# Opinions on the Bateau FX 20



## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

I'm considering a XF20 build and was curious if anybody on here has experience with the overall performance of this boat. I know the ride won't be all that great in a chop but I'm not to concern with that as long as it's not unbearable. Is it as shallow as bateau claims? Will it pole half way decent? How wet? Is it a boat I could take the family out to a sandbar , scallop, lobster, or pull up on a flat and maybe pole it around for a couple hours. Also it won't be a primary poling skiff for me just a secondary boat for the family. Thanks in advance.


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## seapro17sv (Feb 3, 2015)

3T said:


> I'm considering a XF20 build and was curious if anybody on here has experience with the overall performance of this boat. I know the ride won't be all that great in a chop but I'm not to concern with that as long as it's not unbearable. Is it as shallow as bateau claims? Will it pole half way decent? How wet? Is it a boat I could take the family out to a sandbar , scallop, lobster, or pull up on a flat and maybe pole it around for a couple hours. Also it won't be a primary poling skiff for me just a secondary boat for the family. Thanks in advance.


I'm on my 3rd Bateau build, and although I haven't ridden in the XF20, I've seen 2 in person at Bateau's annual get together in Homosassa last year and they were both beautiful boats. If you look on their website in the plans section there are a load of pictures of different builds with a wide variety of lay outs, including shots of one pulled very far up onto a beach, and another shot with 15 guys on deck with the boat still probably drafting 6-8 inches. The study plans show a draft of 2", and that is realistic if it's built very simple and light, and probably less than 4" built heavily with lots of goodies. You can see from the study plans that it takes 413 pounds to sink it 1" regardless of how you decide to build it out. It would be an incredible family boat, even if you had a family of 6 or 8, and would be fantastic for Shrimping, Scalloping, diving, etc., and because of how light these boat are you don't need a big engine. Also looks like an easy build other than the acres of sanding area that you'd be dealing with. This is definitely not a poling skiff at over 20 feet, and 8' in wide, but for short distances and short periods of time you can pole just about any boat. Not a sight fishing machine for sure. Don't limit yourself to this one particular plan, all Jacque's boats are well designed, easy to build, lighter than any production boats sold, and the builders forum is outstanding for help with questions as you proceed with your build. Whatever you decide, good luck, but be careful, you'll soon be addicted, and there's no turning back.


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## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

Thanks for your response. I feel like it's a good choice for me. I'm just a little concerned that it's a plywood boat. I've been trying to get away from wood in boots and now I'm strongly considering a wood boat. What bateau boats have you built?


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

This boat was originally designed and built by a Homosassa guide and called the Microdraft Skiff. I've seen several of them in the Crystal River area and they are way cool. I would love to have one. I don't know why you say it's not a sight fishing boat. It will get shallower than most boats and I've seen them WAY back in the mangrove creeks.


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## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

devrep said:


> This boat was originally designed and built by a Homosassa guide and called the Microdraft Skiff. I've seen several of them in the Crystal River area and they are way cool. I would love to have one. I don't know why you say it's not a sight fishing boat. It will get shallower than most boats and I've seen them WAY back in the mangrove creeks.


That's good to hear because 99% of the fishing I do is in the backwaters


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Just keep in mind it is 8 feet wide so it's not going to get thru the narrow creeks where we go


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## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

devrep said:


> Just keep in mind it is 8 feet wide so it's not going to get thru the narrow creeks where we go


That's not a problem I can save those creeks for the small skiff. It's just intriguing to know you can get a boat that size in the backwaters


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## seapro17sv (Feb 3, 2015)

3T said:


> That's not a problem I can save those creeks for the small skiff. It's just intriguing to know you can get a boat that size in the backwaters


I guess I said it the wrong way, the part about sight fishing. It is definitely a shallow enough boat, just a bit larger than what I would want to pole around for hours sight fishing. Remember, these are not considered wood boats, they're just cored with wood that is not only saturated with epoxy, but fully encapsulated in fiberglass cloth. If you use the highly recommended Okoume plywood that Boat Builder Central sells, it is Lloyds of London certified, has to pass a 30 minute boil test, and is light as a feather and very flexible an easy to work with. A bit pricey for sure, but worth every penny. As a personal test I submerged a 1" square piece of the 1/4" ply in a container of water, and 4 months later zero damage, just turned the water a tea color. If you do some research, you'll find that most of the multi million dollar custom sport fish boats are built with Okoume ply and epoxy. Just a few; Bayliss, Spencer, Rybovich, Sunny Briggs, Buddy Davis. An Okoume ply and epoxy boat is lighter, stronger, and quieter than an all glass boat, and if properly built, water will never touch the wood anyway. I finished my FS18 low sheer last April, than built the FS14 low sheer, and am now almost finished with the solo skiff SK14. I modified the plans a little on all three boats to what I needed, and they're all easy and fun to build. My FS18 poles better than my buddies Hell's Bay Glades Skiff, and I've been poling his for 5 years, and that was the first comment he made the first time he poled it. His skiff is a 2007 Carbon Kevlar I believe, and my boat is lighter. Here are a few shots of my boats. The boat being dry launched, they all can because they are so light, is the FS14, which I sold to the owner of Bateau for him to take to boat shows, and the last pic is the SK14 solo skiff I'll finish in the next couple of weeks.


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## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

You have just about got me sold. Those pics are gorgeous. I've been considering the fs18 and the fs14 for another build of the xf20 goes well. Thanks for the help! I have a feeling I'll be picking your brain if you don't mind.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

beautiful. Wish I had your skills.


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## Battfisher (Jan 18, 2016)

seapro17sv said:


> I guess I said it the wrong way, the part about sight fishing. It is definitely a shallow enough boat, just a bit larger than what I would want to pole around for hours sight fishing. Remember, these are not considered wood boats, they're just cored with wood that is not only saturated with epoxy, but fully encapsulated in fiberglass cloth. If you use the highly recommended Okoume plywood that Boat Builder Central sells, it is Lloyds of London certified, has to pass a 30 minute boil test, and is light as a feather and very flexible an easy to work with. A bit pricey for sure, but worth every penny. As a personal test I submerged a 1" square piece of the 1/4" ply in a container of water, and 4 months later zero damage, just turned the water a tea color. If you do some research, you'll find that most of the multi million dollar custom sport fish boats are built with Okoume ply and epoxy. Just a few; Bayliss, Spencer, Rybovich, Sunny Briggs, Buddy Davis. An Okoume ply and epoxy boat is lighter, stronger, and quieter than an all glass boat, and if properly built, water will never touch the wood anyway. I finished my FS18 low sheer last April, than built the FS14 low sheer, and am now almost finished with the solo skiff SK14. I modified the plans a little on all three boats to what I needed, and they're all easy and fun to build. My FS18 poles better than my buddies Hell's Bay Glades Skiff, and I've been poling his for 5 years, and that was the first comment he made the first time he poled it. His skiff is a 2007 Carbon Kevlar I believe, and my boat is lighter. Here are a few shots of my boats. The boat being dry launched, they all can because they are so light, is the FS14, which I sold to the owner of Bateau for him to take to boat shows, and the last pic is the SK14 solo skiff I'll finish in the next couple of weeks.
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Holy cow - those boats are awesome. Having played around just a little bit with marine plywood and epoxy in building my front deck, I can't imagine the effort it takes to make boats look that good.


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## seapro17sv (Feb 3, 2015)

Battfisher said:


> Holy cow - those boats are awesome. Having played around just a little bit with marine plywood and epoxy in building my front deck, I can't imagine the effort it takes to make boats look that good.


Thanks for the compliments guys. 3T, whatever boat you decide to build you'll be well supported on the Bateau forum. Everyone is very helpful throughout the process. The first thing I did prior to my first build was to read through every build of the FS18, plus many other boats, taking notes, and looking for any tips that could help out.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

The FX20 is a cool boat, but I honestly don't think you will enjoy using is as you describe. Can you pole it for hours, not really as it's pretty much a flat bottom boat so it won't track super well and being wide and long is will wear you out. Can you cross a slight chop, yes but it will beat the kidneys out of you as it's not made for that being the flat bottom. Can you load up the family and cruise to a sand bar, yes but if it's not a perfectly smooth day it might not be comfortable. 

If you have a skinny water boat already then don't try to make another major compromise, imo. I'd look at another design, maybe the new FS19, it might be better suited for some of your program.


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## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

@seapro17sv I've read a lot of the forum post and I've been trying to find everything I can on the XF20. I'm really liking the support from bateau I've seen.

@firecat1981 I'll look into the FS19 but I really like the size and tunnel of the XF20 and the kidneys in my family are well seasoned and I would hate to spoil them with a ride that is to comfy lol!


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

It is made for the crystal river/ozello/homasassa area which is not poling friendly anyway. Too much tidal movement at most times.


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## seapro17sv (Feb 3, 2015)

3T said:


> @seapro17sv I've read a lot of the forum post and I've been trying to find everything I can on the XF20. I'm really liking the support from bateau I've seen.
> 
> @firecat1981 I'll look into the FS19 but I really like the size and tunnel of the XF20 and the kidneys in my family are well seasoned and I would hate to spoil them with a ride that is to comfy lol!


3T, If you want to get some honest opinions on how the boat rides, floats, etc. just reach out on the forum to some of the builders and I'm sure you'll get some honest feed back. I know you are looking for a family boat, but in the future if you plan on building a pure poling skiff the FS18 is a winner, and Jacques is in the process of finishing a new design for a Texas customer of an expanded FS18, wider form what I've heard, with an optional tunnel. He should have plans available very soon.


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## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

I can't say enough about the Bateau boats. I love mine and I am strongly considering another build.


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## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

Which one do you have?


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## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

The GF16 in my sig pic. There is also a link there for the build thread.


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## Pole Position (Apr 3, 2016)

seapro17sv said:


> I know you are looking for a family boat, but in the future if you plan on building a pure poling skiff the FS18 is a winner, and Jacques is in the process of finishing a new design for a Texas customer of an expanded FS18, wider form what I've heard, with an optional tunnel. He should have plans available very soon.


Here is the link to the new model of the FS18:

https://forums.bateau2.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=62186

For your apparent needs , it may be a better fit than the XF-20--better ride, better poling, and presumably little draft w/ a tunnel. Do not fret about the strength of these boats: Im unable to find the link, but someone posted a pic a few years ago of an XF-20 that got run over by another boat, and the offending boat literally came to rest on top of the hull w/ little damage to the XF-20.


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## seapro17sv (Feb 3, 2015)

tomahawk said:


> The GF16 in my sig pic. There is also a link there for the build thread.


Tomahawk I just looked through your Garvey build and you did a beautiful job all around, and when I have more time I'll read through the entire build. It seems you learn something new every day and I learned from your discussion about a rev limiter, that I'm having the same exact problem with my 2015 Merc 20hp, the vibration and a miss at WOT. I thought I got stuck with a bum motor or something, so a new prop needs to be figured out and it should solve the problem. I agree also that you can't say enough good things about the Bateau designs and the way the boats perform. When I fish out my buddies Hell's Bay Glades Skiff, if the rods aren't bungeed in the holders they bounce out on the floor after a while, but in the FS18 my rods have never been secured in the holders, and they don't move so much as 1/8" the boat is so solid and vibration free. I'm finishing my third, and look forward to building another at some time in the future.


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## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

seapro17sv said:


> Tomahawk I just looked through your Garvey build and you did a beautiful job all around, and when I have more time I'll read through the entire build. It seems you learn something new every day and I learned from your discussion about a rev limiter, that I'm having the same exact problem with my 2015 Merc 20hp, the vibration and a miss at WOT. I thought I got stuck with a bum motor or something, so a new prop needs to be figured out and it should solve the problem. I agree also that you can't say enough good things about the Bateau designs and the way the boats perform. When I fish out my buddies Hell's Bay Glades Skiff, if the rods aren't bungeed in the holders they bounce out on the floor after a while, but in the FS18 my rods have never been secured in the holders, and they don't move so much as 1/8" the boat is so solid and vibration free. I'm finishing my third, and look forward to building another at some time in the future.


Thanks! These boats and forums are great aren't they?
A Power Tech SRT3 9.5" 10 pitch did the job for me.


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

The FX 20 is a rip off of the Microdraft 20 a design by Capt. Billy Henderson here on the Nature Coast. The Microdraft 20 is intended as a shallow draft guide boat that can carry a lot of weight and still run in very shallow in calm inshore water. It's not a boat that's easy to pole or good in chop, and is more intended for guides and parties of two, three or four fishermen than it is for non-commercial use. It's a lot of boat unless you're taking out big parties. The FX 20 is not much different... it's big, it's wide, it's not very good in chop and it may be more than one or two angers need to be able to get to fish in the shallows or mangroves. Both are probably great boats for their purpose but is their purpose the OP's purpose?


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## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

I'm thinking it's pretty much perfect for what I want.


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

3T,

The FX20 is nichey. If you really need to skip over sand bars on a daily basis, build it, but if you just think it is cool, don't. I'd consider something more flexible for the use you describe. Low sheer versions of the FS16 or FS20 might be better for the uses you describe.

Don't be scared by the rotten transom horror stories you've heard. They are true, but a different construction technique is to blame. Wood got a bad rap by being combined with a non-complementary material, polyester resin. On the other hand, epoxy works great with wood.

Tomahawk and SeaPro are craftsmen who made beautiful boats while making it look easy. On the other hand, I am the "if he can do it, anyone can" example. The materials are forgiving and if you just stick with it, you'll end up with a good end product even if you aren't a cabinet maker.

Nate


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## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

I've been looking for a large capacity skinny water boat for a long time and I think I've found it in the XF20. I may at times pole it for short periods not all day. Hell probably not more than an hour. I'm really looking for something I can take family out on good days and In protected waters.


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## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

Oh and I am a cabinet maker. Lol! I'm not scared or worried about the actual build part just wanting to choose the right one


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## BadKnotGuy (Jul 8, 2012)

Hey 3T, I have built a GF16 as well and I can tell you it is a pretty easy process if you just take your time with it. My skill set is far more to the "well it's not pretty but it sure is functional" side of things. I say that with a little humor intended though - what I found while doing the build is that even though my skills aren't the best and I was only shooting for a work boat level finish there are aspects of a wooden boat build that just can't be replicated in a production boat without serious expense. I don't care how rough your skills are if you choose to do some wood bright work with 5-6+ coats of varnish it will look amazing. I was also impressed by the strength of the composite wood core glass/hull (very,very strong). Finally my gf16 built in a simple manner was light enough for me to flip solo in my garage - seriously - it wasn't pretty and I wasn't sure I would be able to do it but did flip it solo for painting. That was the day I learned I had the super human strength of three leprechauns.


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## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

I've yet to hear anything bad about this designs and the it's encouraging. I can't wait to get one started


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## seapro17sv (Feb 3, 2015)

3T said:


> I've yet to hear anything bad about this designs and the it's encouraging. I can't wait to get one started


Just to add to the last post. You can build the boat as fancy or as you like as he said or with a real work boat finish, whichever is your choice. Thing is, once you start the process and see how much fun it is you don't mind spending a little, or a lot more time, and money, to make it really nice. Believe it or not, the building is very easy for the most part, the hardest part by far, and the most time consuming is sanding. So my advice to any builder is to gear up with good quality sanders like a 5-6 random orbit, and top quality sand paper, absolutely not the crap you get at Lowe's, H. Depot, and especially H. Freight. If you don't have a local supplier, order online, either 3M or some other high end paper in a variety of grits. I use mostly sticky back paper in rolls that can be cut to any length you need, and 6" discs both for the sander and for hand sanding. The sanding I would say is more than 50% of the time building.


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

Time for a bit of a reality check. 

There are few things a cool as seeing flat sheets of ply become a boat-like shape under your hands. As you fillet and tape the seams and the sheath the hull and install the run rail, that floppy boat-like ply origami stiffens up and becomes a real boat. It was very cool to watch it happen. I am a freak of nature because I actually loved fairing the exterior of the hull. Every coat made the crude hull look noticeably better. I could stand back and just look at it for a few Zen moments after I was done every night.

However, the interior was a gut check for me to complete. It seemed to grind on forever because I found other things to do. There were just too many details for my attention span to process (and my hull was only one step above stripped down) and I started avoid the project. I HATE details. 

It was a cool process and I will do it again one day. The inevitable slow parts add a nice flavor to the memory if you get through them, but there are lots of unfinished builds in guys' garages because the build lost its momentum and became a chore.

Nate


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## 3T (Jul 17, 2015)

@WhiteDog70810 I appreciate the reality it's actually nice to hear. I do finish carpentry/cabinets and build furniture for a living so details are kinda my thing. I like the challenge of it. But I can let you know when I'm ready to start fairing tho!


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

Yeah, you true woodworkers bring a lot of focus to the game. I can frame a wall or build a fence square and straight, but I can't approach the precision you guys are capable of.

Nate


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