What Boat would you get?

[HOOKNBULLET2]

Looking to buy a dedicated boat to keep at Lake LBJ in central Texas.

Lake LBJ is a 6500 acre constant level lake.

I will be fishing by myself 95% of the time with no plans of tournament angling.

I’ve owned boats my entire. But all have been geared towards saltwater fishing in the shallow water of the middle Texas coast.

I’ll be bass fishing by myself 95% of the time with this boat.

I think that an 18’ fiberglass boat with a 150HP motor would serve these purposes well. But there seems to be very few of those available.

Would appreciate some opinions and experiences from the knowledge base on here…..

Thanks for your time.

[cubswin]

Won’t be popular here, but I’d get a z18 nitro more than likely. Wide, stable, ton of storage, runs well with a 150.

Other choice for me would be a basscat Sabre. Faster, be better build quality, and essentially same size.

[Highcentered]

Won’t be popular here, but I’d get a z18 nitro more than likely. Wide, stable, ton of storage, runs well with a 150.

Other choice for me would be a basscat Sabre. Faster, be better build quality, and essentially same size.

Two great options here.

And if buying new you could get an Xpress X19 with a 200hp for less than an 18' glass rig with a 150hp. With the Xpress you'd have a stable platform that rides decently well and no gel coat to stay on top of to keep looking good. Just get in and go and wipe it down afterwards...or not if you don't want to.

[WStorey]

Bass Cat Pantera II

[Mark Perry]

With all the grass in that lake fo not skimp on the trolling motor no matter the boat you get. Any brand 18-19' will get it done out there just fine.

[jimsch]

I would look at 150 hp rated glass boats, no aluminium. Much better in the wind.
Most are similar in quality, just find the layouts you like you like and see what you get with dealer support.

[NW.Ind.Basser]

Not sure on brand but I'd for sure look at Texas Boat World. They're great people

[Bill2e]

Bass Cat Pantera II

The Bass Cat PII may be the perfect bass boat.

All the boat I ever needed, part of me wishes I never sold mine.

[Bill2e]

I would look at 150 hp rated glass boats, no aluminium. Much better in the wind.
Most are similar in quality, just find the layouts you like you like and see what you get with dealer support.

They are 100% NOT similar in quality.

There are definitely tiers of quality, with Bass Cat being at the top.

[Goonst]

They're older (95-2000 ish), but a Ranger 461vs is the best 18' bass boat ever made. Fishability, storage, ride, stability, safety. You can disagree but you'd just be wrong. Some nice ones out there.

[DaveBrabec]

When I was looking. I didn’t get caught up in brands. I wanted a Mercury and a 36 volt system. Found one 11 years ago with low hours and still have it.

[ProVle]

On this wind thing, look at all the Aluminum rigs on the great lakes. We are not talking about alum. john or row boats. Look at the waters the Pro walleye guy's fish and their boats. Also look at the rigs used in the Cabelas King Kat tourn. trail. I think you can get more boat in the 150HP range also.

[NW.Ind.Basser]

Phoenix 818 is a really nice boat.

[1958]

This is just my opinion. Outboards are made to run WOT more. So that size lake I would get a 150 or smaller even. I have a friend who has an express with 150. He never runs it wide open and has problems but can't convince him to open her up now and then

[davidsa]

Most of us that own "18ft" boats fit your profile of use and/or have garage storage issues. I fish alone much of the time in windy south florida lakes. I like the glass because of the stability and relatively low profile in the wind. a 150hp motor on about any 18ft glass boat is sufficient and will do 55-60. So, if you were buying new it comes down to features, width up front and layout. Even new, you won't see many at dealers and may have to order. On the used market, you need to have done your research on boats and motors and be ready to jump if one comes available fitting the bill and well serviced. I will assume your looking used and will provide a few thoughts.

I had both a Tracker 175 and 1995 Ranger 19'6 boat in 2010. In 2014 I consolidated to a Phoenix 618. I selected the Phoenix over a Ranger 518 based on layout. So study layout. We did not have a basscat dealer at the time and the sabre was too small. The 618 is closer to a 19ft boat then 18 but was not the widest up front. I fished that with no issues for 10 years. I upgraded to the Phoenix 818 to get the max width I could get, a 4s motor and spotlock. Though the cost of the upgrade was questionable, I absolutely love the features I got. I really did not spend much time shopping when I bought the 818; the prior Phoenix was perfect.

Since purchasing, my dealer now sells Basscat and I have come to realize that the "19ft" Pantera II is actually sligthly smaller then my 18ft Phoenix as told to me by my garage. I would have spent time crawling thru the Pantera if I had it to do over again but price and experience with the 618 would likely have put me back into the phoenix.

A sleeper idea i have not researched. the Old 618 hull is now called a Phoenix 518 and comes with some feature downgrades and 115hp motor. For most of the fishing I do, this would fit the bill if the price point was right. I can say that it is a very stable boat with TM down; just a bit narrow in the front relative to the bigger 18ft boats. Might get you in the tin cost range with better stability and wind performance. I can say it will ride as good as any 18ft boat or better in rough water.

[Mark Perry]

It's LBJ, it's not the Great Lakes. We are not talking large, open areas. Any 18-19' boat will be plenty. Even if the wind blows.

[21XDC]

I'd consider a 20ft Bullet w/150-200 and a strong 24V troller.

18+ ft w/150
Skeeter
Triton
Would be worth a hard look too.

[WStorey]

The Bass Cat PII may be the perfect bass boat.

All the boat I ever needed, part of me wishes I never sold mine.

My next boat will probably be a PII

[jlp1525]

I would look at the new Vexus alum boat. I have fished out of the 2080 on rayburn and it is just like glass. Has a wider front deck and .125 hull which is tough

[PatriotAW4]

New fiberglass 150 hp boats, Bass Cat Bobcat, and Skeeter ZX150 are the only two I can really think of. If you want to go aluminum the Tracker 195 with a 150 hp is a good setup.