Rough water

[Steve Greenia]

You guys have been great ! So here's another ? Which would handle rough water better, Tracker Targa 18WT or a Nitro Z-7 ? Or should I put it, a deep vee aluminum versus a fiberglass bass boat. Getting closer to buying a new boat and am reaserching everything I can think of. This has been a great site. Thanks...:unsure:

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Deep V hands down. Height of freeboard and hull style wins out every time. Look at the Walleye fishermen (pro-trails) and see what they run. There is a reason...they fish big water in bad conditions.

 

[fatrap]

we're starting to see more Targas on the big waters where I've been hanging my hat lately. Kind of boils down to how wet you want to get. Bad weather is bad weather and no matter what boat yourdriving and if its really bad out there you should stay in anyway. I've been caught on Oahe in South Dakota in four footers (thats a six footer in a bassboat) and that just sucks no matter what boat.

 

[Cliff Van Beek]

Cannot answer your question right out, what is your defination of "rough" water, first time I went to Table Rock to fish, got there mid morning, boat after boat was loading, I talked to some of the guys, they all said too rough to fish, to us it wsa not, the waves were all of like 1 foot. Here in South Dakota, we are used to the wind on the MO river resevoirs, the four footers fatrap mentioned are more the nrom than not most of the time. I would rather be out in my 911 in them than any tin can, have been in them, they tend to pound pretty good in the rough water. All the free board in the world will not make you comfy in any water if you are not wanting to be in it. I have had my 901 and now my 911 on Erie, Huren, StClair, Michagan, and all the South Dakota river resevoirs, never had an issue at all, i know what my boat can do, and take, i do respect the water, that is the key to me, knowing your equipment and its capabilities on any body of water.

 

[Mini]

The 911CDC is the best riding rough water boat I have ever driven that was under 23 feet. I had 4 of them



Now with that said, I would not want to be in an aluminum boat in the rough stuff. Sure the freeboard is nice. The full windsheild is nice. The addition of a bimini or full enclosure top is nice. But they hit HARD when you come down. Driven properly a fiberglass boat will be wetter, but more comfortable in my opinion.....



Walleye guys buy big deep v boats for more than just big water Tox. Room to troll is a big thing too.



A fiberglass deep v would be the choice for me if all I did was fish rough water...wait....I do. Just not enough storage though

 

[Cliff Van Beek]

the 911CDC does ride good, something about sitting in the middle that seems to change the impacts one takes. this is my fourth Nitro, 190DC 896, 901 and now my 911, the Nitro rides fairly dry if driven right, i have spent time in many brands of both bass and walleye boats over the years, and i do beleive i stay dryer in mine than most others do, Procraft are a wet ride, Ranger not much better. like you Mini, rough water is a fact of life for us here in the Dakota's, and i also would rather be out in my Nitro than a tin boat, they dont get up and out of the water and yes pound you badly. love my Nitro 911 when it starts getting nasty, just get it on top, trim the nose down and away we go....right past all the tin boats getting beat up, do that all the time.

 

[fatrap]

I run a 18 foot Tracker Tundra. It's hard to tell from a fiberglass boat. I can step from my boat to my buddies 18 Targa and tell the feel in the ride and the sound it makes running in heavy chop immediately. One of the boat salesmen at the BPS where I worked has a 21 Tundra and he says it rides better than the new Nitro VZ21 thats coming out. That being said my Tundra is by far the driest boat I've ever had the misfortune to be caught in rough water in. It was especially designed to do what it does. I've come in and had dry carpet when other boats had the bilge running full blast. Last Nov I made a 14 mile run on Lake Francis Case in 3 to 4 footers(A South Dakota ripple on the water) and didn't knock the fizz out of my Mountain Dew bottle.

But Tracker doesn't make it anymore. Tracker is good at doing crap like that. The down side on my boat was that the finish work sucked.Tracker is good at doing crap like that. It took two years and three gallons of loc tight to keep the hardware from rattling off and into the bilges.

Sooo the configuration of the glass boat wins out overall IMHO. If you have the big dollars you might want to look at the VZ that Nitro is putting out. If I was ever going to test the Tracker waters again(doubtful) that would be the one I'd be interested in. If your more of a multispecies guy the the deep V might be better. Adding a kicker motor isn't really an option on a bass boat. Which one tugs your heartstrings the most?



fatrap

 

[Greg Meyer]

A few years back... Tox and Tim Jeffers joined my son, a friend and I on Bay of Green Bay. Ran pretty normal water 3-4 footers, trolling for eyes. Toxic got to be in a 20' Ranger Deep V and I had my 19' Tin Tracker...... normal day.... I popped two rivets that needed temporary replacements (a sometimes....chit happens thing on tin). The big glass Ranger was more comfy by a noticeable amount (so says Toxic) but both were fine (mine always has been) and we boated fish trolling. My point is I run a deep v tin boat because it is rugged as hell and can take a beating and come back again and again... I would never switch except to another tin boat... And, I fish for everything (Tox has been in mine for bass and it works but not as well as a bassboat. I have been in lots of bass boats but I bet Tox will admit that a bassboat would not have worked on Green Bay. Multi-s[ecie means just that and bassboat means just that...



Look at some of the tournament grade (walleye) boats from Lund, Alumicraft and others and compare to the Targa... My Magna is a 1993 and I love it for what I do and where I do it... sadly noone builds that hull so I may have to take her to my grave (except I am sure my son will steal the boat and bury me in a cardboard Charmin box!!!)

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Greg, I agree with everything you said. That's why my original statement of a deep v was "the" boat for rough water. Tin or glass it's the hull design that makes the difference. The day we went out on Green Bay, "could" it have been done in a traditional glass bass hull....yes....but it would have taken a driver with skills above what 80% of bass fishermen don't have (sorry guys.) Mini is a big water madman and not a fair comparison because he is an excellent driver and is very used to big rough water. We were running 3-4 footers just point and shoot, with no "driving" performed (at least in the Ranger)and we never stuffed or speared any wave, never even got wet. I could have never done that in a bass boat.