looking at new boats, and would like any imput from you and your experience. Looking at aluminum boats 17 to 19 ft, good for use in lakes, sound and some river use (jet or prop??). Any help would be great!
Thanks

I run an Alumaweld Stryker 17, which runs real close to 18 feet. My rig is a tiller, and I run a 50 Yamaha four-stroke. I don't fish rivers with it, but it does just about everything else I want.

I've fished outside at Neah Bay in some vicious rips, and I've run to Possession from Port Townsend several times. There are a lot things I like about the boat, and there are a few things I would change-- like the front deck is too short to fish off the way I like. However, I'm probably going to build a smaller boat for lakes and bass fishing, so the deck issue becomes moot.

Another thing I'm not really fond of is the relatively shallow vee in the hull, which I believe is 10 degree deadrise at the transom. This results in really great mileage, but it also makes for a rougher ride. Also, the way I have my boat rigged, it tends to porpoise unless I keep the motor trimmed down. I can fix the latter, but not the former.

I bought Alumaweld's downrigger brackets, and they don't work well for me. I would have others made next time. The position is wrong for ease of use.

I really love the stability of the boat, and the 50 works quite well. I can fish a long time on a little gas-- a typical day will see me burn maybe four gallons running both the 50 and the kicker 6.

If I were to do the purchase over, I would probably think really hard about the same boat (it's got a different model name now) but in 19 feet with the 14 degree bottom. And I might get a center console with a bit larger engine-- like a 90 hp four-stroke.

Keith,

That's a condition better known as "2-foot-itis"...everybody that owns a boat gets it at least once.

[ 12-14-2001: Message edited by: seacat ]