# 13' WaterBug(Gheenoe Style) Information?



## Mars

I just bought a 13' WaterBug gheenoe style boat. I have not been able to to find much information on these. All I know is that they were made in Statesboro and went out of business around 2005. 

So far, Im very pleased with the little boat but I would like to hear from anyone that has any experience with these. Thanks.


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## Tideup

I had one for years. I used it to fish the ogeechee and canoochee rivers. I had a 9.9 johnson and a foot controlled tolling motor. It was a good little boat but I would want to be in any water with much of a chop on it.


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## steveus

They made the first one-man "sneak boat" that I knew about. Seems like they were in Pembroke, or somewhere near Statesboro, but not actually Statesboro, at the time.


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## dug714

They were built in brooklet and nevils. I have one i havent used in years


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## buddy48

I had one for 18 years. Loved it. When I got rid of it I replaced it with a 15' Gheenoe. I caught a bunch of fish out if it. The Waterbug was a copy of the Gheenoe and yes they were made in Brooklet, or at least mine was. Very versatile boats and they will float in some skinny water. The only drawback to mine was the weight. That little sucker was heavy!

Sometimes wish I still had it just because of all the memories made in it. Caught my two bass out of it.


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## fishtail

I've got a 13' Waterbug too!
My father has either a Gheenoe or Waterbug a little bigger than mine.
From what I remember the Waterbug "rip off" Boats were made in Metter, Nevils, Brooklet and Statesboro. Daddy also has a 16' Ashcraft ripoff made by Waterbug.


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## fishtail

I just went and looked, Daddy's is a 13' Waterbug and both of ours were made in Brooklet. 
Daddy's looks a lot like yours Mars, mine has sides about 4" lower than that.

Oh and when I say "rip off", around here it was very common in the late "70's to early "80's for someone to purchase a popular boat by design, make a mold of it and mass produce it with subtle changes made to it.
The Waterbug line was actually a stronger/heavier built boat than the type they stole the design from. They utilized more fiberglass and floatation than ones they ripped off from.

What year is yours, looks like 1995? Daddy's is a 1991 mine's a 1983.


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## Mars

fishtail said:


> I just went and looked, Daddy's is a 13' Waterbug and both of ours were made in Brooklet.
> Daddy's looks a lot like yours Mars, mine has sides about 4" lower than that.
> 
> Oh and when I say "rip off", around here it was very common in the late "70's to early "80's for someone to purchase a popular boat by design, make a mold of it and mass produce it with subtle changes made to it.
> The Waterbug line was actually a stronger/heavier built boat than the type they stole the design from. They utilized more fiberglass and floatation than ones they ripped off from.
> 
> What year is yours, looks like 1995? Daddy's is a 1991 mine's a 1983.



I have no idea what year the boat was made. There are virtually no identifying marking on the boat other than a hull ID scratched into the transom. Im sure someone who knows about them could figure out the year from that.

As far as it being heavy, I would have to disagree. I dont think that mine is very heavy at all. I would guess it weighs around 120lbs. So far I have been very happy.


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## buddy48

Mine was an '84 or '85. It had a livewell in the center running left to right and it had flotation foam in the rear area on each side. I have a buddy that has a 15'er and his livewell runs from front to back.

However, my Custom Gheenoe, which is 2011 is a much better built boat IMO. However, I would never take anything away from a waterbug. Mine was like that ex-girlfriend you got rid of. Seemed like a good idea at the time,  but you'll always wonder what it would be like just one more time.


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## Mars

buddy48 said:


> Mine was an '84 or '85. It had a livewell in the center running left to right and it had flotation foam in the rear area on each side. I have a buddy that has a 15'er and his livewell runs from front to back.
> 
> However, my Custom Gheenoe, which is 2011 is a much better built boat IMO. However, I would never take anything away from a waterbug. Mine was like that ex-girlfriend you got rid of. Seemed like a good idea at the time,  but you'll always wonder what it would be like just one more time.



This one does not have a livewell. Also you are not the first person I have heard say that they regret selling their waterbug. I will try to heed everyone's advice and hang on to this one. I may have to add other boats to the collection but I can already see that this will be the best option for what I do in this area where I duck hunt and fish the head waters of the Ohoopee and Ogeechee rivers where the water is often shallow and narrow.


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## bigkga69

heres my Waterbug, its the 15 ft. model with a worked on 15 Mercury, with just me and my gear it will run 27 mph on a GPS, I've caught and killed things out of it from Lake Burton all the way down the entire Savannah River chain to where I live now on Tybee and no I will never sell this boat!


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## thedudeabides

Nice set-up you got there. I bet it's fun going 25MPH in that thing haha.


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## bigkga69

thedudeabides said:


> Nice set-up you got there. I bet it's fun going 25MPH in that thing haha.



with just me, no gear and a hot fuel mixture, it will get hairy in a moderate chop and head wind, like chine walk hairy, it wont do that with all my hunting or fishing gear in it though...


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## Sportwin

They were definitely built in Brooklet, GA. From memory, Romaine Bradford & Glenn Gerrardeau (sp)? were the owner/partners. They made "low-siders & later high-siders that we're approximately 4" higher on the sides. Caught a lot of fish in the Altamaha, ponds etc. in a 13ft low-sider with camo gel coat. They also built some other styles of boats. I owned an 85, 14 footer that was 47" wide @ the bottom with a 40HP tiller. I ran that boat from the US 1 bridge at Plant Hatch to Darien. I have fond memories of time spent in those two boats.


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## Mars

Thanks for the info guys. I am looking forward to putting mine to work.


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## gamuddawg151

My cousin has a 15 ft that sucker seems pretty heavy to me but a great fishing platform . I like it more than a Jon boat except for room. If you sell it you will regret it.


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## ROAM

other than the weight factor, there is not much difference between the waterbug and 13 ft gheenoe. I have an old gheenoe and have fished quite a bit out of the waterbug. Be glad you picked one up and hold on to that sucker!


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## coltday

If you want to see some cool things you can do, and others have done. Go check out the custom gheenoe forum. It's amazing at what those boys can do with some fiberglass.


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## buddy48

coltday said:


> If you want to see some cool things you can do, and others have done. Go check out the custom gheenoe forum. It's amazing at what those boys can do with some fiberglass.




No doubt! I used to spend tons of time over there. That's one of the reasons I ended up with my Gheenoe. I now have a Custom NMZ. The Gheens are nice folks!


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## Warmouth68

*The Waterbug*

I know this post is a little old but I just picked myself up a 13' waterbug. I was just wondering how you like your waterbug so far. Have you found out any other history on the boat. Would you know how much it should way. I know mines pretty heavy, it takes 2 people to move it around. But it's definately a solid boat. Does anyone else have any input on this. Thanks alot.


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## Mars

Warmouth68 said:


> I know this post is a little old but I just picked myself up a 13' waterbug. I was just wondering how you like your waterbug so far. Have you found out any other history on the boat. Would you know how much it should way. I know mines pretty heavy, it takes 2 people to move it around. But it's definately a solid boat. Does anyone else have any input on this. Thanks alot.



I like mine a lot. It's is a bit on the heavy side but it's super stable in the water. I have not found any other info on it though. If I come across anything I will let you know.


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## Warmouth68

I appreciate that and I'll do the same for you. I'm gonna put mine in the water this afternoon for the first time to see how shallow it will float.


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## Warmouth68

Mars said:


> I like mine a lot. It's is a bit on the heavy side but it's super stable in the water. I have not found any other info on it though. If I come across anything I will let you know.



Hey Buddy one quick question. Would you know what the model # of your boat is I'm sure it's the same as mine. I need it to try to get the process started gettingn it registered. It doesn't have a Hull ID# so i'm gonna have to have it inspected. Thanks for any help.


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## Mars

Warmouth68 said:


> Hey Buddy one quick question. Would you know what the model # of your boat is I'm sure it's the same as mine. I need it to try to get the process started gettingn it registered. It doesn't have a Hull ID# so i'm gonna have to have it inspected. Thanks for any help.



I'm not sure what model it is. Mine didn't have a hull ID either but the process to have it inspected was pretty easy. I took it to Bass Pro in Macon when the DNR was inspecting boats, I have him the bill of sale and I got my registration in the mail about 2 weeks later


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