# how much difference does boat length make?



## 4x4man514 (Jul 8, 2010)

hey guys im shopping for an offshore boat. looking mostly at hydro-sports but maybe a mako or a grady. im looking in the 25 to 30 ft range. my question is, how much difference in ride could 2 ft make? say a 26 to a 28, or a 28 to a 30?

thanks.


----------



## Parker Phoenix (Jul 8, 2010)

PM either Richie Lott or PaulD, both of them know boats well. I do know that a 30 footer sure makes a smooth ride, it spans the waves better.


----------



## Doyle (Jul 8, 2010)

My opinion (for what it's worth) is that length plays less in ride than hull shape does.    What length does get you is usable space inside.  Of course, that comes at a cost in both initial cost as well as required horsepower and fuel usage.


----------



## oldenred (Jul 8, 2010)

it depends on the boat. length usually helps with a better ride but the hull design can make or break a great ride


----------



## oldcsm (Jul 8, 2010)

*Boat Length*

I'm no expert, but if I was in the market for an offshore rig, I'd buy the longest I could afford......and still tow!!!


----------



## Wild Turkey (Jul 8, 2010)

deadrise and other hull factors are more important than length.
Horsepower to weight ratio etc.
Depending on the boat 28-30 ft isnt going to be much difference.
They still beat your brains out on 4-6 waves.


----------



## 4x4man514 (Jul 8, 2010)

thats kinda what i was thinking, ive been in 22s,27s, and 30s. the room inside the boat didnt seem 2 be significant. the hydra-sports has 23deg deadrise which i believe is fairly steep so it should ride pretty good reguardless. plus a 26 or 28 should be more fuel efficient and cheaper to buy than a 30. of course if money was no option i would have a 30+  . but my wallet will def keep me under 30.


----------



## ejs1980 (Jul 8, 2010)

Same model and manufacture not much difference. One of my bossmen went from a 33'donzi to a 35'cabo last year. Huge difference.


----------



## PaulD (Jul 14, 2010)

Gotta compare apples to apples again. This isn't a "think outside the box" question. If you're talking about the same general quality boat it makes a bit of a difference. It seems the big jump in boat sizes happen when you hit 23', 25', 27', 31', and 36'. I mean, the longer a boat it the more it'll span across the swells. If you're looking at two hulls that are about even on deadrise, beam, weight, center of gravity, etc, the longer boat will always ride better. Basic physics. There is also the benefit of room. You can never have to much room, to much gas, to good of electronics, to much horsepower, and to many rods.............right that down!

comparing a 33 Donzi to a 35 Cabo is like comparing a Corvette to a Cadi......not apples to apples. There is a huge weight difference, beam difference, and center of gravity difference.


----------



## 4x4man514 (Jul 14, 2010)

thanks! as i said earlier im leaning toward a hydrasports 2796(28ft) . but i didnt know if the 3000 would be the better choice or not. fuel burn vs. ride


----------



## PaulD (Jul 14, 2010)

Both hulls ride pretty good. The down side to those hulls seems to me that the forward seating takes up to much room. They do ride well though and they are heavy, which means they stomp waves but they aren't very fuel efficiant. Go ahead and look e-bay over for new marine speakers, as for some reason the HS boats have a tendency to go through speakers, I can't fingure it out but I've seen in on a couple of them. The cones break, wires wear out. Seems to always be something. Also the shocks on the front seating breaks. Plumbing is good, wiring is fair, hull is very solid and sound. My issue with this is the first thing I said. They ride big but they don't fish big because the console is massive and the front seating is too so you loose a lot of room. Shoot me a PM and we'll talk about it some.


----------



## brriner (Jul 15, 2010)

Also bear in mind that if you plan on doing any bottom fishing, that steep deadrise hull is going to rock a whole lot more than one with a shallower deadrise.


----------



## 270 guy (Jul 15, 2010)

2' makes a huge difference. Go with as big as you can afford you wont be sorry.


----------



## Apex Predator (Jul 15, 2010)

Keep in mind they aren't all measured the same either.  Some include the bow pulpit, while others don't.  That could mean 3' either way!


----------



## PaulD (Jul 15, 2010)

brriner said:


> Also bear in mind that if you plan on doing any bottom fishing, that steep deadrise hull is going to rock a whole lot more than one with a shallower deadrise.



Don't always true. It depends on beam and weight distrabution as well. For example, my Egret has a 70+degree deadrise on the bow and a 16-17 on the transon, I believe. It sits like a rock in the water compared to other flats boats. When you start to look at the lay out you notice that all three batteries are in a compartment below a storage area, very, very low in the hull. The gas tank is also very low and in the center. Putting all that weight as low as you can and spreading it along the vertical and horizonal centerlines on the boat greatly increases stability expecially when your talking about a few hundred pounds in a hull that only weights 850#. Beam, weight placement, engineering, and deadrise all play into how a boat acts when your on the set.


----------



## 4x4man514 (Jul 15, 2010)

so yall really think the hs is too steep for bottom fishing? never thought about that , so what would yall recommend? am i back to the drawing board on what boat i want? i plan on trolling and bottom fishing. i want to do it all!


----------



## seaweaver (Jul 16, 2010)

Dusky.
And you cannot beat the price!
cw


----------



## seaweaver (Jul 16, 2010)

Dusky.
And you cannot beat the price!
cw


----------



## d-a (Jul 16, 2010)

4x4man514 said:


> so yall really think the hs is too steep for bottom fishing? never thought about that , so what would yall recommend? am i back to the drawing board on what boat i want? i plan on trolling and bottom fishing. i want to do it all!



I would rather rock a little bit more anchored or drifting than have me teeth jarred out every time i left the bay.

d-a


----------



## PaulD (Jul 16, 2010)

I've bottom fished more times than I can count on a 26' HS and it sits GREAT when you're bottom fishing! NO IT'S NOT TO STEEP and like I said in my previous post, more than deadrise has to do with how a boat sets on the hook, the HS is beamie and heavy it sits like a rock!

Dusty does make a good boat, especially for the money. Not the finish that a HS has but it still rides good and heavy and sits on the hook well.


----------



## seaweaver (Jul 16, 2010)

The amount of Hand laid glass is impressive in a Dusky. 
Of HS I see, all the owners speak of weight and 2 lament lack of power...which translates to $$$ in fuel.
I have not done any comparative looking between HS and dusky except on my boat(19).
I will say one thing I do not like in a hull is a step or flat just under the chine. this is great for lift, and dry ride...but not in the end cut into deep waves. The larger Makos still have this and at the end of a deep plunge you feel it slap ant the end of the drop.


OT: I cut a hole in the cap of my 19 dusky to relocate the bilge drain(higher) and the glass was 3/8 thick...on the cap(!).
19' boat 2300lb hull only.


----------



## PaulD (Jul 16, 2010)

Yeh the 26 with twin F225's gets about 1.3-1.5 MPG. Not the best in the world, Like I said earlier, the hull isn't super efficient, but the ride is pretty good. Also the shocks on the front seats break. It does ride pretty dog gone good though.
Dusky=Good ride, Heavy hull. I've been in the 23' and the finish on the deck wasn't impressive, but it's built to fish not to show, which I respect! The ride was good and the fuel burn was where I expected it to be with the weight of the hull and the beam of the boat, not great, but not bad by any means.

When it comes to big boats that ride good and fish good and big I still like the 26, 29, 32' Regulators, the 26' Blue Water, Older 31 Contenders, 33 Palmetto, Older (Reggie built) Fountians, 26' Shamrock, 31 Jupiter, 29 Seavee (GREAT WITH INBOARDS and outboards!), 26' Cape Horn (Now called 23T), 27' Conch and of course the 29'EGRET (MY BIG BOAT, if I ever buy one )
Also, there are some good options out there for cats. which ride real, real well and set on anchor really good! They just are a little slower but have a lot of room, I haven't worked on many so I can't speak for their wiring and plumbing.

I would avoid Sea Fox, Proline, Sea Hunt, Sea Pro, new Mako's (post 1994), Century, and Cobia.


----------



## 4x4man514 (Jul 16, 2010)

lots of great info! i thought the hs might be a little rough on gas but is there any boats out thee that do more than just a little better? without sacrificing ride?

and all those boats yall named off are really nice but they are way out of my price range.  im trying to keep it under 40k  im just a poor working boy with an offshore addiction!


----------



## PaulD (Jul 16, 2010)

I'm assuming your looking used because a new 27' HS is about $80Ish I'm ballparking. HS is a pretty top end ride. Same ball park as the above mentioned, though I am seeing a good deal of depreciation on them. Just look used. I think under $40 you'll find some nice used regulators, 23' palmetto with twins, sea Vee's and others. The used boat market is a buyers market right now. I've seen some really good deals in the last year.


----------



## Eroc33 (Jul 16, 2010)

it seems like people  ususally want a boat 2" longer than the one they have


----------



## Doyle (Jul 16, 2010)

+1 on the Dusky. Nothing has a bow flare like it.   I had the 256CSS with the Crusader big-block staight inboard.  The inboard had its shortcommings with speed and maneuverability but it began to plane at only 12 knots even loaded with 4 divers and 12 tanks.   I could plow through some serious waves with it.


----------

