Flat Bottom vs Semi-Vee ???

[Uglygreen]

Okay all you Jetsled pro's answer me the following...

1) Which hull will run in the least amount of water? How much water does each hull type take?

2) What are the other advantages and or disadvantages of each hull type in small rivers such as the Clackamas or Sandy?

Thanks... UG

[rebell]

1) Flat bottom will run in shalower water.

2) V hulls will turn a lot better.

As far as advantages it depends on how skinny of water you plan to run in and how tight of turns you will have to make. I personally like the V hulls, a lot smoother ride, but they are also not as forgiving when it comes to running the big white water. Another advantage to the V hulls is they do not cavitate 1/10th as much as a flat bottom boat.

The best jet boat I ever had was a 20ft Fish Rite with a 14 degree hull. I loved the ride in the ruff stuff. I know Scott McNight is enjoying that boat. I wish I never would have sold it to him sometimes.

Good luck and good fishin to ya!

[boater]

my vote would go for a 6 degree semi-vee if all i done was run small rivers, it would go places that a flat bottom of compairable size would not go.

[Hogmaster]

Got fillings?

Wanna keep them?

A flat bottom will shake them up.

A semi Vee it is true will draft deeper, but do you really want to run across 3 or 4" flats anyway? A 6" shallow is pukery enough for most people.

If you really are not going to go into the Willamette or Columbia at all, a flat bottom is more versatile when rivers like the Clack get real skinny. But the more comfortable ride when you get on bigger water makes the v designs a lot nicer.

Every boat has some compromise. The flatbottoms can generally be had for less money too. There might be a reason though...

[THE KIWANDA KID]

Ok Hog. are you tellin me you like that darn willie? I would lean to the V bottom in a 10 or 12 degree if you wanted the best of both worlds. However, if you just gotta have a flattie I'd stongly sug gest a kidney belt and a good set of rain gear. :grin: Good luck

[k9jeff]

I have a flatbottom... I like it, it runs a river fine, and I use it in the columbia a willamette too. It does ride a but rough, but if its bad in the big rivers,, I just slow down, kick the bow up and keep going. I dont mind the ride, but it is called an A** slapper for a reason. It will run shallow though.
The price was a major factor in the purchase...

Jeff

[Uglygreen]

Yes I decided to have the best of both - well really three worlds.

I have a deep water boat, 22' Almar sounder w/offshore bracket. Deep Vee foreward with beavertail in the back and a very smooth ride. Handles 3-4' ocean chop at 25 mph (with fillings intact).

Have a drift boat for the coastal streams / small water stuff, lot of fun.

Bought a 18' Woolridge flat bottom sled just for the Clackamas / Sandy / Cowlitz / Lewis / Etc. assuming that the flat bottom sled will be the opposite extreme of my other boat and wanting this boat to be optimized for that type of water. I am currently putting a new floor in and making some mods to the FB boat so I havn't tried it out yet.

I had always been told that a light flat bottomed boat will "run on spit". Then some joker comes and tells me that a shallow semi vee will actually run on less water than a flat hull. He talks a good line of BS and I start to believe him.

I know the difference between 8" and 4" is fairly minor, but having bought two boats to solve this shallow water vs. rough water dilemma, I want the shallow boat to "run on spit" as it were.

================================================== ================

Next question is power for the 18" flat bottom Woolridge, keeping "run on spit" in mind, what powerplant is big enough, but not too big. I'm thinking on the Yahama 85 HP 4 stroke jetdrive outboard, which is 60 HP at the pump.

More, less, or is that about right?

UG

[ 09-20-2002, 10:49 PM: Message edited by: Uglygreen ]

[HOGTIDE]

If you spend 99.9% of your time running water like the Lewis or the Sandy exclusively, a flatbottom will do just fine. However, if you are like most PacNW fisherman, you'll probably hit a variety of big and small water in the course of a year. Something with a 12degree vee would probably best suit your needs all around.

As interests and things turn out in my personal fishing evolution, I spend most of my time these days fishing bigger water. A 16 degree prop would probably, by far, best suit my needs but I still like to keep my shallow water options open...so... I stick with a 12 degree jet.

Actually, you donot see many pure flatbottoms built anymore, which may suggest the direction that fishermans' preferences have headed.

[Salmonator]

I had an 18' alumaweld FB and a 115 merc pump. I thought it was powered just about right. When you're talking about running on spit, it's nice to know you can get on step with a minimum runway when you have to.

[THE KIWANDA KID]

85/60 could work but bigger is better. Seriously though you may want to consider a little more umph, Think about how heavy your boat will be on it's heaviest day and go with what you think will get you on plane in the same amount of time. something to keep in mind with flatties as well as V's is being able to get up on step quickly because of the kind of water conditions you are in(skinny and sometimes fast) Just my 2 pennies worth. Congrats on the boat and if you weren't boat poor before ya sure as heck are now :grin:

[Uglygreen]

In the 80 HP range the weight of the two stroke and four stroke is roughly the same.

If I go up to the Yahama 115 HP, the weight difference between the 2 stroke and 4 stroke is 190 pounds - equivilent of one person. The four stroke costs more as well. $1800 bucks buys a lot of two cycle oil...

Thoughts?

[SLEDDER]

I am in search of the perfect boat myself. I have a 21' Northriver 350 fuel injected 10 degree hull. It runs in very shallow water, enough to make your you know what pucker up. It is rough in the heavy water. The boat handles like a Audi roadster, I have never lost control in emergency turns or in rapids. I will be looking at a deeper V in my next boat. It will probably be a Northriver, unless the quality goes down hill for some reason. As far as power I wish I had more, the more power the happier you will be about overall performance. I would go with the 115 or similiar size for the 18'. Especially with the jet.

[Paddlefish]

Hogmaster:

You're gettin' to be my thesaurus hero, man!

"Filllings?"

"Puckery?"

The fishin' experience isn't all on the water.

Keep up the brain cell IV drip. Maybe it'll take! :smile: :grin:

[THE KIWANDA KID]

Four strokes are for trolling IMO. You want POWER, the kind of power a two stroke will provide. And dont get one of those optis or HPDI thingamabobs. Get ya a good ol' classic that burns oil and wont kill your bank account if it needs service.Voice of experiance talking here.... and I mean well too :grin: And if you can avoid the EFI's that wont hurt either. make sure you have that motor hung right it will make a huge dif. of there is a trim tab/ anti cav plate on the hull make sure it adjusted as well. You'd be surprised at how much it will effect rpm's and hole shot etc.

[FishinMission]

Mine's a Fish Rite flat bottom. It's no fun in big wind chop, but it IS a tank, and a very heavy, very well constructed boat.

I think if I were to buy another one...I'd go for a shallow vee. One thing to remember...any boat with a vee bottom will draft the depth of the vee.

I will put my "getting on a plane" capability ahead of a vee bottom tho. But.....100% of that capability depends on the weight distribution in your boat. I often wonder why manufacturers install most of the fuel tanks in the rear half of the boat. I moved mine up in the bow area and witnessed a dramatic improvement in hole shots.

Overall...evaluate the water you'll be primarily fishing in..and go with what suits your needs.

Mark

[Uglygreen]

So... Consensus seems to be runnin towards the carburated 115 HP two stroke... The Yahama is a about a thousand more than the Mercury, but every (stock) Yamaha I have owned - 4 wheelers, snowmobiles, as well as boat moters, seemed pretty bulletproof.

The last 150 HP mercury I owned suffered a 5000 dollar meltdown. Anyone else impressed with the Yahamas? As im gonna plunk down 6 or 7 boat bucks for this motor, I dont want to be unhappy...

Carburated, 115 HP, 2 stroke, tiller handle, for an 18' flatbottom sled. Right?

North river jetsleds in Clackamas seems to have the best price on Yahama OB's, and I have been impressed with their customer service in the past. Any other sugesstions on where to look?

UG

[Hogmaster]

UG -

Just one more confirmation on the motor. The Red Sled was an 18' Alumaweld Sea Dory and was flat at the back. It had (has) a 100 Horse Merc. It got up fine in short hops.

But my buddy Reel Dick had an 18' Kenai Flyer (flatbottom) with a 115 on it. It was up like a skipping stone.

A long time ago my first sled was a 16' Valco with a very tired 50 Horse Merc on it. While I could go most everywhere on the Clack with it, it was considerably underpowered. It actually taught me alot about picking slots out of necessity, but I think you would really do better by upgrading to the 115 like others have said.

Those Yammis sure look and sound good, don't they?

Kiwanda - Never going back to a harsher ride! :grin:

PS - UG - Listen to what Kiwanda is saying. Trust me, he knows his stuff



[ 09-21-2002, 09:56 AM: Message edited by: Hogmaster ]

[GutshotApe]

UG - My 17' shallow-vee has a tapering flat area (beavertail?) back where the intake is and on to the stern where it is about 12" wide. Empty, it planes on that surface and runs in 4" or less. The motor is a Ford Kodiak 4 cylinder 4 cycle 122 hp (marinized Ford Escort) with Hamilton 770 pump. With 122 hp, by the time you hang a 15 hp kicker on the back, load the boat with three or four guys & gear, you will wish you had more power. This is esp. true at high elevations like Odell Lk, etc. But with one or two, 122 hp is plenty and cheap on fuel.
GSA

[Uglygreen]

Thanks, Last question.... Does anyone know anyone who puts a better price on a new Yahama than North River Marine in Clackamas??? I'm fairly sure that they have the best price in Portland Metro area... How Bout some of you folks to the North - East - South? Any Yahama dealarships you like?

UG