# Limits of the LT25



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

1-2ft seas  Thats gonna be a ruff ride in any skiff. I'd be looking towards something more substantial if you will do that often.


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## HighSide25 (May 15, 2007)

1-2 seas is kinda vague..... well, everyone has their own interpertation of 1-2ft waves/seas. 

with that said, the best thing to do is take one on a test ride on a windy day and see if the hull handles as you would need it to in adverse conditions.

how shallow are you planning on taking it?
you may need to find some boat ramps where the open water crossing isnt so bad....or look for something with some more freeboard, such as a 18' hewes


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## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

X2  I've Done 2 foot Seas with a Classic and would Defiantly NOT Recommend THAT !!



> 1-2 seas is kinda vague..... well, everyone has their own interpertation of 1-2ft waves/seas.
> 
> with that said, the best thing to do is take one on a test ride on a windy day and see if the hull handles as you would need it to in adverse conditions.
> 
> ...



Or a Whaler


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## backwaterbandits (Dec 15, 2006)

First off, welcome aboard PC [smiley=1-beer.gif]
The LT 25 is surprisingly seaworthy. But I'll second
what C-Tail said, you need a test ride on any boat
to see if it will meet your needs...
Good Luck, Dave


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## boggob (Feb 20, 2007)

I am sure there are plenty of Gheenoe folks willing to show you what their skiffs are capable of. I recommend giving a look to Panga Marine or Andros.


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2010)

I have a Classic and have been super impressed with the last 2 years. If things get rough, I throttle down and keep the nose up.

I also have a HB Waterman and are buying another Gheenoe with very open layout(LT25). What I thought at 1st was going to be a "go between" flats skiff turned into: "I love these little skiffs" inexpensive, stable, can run all day on a few dollars of gas.

There must be dozens and dozens of layouts for all the various types of fishing and hunting. I think 45,000 made and used world wide.


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## out-cast (Jan 27, 2009)

> I have a Classic and have been super impressed with the last 2 years. If things get rough, I throttle down and keep the nose up.


I agree. In most cases it really depends on the operator's ability and experience. Most skiffs can handle 1-2'. What it boils down to is which one will keep you dry


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## Canoeman (Jul 23, 2008)

As any Gheenoe owner will tell you, the biggest limitation is not having a flared bow. You're either gonna get wet from spray, or your feet will get wet from water in the boat as you punch through a wave instead of rising above it.

Use them in the right conditions and they are hard to beat.


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## HighSide25 (May 15, 2007)

wait for the 1567 Gheenga.... debuts next summer.........?

offshore capabalities, inshore performance, all with a 25hp motor in mind



1-5' sea capability, 6-7 inches draft.
<----------------------------test pilot


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

> wait for the 1567 Gheenga.... debuts next summer.........?
> 
> offshore capabalities, inshore performance, all with a 25hp motor in mind
> 
> ...


Is this the new gheenoe model coming out? Anyone have a pic of this thing?


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2010)

> > wait for the 1567 Gheenga.... debuts next summer.........?
> >
> > offshore capabalities, inshore performance, all with a 25hp motor in mind
> >
> ...



I guess it depends on the operator. : I know a few people down in the Keys who would take something like the SEA VEE you have and run the Back Country up to The Content Keys through very shallow channels with-out ever scraping the motor skeg.

Maybe this topic can just be dropped as you have brought it up a few times lately and it's become stale.

I would be interested in how much you get to take out that VERY NICE SEA VEE w/older 2 stroke Yami 200 when gas prices jump back up to $4 a gallon. You can book that's coming.

Darin


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

Derin, what warranted that?? 

I asked for pics of a new model. I don't even know if it's a gheenoe! I looked up the name from his post on both here and CG this morning, and found.....nothing!!

Don't tell me after all those nasty PM's you sent me (which I didn't respond to by the way) you've still got p*ss in your boots because I wouldn't sell you the LT25?

Dude, let the boat thing go. 

Actually, I pulled your last 25 posts....seems you've got a pattern of making friends going just fine without my help!!  

And yes I will agree with you, when gas is $4 a gallon I probably will leave the Seavee at the dock more. And fish from the Hewes when weather permits. Any sensible owner would. 

If you're going to berate me, at least get your berating right   It's a 250... But if you look at fuel burn #'s on that 250 motor, there's really not much difference in fuel costs for a day between that and a new 250-300hp 4-stroke when the fishing is only 6 miles off the beach. 

So what did you wind up with for a boat after all that heartache over my LT? Didn't find a post on your new ride??????

-T


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2010)

My latest ride is not a "Microskiff" so I guess you'll just have to wonder.   This is not about you and me, LOL get over yourself. It's about you trashing people who choose to take their skiff which maybe a Gheenoe on the ocean. 

I have no idea why you would air-out a PM on the forum. Save the Drama.


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## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

Come on Guys this Isn't Florida Sportsman ... [smiley=violent1.gif]


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

I went out on an LT25 today with Alex (Dacuban1) and Alonzo (gettingitdone).

I was surprised to how well it handles and poles.
Seemed pretty good.
Really easy to pole, and comfortable.
Very stable, and we did cross the bay with a moderate chop with only a 15hp 2 stroke hanging on the back.
The only thing that I can say I wasn't too fond of is that it did have some hull slap, but the bonefish didn't seem to care.


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

I have a LT25 Center Console. Here are a couple examples of my experience in rough areas with passengers. 

I was fishing the Pine Island area. There was an east wind and out going tide at Redfish Pass. I was fishing the inside but wanted to take a look outside to see if we could post up on the leeward side for tarpon. I didn't realize the inlet was so messy. It was a good 2+ chop and I had a passenger who had never been on a Gheenoe before. I throttled down to about 10 MPH and barely on plane. We went up and down and had to maneuver a bit but the biggest compliment for the boat came from my passenger when he commented that it was very impressed and never felt unsafe. 

My second rough experience was at the Homossassa River this summer. I took my kids scalloping on a busy weekend. I have a 9 year old boy and 10 year old girl. We had to deal with multiple off shore boats passing us while on plane and even at half throttle kicking up huge wakes in a narrow channel. It sucked but the boat handled it well. The kids never complained. 

Both of these situations had potential danger and required good boating skills but I do believe they speak volumes about what you can do in a LT25.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I really don't think there is any question of if a gheenoe can survive 2ft seas and big wakes on occasion I think any boat would be able to as long as you proceed with caution. Now if you guys had to cross open water often wouldn't you want a boat that you don't have to throttle way down to make it through. 

Not on my gheenoe, but one of my last trips in my old boat was fishing around the power plant north of simmons park. The winds kicked up and seas were a solid 2+ft. Having to limp back all the way on 1/4-1/3 throttle mabe for a very long ride. :


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

Here's the deal, when a new poster (1 post) comes on here looking for information on a boat, the responsibility of the posters who know and use the boats  (Let's call them "owners") is to give them honest information. 

People are basing a buying decision on the feedback from the forum. Their hard earned dollars, their comfort and possibly their safety is at risk if they are mislead. 

Having owned an LT25 for a few years, would I recommend it to people looking for a shallow water skiff for fishing protected waters? HECK YES, they are great little boats for that, I loved mine and honestly selling it troubled me.   

There are a lot of positives about the LT25 hull; cost of operation, quiet fishing platform, stability, easy towing, etc. The list goes on and on. 

But would I recommend it to someone who wants to take it out and regularly run across an honest 1-2' wind-blown sea? (remember these are seas that are over your knee folks, in a boat with about 10" of freeboard, and a non-self-bailing cockpit) HECK NO!!!!! I've done it more than a few times and YOU WILL GET SOAKED!!! I don't care how you drive, which way you go, how slow you go, etc. You're going to get wet. 

Plus, if you try to make any time into a confused or stacked-up sea, the bow will eventually stuff. Period. 

For those that fish them in the Lagoon, you guys are lucky because you don't have much tidal flow up there as there is in other areas. Here, even a mild N wind opposing the tidal flow will beat you up in a 16' redfisher (I know this because I owned and fished on for 4 years). 

So an owner has to think about what area they fish, and what kind of conditions they are exposed to. Then honest input (or better yet, a local test ride) will help them make the right decision. 

If all you do is fish shallow stuff, or lakes/ponds/streams or protected water, the gheenoe is perfect. If you regularly have to cross open water that has a risk of getting nasty (what doesn't?) then look at something more substantial. 

There are tons of boats out there that would be a better choice for someone who's looking to cross open water on a regular basis, some of which won't do the "little" things that an LT25 does so well, but would be a better choice for a more "all around" boat. 

To say a boat can run in a 2' or 5' sea is pointless. It's not the wave heights that matter. It's the space between them that matters. You could take a gheenoe out in a 30' swell in the ocean if the swells are 30 seconds apart. Add wind to the equation (or worse yet, wind and tide at opposing angles) and stack them up and you're gonna beat yourself to death at 2' height. Will the boat "do" it? Yeah. Would the average person want to do that in a boat on a regular basis? Probably not, and would be disappointed in the boat. 

That's my opinion, as someone who's owned an LT25 for a few years. Your mileage may vary, everyone has an opinion, and all fisherman are liars except for me and my buddy Ken (and I'm not so sure about him). 

So take it with a grain of salt, if you disagree that's fine. Everyone's different. 

-T


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

Something I like to keep in mind, which is rarely discussed on these kinds of threads, is how will the hull handle these same conditions in a free drift, sea-anchor and anchored. Think loss of power at the worst time, which can and does happen. Most skiffs can handle all sorts of sea conditions while under power, assuming they're safely loaded and the operator has some knowledge of how to deal with the situation. 

If a boat can't safely drift or be anchored in the kind of conditions you intend to use it in, then it's probably not the best choice. Doesn't mean you should choose a boat based on worse case scenarios, but it does give you an idea of what conditions to avoid getting into so when Murphy shows up unexpectedly, and he will eventually, you're dealing with inconvenience verses an emergency.


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## Uno (Sep 9, 2010)

Thank you for your inputs...I found a Gheenoe dealer within a reasonable drive. I will go try one out in the next few weeks.

Thanks again!


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