Boat shopping

[Slow and Low]

Maybe. Looking for a lower deschutes boat with minimal add ons. The boat will be used for transport up and down the river and will most likely not be fished out of except with fly gear. Am currently looking at a koffler special versus a willie classic. Boat will run 2 to 3 people 90% of the time.

My questions are:
.anybody used either of these boats?
.what are the things i ned to make sure i have on this boat ?

I know buying the wrong boat will be a costly mistake so any advice would be appreciated.

Thx.

Sam

[A-Boss]

I have a Koffler Special bought last December. Very happy with the boat. I've run it in many rivers, including some pretty skinny spots, and lately in Puget Sound. Handled the 1-2ft wind chop this morning suprisingly well for a 6 degree hull.

The only things I might do differently is, one: get a heavier duty gunnel rail, I think I have the light version, and while it seems to be able to handle my downriggers mounted off it fine, I wouldn't mind it being a bit stouter. And two: maybe go with a 140 4 stroke Suzuki instead of the 115/80 4 stroke Yamaha. I put a SS Impellor on my jet and the boats runs fine with 3 adults, but I imagine it would get a bit sluggish if I tried to put 4 in. Not an issue now as I never run with 4 adults, but when my buddy's and my sons get full sized I may need to upgrade.

Here is a link I posted awhile back about the boat.

http://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=147604

[Slow and Low]

Thanks A-Boss. Why did you choose 18' versus 20'? And why the 4 stroke versus a 2stroke?

Nice boat BTW. I agree with your oppinion of Joe and Bruce, this will be my second Koffler if I buy it.

Thanks again.

[A-Boss]

I basically got the biggest boat that would fit in my garage and the 18x66 gets in there with very little to spare. If I had a wider door, I may have gone with a 72" bottom, as generally I think wider is better.

I went with a 4 stroke for fuel economy, noise, and not having to mess around with oil. The boat's rated for a 145 so there is room to grow somewhere down the line, but for now I'm satisfied with the performance of the 115/80.

[Slow and Low]

I have pretty much narrowed it down to a 20' willie predator with a forward helm. Anybody have an opinion on the 200 sportjet? Or am I better off with an outboard?

From the lack of responses maybe this isn't the right forum for river boats? If not where should I go?

[BIGCSS]

I have pretty much narrowed it down to a 20' willie predator with a forward helm. Anybody have an opinion on the 200 sportjet? Or am I better off with an outboard?

From the lack of responses maybe this isn't the right forum for river boats? If not where should I go?
The sportjets sure have alot of power for there weight, it just would be a matter of preference on whether you want a motor box that can sometimes be in the way, but it can also be a good table also. As far as another forum Riverjet has alot of good info on it.

[Tilla]

The lower Deschutes is a great 6 degree 2 stroke outboard river. You know that, others know that......I wouldn't fool with success.

[Slow and Low]

Anybody have any input on the 19' NR Trapper. Will this boat run the lowere deschutes? I think it is 12 degrees. Anyone who owns this boat and runs skinny water, your fedback is appreciated.

[WaterDog]

All of these boats will go places and do things that is pretty amazing. It's the guy in the pilots seat that counts the most.

[Jedcraft]

Had a 20 X 66 Jetcraft Yukon(nearly identical to NR Sportster or Willie Predator) and loved it. Light-quick-turned great-towed like it wasn't there. It would run on wet gravel. Mine had the 175hp sportjet. You may have seen the 20" sportster in the classifieds?

[Halfhooked]

you will talk to ten guys about sportjets and get ten diffrent opinions.

It seems that a lot of boat builders were using Sportjets before the 2006 epa regs eliminated the two-stroke sportjets. I have heard mixed reviews on the clean burning 200hp optimax sportjets. They do have a killer power to weight ratio.
i think you couldnt ask for a better boat that a willie. Their owners are a very loyal bunch.

I am in the market for a North River at the moment (outboard boat) but the quality of the Trapper is way nice. That throaty V-8 is nice to have, but does ad size and weight in the boat.

if i we going with something smaller than 20', sportjet would be fine. 20 or larger, and i would go with a trapper or something with a v-8 inboard jet. These are usually a chevy 350 with 300+ hp. Almost anyone will work on them too.

[weekender]

I've got a 19' ranger (pre-commander) with a 350 chevy and kodiak pump. It's a good boat, runs shallow, has plenty of power, handles well and has a 1/4 inch bottom which is nice when the river gives it a shot. If I was going to buy a boat that I wanted to run shallow, I'd definately go with the 1/4 bottom. The down sides are that it's hard on fuel when you run it hard and it has a 48"x36" box sitting in the back of it.

When I bought it I wanted an all around boat. Fishing, boating, tubing, etc. where as now an open boat would fit my needs better. That one A-boss posted looks about perfect.