Production tin boat, largest front deck….

[10sne1]

Hello all. I am looking for a 20 ft aluminum bay boat or bass boat. Which do you believe to have the largest front deck to fish from? Taking Crestline 2000 bay out of the mix, closest stock 11 hours away. Thanks for your thought. Would like to tournament bass fish from it. Probably a 150 HP, creasing speed of 35/40 is OK. priced in 30 to 40’s used or new. I have been researching a few months. Thought I’d get your thoughts. My present 2006 Triton aluminum bay has a 74 inch front deck gunnel to gunnel, left to right. So many of the boats today are wide in the back and taper to a small bow deck? Yep, less power to move it, but I am big and like large front fishing room. Thanks, for your thoughts. Tomm in Lakeland Fl.

[rangerguy35]

I think Lowe advertises as having one one of the biggest decks. I've never actually seen one in person to give my thoughts on it. I personally love the new vexus boats that I have seen at the docks. I have no complaints with my Ranger 198p either. I'm a pretty big guy as well if that helps. But if big deck is all you are worried about, I think Lowe takes the trophy for that.

[10sne1]

Rangerguy, thanks. you have mail.

[Slicefixer]

My 180 is 80" wide and over 9' long nowadays and fish's 3, 2 VERY comfortably. Sitting adjacent to mine the X21 looked like an aircraft carrier in comparison. I know the Lund, Crestliner, and GT would be the same.

[Tim Kelly]

That 21ft Crestliner Jon Cox fishes out of is comically massive, especially the front deck.

[madmurph]

The former Crestliner PT series had massive decks. I know there were some hull problems however. Their current MX series has absolute huge decks as well.

[DallasFJB]

Alumacraft xb200 has a 100 inch beam - 20ft boat.

[pdcjohnson]

Alumacraft xb200 has a 100 inch beam - 20ft boat.

Massive deck great boat to fish out of but absolutely junk as far as a quality built boat goes. Stay far away from this boat I had one so I know first hand. There a reason they don’t make it anymore just saying

[King_Fish]

Ranger RT198 is your Huckleberry. Fishes 2 from front deck no problem...
Fishes as good and stable as anything out there, any better than any Triton, with the TM down...

[n2ratfishin]

The Crestliner front deck looks like a barge platform.

[HenryPF]

43 seconds in. That 12 inch lowrance looks tiny up there.

[DallasFJB]

Massive deck great boat to fish out of but absolutely junk as far as a quality built boat goes. Stay far away from this boat I had one so I know first hand. There a reason they don’t make it anymore just saying

I had one also, so I know first hand. I really liked mine, had no issues, fished all over the South with it. But I tend to take care of stuff and use things as how they were intended. Its just like all other tin boats, excluding custom built. They all have had issues after awhile, xpress, crestliner, vexus, etc. They only can take so many big waves - they all break. And none ride like a glass boat, regardless of the marketing pitch.

[pdcjohnson]

I had one also, so I know first hand. I really liked mine, had no issues, fished all over the South with it. But I tend to take care of stuff and use things as how they were intended. Its just like all other tin boats, excluding custom built. They all have had issues after awhile, xpress, crestliner, vexus, etc. They only can take so many big waves - they all break. And none ride like a glass boat, regardless of the marketing pitch.

Well than you had better luck than me mine had right around 30 hour on the motor owned it for not quite two years and got to use it four months and no I don’t beat the crap out of my boats or fish big water. Also there customer service and warranty repair is/was an absolute joke. Will never look at or own that brand boat again even if they were free.

[Slicefixer]

I had one also, so I know first hand. I really liked mine, had no issues, fished all over the South with it. But I tend to take care of stuff and use things as how they were intended. Its just like all other tin boats, excluding custom built. They all have had issues after awhile, xpress, crestliner, vexus, etc. They only can take so many big waves - they all break. And none ride like a glass boat, regardless of the marketing pitch.

Happens in seemingly every tin thread....jeez....glass guy enters the thread to mouth off and diss aluminum

So you've ridden in EVERY tournament class aluminum boat available today? So that's why you can add your "expert" analysis to the thread?

Your comment reads that you've owned ONE aluminum bass boat (and some number of years removed from today), but, since you're an expert I'll assume that's a typo and you've owned and run many, many more?

Yes, "they all break," eventually" if you run em in big waves? (Here's a tip...I'd be careful using the word "all") If so then why are so many running Lunds on the Great Lakes, many of them bass boats? How on earth are those guys running GT's in bays (sometimes in open ocean) all over the Gulf surviving the runs?

Also, why are more and more BPT/Elite guys running aluminum? Yeah I know, they can get shallower etc, but, if they ride so poorly and "break" under the duress of running big h20 then why are Cox, Christie, Gustafson, Pochet, etc running em? You know, it's not like their living depends upon the reliability of their boat....... btw, I'm quite certain all of those guys ran glass before switching.

Man, this thread was about aluminum boats, specifically the size of the front decks. It has nothing to do with dissing aluminum, especially when I'll virtually guarantee the diss has nothing to do with reality or facts.

Btw, remind me again how old where the aluminum boats you ran and who manufactured em? Let's see the list so we can compare em to the latest tournament class aluminum.

[Slicefixer]

[madmurph]

Ranger RT198 is your Huckleberry. Fishes 2 from front deck no problem...
Fishes as good and stable as anything out there, any better than any Triton, with the TM down...

This will go on for years.

[fishingram24]

Love my 18'Xpress but my buddies Ranger 198p has a big front deck and very stable. That being said the Crestliner that John Cox uses looks absolutely huge.

[bassfisher444]

A Tracker 195, Xpress X18 pro, or Crestliner XF189 are the largest aluminum boats I would get with a 150 hp motor.

[Slicefixer]

[catfishjn69]

might look at polarkraft 195 mine has a big deck supports a 200hp built like a tank. not super fast but handles rough water very weil. also it seems you can find them for a decent price.