V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

I'm looking for a boat to go fishing in the chesapeake bay and a little bit into the atlantic.. Which boat will give the best ride and gas mileage?

I've tried a 23 ft V bottom walk around but can't afford to fill it and the truck every weekend..

Thanks..

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

I try to get out into the GoM as oftern as I can. If I was choosing I would go for the V-bottom to handle the weather and waves. But you're right about the gas mileage - the flat bottom is going to get better mileage, but I think you would find yourself in the Bay at lot more than you will offshore with a flat bottom.

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

a flat bottom will beat you to death.

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

Where on the bay are you thinking about? On the northern bay...waaaay north of Baltimore you can get away with a smaller boat; something in the 16-18' range. Once you get on the "big" water, you definitely want something a little bigger. Center consoles and walk-arounds seem to be the most popular boats around here for fishing, but regardless of the style you will want a deep "V" hull. Your backside and knees will thank you.

Also the ride of a true deep "V" can only be beaten by a catamaran. Something else to keep in mind is how quickly the bay can get a downright nasty attitude when the wind is against the current, or near a strong thunderstorm. And a squall line can make being on the bay in a small open boat a life or death situation. If you choose a center console, make sure that the deck drains overboard, not into the bilge.

There are lots of choices out there. Take your time and choose what fits what you want it to do and you budget. Lastly, don't get anything bigger than you can afford to run and maintain. Just remember, boating gets exponentially more expensive as the size increases.

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

well said, wingnut.
A lot of people boat those areas with the big flat-bottomed skiffs; they give you the shallow water option, have more room, are very stable and you need a smaller motor. The big ones can handle the rough stuff safely. They just put up with the ride. It's all a trade off, like everything in boating.

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

I love my aluminum jon boat, but that 6 degree deadrise at the transom will beat you to death in the rough water. We're mostly on rivers and lakes, so it's O.K., but if you're heading out in the bay or off-shore then get something with a good V hull. Good Luck!

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

I have a big MODIFIED V.
Its a LOWE ULTRA ROUGHNECK 2070
it has a 12 degree deadrise..

but with the jack plate I have i can motor is 12" of water....

the 12 degree should help with waves...it is heavy enough to give a nice ride...

I added flotation pods, but they were not really needed to help float the boat higher...the boat still rides at the chine...

great compromise set up for guys who want to go shallow, but also need to fight off heavy wind and waves...


I absolutely love this boat so far...

some boat companies make a VARIABLE deadrise.

they start off with a sharp bow to cut waves... and by the transom they have leveled off the deadrise to maybe 6 degrees..


the shallow deadrise at the transom , lets you float shallower....

good luck

bob

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

Wingnutt said:

If you choose a center console, make sure that the deck drains overboard, not into the bilge.

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Why?

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

srimes said:

Why?

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because a rainstorm could sink your boat if your battery dies!

but usually boats that have those are high and heavy...because the floor is well above the waterline

bob

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

srimes said:

Why?

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also, if you take on water while running, it drains faster, and by gravity, so you don't have to rely on a bilge pump, which could either fail or be overwhelmed.

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

bob johnson said:

because a rainstorm could sink your boat if your battery dies!

but usually boats that have those are high and heavy...because the floor is well above the waterline

bob

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...or if you happen to take one over the bow. You'd be amazed just how much water can come into a boat...

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

Thanks for the input.. think i'll look for a 21 ft center console.. they seem to have an average of 40 gallon tank so maybe that will work for me.. i think the cubby is too much weight and needs some carb work..

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

My MFG has what I'll call a "flee" hull, it's a deep V at the bow section and progresses to being almost totally flat across the stern, what do you call that design? Seems like the best of both worlds.

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

it's a deep V at the bow section and progresses to being almost totally flat across the stern?Seems like the best of both worlds.

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On a smaller lake or river it can be. I used to have an 18? bow rider that had a hull with the same design. The problem arises once you are on plane. Since only the rear 1/3 of the boat is actually touching the water, wanna guess what part of the hull she?s riding on?

Also the wind chop on the bays here (Chesapeake and Delaware) tend to have steep faced waves that are rather close together. With enough speed you can skim along on the tops of the waves but it can be a brutal ride and can raise cain with engines and drivelines. I?ve seen a few flat bottomed skiffs here, but they tend to stay in the river arms and coves.

Also commercial shipping and huge yachts frequent the waters around here and can throw some truly awesome wakes. As a matter of fact, last week we were passed by a 50?+ Jaguar (mega expensive Italian yacht) planed out doing at least 35 kts. We had to drop off plane to take the wake, and even after turning around into the wake and crossing them at a 45 degree angle while working the throttle to take the waves individually, we still just barely dipped the pulpit (which is normally 4? above the water) on the last two waves of the wake. And this is was in a 24? cruiser with a deep "V" the entire length of the hull! The smaller boats that couldn?t get out of the way had a wild ride over that one.

But I digress, a 20? or larger center console or walk around with a lot of freeboard would work great for most of the area.

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

a70eliminator said:

My MFG has what I'll call a "flee" hull, it's a deep V at the bow section and progresses to being almost totally flat across the stern, what do you call that design? Seems like the best of both worlds.

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Semi V. Those don't ride near as smooth as a full V either.....

Re: V bottom or Flat bottom boat?

Robby G said:

I'm looking for a boat to go fishing in the chesapeake bay and a little bit into the atlantic.. Which boat will give the best ride and gas mileage?

I've tried a 23 ft V bottom walk around but can't afford to fill it and the truck every weekend..

Thanks..

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Try an 18 to 20 foot powercat. You would be amazed at what the things can do.