Tunnel hull

[redf1sher]

I want to buy a new boat and am considering a tunnel hull. I have always owned a conventional hull. Can someone please tell me what the difference is,what I will be gaining, and what am I giving up..

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: Tunnel hull

What type of tunnel hull boat ..STV,Hydra-Sports,Stratos,Laser,etc? A true tunnel hull packs air under it for added lift and speed, they are prone to "blow over" at high speeds and its a idle or WOT type hull. A modified tunnel is a "v" style hull with tunnels on outer chines and is a fairly decent mid range ride and both hull are not designed for sking or tubing beut some persons try..

 

[tnduc]

Re: Tunnel hull

I just moved from Texas, and spent a lot of time fishing the shallow flats on the Laguna Madre. There are a lot of boat manufacturers in Texas that make shallow water boats, most of them tunnel hulls. I've fished from them, too. They area extremely fast, come out of the hole in a boat length, and will run super shallow on plane. With a tunnel you can run in inches of water while on plane since the motor is raised high enough (using a jack plate) so the prop is totally inside the tunnel and very little protrudes below the bottom of the hull. The only problem I've seen is turning at speed- the back end tends to slide around.

 

[K.Reeb]

Re: Tunnel hull

Depends on what kinda tunnel.
We've had various Cougar Omega V-bottom tunnels with outboards on them. Excellent ski boat despite what others might say. Definately not a wake boat. And with the proper prop and transom jack....very very fast.
Definately my choice of boat for the type of boating I do. Skiing and going fast!

 

[Stachi]

Re: Tunnel hull

hey guys , how about some pics of the transom of one of these boats ?

 

[superbenk]

Re: Tunnel hull

This is what I think of when I think of tunnel hull:

Saw these a lot on Penn Yan boats (built right near where I grew up!).

 

[Stachi]

Re: Tunnel hull

I still want to see a pic of a tunnel hull outboard

 

[superbenk]

Re: Tunnel hull

I still want to see a pic of a tunnel hull outboard

http://images.google.com/images?q=Tunnel Hull Outboard&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&biw=1421&bih=1254

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Tunnel hull

Ahh, the good 'ol pickle-fork speed boats.

 

[mrdancer]

Re: Tunnel hull

Judging by your screen name, you are NOT interested in the pickle-fork boats (they have no place in fishing). You want what are sometimes called "pocket tunnel" boats, although most anglers just call them tunnel hulls. They do not have a full tunnel (unless you get into some of the specialized "cat" fishing boats).

They make quite a few good "tunnel" boats in Florida and Texas, although I believe Texas has the upper hand on boats that run shallow. Go on Youtube and search for names like Majek, ShallowSport, Transcat, Flatscat, etc. and you will see some amazing videos of what these boats are capable of.

Now, with that being said, you will lose a few things with a tunnel. You will lose speed, efficiency, and backing ability and the back of the boat may feel loose at speed. You will need a good cupped tunnel prop, and optionally an electric hydraulic jackplate, floatation pods, custom anti-ventilation plate and vented tunnel to really make it run great. First and foremost, you will need a well-designed tunnel (again, reknowned flats boat manufacturers in TX and possibly FL should get first nod). A poorly-designed tunnel will get you nothing but inconvenience and they are a major pain to get set up to run properly. Good tunnels run AWESOME, bad tunnels run HORRIBLE, which is why many mfrs. shy away from them - too tricky to get them just right.