Alright you boat guru's

[Anatidae]

O.K......it's been 24hrs since I (we) first posted this and we've changed our minds again.......now leaning toward a 1650 w/ 50 tiller. Keep the 1542 for 2 hunters with moderate decoy spread and use the 1650 for 3 hunters and moderate decoy spread or 2 hunters and a 'pot' load of honker deeks and/or long runs in 'squirrely' conditions.

Boat #4 might be the 1756.....hehehehe

Thanks for the input, guys.......we really appreciate it. Ya'll made some good points and helped us look at different angles. Happy hunting

Sincerely,
'Skint-back and slidin' sideways on 1 runner with 2 Q-beams and bugs in our teeth. BWAAAAHAHAhahahaha!! "Hey ya'll......watch THIS!" (I see shoulder replacement surgery coming-up soon)

Dateline: An unoccupied duck boat was found lodged in the bank of the Tombigbee River near Aberdeen, early today. There was no sign of occupants other than the left arm detached at the shoulder.....apparently belonging to the operator of the craft. The hand still had a firm grip on the tiller handle and had to be pryed from the mechanism to shut the engine off. There was only one blade left on the stainless steel prop. Witnesses say the motorists wore smiles as they came around the last turn toward the marina on 2 runners.

[BR549]

If you want the toughest s.o.b. out there go to Scullys in Morgan City LA. Laduck posted his website. I sold a few of these & they are by far a cut above the rest. Made a good living selling War Eagles & Rodger and his family have a fine product but that thing Scully builds is tough and looks good. Every commercial fisherman out to have one of them.

[Model12]

ANT, all three boat are in H'burg after the season. My B-in-law has a 90 Yamaha 2 cycle on it...it will FLY (not tiller). Mine has a 25 Yam 3cly 2 stroke (tiller) and I love it. If I was going to buy another express, (and I am this year) it will be the 1650 hyperlift. I like the drop-down deck...

[Anatidae]

I looked at Scully's site........and I'm sure they are extremely well built boats and durable........they'd have to be to hold-up to what most coonasses put them through. hehehe

However, I'm real conscious of weight.........too much = not good.

Model 12........that hyperlift is an impressive concept and a nice boat. My wife and I looked at one 2 years ago, when they came-out with it. Only thing I don't like about all the 'DB's is how much the things weigh. I'm sure they're strong but I just don't think they'll get us where we want to go.......shallow water. (See, where we hunt, if you get outa your boat, you're tresspassing.......and as much as it's a pain in the ass, I still have to respect the landowners' rights and the law).

I would love to have what you're thinking about getting......nice boat......but the HJ 50DB weighs 600# and the H50DB weighs 690#. No doubt they'd be great for running, but I'm trying to keep the weight down so we can get into our shallow spots. The boat we're considering (1650VJ) weighs 372# and a classic 50 will put the rig around 600#.

It took a while for us to figure-out how to get a 600# rig (1542 w/40hp) into shallow water. Basically, you stand on the front deck (to get the back-end higher outa the water) and 'pole' your butt in there. You also have to put some weight forward when you idle thru a stump field or you'll end-up 3/4 the way up on that stump before you can do anything about it. When we enter a stump field, my wife and her dog get on the front deck with a spotlight, shining for 'boogers'.......(wife holds the light.......dog teeter-totters from side to side when she sees a stump......bracing for the impact.) If we still get on a stump, they just move to the back of the boat and we can usually back-off the damn thing. If that doesn't work, I put it in forward and goose-it until we slide off.

The hyperlift is supposed to be better in the stumps (easier to get off....or less susceptible to get hung-up to begin with). I hope you enjoy your new rig. I can't wait to see it.

Thanks for the input, guys.