Re: Looking for a new low cost flats boat
aluminum is usually too noisy for flats fishing.
The king of the cheap boats for skinny water is the Carolina Skiff, J series. Skimmer and Bay Runner, if I recall the names correctly, make knock-offs of them. I think Palm beach does, too.
The nice thing about a completely flat hull is you can run a much smaller motor,and they hold a surprisingly large number of people. I run a 50 on a 19' Carolina Skiff. It floats in a tablespoon of water. I have spent a lot of time on the shove pole with it.
If you prefer a little shape to the bow, look at a "bay boat" design. Most flats boats are that hull. Take a look at Sea Hunt, a good quality mid-range boat. A little shape to the hull helps with the poling, especially in the wind.
You can add a poling platform to any boat and call it a flats boat; there's no magic to that. You can also pole a boat without a platform, although it's nice to be above the gunwales. So a rear casting platform is usually all you need; the height of the poling platform is an added advantage more for spotting. And doing backflips.
