# Salt Marsh Heron 18



## Backwater

Hey Austin, I don't own one but if I was in the market for a new boat, they are a great value. I've seen one on display at a boat show and talked to Mel about it and for the price and what it does, it brings a lot to the table for the price (if you are in that price range).

We've had multiple disscussions and threads about both the 16 & 18 Heron here on microskiff.com under the forums of *General Discussion* and the *Bragging Spot**. *You can go up top on those pages and do a search to find out more and read what everyone has to say about them. 

On another note, if you are not quite sure what to do, you may look at an older skiff in great condition. Since this whole pandemic thing started, there will be some boats on the market that will be a deal since people are trying to recover financially. So you may find a bargin and just run that for a while and see if this sort of boat fits your needs the most before you pull the trigger on a new boat. And if it's exactly what you want and need, then sell your used boat (probably get your money back because the economy will be doing better then) and then make your deal on your new boat.

How long have you been in LaBelle? I know that little town all too well.


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## Shadowcast

Backwater said:


> I've seen one on display at a boat show and talked to *****_*Hal****_ about it and for the price and what it does, it brings a lot to the table for the price (if you are in that price range).


Mel...wrong skiff company owner. Lol. Got Austin hooked up. he's gonna love his new Heron 18 in a few months.


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## Backwater

Shadowcast said:


> Mel...wrong skiff company owner. Lol. Got Austin hooked up. he's gonna love his new Heron 18 in a few months.


Lol, thanks....Mel!


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## Ed M

I have a Heron 18 that I’ve had for approximately 2 months, I have a Yamaha 70TLR 2 stroke on mine with a 55lbs motorguide Xi5 trolling motor. If you are interested in anything let me know. I would say it is a 8-9” draft boat depending on how it is rigged and the load. With the 70 I can get 37-38 mph at WOT in the right water conditions. Have had it in some pretty nasty stuff and it is impressively dry and has a good ride considering the size and style of the boat. If you are looking for the shallowest draft and not concerned about top speed go with a 60. If performance is more important go with a 90. I have run it side by side with one with a F70 four stroke Yamaha and can’t tell Much difference other than how it sits in the water. If you have any specific questions let me know


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## Austin Rudd

Ed M said:


> I have a Heron 18 that I’ve had for approximately 2 months, I have a Yamaha 70TLR 2 stroke on mine with a 55lbs motorguide Xi5 trolling motor. If you are interested in anything let me know. I would say it is a 8-9” draft boat depending on how it is rigged and the load. With the 70 I can get 37-38 mph at WOT in the right water conditions. Have had it in some pretty nasty stuff and it is impressively dry and has a good ride considering the size and style of the boat. If you are looking for the shallowest draft and not concerned about top speed go with a 60. If performance is more important go with a 90. I have run it side by side with one with a F70 four stroke Yamaha and can’t tell Much difference other than how it sits in the water. If you have any specific questions let me know


Thanks for the reply, I went ahead and made a deposit a few months ago just to secure a spot in the build line. It wasn’t till last week I finally has the pleasure of riding in one for the first time and all I can say is I want one twice as bad now! I will be more geared towards performance so I chose the Suzuki 90. The only thing I’m having trouble with deciding thats driving me crazy is a color scheme.


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## Gregg Lawson

Draft on my Heron 18 is about 10 inches with me on the platform. I'm about 180 and have two power poles and a Mercury 115 on the back. It's probably a couple/few hundred pounds heavier than most 18s with the batteries and Metecumbe console. I FN love this skiff- it does EVERTHING and it scoots!!


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