flat bottom sleds

[Fish mojo]

I've been doing some thinking about possibly switching to a 18 - 19' flat bottom sled with a pump to expand my fishing horizons. I know no boat does everything well. This boat should do well for tidewater, river running clackamas, but how compromised are you on the willamette for springers, Columbia, and lake fishing? How do they do in the wind for trolling?

Tell me your likes and dislikes.

[swampy]

Flat bottom sleds....they make the rockin' world go 'round!!:laugh:Seriously, if you want to run the rivers you have no better choice. That's why I have one. For the thrill of blasting up the Santiam, Clack, etc I put up with cruddy fuel economy, more bumping around in chop , and, yes, with the top up i'm a sail. All you have to do is run a skinny river now and again to remind yourself why you own a sled!!!!:dance:

swampy

[A-Boss]

I've got an 18' Koffler with a 6 degree bottom. It runs very shallow and handles chop reasonably well.

How much shallower will a flat bottom go than a 6 degree? Is it worth the trade off in driveabiltiy (cornering, handling chop)?

Never driven a flat bottom, so don't profess to know the the answer to that one, but I've got into some stuff that was way shallower than I intended and haven't hit yet.

[Slow and Low]

I am with a boss. I just got a boat this sumer and it is a 6 degree boat. I talked to a ton of guides and all of them said don't get a flat bottom. Joe Koffler also told me not to get a flat bottom. All of my sleding has ben on the deschutes and the john day arm. I have only hit one rock and that was driver error...imagine that. Even with 6 degres the wind will move you.

I'm not sure but I think you can get away with a smaller motor on a flat bottom.

[Tilla]

Just try flying around the bend coming down just above Carver with a flatbottom!:bigshock:
That'll be a story for the grandkids.

6 degree is a pretty adaptable design. If you think it is not adaptable for rough chop, just remember, your standing up and those good for nothing cheapskates buddies are sitting and taking the pounding!:laugh:

[NWaddict]

flat bottoms are for people that want to do the shallowest of running and/or want the shallowest of draft. They are not the best choice for any other application and will be frustrating in wind and chop.

Besides maybe a well-designed tunnel, flatties will run in the shallowest water possible. You can also get away with less horsepower, and thus less weight, and less draft. But they will get blown around almost as bad a drift boat and will aboslutely beat you up in anything more that light chop.

As far as handling, a 5-10 degree boat will definatley turn on rails compared to a flat bottom, but for people that learned how to run skinny in a flat bottom that is not always ideal. In some shallow cornering/maneuvering situations, a controlled slide is ideal. However, it takes some getting used to and can turn dangerous if overdone and a spin-out situation can result.

For most people, a 6-10 degree boat will take them anywhere they want to go in Oregon. I wouldn't trade a jon boat for anything else on some of the water I run in Alaska, but down here there isn't much point unless you spend most of your time running really shallow water.

Dom

[Sled Dog]

knowing how to "run" a flat bottom in tight truly shallow water is a skill that ranks right up there with having the skill and knowledge to make a rough bar crossing in the salt, in my opinion. That said, like others have stated above it is not the do it all hull, it does one thing well.. run shallow.

[8salmon]

Fished out of flat bottom Alumaweld 18ft boat for many years. It was great for very skinny water on NF Lewis in the summer, but not so good for back trolling and keeping the boat on a straight line, this is where the 6 degree V is nice. On the Lower Columbia or a lake when the sheep are on the water you and the boat take a bad pounding. Flat bottoms and wind don't do well especially when trolling in crowded fishing areas.

[Thumper]

In 1986 I ordered a 16-ft. flattie from Stevens and specified a 200 pump. Page said he wouldn't do it. Finally he relented, though he always called the boat "Grass Hopper". My son Tom, who guided out of the boat for several years on the NF Lewis, still uses that name right here on Ifish.

Five years later that engine went on a bit bigger boat and the flattie went on to Yakutat, Alaska where it still runs clients every day for Bob Fraker.

A flattie with too much horsepower has all the turning stability of a saucer. But I still miss it.:frown: