# Not a lot of talk about Bossman Tortuga or Tailspotter



## c0rvtte73 (Apr 15, 2013)

Ditto... Not really many reviews or opinions on bossman boats on here.


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## Parnell (May 18, 2013)

Does anybody have any thoughts on these skiffs?


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## Dillusion (May 21, 2012)

There is a member selling his bossman side console and he is having a very hard time.

I spoke to someone who went to take a look at their karma demo when they firt came out, and they stated the build quality was sub par


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

> Does anybody have any thoughts on these skiffs?


The Bossman line appears to be relatively new. Hense the lack of info. As far as I know they are a boat dealer that is also producing their own hulls. I think some of them are molds they aquired. Including some good proven designs. 

I have looked closely at one yet to form an opinion on the quality of their boat builds.


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

There actually nice built for the price range. I've had a chance to see all the models at the shop on various occasions. If I was in the market then I would not hesitate to give one a try. Your right about the hype though. I've have not really seen too much advertisement on their behalf. Sometimes that's a good thing or he has no problems selling them on his own...


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## Parnell (May 18, 2013)

> > Does anybody have any thoughts on these skiffs?
> 
> 
> The Bossman line appears to be relatively new. Hense the lack of info. As far as I know they are a boat dealer that is also producing their own hulls. I think some of them are molds they aquired. Including some good proven designs.
> ...


Thanks man, I am in the market for a skiff and spent some time at their shop. They have a good price point but I don't want to spend 20k +++ on something nobody knows anything about.... I'm going to keep looking


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## blondmonkey777 (Oct 18, 2012)

Get a used egret or maverick 18 hpx two boats that are very high on my list


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## blondmonkey777 (Oct 18, 2012)

The ride reAlly says it all go test them and you'll be hooked


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## Parnell (May 18, 2013)

I have spent a lot of time on egrets and completely agree but they are hard to come by. I will look into Maverick, they look like nice boats but have never been on one. Thanks Shadowcast


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## jbinz (Jun 13, 2013)

Hey Speck,

I put a deposit down on a Bossman TailSpotter 2 months ago. The build is right on schedule and I have enjoyed working with Richard. You can see pictures that I have posted of the build on this forum.... 

http://www.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=135776

I can't wait to get the TailSpotter up here in South Carolina. It really is a great Skiff and right now you can get it at a super price. I would suspect that when Bossman get a little better known, their prices will go up.

Joe


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## csnaspuck (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks Joey. Please keep us up to date on the build. I am a big fan of the lockable rod lockers since I typically stop for food and drinks after fishing.


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## c0rvtte73 (Apr 15, 2013)

Do you know what the total length is supposed to be on the trailer? I've been curious about these, but I'm afraid it wont fit in my garage! 

Thanks


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## jbinz (Jun 13, 2013)

More pictures added to Tailspotter build.  See link below.  Not sure what the length is on the trailer yet Twist.  I will let you know after I pick it up.... hopefully in the next couple weeks.

http://www.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=135776


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## c0rvtte73 (Apr 15, 2013)

Looking good!


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## Barbs_deep (Jul 4, 2010)

> There is a member selling his bossman side console and he is having a very hard time.
> 
> I spoke to someone who went to take a look at their karma demo when they firt came out, and they stated the build quality was sub par


This is somewhat true... However, they have new guys in the shop building the boats and the build quality is right on point. They are really nice skiffs.


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## MRichardson (May 27, 2010)

My God.

That thread where the guy bought one of these boats, dutifully documented the build, pending excitement, etc. then couldn't get rid of it fast enough...

LOL. May be the worst (what's the opposite of endorsement) I've ever seen.

That's downright scary.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

I went over and met Richard about a year ago and looked over a few Karma's he had on the lot at the time. I like the boat for a small skiff. I did notice a few small quality control things that varied from boat to boat. For the money I think they are pretty nice. Did not get to the wet test stage.


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## Jetplt (Sep 6, 2014)

I bought one of the 18' Skimmer. The build should be done in about 2 weeks. This will be my first skiff, but from some advice from a friend who owned a HB, he felt for the price Richard does a great job on the build. I paid 25k and that included the trolling motor and power pole. My only complaint was it took a lot longer than he planned. Richard is a laid back guy and easy to deal with. He let me test drive a couple different models before i decided. 

I will throw up some pictures once I have it and try to give some feedback, but again, I don't have a lot to compare it to.


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## Kyle_Mynatt (Feb 23, 2015)

I have a 2013 tail spotter with a 60hp zuke, it's the yellow one that was floating around for awhile. Had it for about 4 months, so far so good, I like the boat, get's skinny and the quality is nice, not yellowfin or hellsbay, but at less than 1/3 of the cost I'm not complaining.


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## RedAnt78 (Sep 20, 2012)

I've also heard their build quality is a lot better now than it used to be. I've met Richard and can agree that he is a nice guy. The tailspotter looks like an awesome boat!


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## crussick (Apr 8, 2015)

I took delivery of my TailSpotter about 2 months ago. Love it. I am out in Tampa Bay in it literally every day. The boat is extremely stealthy and much drier than I expected. I'm very glad I hung in there. Like others have said, Richard is laid back and the build did take about 6 weeks longer than expected. That said, he was willing to tweak most anything I asked. It truly was a custom build experience at 1/3 the price. 

The only things I am not happy about are things I had the option to change / upgrade at the time of purchase and I didn't. An example would be rod holders on the platform. Instead, I have bolt on ones now. Not a big deal but would have been nice to have them welded on. Another is that I didn't want to pay for the locking rod lockers. Instead, the latches just closed. Like another member posted, it's nice to have them lock. I've upgrades on my own since. No biggie doing that either. 

Really, the only downfall the boat has is keeping the rear lockers dry. I've fished many other skiffs and others have said the same problem when a heavier person stands on the rear corner with another person on the same side. I added some trim to mine and now they stay dry. 

I'm amazed how quick the hole shot is. I'm able to be up and out in about 1/2 a boat length when I'm by myself. A little longer with another person. 

When I purchased, I looked at the Maverick, East Capes, Mitzi's BT's and went with this one because of price vs. features. I didn't feel the others were exponentially better considering the price. 

Not that it matters to me so much since mine sits on a lift but the trailer is fantastic. I was actually surprised when it arrived. 

PM me if you'd like to know more about the boat or the experience.


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## mtoddsolomon (Mar 25, 2015)

How would you compare the Bossman to Ankona Copperhead? I haven't really looked at them until recently and they're very nicely equipped for the price.


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## crussick (Apr 8, 2015)

So, the Ankona Copperhead is not as long and not as wide. 
My bet is that it's not going to handle the chop as well and walking around the gunwales will tend to be more tippy if you're a larger guy. you're losing out on rod lockers and a bunch of storage. Just my opinion though. They look to be about the same price after accessories are added. You'll also get a larger motor from Bossman than the 50 that the copperhead comes with. 
In my eyes, the copperhead looks like a fine boat. If you're willing to give up a little here and there, you'll save a few dollars. I wouldn't trade my tailspotter. Three's a break in the rain so I'm going to jump in it now in fact.


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## efi2712micro (Sep 17, 2015)

crussick said:


> That said, he was willing to tweak most anything I asked. It truly was a custom build experience at 1/3 the price.


Crussick,

Looking to get a build started myself . Richard is indeed a nice guy. He is also telling me 16 weeks. Is that reasonable expectation? Also, what sort of tweaks have you done that might not have been part of the offering that helped enhance your boating experience? Thanks


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