# Sabine Skiffs Texas- Test #1 Video



## Jfack (Nov 2, 2014)

best looking all aluminum skiff I've seen. I've been following this on instagram. would be a perfect boat for ozello area.


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## EdK13 (Oct 3, 2013)

Have not been to Oz in 30 Years.


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## Jfack (Nov 2, 2014)

EdK13 said:


> Have not been to Oz in 30 Years.


still my favorite place to run down some reds.


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## T Bone (Jul 24, 2014)

OZ is my stomping grounds and i have been toying with the idea of a Sabine Versatile.


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

If they truly eliminated hull slap as the site copy claims, that's gonna be one hot seller. Beamy, economical to run and looks good too.


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## Guest (Mar 8, 2017)

Zika said:


> If they truly eliminated hull slap as the site copy claims, that's gonna be one hot seller. Beamy, economical to run and looks good too.



Zero hull slap on an aluminum skiff... that's funny. I'm not knocking the idea, but an aluminum skiff will never be as stealthy as a composite one. The only reason to go aluminum is if you hunt more than you fish.


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## EdK13 (Oct 3, 2013)

FlyCoast said:


> Zero hull slap on an aluminum skiff... that's funny. I'm not knocking the idea, but an aluminum skiff will never be as stealthy as a composite one. The only reason to go aluminum is if you hunt more than you fish.


There is the matter of liquid razor blades, aka Oysters. Just another skiff option for buyers to consider.


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

I tested the Versatile a few weeks ago and I can confirm that there is zero hull slap under normal fishing conditions. Brian Little the owner of Sabine Skiffs took me out in perfect wet testing conditions. Low tides and Northerly winds at 20-25 MPH. The first thing Brian did once we stopped was to show me the "hull slap". We had to force the bow out of the water to create any " hull slap". We forced the bow out of the water by me moving directly in front of the PP while Brian poled us into the wind. He then had me walk forward to notice when the hull slap stopped. We poled and fished all day and that was the only time we had any hull slap.


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## Guest (Mar 8, 2017)

GullsGoneWild said:


> I tested the Versatile a few weeks ago and I can confirm that there is zero hull slap. Brian Little the owner of Sabine Skiffs took me out in perfect wet testing conditions. Low tides and Northerly winds at 20-25 MPH. The first thing Brian did once we stopped was to show me the "hull slap". We had to force the bow out of the water to create any " hull slap". We forced the bow out of the water by me moving directly in front of the PP while Brian poled us into the wind. He then had me walk forward to notice when the hull slap stopped. We poled and fished all day and that was the only time we had any hull slap.



If two people sit on the stern and there's hull slap that would negate, "zero hull slap"... lol

There's zero hull slap, but you have to stand on the bow.


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## WillW (Dec 6, 2012)

FlyCoast said:


> Zero hull slap on an aluminum skiff... that's funny. I'm not knocking the idea, but an aluminum skiff will never be as stealthy as a composite one. The only reason to go aluminum is if you hunt more than you fish.


Same as saying zero hull slap on composite. They'll all slap in the right slop. Brian Little has been working on this design for several years now (possibly 3-5 years) in the aluminum stages. I can't attest to the "Versatile" capabilities since I've not been on one. It's predecessor though, the "Nano" I've been around, & it is a very capable quiet skiff. Not trying to conflict, just giving my experience. Full disclosure, I'm friends with the Nano owner. Also I know & consider Little a friend.


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## Guest (Mar 8, 2017)

WillW said:


> Same as saying zero hull slap on composite. They'll all slap in the right slop. Brian Little has been working on this design for several years now (possibly 3-5 years) in the aluminum stages. I can't attest to the "Versatile" capabilities since I've not been on one. It's predecessor though, the "Nano" I've been around, & it is a very capable quiet skiff. Not trying to conflict, just giving my experience. Full disclosure, I'm friends with the Nano owner. Also I know & consider Little a friend.


I never said all composite boats have zero hull slap. How many more of Brian Little's buddies can we get on this thread... lol


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

FlyCoast said:


> If two people sit on the stern and there's hull slap that would negate, "zero hull slap"... lol
> 
> There's zero hull slap, but you have to stand on the bow.


I fixed it for you..........



GullsGoneWild said:


> I tested the Versatile a few weeks ago and I can confirm that there is zero hull slap* under normal fishing conditions*. Brian Little the owner of Sabine Skiffs took me out in perfect wet testing conditions. Low tides and Northerly winds at 20-25 MPH. The first thing Brian did once we stopped was to show me the "hull slap". We had to force the bow out of the water to create any " hull slap". We forced the bow out of the water by me moving directly in front of the PP while Brian poled us into the wind. He then had me walk forward to notice when the hull slap stopped. We poled and fished all day and that was the only time we had any hull slap.



And I am not Brian's buddy but felt like I should add my experience. I met Brian for the first time two days before our wet test.


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## Guest (Mar 8, 2017)

GullsGoneWild said:


> I fixed it for you..........
> 
> .



Haha. What if someone is poling solo? lol... Hull slap city


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## Jfack (Nov 2, 2014)

FlyCoast said:


> Haha. What if someone is poling solo? lol... Hull slap city


how do u know? he said they needed 2 on the back to make hull slap.. 


FlyCoast said:


> Zero hull slap on an aluminum skiff... that's funny. I'm not knocking the idea, but an aluminum skiff will never be as stealthy as a composite one. The only reason to go aluminum is if you hunt more than you fish.


have u ever fished ozello? chaz? any of that area? Its not the most forgiving for us who like to run and pole skinny.


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

FlyCoast said:


> Haha. What if someone is poling solo? lol... Hull slap city


Ever heard of ballast? A few guys take an extra cooler to fill with water on their 30-40K skiffs when poling solo. Heck Marietta Mike, a well know and respected member here used ballast bags to even out the skiff when poling solo.


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## Guest (Mar 8, 2017)

Jfack said:


> how do u know? he said they needed 2 on the back to make hull slap..
> 
> have u ever fished ozello? chaz? any of that area? Its not the most forgiving for us who like to run and pole skinny.


What if the one guy weighs 250lbs? The point of the statement was that if there is some hull slap that would negate, "Zero Hull Slap". Do you understand or should I paint a picture... lol

What does fishing ozello have to do with hull slap? #random


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## EdK13 (Oct 3, 2013)

FlyCoast said:


> Haha. What if someone is poling solo? lol... Hull slap city


HA!


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## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

FlyCoast said:


> I never said all composite boats have zero hull slap. How many more of Brian Little's buddies can we get on this thread... lol


Hey, Barret here..go out & buy this skiff!!


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## Guest (Mar 8, 2017)

GullsGoneWild said:


> Ever heard of ballast? A few guys take an extra cooler to fill with water on their 30-40K skiffs when poling solo. Heck Marietta Mike, a well know and respected member here used ballast bags to even out the skiff when poling solo.


So what you're saying is... it's zero hull slap, but if you fish solo you need to use a ballast. I think I get it now.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Looks nice. 

If I lived in a very rocky area I'd give it a hard look and at least test it before forming an opinion...


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## Jfack (Nov 2, 2014)

FlyCoast said:


> What if the one guy weighs 250lbs? The point of the statement was that if there is some hull slap that would negate, "Zero Hull Slap". Do you understand or should I paint a picture... lol
> 
> What does fishing ozello have to do with hull slap? #random


ozello has to do with you saying aluminum boats are for hunters not fisherman....I was pointing out that the bottom is different in different regions. My banshee bottom is pretty torn up from ozello area, and an aluminum boat would have made me cringe less when scarping bottom. why do you hate this boat so much lol. Maybe that 250lb guy will still not lift the bow enough to make hull slap, maybe he will. why don't you go test run it and let us know. They said zero hull slap, big deal don't get so wadded up about that. They most likely meant zero as normally fished. At least it doesnt seem like they're lying about draft where most manufacturers will say their 24' bay boat will draft 6" lol.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

FlyCoast said:


> I never said all composite boats have zero hull slap. How many more of Brian Little's buddies can we get on this thread... lol


I've met Brian and his wife a couple of times. Seems like a good guy. The only thing I've had to do with him is kill his FB live feeds because I don't care to watch him or anyone for that matter drive down the road talking about the evening's hunting trip. Hey, I'm 53, it is probably a generational thing. 

I know he has been designing and building one-off boats for quite some time. This poling skiff isn't just something he just decided to up and do on a whim one day. You have to give the young man some credit for having ideas and putting them into action while holding down a regular job at the same time. Me, I have ideas and visions and sit on them.

I like the looks of this skiff and there are people for whom it will suit their needs perfectly. I have no idea what the price point of this thing is, but I'd be very surprised if it is less than a comparable glass hull. No matter how good you get at cutting all the pieces efficiently, it still takes a long time to fit them up and melt them together by a skilled craftsman.


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

Geez, That is not what I was saying. I never fished this skiff solo so I do not know how it behaves solo. I was trying to say that if it did have hull slap poling solo, which I don't think there will be, there are inexpensive remedies. And those remedies are being used on composite skiffs for the same reasons, balancing out the skiff.


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## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

When fishing solo on the stern, many skiffs will have their bow's chine break out of the water. What Brian is doing is building an aluminum hull designed for poling and fly fishing with zero hull slap. As long as you're smart enough to keep the chines in the water.


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## WillW (Dec 6, 2012)

FlyCoast said:


> I never said all composite boats have zero hull slap. How many more of Brian Little's buddies can we get on this thread... lol


Correct, I DID & didn't quote you either. If his friends or strangers have negative or positive experiences then I imagine they'll chime in. People are entitled to have experience based opinion; not pure speculation. With my OPINIONS once again stated as such, I digress.


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## EdK13 (Oct 3, 2013)

I liked the video. But the bantz are pretty good too.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

FlyCoast said:


> I never said all composite boats have zero hull slap. How many more of Brian Little's buddies can we get on this thread... lol


There's always that one guy...if you can't tell who it is IT'S YOU.


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## Guest (Mar 8, 2017)

Jfack said:


> ozello has to do with you saying aluminum boats are for hunters not fisherman....I was pointing out that the bottom is different in different regions. My banshee bottom is pretty torn up from ozello area, and an aluminum boat would have made me cringe less when scarping bottom. why do you hate this boat so much lol. Maybe that 250lb guy will still not lift the bow enough to make hull slap, maybe he will. why don't you go test run it and let us know. They said zero hull slap, big deal don't get so wadded up about that. They most likely meant zero as normally fished. At least it doesnt seem like they're lying about draft where most manufacturers will say their 24' bay boat will draft 6" lol.



Ahhh, I don't hate it. I think the boat looks cool I just gave my 2 cents on the hull slap. It's pretty funny to see how much these boys get worked up over a little criticism.

Hull slap is fightin' words in Texas... ye hah


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## EdK13 (Oct 3, 2013)

FlyCoast said:


> oh man you got me... You Texas boys get pretty defensive over your skiffs. I guess everyone gets a ribbon in Texas... haha


When it blows 20+ 90% of the time, a little hull slaps the last thing most worry about. You made your point. Being able to pole alone is very important to you. Cannot imagine why...


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## Guest (Mar 9, 2017)

EdK13 said:


> When it blows 20+ 90% of the time, a little hull slaps the last thing most worry about. You made your point. Being able to pole alone is very important to you. Cannot imagine why...


haha, good one


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

It needs a tunnel and looks tippy...


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## Anderson Guide Service (Feb 17, 2017)

I know a guide that splits his time between here and Florida and he runs one now. He is extremely picky about hull slap and comes from Hells Bay skiffs. If it is good enough for him than I would have to say it is a good boat. His has a small tunnel and a jet also. Just had to keep it real!!!


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## marshnole11 (Apr 23, 2009)

Anderson Guide Service said:


> I know a guide that splits his time between here and Florida and he runs one now. He is extremely picky about hull slap and comes from Hells Bay skiffs. If it is good enough for him than I would have to say it is a good boat. His has a small tunnel and a jet also. Just had to keep it real!!!


I've personally seen that boat in the seadrift area. He has a tohatsu jet on it.

First thing out of my mouth when I drove by it was it looked like an aluminum hells bay.

I will say this. I got a price quote on one and they are big $$$$$ almost 10k more than I paid for my prodigy aluminum boat.


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## blittle (Jun 3, 2012)

Blittle here.

This thread was texted to me by a friend (and not one that has posted above. And by the looks of things, I seem to have made quite a few friends in quite a few different states.)

I'm not here to beat my chest. But i'd like to show some micro skiff builds of my past that have taken me to the alloy Skiffs we are building today. The current aluminum designs have been in my head for a while and you'll see features from my past builds that have creeped into the production aluminum hulls we provide today.


This one-off now lives with a good friend of mine in Savannah, GA. My wife and I will be staying with them during our 2017 Sabine Skiff tour as they have welcomed us into their home.

http://www.microskiff.com/threads/custom-designed-one-off-poling-skiff.16966/

This Nano skiff now lives with another good friend of mine in Florida. This boat was originally built just for him and his needs. My wife and I will be staying with them during our 2017 Sabine Skiff tour as they have invited us to their house for dinner.

http://www.microskiff.com/threads/littles-nano-skiff.17218/

I'm just a purebred American who eats, breaths and sleeps Skiffs. I don't visit this website much anymore because my time off of working two jobs is better spent spending time with my best friend (wife), fishing or filming live reviews of my bow hunts on Facebook (love how Stuart hates to follow me on FB but knows what the video is actually about, ha)


And to all the people who have been PM'inf me for the past 3-4 years asking build questions and asking how my wife and I are doing I promise to respond now that I reset my password. But I'll probably not post much because of my newly founded business might find conflicting intrests with my best critics.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

blittle said:


> (love how Stuart hates to follow me on FB but knows what the video is actually about, ha)


It's not that hard to figure out, there is a title above the live feed.


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## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

welcome back! I'll go ahead and bump the '99 whipray rebuild for ya lol


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## blittle (Jun 3, 2012)

Please don't. I was just looking at the Ankona rebuild ( http://www.microskiff.com/threads/customizing-an-ankona-suv.16976/ ) thread too. I'm a sucker/fool for taking on those ole falling apart boat rebuilds. Damn you "friends". Hahaha

This one was cool tho. 

http://www.microskiff.com/threads/skiff-bed-a-true-micro.16880/#post-110166


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## makin moves (Mar 20, 2010)

View attachment 7410
Looks like it has a lot of hull slap when sleeping solo!


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## POCtied (Oct 19, 2016)

FlyCoast said:


> haha, good one


Friends, how many of us have them...


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## Guest (Mar 9, 2017)

POCtied said:


> Friends, how many of us have them...


You can do better than that.


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## POCtied (Oct 19, 2016)

FlyCoast said:


> You can do better than that.


I didn't?


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## Guest (Mar 9, 2017)

POCtied said:


> I didn't?


you didn't


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## JBonorden (Jun 27, 2015)

GullsGoneWild said:


> Geez, That is not what I was saying. I never fished this skiff solo so I do not know how it behaves solo. I was trying to say that if it did have hull slap poling solo, which I don't think there will be, there are inexpensive remedies. And those remedies are being used on composite skiffs for the same reasons, balancing out the skiff.


 Have been on several composite skiffs with the gas tank in the bow for ballast. Doesn't that count? I think that Fly... should go to a blue water board since he likes to troll so much.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Ed and I met Brian Little at the Houston Fishing Show on Friday and checked out the skiff. It is awesome and Brian is as cool as they come.


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## fjmaverick (Sep 18, 2015)

Does anyone know anything about pricing?


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## blittle (Jun 3, 2012)

Mid $20k's boat/motor(tiller)/trailer rigged tiller water ready. 

High $20k to lower $30k boat/motor/trailer with a console water ready.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

JBonorden said:


> Have been on several composite skiffs with the gas tank in the bow for ballast. Doesn't that count?


Everything counts, fuel at 6#/gal, 10# casting platform, 40# trolling motor, 80# batteries,... but some of the plus sized folks need more. Like a 150# bag of sea water tucked under the casting platform.

Scraping the bottom of the boat on a rock scares fish 100x more than hull slap. Leveling the boat can easily make 1-2" of draft clearance difference.


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