Thread: I need some advice.

Freedom marine in Albertville Al sells Lund and Lowe’s they seem to be great to work with. Thanks for all of the replies I really appreciate them.


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The Rhino boat is made in Hartford, AL. A friend of my grandpa's went to the Rhino factory and they built the boat exactly to his specs. My mom, dad, and grandpa visited factory before they purchase theirs. My parent's Rhino has a side console with decks on front and back. I have a 20ft xpress with center console. The stick steer was the best route for my grandpa because he controls everything front one seat.

Originally Posted by drucker

The Rhino boat is made in Hartford, AL. A friend of my grandpa's went to the Rhino factory and they built the boat exactly to his specs. My mom, dad, and grandpa visited factory before they purchase theirs. My parent's Rhino has a side console with decks on front and back. I have a 20ft xpress with center console. The stick steer was the best route for my grandpa because he controls everything front one seat.

Been there myself - just up the road from Enterprise. Boyd's Marine in Dothan carries them. That is where I bought my Ranger.

Well here's an opinion from crappiegirl1 in fl. A few years back I gave up my bass boat and hot a center console 20 ft pontoon with a little smalker tubes so the wind isnt so bad with it. Put on 85 no with copilot. 2 lowrance hds. Green leds under the bumpers rod holders fron and side for spider rigging. Put lil pro right on the rails. I had to learn a little bit anout fishing it. After my knee replacement o was fishing way sooner than I would have been had I not had that pontoon to stretch on. Have never regretted it as i grow older have the boat hanging in my dock behind my house on the harris chain of lakes.

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Crappieflopper, if you are getting older and are feeling a bit less stable on a rocking boat, I would advise against the Tracker Pro V 175 Combo. It's a great boat, but shorter and a bit narrow, translating into less stability in wind or waves. I have the next model up, the Tracker 195 TXW. It's almost 96" wide and quite stable. Very smooth ride. BUT, and this is the crux of your issue, an aluminum boat is lighter than fiberglass and will rock and roll in windy and wavy weather. A passing boat on plane will rock an aluminum boat like a leaf in the wind.
i like my Tracker, but on windy days I wish i'd kept my fiberglass Triton. It was steadier because it was heavier. Good luck with your decision.

I am 71 and fish from a 1999 alumacraft 17ft stick steer. I don't have to get back up once in the boat. Everything is there with me, the live well is behind me no need to move. Because of the controls on my boat left and right there is not much room to get up and roam. I could see me getting in trouble if moved from front to back, don't have to. The ride in ruff water can be a problem, my boat semi v just slow down. Look at as many boats as you can stick steer have really come a long way with a lot more room then my boat. I wouldn't have anything else. One last thing i put my life jacket on when i get out of the truck and take it off when boat is on trailer. Read of a fisherman that drown at the boat ramp.

Originally Posted by FurFlyin

There are really stable aluminum boats out there. The most stable, IMO doesn't have a deck front or back. I currently own a 14' stick steering boat. It's in the barn needing restoration. If it were a longer boat and had trim on the motor, I would likely never have bought anything else to fish from. The Xpress that I just bought is absolutely stable, but there are decks to step up and down to. On a stick steer, not having decks, the boats center of gravity is lower which makes the boat more stable. Mine is only 44" wide on the bottom but it is very stable.

IMO, the best boat for someone who has stability, mobility, or balance issues is a stick steer. You never have to leave the seat. Drive where you want to fish and fish. Just get one with power trim or it will beat you to death on choppy water.

I love my xpress h 18 crappie edition it is very stable but does have storage issues I have had it on Ky, Barkley and Guntersville it handles big water as well as the backwaters .i know they make this model in a 20 fter as well


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