# Need some help fellas..



## ColeM (Sep 12, 2009)

I am in the market for a skiff. I fly fish only so having a big front deck means everything to me. I need it to float in 7-9" fully loaded with me and 2 other anglers. I also sometimes will be fishing with 3, but only 1 on the casting platform at any time. (this is the exception and will only happen for like 2 weeks in the summer, when friends come to visit)

I am looking at the mitzi 17, which I really like for the price range. What else do you guys recommend?

I also will be trailering this skiff to LA for some redfishing as well, so if I can get 5-7" it would be perfect.


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

too general of a question. A 16' jon boat with a 25hp tiller could do what you described. 

Without some amount of research, I'm not sure what the price range is for Mitzi 17's, new or used, with what kind of power etc. And what ever that "price range" is do you have to live with it or does it just seem like a good value to you? 

And, what do you mean by "fully" loaded? Fly fishing only and fully loaded seems a bit contradictory to me.  

Do you need to cross large sections of open water or do you fish relatively protected water? Not sure about the 17, but all the Mitzi's I've seen have a relatively flat bottom, which works great in shallow and protected water, but not so great if you have to cross miles of open water to get there and back. 

Not trying to be difficult here, but I suggest researching this site a bit and see what others are using and then come back with more specific questions about why and where they use their skiffs. Tons and tons of combined experience in the membership, but you'll need some better questions to get better answers.


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## ColeM (Sep 12, 2009)

I am looking to keep it under $20k.

Fully loaded means with all gear / gased up with 2 anglers and myself etc... (this is common sense!)

I fish out of CSB (Cape San Blas) a lot, where I can trailer to certain areas without crossing lots of open water.

I have done my research, I just was looking for other peoples opinions.


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## Tarponator (Mar 17, 2009)

I have a Mitzi 17 and love it. Huge front deck, great for flyfishing. I live in Sebastian, if you would like to fish in one before deciding let me know and we'll make it happen.


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## ColeM (Sep 12, 2009)

> I have a Mitzi 17 and love it. Huge front deck, great for flyfishing. I live in Sebastian, if you would like to fish in one before deciding let me know and we'll make it happen.


Thanks for the invite, I might take you up on it. What year is your Mitzi 17? What hp are you running?


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

> Fully loaded means with all gear / gased up  with 2 anglers and myself etc... (this is common sense!)


see what I get for trying to help  :

Based on that response I'll hazard a guess you've mastered your forum handle too, wind or no wind. I should have saw it coming with the "fly fishing only" thing and 1 post count though, my bad...

You're definitely one of the first people I've heard of that buys a skiff to "fully" load it too. Most guys consider fully loaded capacity as a rare event, reserved for maybe rescuing passengers from another sinking vessel. To each his own I guess, but if you're asking for opinion's I'd look for something bigger and wider.


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## ColeM (Sep 12, 2009)

You are on a roll today... You are so correct, I am going to fully load it every time I head out on the water. :

It's funny, you talk a big game, I would love to see who the better fly caster is. I would even put money on it. 

I will be fishing 70% of the time by myself or with 1 other angler. I just want to make sure, when my buddies come to visit, I can have enough room and be safe. I came here looking for other people who have experiences in owning their own skiff and it looks like I found the wrong site.


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## gmckee1 (Sep 8, 2009)

Take a good look at the Beavertail B-2. I've owned and guided out of one for two years and have zero complaints. I ordered a side console with a Yamaha 50 and paid $18,000 for it. They've replaced the B-2 with a new model but you should be able to find a fully loaded used one for under $20K. There's one posted on their website for exactly that amount. If you're around the Pine Island area and want a test ride let me know.


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## ColeM (Sep 12, 2009)

Capt. Gregg, thank you for the info.


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

> I came here looking for other people who have experiences in owning their own skiff and it looks like I found the wrong site.


no, you made a smart a$$ remark to someone trying help after you asked vague and general questions and then I replied in kind. Ask better questions and you'll get better answers. 

As for casting, I can fly cast just fine. There's at least a dozen members on this site that can attest to that, I don't need to prove to anything to you or anyone else for that matter. I'll admit my comment about your wind knots was a little mean spirited, but I guess you struck nerve, sorry.


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## ColeM (Sep 12, 2009)

I dont know your name, mine is Cole. I came here looking for info from other skiff owners that had the same questions that I had before purchasing. You jumped the gun asking for me to search the forum and look for answers, well I did and found a lot of info, but nothing I was exactly looking for. You could have just easily gave me some good info instead of, "A 16' jon boat with a 25hp tiller could do what you described." Knowing that I said I was looking into the Mitzi 17 or similar skiff. I also gave info that I am looking to take it to LA in search of redfish. I didnt come here asking whats good for me, I like to fly fish or some other very vague question.


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

Cole,

First off welcome to the forum. This one of the best places on the Internet for skiff knowledge without a whole lot of drama. 

deerfly is a level headed guy with a lot of knowledge to share. Treat him with respect and you will get good info from him and others.

Thanks!


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

I bet he's in his early 20's. Don't worry Eric, I know you gots skills.

If you ask general questions you will get general answers. "Fully loaded" to you means something totally different to someone else. Especially when you post in a flyfishing only section.


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

East Cape Lostmen & Caimen are good candidates.  Ankona's Copperhead is nice at about half the cost.  Maverick HPX are very nice.

I love my Gheenoe LT25, you _can_ fit 3 but it is tight.  Take a look at some of the center console versions, they can do all you need.

Also, are you looking for new boats? There are even more used options at your price point.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

Maverick HPX Micro is a great skiff...

Big front and rear deck.

Fits 3 anglers comfortably. 
Floats in spit.

You can find them on dealer lots new for around $17.5k ish.

But factor in the trailer, prop, and dealer fees.



If not, the Copperhead looks to be a great skiff.

But I can only speak about a boat that I've fished in, and I've fished an HPX micro on several occasions. 
Down in 'mingo, out to cape sable, and across north Biscayne Bay in a really stormy and choppy night with waves crushing and the skiff performed greatly.


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## ColeM (Sep 12, 2009)

Thanks fellas, I am looking to purchase used. I and deerfly got off to a bad start and I apologize for it, but it could have been handled differently.


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## ColeM (Sep 12, 2009)

Now, I really like the HPX Micro, my only concern is the weight capacity. I myself weight 160lbs, my dad was 230lbs and that right there already puts us over the max cap with just 2 anglers.


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## River (Sep 28, 2008)

hey I'm looking to get scorned...
If you're not looking for a technical poler then a regular basic Carolina skiff will hold a bazillion lbs of people and gear, float you in nothing whatsoever and cost less than that (nothing whatsoever)  You could customize a very high tower or two very high towers so more than one can fish at the same time and still cost half or less than the skiffs your looking at.
You're not going to have any elitists drooling over how beautiful your skiff is but you might catch more fish than them.


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## River (Sep 28, 2008)

or a microdraft though not the cost benefit of carolina skiff
pole in 3-3.5" 
all depends on what exactly you want.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> Now, I really like the HPX Micro, my only concern is the weight capacity. I myself weight 160lbs, my dad was 230lbs and that right there already puts us over the max cap with just 2 anglers.



I guess.
But I weigh 220, and two other anglers in the skiff that are probably around 185 and 200 and the boat still floats in spit.


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## ColeM (Sep 12, 2009)

Thanks for the info man, I am going to look real hard into the Micro.


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## iMacattack (Dec 11, 2006)

Three anglers, large front deck, used, uber shallow... There are some Lostman's available on the used market. It's a large stable platform. Drawback? Can be wet according to some folks. 

Used HB 18' would be a good choice. 

Budget minded but new, Copperhead would be worth a look as to Inshore 16. 

Welcome to the site! I'll have a gin and tonic.

Cheers
Capt. Jan


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## skinny_water (Jun 11, 2008)

Yes, Lostmen = Fly fishing machine. And you can get a little wet. But if you want to fish 3 peps with a full load, (24v TM, Gear, 12+gal of gas...blah blah blah), be as stable as a barge, and float in 6" or less the Lostmen is the Cats Meow. There are a couple on the markets now, but will be close to the top of your budget. Check out ECC's forum.

http://www.eastcapecanoes.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/skiffs-sale-39.html

If you are looking for a smaller Lostmen, check out the Inshore 16. Yes it has drop in parts. But with ECC's level of quaility it's far from any thing else like a CS. Because they are a custom shop, if you want more renforcements they can do that for you...all you have to do is ask for it!

-Richard


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

Cole, my name is Eric and I'm a crusty old  bastard that started saltwater fly fishing around 1968 or some where around that time. No hard feelings here, just don't like it when "1 posters" question my common sense, no matter how old "they" are.  

Anyway, I see now though you are leaking out the kind of details I was looking for initially like you and your dad's weight. The numbers you posted plus another angler is starting to add up, especially if the "other" angler is closer to your dad's weight than yours. If so, you're approaching or exceeding 600lbs in people alone. Add in a cooler full of drinks and miscellaneous gear for each guy and you're pushing the limits of most small 16'-ish skiffs, more so if you want to keep the draft low. Maybe the Mitzi 17 is the answer there, I don't because I've never been on or seen one on the water. Hopefully that test ride will work out and you'll have a better idea. 

When I mentioned the jon boat, it wasn't intended to be a wise crack, it was a "matter of fact" baseline suggestion that would float 3 adults and gear in the 5"-6" draft realm you wanted and could be towed to NY and back with an electric car.  My intentions was much like River coming in with the Carolina Skiff suggestion. A 16' jon boat is spartan for sure, but it'll work and pretty darn good too. I know  because I've used the heck out of them around Flamingo for many years. Plenty of guys running them today. And in your neck of the woods, that aluminum hull will handle the oyster bars better than any gelcoat too. Now that I know you're budget is on the order of $20K though that changes everything and I wouldn't have bothered mentioning the jon boat in the first place. But I didn't know that based on your first post. 

You also said "gased up". Is that 6, 12, 20 gallons or what? Again, you didn't give enough details to get an idea whether a particular sized skiff was or wasn't a good fit. 

Right now, based on everything I see here I believe a 17'-18' ft skiff is what you'll need. The Lostman is a nice boat too. I've spent a little "quality" time on one:









Like Jan mentioned the HB 18 is worth a look. I would only add having a look at the venerable HB Whipray 16 as a must see/try too. Depending on whether one pops up or not you should be able to get into one under $15K or maybe less depending on how motivated the seller is. I've spent a lot of time on those and still think its one of the best choices out there.


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## Canoeman (Jul 23, 2008)

I have spent a lot of time in this ActionCraft (in the kevlar hull model) and it runs very shallow, rides good in a chop and poles well. Should be available used in your price range.

http://www.actioncraft.com/our-boats/1622-flyfisher/index.shtml


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## ColeM (Sep 12, 2009)

Thanks fellas.

Eric, I apologize for getting off on the wrong foot. In the sense, we are just 2 guys addicted to our fishing.


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

> Thanks fellas.
> 
> Eric, I apologize for getting off on the wrong foot. In the sense, we are just 2 guys addicted to our fishing.


Like I said, no hard feelings here and sorry to come back a little too hard myself. 

This is hands down the best small skiff and skinny water fishing site on the internet, period. If you can't find what you're looking for here and in an unbiased format, then it doesn't exist and someone here will have to create the answers for you.


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