Gatortrax boat with outboard?

[RichWentFishing504]

Does anyone run a gatortrax bigwater? I'm looking to get a shallow water boat and they have some hulls rated for some decent size outboards.

[FF_T_Warren]

I have a big shallow water but it's got a gtr35 on it. Great rig

[simplepeddler]

I have a buddy that had Ken build him a 24' and he has the 250 SHO on it.........it's scary fast for me, and I played the Allison/Bullet game back in the day.

Dr. McElven loves the boat. He fished the Louisiana red fish tour thing with it..........in fact his youngest son won the youth division.

make sure if you go this route, to go over a check list with the guys at Gator trax......they missed a couple things on Mike's boat

[RichWentFishing504]

Can you pm me and maybe you can get me in touch with him and I pick his brain.

How fast is scary fast.

It's a long run from Breton sound marina to the Biloxi marsh and I wanna get there fast! I also wanna start doing some of those redfish tournaments also.

How shallow did it float? How much water does it need to jump on plane? How did it take turns?

[bmatte8]

This is my gator trax rig. Its an 19' gator flats with a mercury 90hp optimax.

[RichWentFishing504]

How much you floating? How fast do you go?

[bmatte8]

i float in about 6". Its all 3/16" aluminum so its not quite as fast as you think itd be, but I get 41-42 mph out of it. cruises around 37. Almost the entire boat is deck so its very comfortable to fish from.

[RichWentFishing504]

How is the handling when you turn? How do you like the poking platform in the back.

[bmatte8]

I think if you go with the big water hull you could get a 130 on the back of it. I dont think my hull could handle the weight of a bigger motor though.

[RichWentFishing504]

Yeah that's what I'm thinking. Do you slide a lot on turns.

[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

[bmatte8]

Originally Posted by RichWentFishing504

Yeah that's what I'm thinking. Do you slide a lot on turns.

No this boat doesn't slide at all. the rounded chines keep it from sliding. It handles really well in shallow water. I've never been in a situation fishing shallow water redfish where water slapping the hull hurt me. I actually like not having to worry about damaging a fiberglass boat when running across mudflats, sandbars, and oyster reefs.

[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.

[bmatte8]

Originally Posted by RichWentFishing504

How is the handling when you turn? How do you like the poking platform in the back.

I love the poling platform. This boat is pretty tough to push pole though because it is built like a tank. its very heavy as are all gator trax boats. Pushing it around all day will leave you worn out by the end of the trip, but having that platform to see fish from a distance is awesome.

I normally will fish from the top of an ice chest on the bow so that i can run my trolling motor. When I finally decide to upgrade to the remote control minnkota I'll be spending more time on that platform for sure.

[RichWentFishing504]

Is your current trolling motor a 52" shaft? How much higher do you want to get on the front bow platform?

[RichWentFishing504]

I ask because if you can stand on your ice chest and reach your current trolling motor maybe a 62" trolling motor shaft will be enough when a higher platform is added.

[bmatte8]

Originally Posted by RichWentFishing504

I ask because if you can stand on your ice chest and reach your current trolling motor maybe a 62" trolling motor shaft will be enough when a higher platform is added.

My current trolling motor is a 52" shaft and its perfect for standing on top of my ice chest. Im having a 36" platform built right now for the bow and I think it will still be fine. I will buy the handle extension if need be.

[RichWentFishing504]

Cool. So how high is your ice chest your using now?

I have a 62" shaft manual than I can use so based on whatever numbers you have I can possibly go 12" higher on the platform when they build my boat.

[RichWentFishing504]

I also like my trolling motor handle parallel at crotch height. Where does the handle fall right now on your boat?

[bmatte8]

Originally Posted by RichWentFishing504

Cool. So how high is your ice chest your using now?

I have a 62" shaft manual than I can use so based on whatever numbers you have I can possibly go 12" higher on the platform when they build my boat.

my ice chest is a 65qt yeti Id say its about 18" tall. I am 6'2" when im up on the ice chest i have to lean over to reach the handle of the trolling motor. not a whole lot, but i think it comes up to a little over my knees. I could add the extension handle to my motor and it would be perfect.