# Pathfinder Tunnel Advice



## jupiter934 (Jan 6, 2013)

The old 17T and 15T run stupid skinny but pretty much all of them had an issue with the deck delaminating from the stringers.


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## zthomas (Jan 14, 2014)

I could go on about this longer than anybody wants to read. I bought mine last February, and I've been working on it since.

Here's the short version:

Yes, it runs very shallow. People will tell you it will run 5 or 6". Maybe with a jack plate and the right prop. But it will run 7 or 8" I'd say.

No, it's not particularly tough. It's a 600 or 650 lb. hull, not thanks to advanced materials and techniques, but because it's lightly built. That being said, the bottom on mine looks like it's been dragged over oyster bars with a pickup truck, but there appears to be nothing structural wrong.

Design flaws: As everyone will tell you -- whether they've ever even seen one -- it's relatively wet and rough. But it's not any wetter or rougher than you'd expect from a tunnel-hull jon boat, which is exactly what it is, just made out of glass instead of aluminum. With a little practice, and willingness to go 18 or 19 mph instead of 28 or 29, you can make it fairly comfortable with throttle, tabs, and trim.

It's also slow with that huge tunnel. Mine has a Yam 50 2S and tops out about 32. After about 26 or 27, though, it starts to act a little weird, shifting from one sponson to the other. As long as you're happy traveling at 25 mph, no problem.

And it turns like a jet ski. The bow grabs, the stern breaks loose, and around you go. Scary the first few times it happens, but once you get accustomed to it, you can actually turn it pretty well with sort of controlled power slide. It's kind of like driving a race car on a dirt track.

Many -- maybe most -- of the 97, 98, and 99 models have stringer problems. The stringers simply weren't tall enough, and MBC just piled a bunch of some kind of putty on top of them before installing the cap. The putty apparently failed pretty quickly, leaving the underside of the cockpit and the stringers unattached. I believe they started doing the stringers differently sometime in mid-1999.

All that being said, I love the hell out of mine. It is what it is, as they say. Launches and runs very shallow, poles in 8" or so, is lightweight, and has a ton of storage. For where I fish (Mosquito Lagoon and the northern IRL), you can't beat it for the price.

I think of it like an old CJ-5. It's unrefined, rattly, and rough, but it fills a particular niche very well and it has a sort of quirky character that I get a kick out of.


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## zthomas (Jan 14, 2014)

Here's mine a couple months ago in mid-refurb. Going for paint next week.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Well known for stringer delam problems... they do run skinny though.


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## jupiter934 (Jan 6, 2013)

I would say the boats are really a unitasker built to do one thing....run skinny


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

zthomashome said:


> I could go on about this longer than anybody wants to read. I bought mine last February, and I've been working on it since.
> 
> Here's the short version:
> 
> ...


this ^^^

they squat a little at rest from the tunnel
wet n rough
blow out on sharp turns or spinout / flip over
with a J/P - propped right and soft bottom theyll run right out of the water. - ive run them till they wouldnt go any shallower and wouldnt float when stopped.
everything you want in a tunnel skiff 
i dig 'em


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## TylertheTrout2 (Apr 21, 2016)

Grew up with a buddy who owned one back in high school...yes, stringer problems as everyone has stated are something to take note of. Otherwise its a fun little skiff! Just by looking at one you can tell they're ruff riding and wet...but I'll be damned if it doesn't run shallow as sh*t!! Of course back in our teens we would put her through way more than we should have...he'd run that boat so skinny the bow section of the hull would rub before the motor did (had a big cav plate above the prop) which was interesting lol.....I'd say go for it if you can find one that someone already fixed up (stringer wise)...and once you get used to how it slides in a turn its actually really fun! Good luck!


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## Drew__Harris (Jan 13, 2014)

Where are they for sale at? I have been looking for one.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Drew__Harris said:


> Where are they for sale at? I have been looking for one.


Alabama


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

I love my 99.... I've had a gheenoe, J14 and a key west 1520 side console. My 15T runs a 40hp tiller Yamaha 2 stroke, it's quick enough and shallow enough to get the job done. I added a casting platform and poling platform. Side grab bar with electronics is next


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## Drew__Harris (Jan 13, 2014)

MariettaMike said:


> Alabama


pass it on to me if you decide against it please. I am looking for something cheaper.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

RigaRoo said:


> I love my 99.... I've had a gheenoe, J14 and a key west 1520 side console. My 15T runs a 40hp tiller Yamaha 2 stroke, it's quick enough and shallow enough to get the job done. I added a casting platform and poling platform. Side grab bar with electronics is next


 Are they made for short shaft engines? Or long?


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

MariettaMike said:


> Are they made for short shaft engines? Or long?


Short.


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

RigaRoo said:


> Short.


I had one for two years, great winter low tide boat, runs crazy shallow, I loved it, family hated it. 
If you hear a banging in the deck when running in a chop the stringers are bad. We pulled the forward deck open and found all three stringers cracked in half, had a local fiberglass shop make the repairs and never had a problem again. As mentioned above, they will bow steer and the stern will slip and come around quickly. I got used to that pretty quickly, but a lot of people in similar hull design vessels have been ejected when a vessel bow steers and struck by the propeller when the stern slides over top of them, be careful and wear you kill switch lanyard. Also, if you happen to come across a very large wake from another vessel, even at idle it is tough to keep the wake from washing over the deck into the cockpit, you really have to use these boats in calm protected waters. All that being said, it allowed me to get into waters that I am unable to access now with my Action Craft. I sold it because I wanted a boat that I could also use to run off the beach for triple tail, snook and tarpon, and I was very limited by weather the days I could run off the beach with the 17T.


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## fjmaverick (Sep 18, 2015)

I have a 17t and I like the boat. It has its quirks like the water in the cockpit and its wet riding. But you cant beat the space, shallow capability and stability for the money.

I thought pathfinder fixed the stringer issue on boats newer than 2000?


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

I had a 2005 tailfisher with a 70 yamaha after one year the stringers came loose. The boat was sent to a place in town where I live they cut a small hole inside and determined the stringers came loose mind you one year old boat. The boat went to maverick to have repaired and lets just say I could have fixed it better than they did and I am an a.c. repair man. I will never buy another maverick boat companies product and let everyone know their customer service sucks. Whatever happens to the customers always right not with them.Buyer beware.


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

fjmaverick said:


> I have a 17t and I like the boat. It has its quirks like the water in the cockpit and its wet riding. But you cant beat the space, shallow capability and stability for the money.
> 
> I thought pathfinder fixed the stringer issue on boats newer than 2000?


Not in 2005 they didn't I know first hand junk they are


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

Had one and sold it as quickly as I could. Rough, wet, strange handling, poor construction and doesn't run any shallower than a good tunnel hull jon. If you're fishing the Nature Coast, a tunnel-hulled, welded, aluminum jon is the boat you should be looking for. There are just too many rocks and oyster bars to hit around here.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Vertigo said:


> Had one and sold it as quickly as I could. Rough, wet, strange handling, poor construction and doesn't run any shallower than a good tunnel hull jon. If you're fishing the Nature Coast, a tunnel-hulled, welded, aluminum jon is the boat you should be looking for. There are just too many rocks and oyster bars to hit around here.


That 25+ mph NE wind today showed me a lot of rocks I had never seen before. Aluminum may be the way to go...that's what the airboat guys run.


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

I fished with a guide in LA who had a broad-beam, aluminum flat bottom boat--maybe 18'. Had diamond plate decking on the front, with a short polling platform on the back that he could sit on and control while running through the bayou. He ran over everything! Shook me up a little the first time he jumped a mud/oyster bar!


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

I had a 2000 for a few years and the boat was all original with no stringer issues to speak of. By 2000, they apparently had their issues worked out so I hear. It's probably the only boat I've owned that swapping from a 4 blade to a 3 blade made no speed difference what so ever. The boat did tend to slide if you didnt utilize the tabs correctly. If it got rough, you would have to slam one tab down in order not to get completely soaked. For shallow use, it will run skinnier than it will float. However, the way to accomplish this is to either buy a jackplate, or fill and drill new holes in the transom to raise the motor. The factory makes it impossible to raise the motor without doing so. Overall, it probably wasn't the best performing boat I've ever owned, but it was the most stable. I had my batteries forward and it helped a ton with hull slap. But, at the end of the day, it's a simple flat bottom rig designed to do one thing, get skinny. I wouldn't recommend any glass hull for rocky areas..


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

MariettaMike said:


> That 25+ mph NE wind today showed me a lot of rocks I had never seen before. Aluminum may be the way to go...that's what the airboat guys run.


map it out on a big negative tide and youll know all you need to.


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

AfterHours2 said:


> I had a 2000 for a few years and the boat was all original with no stringer issues to speak of. By 2000, they apparently had their issues worked out so I hear. It's probably the only boat I've owned that swapping from a 4 blade to a 3 blade made no speed difference what so ever. The boat did tend to slide if you didnt utilize the tabs correctly. If it got rough, you would have to slam one tab down in order not to get completely soaked. For shallow use, it will run skinnier than it will float. However, the way to accomplish this is to either buy a jackplate, or fill and drill new holes in the transom to raise the motor. The factory makes it impossible to raise the motor without doing so. Overall, it probably wasn't the best performing boat I've ever owned, but it was the most stable. I had my batteries forward and it helped a ton with hull slap. But, at the end of the day, it's a simple flat bottom rig designed to do one thing, get skinny. I wouldn't recommend any glass hull for rocky areas..


Mine had stringer issues in 2006 so they definently didn't get stringer issues fixed mine came loose under front deck like I said junk with poor customer service.


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## LowHydrogen (Dec 31, 2015)

MariettaMike said:


> That 25+ mph NE wind today showed me a lot of rocks I had never seen before. Aluminum may be the way to go...that's what the airboat guys run.


I was born and raised in Yankeetown, @Vertigo is right, I see you're in CR, if you plan to fish North of the power plant channel look for a tunnel Jon, sponsons+jet foot is a popular combo. It gets particularly nasty N of Yankeetown. Mapping out on low tide is good advice but in my opinion that area has just too much to mark. If I was moving back there, I'd sell my low tide and I'd have a ugly green welded Jon and not have to cringe every time I raked it across something hard and sharp. A lot of guys fish that area with pretty glass boats, but it's not the best tool for the job there, just my take. good luck
LH


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## jupiter934 (Jan 6, 2013)

When I had a 99 with the delamination/stringer issue a few years ago 2014 maybe? I called MBC to see if I could have it fixed at the factory(on my dime). The man I spoke with said he had never heard about the issue with the old tunnels! Also there was a 6 month waiting list for any work.


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## BarHopper (May 23, 2016)

honest, straight forward and useful thread, guys!


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

jupiter934 said:


> When I had a 99 with the delamination/stringer issue a few years ago 2014 maybe? I called MBC to see if I could have it fixed at the factory(on my dime). The man I spoke with said he had never heard about the issue with the old tunnels! Also there was a 6 month waiting list for any work.


Not sure how long he has been there but my old tailfisher was repaired by them. Wish someone else had repaired it.


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## jupiter934 (Jan 6, 2013)

Backcountry 16 said:


> Not sure how long he has been there but my old tailfisher was repaired by them. Wish someone else had repaired it.


I ended up getting rid of the boat it was not a very good hull choice for NE Florida IMO. It was fun to run skinny though...


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

jupiter934 said:


> I ended up getting rid of the boat it was not a very good hull choice for NE Florida IMO. It was fun to run skinny though...


They do run shallow but it poled like a barge.


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

Backcountry 16 said:


> Mine had stringer issues in 2006 so they definently didn't get stringer issues fixed mine came loose under front deck like I said junk with poor customer service.


They never made a 2006 17T..


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

AfterHours2 said:


> They never made a 2006 17T..


2005 hears tailfisher same boat center console different deck layout same hull.


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

Hewes tailfisher


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

The 17t was much lighter, stringers were made of a different material, the tunnel was changed and the bonding procedure between the cap and hull were done in a different manner. Your the first person that I have heard of having delam issues with a Tailfisher. The 17t hull did evolve into the Tailfisher and they do look similar. However, the 2 boats were constructed in a entirely different manner..


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## Drew__Harris (Jan 13, 2014)

what part of alabama was it for sale in?


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Drew__Harris said:


> what part of alabama was it for sale in?


Greenbow


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

They must have had design flaws as they no longer build either boat.


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## SpartinaCo (Oct 10, 2016)

I had one too, and agree with most things people said. One thing I didn't see people mention was the PVC through hull fittings. Mine were constantly coming loose, and when they did they would let a ton of water in the boat. I'd have to 5200 them back shut again.
Also, it rides terrible. Poles like a dream, but dear lord is the ride terrible in any kind of chop whatsoever. I liked mine when poling but literally dreaded moving spots.
After owning one, I'd say this is one of those boats that gets more buzz than probably worth. The design is really lacking. The keel enters the water way back toward the console, and has no V to it. This lets the boat spin on a dime with a pole, but at the total expense of ride. The tunnel is way larger than necessary, so that takes away from draft. I'd agree with the guy who said 7-8" of draft. No way anywhere near 5".


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

My buddy has a 17t and I love fishing it. 

I've gotten wet crossing chop when the wind picks up - but equally wet as when I was riding in a Hells Bay of the same vintage in similar conditions. 

Obviously my opinion is slightly skewed by the freedom of fishing it then going home without the headaches of ownership, but I really dig it. 

I certainly respect everyone else's experience and opinion - for the cost and for the environment in which it was intended, there's nothing about that I'm unhappy with.


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## Drew__Harris (Jan 13, 2014)

MariettaMike said:


> Greenbow


is it online somewhere?


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## zthomas (Jan 14, 2014)

I think MariettaMike is just being a smarta**. Greenbow Alabama is the fictional town in Forrest Gump.


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## zthomas (Jan 14, 2014)

No relation, just did a quick search: http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/boa/5809294248.html
Kind of looks like a 90 in the pics, which is waaay too much engine.


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

there is one on the maverick boat owners forum that was redone (incl. stringers), looks to have been done well, for $10,000 i think


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Thanks for all the advice...I dropped my Super Skiff off at C Designs in Homosassa to have a lean bar added to my poling platform and saw someone has got a new custom guide green Sea Ark 2060 aluminum tunnel jon in there being modified to have a flat deck from bow to stern. Then a Sheriff deputy pulls in towing a Sea Ark 2060 for adding some special law enforcement stuff. Seems obvious aluminum is the way to go around here.


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

If you're thinking about a Seaark, I'd recommend the 1872 MV or MVT vs the 2060. The 1872 will run shallower, more economically, and is a more robust hull. It fishes three with no problems and can carry a lot more folks if you go scalloping. Get a bare hull and build it out like you want. Here's mine:


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Vertigo said:


> If you're thinking about a Seaark, I'd recommend the 1872 MV or MVT vs the 2060. The 1872 will run shallower, more economically, and is a more robust hull. It fishes three with no problems and can carry a lot more folks if you go scalloping. Get a bare hull and build it out like you want. Here's mine:


I'm picking up this 1872 MVT tonight.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Vertigo said:


> If you're thinking about a Seaark, I'd recommend the 1872 MV or MVT vs the 2060. The 1872 will run shallower, more economically, and is a more robust hull. It fishes three with no problems and can carry a lot more folks if you go scalloping. Get a bare hull and build it out like you want. Here's mine:


love the deck layout.


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## zthomas (Jan 14, 2014)

MariettaMike said:


> I'm picking up this 1872 MVT tonight.


You don't waste any time, do you? Looks good. So is SeaArk kind of the preferred brand of aluminum jon for saltwater?


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

zthomashome said:


> You don't waste any time, do you? Looks good. So is SeaArk kind of the preferred brand of aluminum jon for saltwater?


Spoke too soon....the guys wife sold the boat to somebody else this afternoon even though he said it was mine this morning. Everything happens for a reason.

SeaArk has beeen making these BIG Jon boats for a long time.


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

zthomashome said:


> You don't waste any time, do you? Looks good. So is SeaArk kind of the preferred brand of aluminum jon for saltwater?


There are a few brands of aluminum jon that are worth considering. SeaArk just happens to be built like a tank and is probably top of the heap, and fairly common. There are others that I think are worth a look including G3, Xtreme, some Duracraft, Xpress and a few others. If I were looking for a smaller jon for 25 hp, I'd give a good look at building out a G3 1548 VBW.


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