# Bossman skiffs



## Matts

Greetings and thanks to all for making this a great site. I'm in the market for a not-so micro flats skiff, somewhere in the 18-19' range. Specifically, I need to run in 4-5" and hopefully get up in 5-9" all while being able to pole decently. I've been looking at Beavertails (email sales support really lacking), new water Boatworks Curlew (concerns about poling but very shallow draft) and Bossman boats. I like the Bossman Skimmer Guide edition and am awaiting the owner emailing me with a list of folks in S Texas that might offer a test ride. I fish and live in the Corpus Christi area. Is this the best forum to post this question. Also, any experience with Bossman would be appreciated. I often pole solo or with one other person. Otherwise, I take my wife and two kids fishing, hence the bigger skiff. I currently run a custom Jon boat that runs very shallow.
Many thanks,
Matt


----------



## pt448

Matts said:


> Greetings and thanks to all for making this a great site. I'm in the market for a not-so micro flats skiff, somewhere in the 18-19' range. Specifically, I need to run in 4-5" and hopefully get up in 5-9" all while being able to pole decently. I've been looking at Beavertails (email sales support really lacking), new water Boatworks Curlew (concerns about poling but very shallow draft) and Bossman boats. I like the Bossman Skimmer Guide edition and am awaiting the owner emailing me with a list of folks in S Texas that might offer a test ride. I fish and live in the Corpus Christi area. Is this the best forum to post this question. Also, any experience with Bossman would be appreciated. I often pole solo or with one other person. Otherwise, I take my wife and two kids fishing, hence the bigger skiff. I currently run a custom Jon boat that runs very shallow.
> Many thanks,
> Matt


Welcome, Matt. You'll find that this section of the forum doesn't get that much traffic and you're probably better off posting questions like this in the general discussion section. Since the site has changed, there's a neat section at the bottom of each thread marked "similar threads". Yours has a lot of links to other bossman boats threads. It's going to be difficult to find a boat that is the size you're looking for, floats that shallow, and poles well. Boats big enough for the family with a shallow draft are wide and flat and won't pole well. Boats that pole well are narrow and aren't the best option for a family boat. Depending on your budget and storage requirements, 2 boats may fit the bill better than one. Given your draft requirements, I would look into a HB Guide with a tunnel, maybe a ECC Lostmen, or a Mitzi 17 with a tunnel. Every boat's a compromise. What do you want to do with your boat most of the time?


----------



## sjrobin

pt448 said:


> Welcome, Matt. You'll find that this section of the forum doesn't get that much traffic and you're probably better off posting questions like this in the general discussion section. Since the site has changed, there's a neat section at the bottom of each thread marked "similar threads". Yours has a lot of links to other bossman boats threads. It's going to be difficult to find a boat that is the size you're looking for, floats that shallow, and poles well. Boats big enough for the family with a shallow draft are wide and flat and won't pole well. Boats that pole well are narrow and aren't the best option for a family boat. Depending on your budget and storage requirements, 2 boats may fit the bill better than one. Given your draft requirements, I would look into a HB Guide with a tunnel, maybe a ECC Lostmen, or a Mitzi 17 with a tunnel. Every boat's a compromise. What do you want to do with your boat most of the time?


pt448 I agree. Realistically there is no skiff built that is truly shallow draft 5" to 6 " that four people can be comfortable in and still be considered a poling skiff. I have friends with the New Water Ibis and while the Ibis and Curlew can run shallow as you know, neither boat can be poled across shallow flats. They are both good drift fishing boats for a family or will get you and your family to water to wade and sight cast to red fish. New Water makes a technical poling skiff also but it would be small for four people. Hope you find the best boat(boats) for your family.


----------



## Gramps

You're asking a lot of a skiff and I don't know of any out there that will fit the bill. One that comes to mind is from East Cape Skiffs, a Lostmen with a vented tunnel.. It'll run scary shallow, float dang shallow and can handle 4 people. I think there is a guy down your way that owns a pretty slick Lostmen, let me see if I can track down where I read about his boat. Here is his build thread on 2Cool, http://www.2coolfishing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=413195 and I think he is in Austin.

As to Bossman, can't say anything to their boats. I know as an Ankona dealer, they took care of a friend/associate of mine when he bought an SUV through them. He was happy with the response and service, so that is good!


----------



## Matts

sjrobin said:


> pt448 I agree. Realistically there is no skiff built that is truly shallow draft 5" to 6 " that four people can be comfortable in and still be considered a poling skiff. I have friends with the New Water Ibis and while the Ibis and Curlew can run shallow as you know, neither boat can be poled across shallow flats. They are both good drift fishing boats for a family or will get you and your family to water to wade and sight cast to red fish. New Water makes a technical poling skiff also but it would be small for four people. Hope you find the best boat(boats) for your family.



Thanks. I should clarify, when taking out the entire family, I don't fish as shallow, for obvious reasons. I was leaning towards the Curlew but like you stated, I think it gives up too much in terms of poling. From my 2 Curlew trips, it's basically a downwind drifting/poling boat for the most part but the shallow draft and hole shot are key as we have miles of uniformly shallow flats from Corpus south. Thanks for the info.
Matt


----------



## ELucas

there are some great skiffs on the market that perform very well in Texas. Ankona's Cayenne is a great ultra skinny water skiff, any of their boats would be good in Texas. I just bought a SUV17 & it is better than my last skiff in every way. I have had no issues jumping or running the boat anywhere I have needed to go. It also poles as good or better than anything I've been on to date. 

E.


----------



## Matts

ELucas said:


> there are some great skiffs on the market that perform very well in Texas. Ankona's Cayenne is a great ultra skinny water skiff, any of their boats would be good in Texas. I just bought a SUV17 & it is better than my last skiff in every way. I have had no issues jumping or running the boat anywhere I have needed to go. It also poles as good or better than anything I've been on to date.
> 
> E.


Interesting. What part of Texas are you located and where do you fish?
Matt


----------



## ELucas

I am located in Austin, but grew up on the Gulf Coast in Florida. I mostly fish ( when in Texas ) the Port Aransas area, although i do get up and down the Texas coast. I fish a good stretch of the Gulf Coast over to the Big Bend area of Florida. 

E.


----------



## jimmyc300

How shallow does the suv run? I guess you have a jackplate? I am in the market and the suv is on my short list. I am right up the coast from where you run. Port O'Connor.
Jimmy


----------



## Gramps

jimmyc300 said:


> How shallow does the suv run? I guess you have a jackplate? I am in the market and the suv is on my short list. I am right up the coast from where you run. Port O'Connor.
> Jimmy


Jimmy - I ran an SUV17 with a 40TLDI, Atlas MicroJacker plate, and a heavy cupped 12 and 13 pitch 3 blade aluminum prop. 12 pitch launched out of the hole, topped at about 31/32, and cruised 24mph at 4500rpm. 13 pitch was a bit of a dog out of the hole, did 26/27 at 4500rpm and topped at 34mph. Either would run in about 7" with a soft bottom and I never pushed it under 1' with a shelly or sandy bottom. Oh, great prop to start testing with is Turning Point Prop's Hustler aluminum 3 blade.

Bottom line, it ran anywhere I needed to in the West Bay of Galveston. I could have done a little better on draft and running depth if I didn't have an extra 100lbs of crap in the back hatch. Tabs were not needed for my setup, the motor trim & jackplate helped change the attitude of the boat.


----------



## ELucas

I really have not measured or have pushed the limits of the boat yet, but I have not had any issues run where I needed to on the Fl., La., or Tx. coasts. I am running a 4 blade power tech swc12 & it will jump on plane in a boats length. It will run & jump with the jack plate at the top & the tabs help keep the stern lifted. I have jumped & run the lighthouse lakes without chewing up the grass, it was not low tide. Boat runs about 34 mph..


----------



## 75' forty

Check out fly boat works 18 ft


----------



## ELucas

agreed!


----------



## Matts

ELucas said:


> I really have not measured or have pushed the limits of the boat yet, but I have not had any issues run where I needed to on the Fl., La., or Tx. coasts. I am running a 4 blade power tech swc12 & it will jump on plane in a boats length. It will run & jump with the jack plate at the top & the tabs help keep the stern lifted. I have jumped & run the lighthouse lakes without chewing up the grass, it was not low tide. Boat runs about 34 mph..


Are you speaking of a Bossman Skimmer?


----------



## ELucas

no. I'm running an ankona suv 17 now.


----------



## Matts

ELucas said:


> no. I'm running an ankona suv 17 now.


Thanks for the clarification.


----------



## jimmyc300

Matts/Gramps,
I just bought a curlew. After looking for years I decided that it was the best compromise. 
Jimmy


----------



## Bigtuna53

Matts said:


> Greetings and thanks to all for making this a great site. I'm in the market for a not-so micro flats skiff, somewhere in the 18-19' range. Specifically, I need to run in 4-5" and hopefully get up in 5-9" all while being able to pole decently. I've been looking at Beavertails (email sales support really lacking), new water Boatworks Curlew (concerns about poling but very shallow draft) and Bossman boats. I like the Bossman Skimmer Guide edition and am awaiting the owner emailing me with a list of folks in S Texas that might offer a test ride. I fish and live in the Corpus Christi area. Is this the best forum to post this question. Also, any experience with Bossman would be appreciated. I often pole solo or with one other person. Otherwise, I take my wife and two kids fishing, hence the bigger skiff. I currently run a custom Jon boat that runs very shallow.
> Many thanks,
> Matt



Matt- Did you ever end up choosing the skiff? I'm looking for the same type of boat with the same capabilities. Cheers!


----------



## Matts

Bigtuna53,
I did not as some career stuff caused me to pause. For the hybrid "family" skiff, I've pretty much decided the big water skiffs (i.e. BT Vengence, East Cape Vantage) or a less "skiff-like" option such as a Curlew would be ideal. I've fished on a couple of Curlew's and they seem to do really well on our endless 6-10" deep flats but lack some poling ability. I'm trying to sell an older boat and may have to make a decision soon. May just buy a big Majek as my kids are 10 and 12


----------

