# Gheenoe NMZ MV vs. Riverhawk Kingfisher



## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

You are going to get a heavy Gheenoe bias since most of the members (or members who post) are Gheenoe owners. We can not help it there are thousands of Gheenoes out there and only a handful of the other brands but that is changing a little bit and there are some new alternatives. 

I am one of those Gheenoe owners myself and if you live in Florida then it is the preferred boat over a Riverhawk. Riverhawk has a stigma here in Florida as a Gheenoe copy. While this is historically true there appears to be new ownership of the company and their designs have started to get more original. Some of their design changes seem to be functional others are questionable. The wider beam is very appealing to some buyers. Some of the specific design issues I have concerns about are the lightweight transom on the B-52 & B-60 and also the tunnel hull. The 15 hp rating on a boat with that much beam makes me wonder if the boat can really stand up to the abuse we throw around here in Florida. The tunnel hull appears to be mostly cosmetic and would severely hurt shallow water draft when flats fishing or poling. Its been tried by Gheenoe on a two prototypes and then discontinued. 

Customer service at Custom Gheenoe is the best you can expect. Other than the fact that its a small shop and they sometimes have a hard time answering the phone they will take care of you 100%. Most of the time your boat will be perfect but those that have had issues have nothing but praise for the shop. A lot of Gheenoe owners will tell you to go and post your question on the Riverhawk forum too. They are being sarcastic because there is none. I am personally waiting for one of the Riverhawk staff to show up around here. We will welcome them and look forward to learning more about their boats but for now they seem to be a little behind the times when it comes to the Internet. Their lack of a real website in this day and age is a little concerning if not absurd. Now if you live in Georgia then the Riverhawk may be your boat. I am going on hearsay but I belive they are made somewhere around Atlanta. If you are able to track them down then check out the factory and see if they can meet your needs. For instance if you are going to want to put a poling platform on a Riverhawk see if they offer one. Also see if the rear deck is strong enough to support one.

If you go with a RiverHawk you will still be welcome around here. Its still a microskiff and its not really about what brand of boat you fish out of but how you fish. 

Good luck.


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## TailStalker (Dec 13, 2006)

GHEENOE! Hands down...
We Florida builders stick together.LOL

Pugar is a great guy and is a workaholic like myself. Gheenoe
( Only in this comparison though)


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## jmarkklock (Dec 12, 2006)

Tailstalker.. You have a PM


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## TailStalker (Dec 13, 2006)

Yepper, I just looked up at the screen and see a "PM" waiting.


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## Scupper (Feb 14, 2007)

Thanks for the detailed response...

Knowlegable advice is the best weapon I have. I know based on reading Gheenoe owner's posts that Custom Gheenoe keeps their customers happy. I am leaning towards the NMZ MV with a 15hp, poling platform, minus the center cooler box. Simple and lighter is better for me. Ill make the short drive to T-ville this week.


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## Lil_Tate (Dec 18, 2006)

As a former owner of 3 Gheenoes, I would deff give them the nod.  Pugar is a class act, one of the nicest folks you will ever meet.  Also the Gheenoe crew is a tight bunch, I am still a part of even though I no longer own a Gheenoe. Plus all of the Gheenoe get togethers/rallies are a blast.  Note.... Stay away from that Curtis guy... He is a wild man with an overpowered highsider (25hp) and drives like a maniac...
plus he can't catch any fish, however he is known to drink a beer or 30 every now and then... ;D ;D


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## Tom_C (Dec 10, 2006)

> plus he can't catch any fish, however he is know to drink a beer of 30 every now and then... ;D ;D


If you need a beer check his fish well. I've never seen a fish in there.


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## White_Fly (Jan 15, 2007)

http://www.kingfishrightangler.com/
They do have a website thoughit is limited


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

I checked out the site and sent the contact an email. Thanks for the information.


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## tojo (Dec 12, 2006)

> > plus he can't catch any fish, however he is know to drink a beer of 30 every now and then... ;D ;D
> 
> 
> If you need a beer check his fish well. I've never seen a fish in there.


That is funny....TRUE, but funny.


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

Off topic replies have been moved to [link=http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1195053652]This Thread[/link]


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