# Perfect Crappie boat?



## Toffy

Suppose you wanted to create the perfect crappie boat. It has to cover water, spyder rig well, be handy for dock shooting, fish two fishermen equally in both the front and the back,
 and all of it be used.

What sort of boat would it be? aluminimumiumin? fiberglass?

A pontoon? a deep floor front and back like a walleye and crappie special? a decked fishing boat like a bass boat?

How long?

Who has the best one you know of and what makes it special?


----------



## shoot2grill

I have bass tracker pro crappie 175 .. it does pretty good covering it all ,except a little tight for 2 spider rigging in the front. And wind an choppy waves bounce your rods to much when spider rigging. Those big walleye boats are the trick...but very expensive even for a used one.


----------



## shoot2grill

Really a good used fiberglass bass boat would be perfect for what your looking for. Plenty room for 2 on front deck,Glass boats are heavy and don't get blown around so much ,shooting docks in my aluminum boat I have to constantly adjust trolling motor to keep boat in position. I notice when I go with friends in big bass boats they only have adjust every now and then.


----------



## Alan in GA

*you need to.....*

You need to go out in the Crappie Man's boat! Lots of room and crappie is what he does a great job with! I really like the ROOM in his Carolina Skiff!


----------



## lcookie

My tracker pro angler v16 is a great boat that has served me well for many many years.  It does all you mentioned well except for fish two anglers on the front/back deck.  For that I would look at the pro guide v16.  Just about the same boat with wider beam.  I think Crappie Pappy has one.  That is my next boat if I go aluminum again.  Best part about them is the deep v handles the rough waters we have up here in the summertime without taking wake over the bow.


----------



## Dutch

I just bought a Pro Team 175 TF (Coastal Edition)today. 2 live wells, wide bean, vinyl flooring, and lots of storage. Also has the Revolution  Mod V hull for  a smoother ride in choppy/rough water.

I start fitting it out tomorrow with rod holders, electronics and a better TM.

Its going to one serious crappie fishing machine.


----------



## crappie man

thanks Alan ! to me Carolina skiff is the best all around fishing boat there is. plenty of room . good luck with your choice


----------



## Dryzdale

Alan in GA said:


> You need to go out in the Crappie Man's boat! Lots of room and crappie is what he does a great job with! I really like the ROOM in his Carolina Skiff!



Yep


----------



## LTZ25

Your new boat is sweet , I also like the C/S they are versitile .


----------



## shoalietwo

*crappie boat*

I fished out of aluminum boats for years , mainly stick steers . great boats but after travelling around to surrounding states i decided to go with a fish-n-ski . picked up a 97 procraft 18 footer used . great rough water boat , lots of storage , windshield for keeping rain and wind off of ya in the early spring . you can usually pick one up cheap . if money were no object it would prolly be a 21 ft walleye boat with a 250 4 stroke...........just my opinion...


----------



## shoot2grill

If money was no object ..ranger 620 fisherman!


----------



## king killer delete

*Parkers*

VETERANS PARK WAY POOlER Ga.


----------



## jbp84

stick steer boat with a 150. why? deep sides, everything at hands reach, has long sides to it so you set longer rods down no consoles in the way like a bass boat and a 150 will cover water pretty fast for a crappie boat.......sigh I guess a 150 is stretching the imagination for a stick steer boat. I think stick steer is great setup all around. I had a tracker 185 with a mercury 75. it was a pain to stay in one spot if the lake was busy or wind you had to work your but off to stay in one spot, the great thing I liked about it I didn't have to worry about scratching it. I sold it and bought my triton I love it. the hardest part is drilling a hole in it to put rod holders on it. so now ive had to learn to pitch docks for crappie and drop shot I cant set my rod down and enjoy the view. them crappie are quick to nibble and run off.


----------



## Speedtroller

For crappie fishing weight is the major factor. If you want to be able to sit on a brush pile or a submerged tree in any kind of wind or rough water. You need a heavy and low profile boat. The less area above the water for the wind to catch the better. I wish ranger or any other good boat company would come out with a bass boat set up for crappie fishing. Side by side seating up front and back. Large insulated livewell and bait well up front in front of the seating for easy access. And a rod storage compartment as long as the boat for 14 to 16' rods.


----------



## Crappiepappy

I am really happy with my Tracker Pro Guide V-175 SC.
I have been fishing out of it for almost 2 years.
The boat is 8' wide. ( Hard to get in and out of a 9' garage door)
If you look at my albumn page on GON, I have some pictures.
There is plenty of room up front if you wanted to fish 2 people.
I do long lining, so I fish from the back.

Here is a link to my GON pictures of my boat.
http://forum.gon.com/album.php?albumid=6243

I am really happy with my boat.
It also has a huge livewell. (29 gallon)


----------



## samcooke

My ideal boat would be the Ranger Fisherman 618vs. It has a bassboat type hull with the layout of a walleye boat. I'd increase the length to 20 ft and the beam to 95 inches. This would be wide enough to accommodate 2 spider-rigging anglers up front without feeling like a misstep will land you in the lake. Two anglers can easily long line out the back. The low profile in the water will also allow dock shooting while the 20ft length will allow 3-4 anglers to comfortably float and fly shallow water crappies front, middle and back in the spring. Also, a 20ft boat will allow fisherman to lay crappie poles along the side of the boat. 
Happy Jigging!


----------



## drill instructor

I have a Stratos 219F older walleye boat great for tightlining (2 upfront easy) and longlining and i have done a little dock shooting. Its a heavy boat that handles wind very well. For a new boat I really like the Stratos 1760DV and Ranger fisherman series boats.


----------



## Cavalry Scout

Good info in this thread.  I just picked up a 1974 VIP, bomber style boat. I got it to set up for Specs and some lineside fishing.  Its old but in good shape.  Super heavy, lots of open room. Rod holders in the mail, gonna hang the Power drive on it this weekend.  Starting to look for some electronics. Hope to be fishing by Feb.


----------



## jerseycat9

It's pretty interesting to hear all the varieties of boats that people prefer to fish crappies from.


----------



## pbradley

jerseycat9 said:


> It's pretty interesting to hear all the varieties of boats that people prefer to fish crappies from.



Makes me feel downright ashamed of the thousands of crappie me, dad and gran'pa caught out of a 12 foot Jon boat with the 6 horse Johnson on the back and a sculling paddle.


----------



## jerseycat9

I just don't know of another fish that can be so easy to specialize any boat to fish for. Fascinating to me but then again I'm a fishing dork lol.


----------



## jam

G3, purchased at Dublin Marine in 2009, added pole holders and finished the rigging myself. Serves me well!


----------



## panfried0419

Ouachita


----------



## ribber

anything with no decks or at least low decks if you plan on doing any dock shooting. I personally prefer a boat that is open with no compartments or decks. there's pros and cons with aluminum and fiberglass. fiberglass would be my choice if i fished lakes exclusively. I have aluminum stick steer for rivers and lakes but it will beat you to death on choppy water. Every man needs at least 3 boats to cover all situations imo!


----------



## 7 point

I have A 17ft sundance v bottom center console with A 60hp Yamaha.


----------



## joehughes1965

I see a lot of really nice looking rigs on here! I used to have a Triton bass boat that was tricked out for crappie fishing! It worked really well.


----------



## little rascal

*No such thing as*

the Perfect Boat for anything. Buy a Striper rig, you'll catch Crappie, buy a Catfish rig, you'll catch Striper so on and etc.,. A perfect boat would be a, "Hull in the water that you don't pour money into"! There is no such thing as the perfect boat, only the perfect boat for your needs as they evolve!


----------



## lcookie

lcookie said:


> My tracker pro angler v16 is a great boat that has served me well for many many years.  It does all you mentioned well except for fish two anglers on the front/back deck.  For that I would look at the pro guide v16.  Just about the same boat with wider beam.  I think Crappie Pappy has one.  That is my next boat if I go aluminum again.  Best part about them is the deep v handles the rough waters we have up here in the summertime without taking wake over the bow.



Went aluminum again and did get the pro guide v-16.  Very very pleased with this rig.  Would still be tight for 2 up front but nice and roomy for 1.  Open back deck is all I dreamed of.


----------



## Shine Runner

jam said:


> G3, purchased at Dublin Marine in 2009, added pole holders and finished the rigging myself. Serves me well!


 
Dang it man! You can side pull, long line, tight line, and any other line you want with that rig. Nice!



ribber said:


> anything with no decks or at least low decks if you plan on doing any dock shooting. I personally prefer a boat that is open with no compartments or decks. there's pros and cons with aluminum and fiberglass. fiberglass would be my choice if i fished lakes exclusively. I have aluminum stick steer for rivers and lakes but it will beat you to death on choppy water. Every man needs at least 3 boats to cover all situations imo!


 
Glass = better ride and stability for fishing.......but more cost to implement.



little rascal said:


> the Perfect Boat for anything. Buy a Striper rig, you'll catch Crappie, buy a Catfish rig, you'll catch Striper so on and etc.,. A perfect boat would be a, "Hull in the water that you don't pour money into"! There is no such thing as the perfect boat, only the perfect boat for your needs as they evolve!


 
Agree! Hard to find, but would be every angler's perfect boat.

All around, a in good shape and mechanically sound Ranger bass boat (can't remember model #) with 18-20' in length and top end HP for which the boat is rated. You will have stability fishing, bad weather safer ride, weight capacity for the extras, options to troll fast or slow, length to help wave reduction in rod movement, and "kewl factor" of a Ranger! Skeeter, ProCraft, Stratos, Triton (metal), all make good models for crappie fishing without having to go to a deep V walleye style boat. Triton "glass" were too narrow upfront for side by side seating unless you went to the 20' models. Take a look at Crappie Masters prostaff team's boats. They normally don't use the livewells in the boats since crappie will not live very well in any livewell in water over 70 degrees. A lot of these boats have added weight in the forward compartments to lessen the wave action. 

Question would be how rough is the water when "you" normally fish. If you only fish when the weather is nice, get a good 16' or larger metal boat to your liking. If you fish when you "can" fish, get a good fiberglass boat that you can rig to the way "you" like to fish. You can't always fish when the weather is nice. I bought a metal boat because of $. I wish I had saved up a little longer and bought a fiberglass boat that I could rig the way I wanted and would handle unfriendly water. I have seen everything from center console flats/bay boats to brand spanking new $60k bass boats with rod holders stuck everywhere. Just not the perfect crappie rig made yet. I have my thoughts, and if I ever hit the lottery or a rich uncle that I don't know about leaves me a pile of "extra" money, I will build "the perfect crappie boat". Problem is that it won't be the perfect bass/redfish/catfish/bluegill/shellcracker/mullet/duck/goose/bowfishing....................etc boat.

Come to one of our tournaments and see just how many different "good" ways there are to put a boat to use to snatch slabs out of the water on any given lake on any given day all year long.


----------



## Big Dank

Nice boat lcookie looks extra wide I'm sure a lot of fish will get to see the inside.


----------



## nfriday68

Jam:

That boat looks real good for getting a lot of different stuff done. What's the length? That stick steer with the 2 stroke 70 must be a blast in the rivers.


----------



## jam

nfriday68 said:


> Jam:
> 
> That boat looks real good for getting a lot of different stuff done. What's the length? That stick steer with the 2 stroke 70 must be a blast in the rivers.



1860 g3(18ft, 17ft 11), camo done by Dublin marine when rigging out. Runs great with 70 on it. Bought the extra length so 3 could crappie fish if desired due to having 3 boys, hard to leave behind. Like the plane jane with stick steering to have more room for gear. Do not like all the frills for what I do, FISH.


----------

