What's with all the high HP bass boats?

[mike64]

I see bass boats with high HP motors all the time. The other day I saw a guy towing a BB with a 225HP(!) outboard. Now, a bass boat seems to be very well designed for fishing and fishing only-- flat hull for stability, wide open deck, high-sitting swivel seats. I don't think any skiers get pulled from a BB (could be wrong, but I've never seen it).

I'm not trying to be snarky or insult anybody who's got a BB with a big ol' motor and proud of it, just genuinely curious-- why the need for speed? Bass fishing contests? My boat has a 65HP and it's plenty fast enough for zipping to the other side of the lake if I don't like the spot I'm fishing.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

i agree with you, but some want to launch in St Louis, and fish in New Orleans. some tourneys, the guys go miles to fish. they say the guy who gets there the fastest has more time to fish.

 

[i386]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

Tournament fishing. Big motors make the lake smaller. It allows the fisherman more places to fish in the same time frame. I have no need for all that either.

 

[JB]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

Same reason they want a hemi in their commuter vehicle. . . .badass image.

 

[mike64]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

Yeah, I pretty much figured it had to do with tournaments and the "bling factor". And like I said, I'm not knocking BB owners with high HP motors. It just seems paradoxical, like if I was to put a corvette engine in my Jeep.

Maybe I should find a bass boat forum and post this same question. I'm guessing I'd get some different answers, and not quite so friendly

 

[TommyA]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

Not as familiar with all the bass boat pricing but what few I have seen run into the fifty and sixty thousand range. I wouldn't want to spend that kind of cash with out the rocket ship effect either.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

I beg to differ.
I can and have put a pole in my rear bass seat hole and pulled tubes etc.
Yea, I am one with the 225, runs 70+, but it don't get run that way.
I don't fish tournaments, just the wife and I.
If you try putting a 150 on a 21' boat, talking about drinking the gas.
I can get on plane and run 50 all day long with the 225 not even close to WOT.
A 150 won't do that, you have to be pretty much be at WOT for it to get that speed.
Big engine, less RPMs to get the same speed, less gas usage.
BTDT.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

Not as familiar with all the bass boat pricing but what few I have seen run into the fifty and sixty thousand range. I wouldn't want to spend that kind of cash with out the rocket ship effect either.

Yea Tommy, a 2007 Gambler 21' DC with the 250 on it will set you back about $44,000 right now.

 

[mike64]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

I beg to differ.
I can and have put a pole in my rear bass seat hole and pulled tubes etc.
Yea, I am one with the 225, runs 70+, but it don't get run that way.
I don't fish tournaments, just the wife and I.
If you try putting a 150 on a 21' boat, talking about drinking the gas.
I can get on plane and run 50 all day long with the 225 not even close to WOT.
A 150 won't do that, you have to be pretty much be at WOT for it to get that speed.
Big engine, less RPMs to get the same speed, less gas usage.
BTDT.

Oh, YOU'RE the one I saw towing that bass boat with the 225, SpinnerBait

Good to hear a BB owner point of view. Makes more sense to me now. But jeez...70+ in a bass boat? Even going 50, seems like it would be kinda scary in a bass boat. How does it handle at 50+?

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

Mine is like you are on a piece of glass at 50+, chine walk at about 60, but you drive on through that and right on up to 70 if you want.
But you are talking apples and oranges here.
The Gamblers are in a class with the Allisons and a few more.
My boat weighs around 1600 pounds and is 21'9" long.
It rides good cause you sit in a Gambler, not on it.
Edit: This is mine.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

Mine is like you are on a piece of glass at 50+, chine walk at about 60, but you drive on through that and right on up to 70 if you want.
But you are talking apples and oranges here.
The Gamblers are in a class with the Allisons and a few more.
My boat weighs around 1600 pounds and is 21'9" long.
It rides good cause you sit in a Gambler, not on it.
Edit: This is mine.

What no photo of the HEMI tow vehicle!!

 

[mike64]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

Mine is like you are on a piece of glass at 50+, chine walk at about 60, but you drive on through that and right on up to 70 if you want.
But you are talking apples and oranges here.
The Gamblers are in a class with the Allisons and a few more.
My boat weighs around 1600 pounds and is 21'9" long.
It rides good cause you sit in a Gambler, not on it.
Edit: This is mine.

Nice boat! I don't know Gamblers from Allisons, but yours looks more like a speed boat...when I think of bass boats I'm thinking more of a Jon boat style, like this pic (attached), also with a 225.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

I hear ya. Now look at the 2 pics and you will see what I am saying about sitting in one and sitting on one.
You sit in mine and sit on the other one.
Big difference when on the water for 10 hours or so.

 

[bekosh]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

GO FAST or GO HOME!
Nobody ever complained that their boat had too MUCH horsepower.

I know that I wish I had another 75 or so.

 

[mike64]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

GO FAST or GO HOME!
Nobody ever complained that their boat had too MUCH horsepower.

I know that I wish I had another 75 or so.

I didn't ask "why go so fast", I got no problem with fast boats. I asked why a boat designed for fishing needs so much HP. Your Wellcraft is designed for speed. SpinnerBait's boat is obviously designed for speed, whether you call it a bass boat or not. But that "jonboat" style bass boat in the pic I attached-- what's that doing with a 225 on it?

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

I didn't ask "why go so fast", I got no problem with fast boats. I asked why a boat designed for fishing needs so much HP. Your Wellcraft is designed for speed. SpinnerBait's boat is obviously designed for speed, whether you call it a bass boat or not. But that "jonboat" style bass boat in the pic I attached-- what's that doing with a 225 on it?

I am a little suspect of that pic.
That boat should be sitting down in the water some in the rear with the big engine on it.
Where did you find that picture?
See how mine sits?

 

[CATransplant]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

A lot of it is pure marketing. That's why the boat companies and outboard companies sponsor all those pro tournament anglers. Every dedicated bass fisherman watches those guys on TV, busting across the lake with a 225 or 300 hp outboard and catching all those monster bass. Then, in between all that, you've got the Mercury, Yammie, and Evinrude ads, along with the bass boat ads.

What's a guy going to do? If he just had one of those boats, surely he wouldn't get skunked the next time he went to the lake. Everyone's happy...everyone gets paid.

I was at my favorite lake a couple of weeks ago, pitching a spinnerbait in some weeds on a big flat. I was doing good, too. Then, out of nowhere, comes this bass boat with the 225 on the back. He zooms up and stops about 100' from my little 12' aluminum boat. The driver stands up and goes to the front, and his buddy goes to the back. They're tossing spinnerbaits, too. They cast three times. No takers. So they drop back in their seats and hammer it out of there. Once my boat stopped rocking, I went back to catching largemouths and northerns.

It's all marketing. How the heck can you catch bass like the pros unless you're driving a boat the same as them?

Nothing wrong with the boats, but boats don't catch fish.

Same story with the $350 rods and $400 reels. Get you some of those, and the fish will just jump on your baits. Marketing.

 

[mike64]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/Spinnerbait_Nut/Lester1.jpg?t=1215105041[/IMG]

Went to Google Images and typed "bass boat", looked for the jonboat style bassboat I was thinking of.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

Gotcha.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: What's with all the high HP bass boats?

More than that with me CAT. I like the ride and the wife does also.
There is no way I would go out and pay 50K for a boat, don't care what kind it is or who makes it.