14 ft mckee (shallow water fishing)

[cucomaza]

I was hoping someone from this group could help me out. I have this 14 ft mckee craft that my wife and I enjoy using for fishing in the Intracoastal waterway near corpus christi. I have had this boat for a few months now and have noticed that it runs well and is a blast to run and fish off of. I have not really tried to go to shallow on this boat since the I feel that I may ground it since I do not believe this boat was meant to run very shallow. I would like to access some of the better fishing spots that are 1 to 2 foot deep. I am considering getting a trolling motor or tilting the engine up so that I can drift through some shallow areas until I can get to a deeper area when I an run the motor. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 14 ft mckee (shallow water fishing)

Hi Cucomaza. Cool boat. There are lots of McKee Craft and other Boston Whaler clones in my neck of the woods on the FL Gulf coasts. We love gettin' as skinny as we can too. With some tinkering and a few aftermarket mods, such as adjustable jack plates and trim tabs, these boats can easily run WOT and pole in less than 1' of water. It looks like you've got a bit of stern squat as it is, so I would definitely look into a set of trim tabs for helping you get up on plane more quickly. For some ideas and inspiration on shallow water fishing check out microskiff.com which is a forum just like this, mostly full of other TX and FL guys who like getting skinny too.

 

[saumon]

Re: 14 ft mckee (shallow water fishing)

Nice boat!

Having a 7" draft, you won't have any problem going shallow. You could add a trolling motor, but it add substancial weigth (50lbs for the motor + 50lbs for the battery). You could also use the main engine tilted up, as long as the water intake is submerged and it pump water. If you ever get aground in 1', it's not a big deal: use a push pole or jump in the drink to push it!

 

[cucomaza]

Re: 14 ft mckee (shallow water fishing)

This boat does have some trim tabs like the ones shown here and does get on plane rather quickly if I am in deep water, otherwise it does squat quite a bit causing the prop to hit bottom. I have noticed that this boat floats in about a foot of water. I had not thought about poling since this boat is rather heavy but I may give it a shot.

I will be checking out the website.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 14 ft mckee (shallow water fishing)

Cool tabs. They appear to be mechanical, but they also make electrical/hydraulic adjustable versions as well. As far as the squat, there's not much you can do aside getting a lighter motor and/or mounting on an adjustable jackplate that will let your raise it as high as you like so it won't hit bottom. There are several brands, but CMC, Atlas and Bob's Machine Shop are probably the most popular brands.

\




Here's a Gheenoe, a very popular regional brand here in FL with quite the cult following. They're basically hot rod canoes that can go anywhere. As you can see, it has all the aftermarket, skinny water, bells and whistles including adjustable jackplate, trim tabs, etc. She can run WOT in less than 6" all day. As you can see, with enough money, anything is possible

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 14 ft mckee (shallow water fishing)

Keep a close eye on two things......... make sure your skeg is in good shape since if (when ) you hit it will protect the prop a bit and the other important item to watch is the weeds. Be careful not to block the water intake on the motor.

I have fished in some real nice spots but the weeds are so thick they tangle to prop and block the water intake.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: 14 ft mckee (shallow water fishing)

it's a great shallow water boat and on a plane draws little water. Easy to pole and you should have one--I assume you already have a paddle? Even a sturdy oar (not paddle oar) is good for shoving.

if you have PTT, no worries. If not, stick a thick stick up in there.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 14 ft mckee (shallow water fishing)

+1. You should always have a sturdy oar on board. I have a nice long wooden paddle lashed to the gunnel and a 20' bamboo pushpole, both of which have gotten me into/out of all kinds of tight spots.

Check out the "flats skiff" conversion this guy did to his Boston Whaler. Pretty funky.

 

[cucomaza]

Re: 14 ft mckee (shallow water fishing)

Funky but have to admire the workmanship. the first thing I will look for is the longest oar I can find. Then I am going to do some research on how I can rig up some sort of platform to use a push pole. The bench seat I have right now is currently as far back as it can get. I have read in other posts that this boat is rather rough riding but I find that it is rather nice seating way at the back. Any ideas on how to accomplish this without a large expense is apprecitate.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 14 ft mckee (shallow water fishing)

Yeah, I noticed your helm was sort of far back, but I guess it makes for lots of room towards the bow. As far as the poling platforms goes, there are all sorts of options. I've seen everything from DIY bamboo and PVC versions to fancy custom aluminum jobbies. However, I think one of the aftermarket kits like in the link below would work best. Of course, you can just copy the design if you're handy with a welder, or know someone who is. Here are a few examples.


SeaMount Basic Transom Mounted Kit (this is probably your best bet, dollar for dollar)
Atlantic Towers | Tower In A Box | Poling Platform
Bateau2 - Builder Forums • View topic - Poling platform engineering
Bateau2 - Builder Forums • View topic - help pick proper boat to build
forums.bateau2.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12331&start=10


DIY:



Fancy schmancy:

View attachment 230238