Looking to buy 2023 FXR 20, love to fish Lake Erie, Detroit River and St. Clair anybody have one?
How does it handle big rough water
Looking to buy 2023 FXR 20, love to fish Lake Erie, Detroit River and St. Clair anybody have one?
How does it handle big rough water
I have an FXR21, and it rides better than my 20i. I heard the FXR20 rides better than the previous FX21. You are not going to see many opportunities to run 70+ mph on Erie/Detroit R/St Clair and these FXR are a challenge to run without porpoising at around 30mph and with full livewells (a very common speed for me up there). I’d consider getting a 4 blade for the waters up there (it’ll make that difference). Fishability (no one seems to talk about that much) is pretty good for those types of water.
Another issue not talked about much is that those waters are hard on a boat. If the boat isn’t laid well, it will develop a bunch of stress cracks up there in no time (I’ve seen some cheaper boats get stress cracks in just one day on Erie). The verdict is still out, but it doesn’t seem all manufacturers are making them like they used to. My 20i was 14 years old with a lot of time up there the last 5 years and had ZERO stress cracks when I sold it. I’m not as confident my current FXR will do as well, but time will tell.
I have a 2022 FXR21 and love it.. I came out of a 21 foot Nitro that I had for 15 years. This Skeeter seems like the real deal but I'm still learning it. I have been told by numerous folks that they love rough water and to go fast. I took typically stay under 4000RPM's unless I need to be somewhere
Good luck and have fun
My buddies had 2 Skeeters in a row a 2022 and 2023 that both have had the top cap screws break. He said he will never own another one and he has been a Skeeter diehard for many years. We live in SC and have no real rough lakes that the waves stack up on like the great lakes.
Maybe try looking at a bay boat if they sell them up there. They are pretty fast and ride better than any bass boat made. They have as many bells and whistles as you can afford.