# stable 12-16' skiff ideas



## klfred (Nov 18, 2014)

Ultimately this will be my son's boat but for the time being we will both use it to fish places we cannot access in my tower boat. I don't want a small Carolina Skiff or Whaler. I want him to learn on a tiller AND I want to scratch my shallow water itch.  There are more brands than I am familiar with and my top concerns are stability and safety.  IPB Inshore 14 is one that comes to mind and I'm looking for others that meet the following criteria.                               
* 12-16'  tiller 9.9-20hp
* wide(er) beam for stability 
* bait well.
* fair open water ability for crossing small bays
* front and rear casting decks                                  
* needs a bow mount trolling motor too...
* suitable for duck hunting - much of this will just be color 

Suggestions appreciated. Thank you


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

Salt Marsh Boats


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## Mattcorrell (Mar 16, 2014)

I have a IPB. Great for flats and stable. I have a yama 15 and runs around 25 with just me. I wouldn't even think about taking it across the bay unless it was super calm out and even then the weather could change in a heartbeat.


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## timemachine (Sep 1, 2014)

> wouldn't even think about taking it across the bay unless it was super calm out and even then the weather could change in a heartbeat.


That's a smart choice- the bottom looks pretty flat- and my spleen has already been ruptured a couple of times in my 13 whaler. 

One option for a father-son project would be a hobie power skiff. It's pretty unique in that it can actually somewhat handle some pretty good chop. Of course, everyone's idea of comfortable is different, but as a 15' boat goes, this one is pretty comfortable. It has floatation at all four corners, and a self draining cockpit with scuppers. I've had mine for a few seasons not, and have not been able to trip it up. Mine has 25 hp, and it's about the minimum to be OK. It will climb out of the hole with 3 adults and 2 kids, but it takes some time.

As far as safety goes, it's my opinion that at any given size, nothing beats a whaler (except a rib), but the hobie power skiff was made to go in rough water. I don't know how many little boats can make this claim.


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

You want to duck hunt, fish shallow, be stable and run safely in open water, carry a bow mount trolling motor, have fore and aft casting decks, be durable enough for a kid to operate, and run on less than 20 hp.

No such boat, but there are a few that come close. 

http://seaarkboats.net/1548-dkld/
http://www.g3boats.com/gator-tough-1548-dk


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## klfred (Nov 18, 2014)

yeah. want to do all i can. sticking with fiberglass though. i have found a few options. looking for a few others i've missed or have never heard of. the hunting aspect is very limited. and i want reasonable open water ability.


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## Edfish (Jan 4, 2013)

I had similar criteria when selecting a boat; I bought a Towee skiff.  I would have tested Salt Marsh Skiffs if they were on the market when I made my choice, and I agree with others that there is no skiff that can excel in all the criteria you list.  However, after owning the boat for just over a year and fishing Florida's Big Bend 1-2 times a week, I'm happy with it.  Here is how I rate it relative to what you say you want:

-size/hp:  Good, 16' LOA, does 27mph w/20hp Suzuki 4 stroke.  What's more important to me than top end speed is ability to plane out at low speed instead of plowing, and the boat is awesome for that.  
-Stability:  Avg-good.  For it's beam it's great, but if you want 16' and 20hp power, I believe something (beam) has to give.  I have no issues whatsoever with stability, but it will respond to shifts in weight more than say a sea ark 1650 (which will need more motor too). 
-Bait well:  Not on mine, suppose you could have one built in, but a cooler seems a lot more versatile and that's what I use.
-Fair open water ability:  Pretty good (again, for the size).  The narrow bow cuts chop better than the 1650 seaArk I had, and I think it's at least as dry.  I fish it a couple miles offshore if it's fairly calm (0-12" chop) and can cross what I need to (up to ~24" chop).  Would not take it out inlets where wind vs. tide produces big problems for small boats, but that is a function mostly of my inexperience with inlets and risk aversion.  But based on what others say, would still probably be a bad idea.
-Front + rear decks: Mind has benches, and they work fine.  You can get it with front and rear decks.  A $40 Coleman cooler fits the front "cockpit" perfect, and I fish off that 80% of the time, and on the bowcap the rest of it.
-bow mount trolling motor:  I use an I-pilot.  I consider remote control TM essential.
-Suitable for hunting:  Yes.  Color's appropriate, side trays work are nice for storage.  I put hydroturf (like slightly cheaper SeaDek) on mine in "swamp camo", and I think it's great.
Biggest drawback (every boat has one): It can be tough to pole if you're dealing with wind and current (creeks).  It's super light and the high sides that let me cross water catch some wind.  For me, that's a trade-off I'm happy to make.  

Just my experience and opinion.  If I did it over again, I'd really look at the Ankona SUV17 and the Marsh Skiff 16, as well (though both of those should have 30hp, I think), but so far I really like how the Towee is handling the water I fish.  Solo, I can get it to float in around 4" and it's tough/inexpensive enough to hit oyster and limestone without crying.  This time of year I'm dragging in across bars to fish creeks on neg. tides with the airboats.

All that said, I learned on aluminum, and if I had a kid, he/she would learn on aluminum too.  Good luck looking, lots of fun options!


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## klfred (Nov 18, 2014)

thanks for the replies. I learned on a fliver and in hindsight, my parents were irresponsible. IPB made a duck boat with a mud motor that had caught my eye - you can find pics on the web but with new ownership i don't think it's made anymore - some variation of that is what I seem to like. I fish a lot more than hunt so like I said the hunting aspect is low on priorities - not going go-devil or mud motor. When I started looking I was surprised by the number of builders out there and how some boats there were around a few years ago are gone / made by someone else now.


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## Rooster (Mar 13, 2011)

Seconding Edfish's comments. I'm on my 2nd Towee and am continually impressed at how versatile this skiff is. It pretty much checks all your boxes. Take a minute and take a look at Towee's website and you'll see. Feel free to PM me or Edfish and we can arrange to answer any of your questions or call Todd at Towee.


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## Viking1 (May 23, 2010)

Another option to investigate is a Gheenoe LT 25 or a Classic. There are other models but these two I think would fit your requirements the best. I have a Pathfinder 22 TE bay boat but spend most of my fishing time in the LT 25 for its shallow water capability. While crossing rough water in a small low sided boat is not anyone's first choice, if you get caught in rough water the LT 25 will get you home. You can find videos of Gheenoes on the net. Before you buy any boat wet test one. If you are in NE Florida I would be happy to arrange a test drive in my LT 25. Good luck with your hunt for the perfect boat.


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## timemachine (Sep 1, 2014)

> While crossing rough water in a small low sided boat is not anyone's first choice,.


Low sided is my first choice, until santa comes through with my duffy 35, or bertram. But they have low sides also. It's my opinion that in a small boat, the water will come in, whenever it decides to. The question is what will happen next. And the curse of high sides is that a high sided boat will hold all the more water in, so it will be easier to flip.

It's my opinion that what you want is a high floor, so that the hull has internal volume for flotation after you poke the bow into a wave, and fill the boat like a bath tub. The higher the floor, and the greater the sealed area the better. Of particular benefit is sealed chambers at the stern on either side, so that you have some volume to resist flipping over when swamped. Then you need some way to let water drain out, and a puny electric bilge pump is not going to do it. 

Just take a look at the Coast Guard Patrol boats. They are ridiculously low- and it's not just so that they look cool. Also, ribs are super low. Plus, I would suggest that anyone that leaves the dock with a high sided small boat always have a 5 gallon bucket.


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

> > While crossing rough water in a small low sided boat is not anyone's first choice,.
> 
> 
> Low sided is my first choice, until santa comes through with my duffy 35, or bertram.  But they have low sides also.  It's my opinion that in a small boat, the water will come in, whenever it decides to.  The question is what will happen next.  And the curse of high sides is that a high sided boat will hold all the more water in, so it will be easier to flip.
> ...


In my mind thats why theres no better skiff to be in, in rough water than a hobie power skiff. Every aspect of their design is meant to be in seas much bigger than most "captains" could mentally handle


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## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

carolina skiff-


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## Edfish (Jan 4, 2013)

I think this is pertinent--if mods or OP don't, I'm sorry and feel free to move. 
Hobie power skiffs come up often when people mention small boats designed for bigger/rougher water, but they aren't made any more. As far as I could gather via the interwebs, a few companies took a shot at making a skiff from that mold (Blazer, Sabalo/Rocky Creek Skiffs, I think others). Is the common perception that these "sibling" skiffs have similar rough water capabilities since they share the mold, or would one really need to find an original to enjoy those benefits? Obviously this is somewhat subjective, but I'm curious what people think, and believe it would add some useful info to the OP's quest to figure out who makes small, capable skiffs now.

To the OP: Can you budge on the 20hp cap in your criteria? Seems like 30 would open up more boats for you...


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## Viking1 (May 23, 2010)

> > While crossing rough water in a small low sided boat is not anyone's first choice,.
> 
> 
> Low sided is my first choice, until santa comes through with my duffy 35, or bertram.  But they have low sides also.  It's my opinion that in a small boat, the water will come in, whenever it decides to.  The question is what will happen next.  And the curse of high sides is that a high sided boat will hold all the more water in, so it will be easier to flip.
> ...


You missed my point.  Yes some Coast Guard boats have low sides and do well in rough water but they don't pole worth a darn.  If I am going fishing and the water is rough my first choice will be to go in the safest boat that will get me to the water I want to fish.  The two models of Gheenoes I mentioned have sealed flotation and the LT25 has a standard false floor to keep your feet and gear dryer.  The Gheenoe has been around since the 1980s and have produced over 50,000 hulls.  About 3 weeks ago I fished my LT25 in 30-40 MPH gusts in the ICW in Jacksonville.  Even though the bow was cutting the waves fine, the wind blew a large amount of water in the boat.  Being I fish in all types of conditions I have two bilge pumps on board to handle the water, plus as required by law I carry a manual bailing device.  In heavy seas I like bilge pumps over buckets so I don't have to take my hand off the tiller or be distracted.

The Hobie Power Skiff looks great.  Never knew about them until I saw the posts in this thread.


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## timemachine (Sep 1, 2014)

> > > While crossing rough water in a small low sided boat is not anyone's first choice,.
> >
> >
> > Low sided is my first choice, until santa comes through with my duffy 35, or bertram.  But they have low sides also.  It's my opinion that in a small boat, the water will come in, whenever it decides to.  The question is what will happen next.  And the curse of high sides is that a high sided boat will hold all the more water in, so it will be easier to flip.
> ...


One thing to remember about the false floor, although it may keep your feet dry, that is not it's most important function. What's more important is the balance between the volume of water that a boat will hold when it goes into "bathtub mode" and the volume of air that it holds in the hull. The less water the hull will hold, and the greater the volume inside the hull, adds up to a more capable rough water boat. A john boat is total bath tub- the opposite is the coast guard boats which have huge internal volume and hold very little water. Personally, at my age, and in the water that I am in, I want a boat that is self bailing, and won't flip at the first sign of dampness. 

Also, those Ghenooes are super cool!


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

> I think this is pertinent--if mods or OP don't, I'm sorry and feel free to move.
> Hobie power skiffs come up often when people mention small boats designed for bigger/rougher water, but they aren't made any more.  As far as I could gather via the interwebs, a few companies took a shot at making a skiff from that mold (Blazer, Sabalo/Rocky Creek Skiffs, I think others).  Is the common perception that these "sibling" skiffs have similar rough water capabilities since they share the mold, or would one really need to find an original to enjoy those benefits?  Obviously this is somewhat subjective, but I'm curious what people think, and believe it would add some useful info to the OP's quest to figure out who makes small, capable skiffs now.
> 
> To the OP:  Can you budge on the 20hp cap in your criteria?  Seems like 30 would open up more boats for you...


I personally think only the hobies have the roughwater capabilities and those capabilities are mostly lost on the other versions. Every aspect of the design was meant for big water. The raised bow, the high false floor, lower gunnel, the beam to length ratio, the large scuppers, the ultra light build.. i mean lets face it, it was designed to be beach launched and push out through heavy california surf


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## sirvenjose (Jan 9, 2013)

Check out the PangaMarine boats or Imemsa Pangas.


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## Shalla Wata Rider (Aug 14, 2013)

12'LOA... 60" beam...








not the quietest hull due to the hard reverse chin ...but dry and cuts nice ....








problem is they are very rare... But I know a guy who saw a guy that heard of a guy that thinks he saw one  ...Guess I could ask around....


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## Les_Lammers (Feb 17, 2007)

> yeah. want to do all i can.  sticking with fiberglass though. i have found a few options. looking for a few others i've missed or have never heard of. the hunting aspect is very limited. and i want reasonable open water ability.


I have a Livingston 14 cat hull with a Yamaha 2 stroke 25 and CMC PT&T. I had a deck put on the bow. IMHO, there is not a better riding small skiff. I do not pole. It would be just fine with a 20hp 4 stroke too. Search my posts for pics.


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## SheppySheppy (May 22, 2017)

Shalla Wata Rider said:


> 12'LOA... 60" beam...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



What time of boat is that?


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## KurtActual (Sep 25, 2017)

SheppySheppy said:


> What time of boat is that?


Shalla is a boat maker. That's his product


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

topnative2 said:


> carolina skiff-


He doesn't want one of those one of those or a Whaler


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Oh, there are no 12-16 boats that can take big water well or safe. I wouldn't put my son in one and let him cross a big bay. You'll probably save money if you get a used Lappy Hewes or Older Maverick
I only have daughter but if I had a son....


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