Shallow water boat question

[Dustinb09]

I bought a new 19' cat Shoalwater last year and it was just north of 30K.

[AtTheWall]

Robert Stoner SKIFFS - out of Corpus. Super cat runs 4 - 5 inches and gets up in 11 inches. This is a skinny water boat and it won't break the bank.

Tiburon boats out of Corpus. The ZX-22 drafts 7" loaded with fuel (60 gallons). Gets up in 7" of water on plane. Maintains plane at 10 mph. 150 - 250hp. Many boats can't run these numbers in skinny water, with this kind of power on the transom.

[ofishil]

I have a RFL. Like others have already said, it will go super shallow but it is very rough in chop.

[npe001]

Stay away from Ron Hoover. Every Majek I have been in will knock your teeth out in rough water. It will haul butt though. I would look at Shoalwaters. I just got rid of a 22 foot Gulf Coast and although it was not fast. The ride was unreal. As far as 43 goes. That's about the average starter on a good shallow boat. I paid 28 for my Gulf Coast loaded out and 3 years old.

[jdeleon]

Ron Hoover out of Galveston. Seems like good guys. They sell a crap load of bias so they are doing something right

I would stay away from Ron Hoover. I had an absolutely terrible experience with them. lots of lies and promises that were never kept. there are many other boat dealers with way better reviews.

[KingRanchKiller]

If you're looking at Majek, check out the illusion. It runs basically as shallow as the RFL but rides a lot better. Still not anywhere near the extreme in terms of ride, but still smoother overall. You can find 1-2 year old ones from the mid 30s too.

[kyle1974]

I absolutely hate shallow sport. Roughest boats I've ever been in

have you ever ridden in a redfish??? that is one of the roughest boats on the water.

[chase15]

have you ever ridden in a redfish??? that is one of the roughest boats on the water.

Haha if you think a Shallow Sport is rough youre going to hate that RFL.

[stickman]

Haha if you think a Shallow Sport is rough youre going to hate that RFL.

Yup. Been in one the last few days. Crossing emmords hole in a 15 mph wind was pretty rough. Skinny water fishing is great but the boats are not very comfortable in chop. If you find a boat that can draft6", run in 8-10", and get up in 12-14" that's your boat. Shoalwater cat is a good example of this. I know they run skinnier but why? If you don't wade I guess I would want the shallowest of boats but if you do, choose comfort. You won't regret it.

[CLR]

Posted a thread awhile back regarding theses boats. Went to the boat show in Houston this past weekend and visited a couple dealerships. I like the 21' Majek RFL due to its large casting deck up front. My favorite majek by far. I had one quoted with a min Kota Ipilot trolling motor and a 10' power pole blade and a 7" Garmin GPS/Sonar and he quoted me $43,000. Obviously boats are expensive but that seemed a little over the top to me. My question is what other brands compare to majek as far as price? From my understanding majek is one of the cheaper shallow water boats on the market. I don't have a issue paying that amount I just want to weigh my options. I haven't had a shoalwater or haynie priced yet but plan on doing so soon. Any info on average price of the different shallow water boats out there?

First question we need answered is how shallow do you want to go? There are a lot of boats that cover that "shallow" term but it is relative to what you think shallow is. A lot of tunnel v's that will get you through 10-12" which is super shallow to some. Once this question is answered you can narrow down the price point and other requirements you are looking for.

[whitie]

Yup. Been in one the last few days. Crossing emmords hole in a 15 mph wind was pretty rough. Skinny water fishing is great but the boats are not very comfortable in chop. If you find a boat that can draft6", run in 8-10", and get up in 12-14" that's your boat. Shoalwater cat is a good example of this. I know they run skinnier but why? If you don't wade I guess I would want the shallowest of boats but if you do, choose comfort. You won't regret it.

My father in law ran a RFL for years and in my younger days I thought it was the perfect boat...these days I would much rather have something more comfortable on the longer runs...your equipment doesn't get beat up and I would rather pole myself out if I wasn't wading already from an anchored position. My opinion is the Draft depth is more important.

Brandon

[hogheaven]

From someone who fishes shallow flats. If your wanting the RFL your gonna compare any other boat you buy to what you wanted in the first place.
RFL is gonna go shallower than you need to go to fish. As will most hulls that are designed for shallow water. Buy what you want.
The Illusion is a great boat as well, so is the SW and SP...

Honestly, the operator has more to do with running shallow than Brand.

Ive ran plenty of shallow hulls, my preference is the Illusion in a fiberglass. Again thats my preference. Right now Im running a Styrons Custom Aluminum from Lousianna. But I'm real rough on equip.

If your mainly fishing Gal bay complex, there is more deeper water runs than shallow.

Get what you want and don't look back.

Side note.. just cause you can run shallow , you can also spend the day trying to get out... (alone) as not many peeps can get to you..