griffin

Nice fish, good for you! It's even better that you had your son and brother in the boat to share it with. I'm sure you made a lifetime memory. griffin

If the fishing is not good and you get bored ya'll should be able to have some fun with that guy. griffin

I don't give a darn about fish hearing me coming.........I just like to be able to listen to the stereo and hold a conversation with the other guys in the boat without yelling. Sorry Champ.....that was meant for Rick....live with it. As for Evinrude...their last "big thing" left a bad taste in my mouth. griffin

That's a bunch of crap!!! It'll be GREAT!!! New to my boat on Taney this year for my families annual 4th of July vacation will be a video camera.....ain't no way I'm missing getting film of some guy test driving a fast boat in current where people are drift fishing. :lol: :lol: griffin

Man, I ain't knocking flat bottom jon boats, I still own one. You can't beat 'em for polling through a marsh or for navigating small streams with a jet or small outboard. But those suckers in a big version will beat you to death on open water, that's all there is to it. The only way you could reccommend one as an "overall" boat is if your brains have been rattled long enough from riding in one on a big lake. Back in the day, flat bottom was all you could get in a jon boat.........but back then, you coud still hunt Mastodons too. griffin

Why would anyone want a flat bottomed jon boat for anything besides running our streams like the gasconade, etc? I'm assuming that you are referrring to a semi-v bottom jon boat. I ain't that old....but I'm old enough not to want to get pounded around by a flat bottomed jon boat on a lake with any decent waves at all. My SeaArk VPLD is raked like a bass boat, and a much smoother ride then a semi-v, and a flat bottom boat can't even compare a little bit....they just beat you up. Give me a flat bottomed boat and a 40hp jet and I'll fish all day on the meramec, big river, big piney, etc......BUT THAT'S IT!!! That boat is made for NOTHING else. griffin

Oh, it'll be great!!! I mean, Taneycomo is such a large lake with banks that are not easily affected by large wakes. Add that to the fact that it's rarely used and you have the perfect place for BPS and Branson to come together for a wonderful venture such as this!!! Hell, I can remember back in the 70's when we fished Taneycomo, before the condos were built on the lake, before the giant houses sprung up below lookout.....man, it sucked!!! It's much better now with all the houses, condos, and new businesses springing up!!! griffin

See if you can get it to send me some fresh fillets. griffin

Hey Phil, if you have a small kid around, let them show you....it works for me. griffin

Moose - I busted the transom on my 16ft. jon with a 40 jet in 2 foot waves on Lake of the Woods. The intake would come out of the water as I went down a wave and then when it caught water again the torque was strong enough to crack both welds on the transom. Anyone that tells you a jet is just as good on big water as any other motor is a liar. Period. BUT...I sure did enjoy that boat on the Meremac, Gasconade, Niangua, Big River, Big Piney, and Taneycomo. Ok, honestly....that's my last post on the subject. :lol: I could talk boats all day!!! I love 'em! griffin

Let me bow out of this discussion for a few days of duck hunting. I'll end with this: The orginal question was what would be the ideal boat for Taney, and that he fishes alot at Tablerock as well. I can tell you from experience that a jet boat is a dman nice ride on Taneycomo, and a piece of crap if the wind gets up at all and there is any chop on Tablerock. So right from the start you limit yourself. There is no place on taney that you can't get to without a jet, except the last bit above the clay banks at no generation....and trust me on this....TRUST ME ON THIS..you will make people so mad if you go above there with a jet at no generation that you best have some very big balls, alot of beer in your belly, and a pistol in your boat. So why get a jet for Taney? Especially if you're going to ace yourself out of the deal at tablerock when it's windy at all? I'm not saying my rig is the best for EVERY application. In fact, except for the Mississippi river, you can probably find a certain boat and motor setup that is better then mine for that particular application or situation. But why limit yourself if you're going to invest in a boat? My setup is the result of 25 years of boat ownership, and learning how buying a particular boat for a particular place limits you greatly when you decide to see some new territory. try taking a 16-18 foot jet boat to Lake of the Woods in Canada....I did....I was miserable. Try taking a 16 ft. boat with a 20hp motor to LOZ...you'll hate yourself...I've done it. Go ahead and get on the Mississippi River with your 14 ft. boat and 40hp motor...and wear plenty of flotation. Take your mudbuddy motor, or Pro-drive, or Beavertail on a 90 mile round trip on Rainy Lake in Canada...they don't make earplugs to protect you. BUT....I'll run my rig to the clay banks on Taney with no problem. I can take anything the Mississippi river or any big lake can throw at me.....and drink a beer while it does. I can run 50 miles into Canada from Minnesota and fish all day...and still get home before dark. My kids get bored and want to ski or tube?? No problem....try that with your gator tail. I can fish any water with my wide, long, high sided boat....and have enough gas leftover for the next trip with the 4-stroke. I can't get into marshes to duck hunt with it?? Hell sons, I got a 14 ft. boat with a 3 hp motor that I paid less then $400.00 for....my trolling motor costs twice that much on my big rig. If you buy a boat, don't limit yourself....or you won't have a boat to use when you want something different...and then it's just a big hunk of cash sitting in your driveway. Do I think my boat is the best overall rig I can buy?? You darn right I do.....or I'd buy something else. griffin

This past summer I pulled a 200 lb. man and a 80 lb. boy up on skis with my boat.....I got all the starting power I need. Hell, two seasons ago I had 7 guys and all their duck gear in my old 18 ft. boat with a 70hp 4-stroke....got up on plane in about 150 ft.......I ain't seen a 2-stroke that could do any better with all that weight and the same HP. Maybe the first 4-strokes were bad "out of the hole"....but all that crap now is just a carryover from those frist opinions. With the newest fuel injected engines it's just not an issue....no one could ever convince me otherwise, I spend enough time in boats to know better. griffin

That's a good point on your lake Phil, I didn't think you cared much about going fast. On bigger water a hole shot isn't nearly the safety issue it is on a lake like Taney that is sometimes stacked with boats. Still, we were discussing different boat setups....I can tell you that my 20footer, with a 115 4-stroke, gets on plane as fast as any boat I've ever been in.....I notice no difference, although I've seen the specs that show a slightly slower time to get on plane, but nothing that anyone could call a safety issue. I also agree that you should up size and get the biggest 4-stroke your boat is rated for.....and never look back. griffin

No, it's not a go-devil, but the noise is about the same. It's on the same line as a Pro-drive, no matter how different they want to make it sound. As for the "hole shot" with a 4-stroke. I've never understood that. I can get on plane with my boat and 5 adults in a hurry, and I'm not racing anyone, I'm fishing. I don't care if they can sell 2-strokes forever.....I've owned 6 of them, from 20hp to 150hp and I'm never going back. This is the second 4-stroke I have owned and I like the quiet, the low maintenance, and the fuel efficiency I get with them. griffin

Brother....put the bong down and step away for some fresh air. You ever heard a 4 stroke OUT OF THE WATER??? You trying to tell me that when I put it in the water it magically gets louder?? Yeah, I road in a boat with a gator tail.....the boy brought it up to show a guy and we ran it on the Meramec near where it dumps into the Mississippi. The other bost I've been in had similar "mud motors"....I hate to tell you this, but there ain't a huge difference in any of them. I already told you, I agree that it's the deal for marsh situations.....just don't try to convince me that I need one of those as my do-it-all boat and motor. You'll never even get to the places I fish on the Mississippi or in Canada because by the time you get there you'll have to leave before it gets dark. :rotfl: :rotfl: As for jet boats....I've owned one of those too, great motors for our little shallow streams....not worth a fiddlers darn on open water with any kind of chop, and I have no problem believing your motor is quieter then a jet.....but if you try to compare sound of your motor to the sound of a 4-stroke again then I'm going to suggest counseling for your dillusions. griffin

Dude - I guess I've been in 4 or 5 boats equipped with that motor, compared to a 4-stroke outboard they are the noise equivalent of godzilla......and I can honestly say that for very limited applications they are the cats arse....but to put one of those motors on a boat that you would use for fishing, hunting, big lakes, small water, big rivers, or anything in between, to use in widely varied applications is just laughable. Add to that the "no wake" rule on almost all Missouri public duck hunting ground, where this motor can really shine, and you quickly have a rig that makes you want to rub dog crap in your hair. griffin

And they are so noisy you may want to take a pistol or something similar along so that you can end your pain and misery when it gets to be more then you can stand. griffin

I am the griffin your parents warned you about. griffin

I fish Taney 3 or 4 times a year, go to Canada once a year, fish and duck hunt on the Mississippi, fish carlyle, Mark Twain, LOZ, and tablerock. I run a 20ft. SeaArk. The model I have is a 2072VPLD. It's outfitted with a 115 Suzuki 4-stroke, 74 lb. 24 volt trolling motor, on board charger, front and rear graph, 2 livewells, blah,blah,blah. I can easily fish my family of 5 in ANY conditon....the boat is unbelievably safe and steady in any waves I have been in, up to 4ft. in Canada. The Mississippi can't throw anything at the boat that it can't handle. It's high sided but the hull is basically a v-bottom like you see on a fiberglass bass boat. On Taney I have no problem getting up to Lookout hole with no water running, and I can make it to the clay banks with a bit of effort, but I know the lake well. I don't know of another boat maker with a hull design on a jon boat like this one. It is very versitile. I also concur that a 4-stroke is the only way to go, and that you should get as big a motor as your boat is rated for and you can afford, you will never be sorry unless you are under horsepowered and then you will never be happy. This is my second SeaArk boat and suzuki motor, the first was an 18 footer with a 70hp 4-stroke. I was very happy with that boat as well but i spend alot of time on the Mississippi so bigger is better....and I have not been cut back from fishing Taney because of the bigger boat. I also have storage under my bench seat, under the rear deck, two storage boxes on the front deck, and a 6 foot rod/gun box. If you buy a Suzuki motor before March the offer a 5 year fuikll warranty. I don't know anyone who is unhappy with their suzuki and I know a number of folks running them. See Troy at Missouri River Outfitters just outside Columbia for SeaArk or Suzuki. griffin