I don't understand

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Bass boats. Those dudes spend $60k, $80k or more on a boat designed to hold just 2 people and catch a fish only good for the bassamatic 2000. You can't hang out with your family at the sandbar and you can't really go long distances. Sure you can go fast and all But out of all boats out there , they seem so impractical. I was just a gas station getting fuel next to a Nitro Bass boat. It triggers my thoughts on this.

 

[RussGW270]

Well, think of it this way....there is a lake 5 miles from me, or so.. and no way this GW will fit on it.. lol

There are a ton of places you can put a bass boat, not as many locally, for me, to put a GW.

I have owned everything from an old Glastron to this.. a 240 LTS Pro Triton, a few bass boats, they all had a purpose and, I learned that when I had the old Ranger... and went to the brand new Triton.... it was night and day. "get there" to "get there in plush comfort".. so, they all server a purpose.

R

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Perhaps. I personally could not justify spending $100K on a boat that only one person could ride in, with no shelter from elements only to chase micropertus salmoides. It does one thing and one thing well I suppose.

At least I can justify with a smidgen to the admiral that I can catch dinner and she gets to ride in comfort or go to the lake without fear of being soaked in a storm. Sure they blow by me at 80 but if they hit my wake they are swamped. Lol.

Flats boats are just glorified bass boats for skinny saltwater. However, at least you can go to the sandbar and eat your delicious saltwater fish. Lol. I have caught micropertus salmoides from my boat, but I doubt any bass boat has landed coryphaena hippurus and if it did it was dead calm on the sea. Lol.

I do understand their purpose for the guys running the Bass Pro circuit. For everyone else it just seems like a waste of a boat.

 

[RussGW270]

No argument out of me...I got the best boat I could afford, but I did not get the biggest, or the smallest, engine it could fit. I do not like driving fast.. heh

 

[magicalbill]

Smoke:

It's kind of a "cult" thing. A well-equipped bass rig is perfectly adaptable to it's primary function; inshore fishing. We do not need to discuss what it is and what it is not. If you keep it on inland lakes or sheltered coastal waters, keep it to 2 passengers max and make sure the Admiral knows she can't lay out and get sun then it's a viable product.

Back to the "cult" aspect. it's synonymous with Country Music, Pickup Trucks and the Southern Lifestyle. They are thick South of the Mason Dixon Line and the high-end builders, (Ranger, Stratos, etc) build them really well. The seats are made of high grade fabric, the livewells are solid and the gel coat looks top-notch. Match them with a custom trailer specifically for the rig and you have a hotshot package.

They have all the accouterments to catch fish and are easily trailerable. Grab a sandwich sometime and sit at a launch ramp near you. Watch those guys load their boats; the good ones literally do it in seconds and have it down to a science.

I wouldn't want one; I don't fish, but I see their place in boating. They sort of scream "It's the weekend!" to you as they sit on their trailer in your driveway.

 

[Fishtales]

Let's see....

What I don't get...
- Buy biggest engine you can for the boat.
- Go fast as hell to one of three holes on the lake.
- Target land locked fish like shooting them in a barrel.
- Wear garb with all the advertisers on it.
- Can't eat the stinking fish.
- Fish the size of a mackerel.
- No worries to get sea sick.
- Guys like Charlie Moore are your buddies.

What I get....
- Not on the ocean.
- Never bump into them at the ramp.
- Keep Charlie busy,
- Never bump into them on the water.

 

[SkunkBoat]

I don't understand
37 ft bow riders with 1200 hp and 26 speakers...hell, don't understand bow riders
outboards mounted 3 or 4 feet behind the boat
3 sinks on a 26 ft boat
Center Consoles that have 2 feet of deck behind the seat.....and motors 3 feet behind the fishbox behind the 2 ft of deck pace
37 ft center consoles
non-skid on bulkheads
a 30 ft center console that came with 4 rod holders
Center consoles.
windshield wipers on boats that have display consoles blocking the windshield
Windshields that are too short to be of any use...
beaching the boat on a sandbar or rafting up with a hundred boats full of drunken idiots from Staten Island blasting music

 

[family affair]

Smokey, get your facts straight. It isn't $80k, it's $590/month till, uh... umm - doesn't matter, because I got me a boat!

If it it weren't for the crazy loan terms, this industry would look a lot different.

Skunk,
I'm not a fan of cc's for many of the reasons you mentioned, but I thought I shouldn't knock it till I try it. I rented one last week. Other than cruising with a few people or casting, I still dont get it. As for DC's, I've come around a little, but the way Grady sets them up with a hardtop, forget it.

 

[magicalbill]

So we've moved beyond bass boats?

Okay, "I don't get" Grady Freedoms. I would never pay six figures for a bowrider without a cabin.

"I DO Get" why Grady has moved in that direction. It's where the money is; their customer base favors them. If I sat in the Front Office, I would turn them out too. However, why anyone would want one has blown by me completely.

 

[Ky Grady]

So we've moved beyond bass boats?

Okay, "I don't get" Grady Freedoms. I would never pay six figures for a bowrider without a cabin.

"I DO Get" why Grady has moved in that direction. It's where the money is; their customer base favors them. If I sat in the Front Office, I would turn them out too. However, why anyone would want one has blown by me completely.

Because all the cool kids have one.


Not a fan of them either, but the market is targeting the family boat segment. Momma wants a bow rider, dad wants a fishing boat, kids want to tube. Hello Grady DC.

The CC's, I'll pass. Enjoy my comfort and full enclosure. Don't want to wear a rain suit just to get out to fish.

Guess that's why they make them all. Everyone has their preferences.

The Glitter Boat crowd,,,,,, not even going there.

 

[family affair]

Every design is a compromise. We have to choose what compromise we can live with.
Hey look, Key West had a new low cost cc!

 

[Fishtales]

Like I've said before... GW owners are getting older as a demographic. Older folks like the DCs with their families. No steps up or down. Easy access to bow for anchor and mooring. Hardtop for sun protection. Can lounge, fish, entertain and button em up and go into rougher water. Not my cup of tea either, but it does make sense what the dealers say. The other is the boat is a two piece boat which is cheaper to produce and therefore sell to folks that want a new boat.

 

[SkunkBoat]

$200K glorified pontoon boat

I understand pontoon boats.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Skunk,
I'm not a fan of cc's for many of the reasons you mentioned, but I thought I shouldn't knock it till I try it. I rented one last week. Other than cruising with a few people or casting, I still dont get it. As for DC's, I've come around a little, but the way Grady sets them up with a hardtop, forget it.

I've ridden in 31ft cc to the canyons... 40 mph...4 guys trying to hide from wind & spray for two and a half hours in a fairly clean 3 foot swell
Overnighted in a 26cc in Toms Canyon, glassy sea.....

same 26cc Sea Hunt in pic below...had opportunity to buy it cheap...look at our feet...I bought a 265 Express that fall...
.

 

[Fishtales]

Somebody is buying them; a lot of them. I can't believe how they have cannibalized the rest of the line up. When the sun shines - make hay, just keep your eye on the sun. No way they stay as hot as they currently are.

 

[UCPA111]

I don't understand
37 ft bow riders with 1200 hp and 26 speakers...hell, don't understand bow riders
outboards mounted 3 or 4 feet behind the boat
3 sinks on a 26 ft boat
Center Consoles that have 2 feet of deck behind the seat.....and motors 3 feet behind the fishbox behind the 2 ft of deck pace
37 ft center consoles
non-skid on bulkheads
a 30 ft center console that came with 4 rod holders
Center consoles.
windshield wipers on boats that have display consoles blocking the windshield
Windshields that are too short to be of any use...
beaching the boat on a sandbar or rafting up with a hundred boats full of drunken idiots from Staten Island blasting music

THIS!!! I can't understand the crazy outboard mania and the designs of many of today's boats. They definitely are not designed well for trolling and catching fish off the stern. I have a 22' seafarer and have tremendous room to fish in the cockpit. No tripping over people or whatever. Have some nice shelter when the wind blows or rain pours. Not that I hate the other designs, but I don't understand them. I've seen people claiming a boat with 4-6 outboards is going to be more appealing catching marlin than a sport fisherman. I'm like, how in the heck do you get a fish on board? The entire back of the boat is useless!!!

 

[SkunkBoat]

The entire back of the boat is useless!!!

the bow is useless too. cushioned seats and coolers and a platform in the bow. no rod holders in the gunnels. Dy'ever ride at 45mph on the bow of a cc or bow rider?

 

[Doc Stressor]

I never trust anybody with more than 2 engines on their transom.

 

[Fishtales]

It seems to be a bit of a disease. The European look of the sea rays these days look like bubble boats on steroids. People seem to love them too. Nuts.

 

[Heyspike]

THIS!!! I can't understand the crazy outboard mania and the designs of many of today's boats. They definitely are not designed well for trolling and catching fish off the stern. I have a 22' seafarer and have tremendous room to fish in the cockpit. No tripping over people or whatever. Have some nice shelter when the wind blows or rain pours. Not that I hate the other designs, but I don't understand them. I've seen people claiming a boat with 4-6 outboards is going to be more appealing catching marlin than a sport fisherman. I'm like, how in the heck do you get a fish on board? The entire back of the boat is useless!!!

There's a 26' Robalo in my marina, my 22' Seafarer has twice the cockpit room.