you will be paying for the other three. Best of luck to you and let us know what you find.

Or you could ride in a haynie!!!!!!

I wouldnt get any of them . . . . . im with cutta and slidell
Haynie or Triton is the way to go

Cape Bay!! But that Key West looks nice!!

key west has been in business for a long time. you dont stay in business making wet rough riding boats. every key west boat ive been in has been a good ride and they are very well made boats.

So, one of these is going to be your next boat? :)

I would def like it to be a Haynie and hoping to get one but ya never know, my Blue Wave has been nothing but good to me as well might be in another Blue Wave!

Evis has one for sale on here. Very nice, I believe it's in the classified section.

Yeh it's a LS wanting an HO thanks tho

I had two Key West, a 186 Bay Reef and a 225 CC.

IMO, the 186 is THE best riding 18' boat made. Well built boats, great customer service and I had zero problems with them. I have also ridden in the KW 216 bay. Great riding boat.

The KW 24 has more deadrise and is heavier than most bay boats. A customer of mine has a Skeeter 2250. Worst riding 22' bay boat I ever been in.

I saw a Haynie 24 High Output not long ago, beautiful looking boat but I don't know much about them. I looked at their website and found their 24 measures 23' 10", has an 8' beam, it weighs in kind of light for a boat that size listed at 1,800 lbs. In comparison the Key West 21' 6' weighs in at 2,100 and the 24' 6" weighs in at 2,400. The Haynie doesn't appear to have much bow on it from the pics so I'm unsure as to how they achieve a great ride. I AM NOT SAYING they do not ride well, I simply have no experience with them and ONLY looking at specs which does not substitute for riding in one. I know one thing, ask any Hydra Sport Bay Bolt owner, there is no replacement for displacement.

More deadrise means deeper draft. That might knock out some of the shallow water fishermen. More deadrise usually means a greater ride in rough water.
The KW does have a lot of flare at the bow, that would make it pretty dry ride, but the high bow gets you farther off the water too.
Every boat has it's plus's and minus's. It all depends on how and where you fish.
If we could find a boat with all the plus's, it would cost too much to fish.
The KW would make a good inshore/offshore boat for those who fish the rigs.
I have ridden in a Haynie and they are pretty great riding boat for their weight. I was surprised at the ride in rough water.
Bay boats don't normally have high deadrise due to the water we fish in. In Big Lake during a North wind and low tide, you can be running on plane one day and sitting on the bottom the next day in the same spot. I am proof of that.

The Right Boat For You
 

Ray you hit the nail on the head, I've heard this who makes the best boat issue forever and I feel a point is usually missed. What is important is to find a boat that fits your style of fishing or whatever ones' venue is. What works for me may not work for you and there is more than one way to skin a cat. It is truly a great day when you find a boat that leaves you fulfilled where you're not thinking man I wish I had this or that.

I fished a Key West 216 Bay Reef for many years and recently purchased the Key West 246 Bay Reef. I have a lot of confidence in these boats, I've been very impressed with the ride and dryness of these vessels and I can promise you I go out when I really shouldn't as long as I know I'll be protected where I intend to fish. However, I could not get the 246 into most Redfish ponds, I hate R-fish so I could care less about getting into one. Once one hits their stride fishing in a boat they're comfortable and confident in they're hard to beat.

Nice lookin boat mack....

Nice boat man,welcome to the site!

Good to see you John! I told you the gold looked good on the wasabi green !
I dont know how long you been lurking, but keep your skin thick cuse this place is a drama fest!

Welcome to the site... I always enjoy your reports on rod n reel it would be nice to get some more of those eastside reports over here too

X2 sounds like yall have been tearing up the tarpon pretty good!

That is a pretty nice looking boat. Lots of shine. I like a nice finish on a boat.

Moon Cricket,

"The Skeeter and the Champion are nice riding machines, I've put many hours in both but in nasty conditions aren't near the ride of the Key West."


After fishing out of each of those, both inshore and offshore on numerous occasions, I would agree with you on the ride of the Skeeter but to say the Champ isn't near the ride of the Key West is a bit absurd in my opinion. My experience is the other way around. Not knocking Key West in any way, because I think it's a good boat and I love the space and layout, but my best friend who owns the Bay Reef even prefers the ride, draft, and fishability of the Champ over his own Bay Reef. He was in the market for a 24 footer and got a good deal on it at a boat show so he bought it.


"My friend also has a Key West 246 Bay Reef, spray is never able to shoot around the wide Carolina flair of the Key West bow wetting occupants. Anyone that tells you differently really doesn't know or doesn't know how to run a boat. "


I was driving his boat...and I know how to handle one. "Never" might not be the best word choice. I've driven everything from rolled gunnel kenners to haynies to blackjacks to the yellowfin 24. From my experience, the Key West was just one of the wetter rides. The deep V cuts through a nasty chop head on but if you start going across the waves at an angle, put your raincoat on. ( I realize you're gonna get wet if it's windy and you are going across a decent chop in any bay boat, but I wasn't very impressed with the Bay Reef. Not knocking it, just giving my honest opinion from experience to help the thread starter)


"One member who fished with me often on the 216 owns a Champion 22, he'll tell you it rides great but on very windy days prefers the dry, pound free ride of the Key West. It's not just my opinion, I've spent countless hours on the Key West."


The 22 Bay Champ is not a true Champion hull and is a modified Stratos hull. The 220 Champion is also a knock off. It is a Wellcraft hull and now Ranger is selling it as the Bahia. I have fished out of both of those multiple times and I'm not impressed. The older 21 Bay Champ puts both to shame. The 21 and 24 Bay Champs are the "real" Champion hulls and have a great ride.


"...this will allow you to view what a huge national audience believes and not just one clown saying my buddy owns one of them."


Not everyone on here is a "clown". From what I've seen so far there are some lol, but there are also a lot of experienced fisherman and guides on this forum, probably much like yourself, that know exactly what they are talking about. I'm in no way knocking the Bay Reef because I think it's a good boat. I love skiing behind it :rotfl: But I do believe for the price, there are better performers out there to suit the application. I have a Bay Champ right now and absolutely love it but in the next year or two I will be getting rid of it for a Haynie 24 H.O. or a Yellowfin 24 Bay if I can get my funds right. I know everyone on this website starts cracking jokes when a Haynie is mentioned but they have become popular here on Big Lake for good reason. The Haynie 24 H.O. is impressive for what it is. It is light, fast, dry, and still to this day I don't understand how it rides as great as it does. Every time I fish with one of our guides that has one it makes me like it more and more every trip. This would be my top recommendation for a great all around performer for the price for fishing the bay and going out to the short rigs. Great ride, performance, fishability, and in my opinion all boats are overpriced but you get a lot of boat for the price in the Haynie compared to others in its class.

That may be the greatest post in history, love the blue

I agree on the haynie. I rode in one for the first time a couple of weeks ago and was extremely impressed with how smooth it was.

X2 that was epic! Still have not rode in a haynie,gotta see for myself.....must be 6 footers for me to be convinced though.

The first time i saw one on the lake a few years ago, the owner of which was from texas was bragging about how its the best thing since sliced bread and I laughed at him when I looked at it on the trailer. It looked like a nothing special, plain, rolled gunnel boat. Then a friend of mine got one and I rode in it. I had one word for it. Wow. We went through a nasty chop in Big Lake, facing the waves at all different angles and it was dry and smooth. Then we went through the nasty chop at 65 mph then I said wow again! Then I looked at how little fuel we burned while fishing out of it all day and I said wow again! Lol pretty sweet boat

Oh, and Cricket....the link you provided for researching this topic, the "national challenge" involving a "huge national audience" that consisted of 87 voters to vote on the best riding bay boat seemed to be missing some of the top performers in that class. Not to mention it was also comparing 22 and 24 foot boats to each other.

Thank You Everyone!
 

A big thank you to everyone for welcoming me to this site, yes I am new here but just realized that this seems to be a site geared for the fishermen on the west side. I stumbled across the site by accident looking for informtion I googled on something or other fishing related. I will probably not bore anyone with reports since I'm guessing it won't be of much use to anyone here but I still love to read and dream about fishing all day lol. Also thank you for the kind comments in regards to the Key West 24, I loved my 21 for years but have been really wanting the 24 for Tarpon fishing too. Soon my precious Tarpon will be gone until next year but will be rewarded with fall Trout fishing in full swing soon. I hope all is well with my fellow fishing friends!

John

John,

Please post your reports. Always looking for other places to fish and there are many east enders on the site.

PLEASE POST REPORTS!! We all love seeing fish pics hunting pics doesn't matter from where! Hell we even have a guy post from the North East!! Post'em up and hang around!!

yep I dont discriminate... I deplete the trout population from Lake P to Big Lake and everywhere in between

X2!

agree with the rest, we like pickshures !!!!!!

I own a 196 bayreef and would not trade. Very good and dry ride compared to skeeter and champion.

Thanks Again!
 

Over the years I have joined many sites, not once has any welcomed me aboard, wow very cool.

I always believe fishing with confidence in addition to knowledge of thy quarry is important. With that in my mind it matters not to me what side of LA people are fishing, I believe regardless of the years spent fishing, there is ALWAYS something new that can be learned. I will definitely attempt to contribute as much as anyone and promise you guys I will be picking up tips and tricks too. One never knows what tidbit they may pick up from a child walking the dock, the fuel man, the guy standing next to you at the cleaning station who is on his 3rd beer lol, a seasoned guide, etc.

What a great site, thank you again!

I had a 2002 216 bayreef and loved the boat i've been 52 miles offshore in it on several occasions, been wet in it more than a few times but any other bay boat would have been a wet ride also. I now have a 22 ft triton lts, love the boat but i wouldn't say its a better ride or better boat than yhe key west. And as stated above my fishing partner has a 21 ft bay champ and IT IS the best riding bay boat i have ridden in in the 21' to 22' class. Never been in a hayne but have a feeling it may be my next boat.