Gatortrax boat with outboard?

[bayouchub]

Hull slap while fishing skinny water reds will be a major concern. Is there a reason that you dont want a glass boat? I understand aluminum if you were going with a surface drive but not with o/b

[RichWentFishing504]

Originally Posted by bayouchub

Hull slap while fishing skinny water reds will be a major concern. Is there a reason that you dont want a glass boat? I understand aluminum if you were going with a surface drive but not with o/b

Maintenance is the biggest reason. I've got a fenced in backyard but it's not covered where my boat sits. Aluminum also weighs less and I can get it customized the way I want to fish for a lot less.

I'm not concerned about noise either. The last two boats I've had were aluminum and I could spit further than some of the distances I was catching redfish. I could see that as a major concern in ultra spooky waters like Florida or Texas but let's face it, we have a great fishery and with the local mindset, caught fish end up in somebody's ice chest way more often than being released so they are not conditioned as much to be lure weary. If push comes to shove I could always just hang a piece of carpet on the front and elimate noise that way.

I'm a big fan of unpainted aluminum. I'm not keeping it in the water and a quick rinse with the garden hose is all the cleaning I'll ever want to do. I've seen a lot of issues with corrosion under paint as opposed to the self oxidation bare aluminum intrinsically has. It also looks pretty cool when it ages.

I looked at technical poling skiffs but I have a hard time finding fishing partners as it is that want to go out two or three days in a row much less take turns in the platform poling. Id rather have a 24v or 36v trolling motor with the biggest batteries made so I can fish all day by myself if need be.

I'll sacrifice a rougher ride for shallow water abilities and speed. If that means I gotta slap a mouth guard in and eat salt spray so be it. The last couple of years as I've transitioned from fishing spots as opposed to patterns I really realized how many a faster boat can be.