LittleRedFisherman Posted August 10, 2014 Posted August 10, 2014 I've about decided to sell my duck boat and I've sold a few old pieces of farm equipment I wasn't using, and replace with a larger jet boat for fishing the Current River here at home. I don't duck hunt like I did, and can ride with my buddy no more than i'm going now. I'm looking hard at the blazer boats, but have also thought about getting another War Eagle that is set up more for fishing, but with a jet, I know the blazers are made for those. I see a ton of them around here, so i'm thinking there the go to boat for what i'm wanting, and they seem to resale excellent? Any thoughts? Ham 1 There's no such thing, as a bad day fishing!
Mitch f Posted August 10, 2014 Posted August 10, 2014 I'm not much help, I did work at the Xpress factory in Malvern Arkansas and got mine for a deep discount. I think the size is more important than the brand. One thing for sure I would do is get .100" gage aluminum and not .08".... It takes a licking and keeps on ticking. I asked Joe Troutt about the correct size of a boat for our rivers and he recommended a 1650 for an all around Ozark river boat. "Honor is a man's gift to himself" Rob Roy McGregor
LittleRedFisherman Posted August 10, 2014 Author Posted August 10, 2014 Mitch, that sounds about right, i'm looking at some 16 or 1752 with a 40. I love my supreme, but I'm not taking it on the Mississippi river, and it's not the greatest bass rig, but it works. I think that 1752 would be an all around boat for me. Ditto on the .100 guage.. There's no such thing, as a bad day fishing!
Al Agnew Posted August 11, 2014 Posted August 11, 2014 I certainly have no complaints with mine, 1652 with 40 HP Evinrude. Goes as fast and as shallow as I want to go, handles three adults easily. You can configure the 16 footer to have plenty of room, and I think it would be better with a 40 HP than the 17 footer. Most everybody I talked to when I was buying mine said 60 HP was about the minimum they'd have with a 1752. Mine has an extended front deck with plenty of storage to hold the two trolling motor batteries and some other stuff, a live well which I mostly use for dry storage, and otherwise the middle is open from the front deck to the rear bench. There's a hole mount for a seat on the live well, another in the floor adjacent to the live well, one on the front deck, one on the raised platform on the rear bench, and one in the middle of the rear bench, so I have plenty of seating options. I use a butt pedestal in front to fish and run the trolling motor, and when I fish with another person, I put another pedestal stem in the middle of the rear bench. The rear bench seat is removable, and my buddy sticks it on the pedestal to fish from the back, but when I go back to run the tiller steer motor, he moves to the live well and I put the seat on the raised platform on the right side of the bench where I sit to run the motor. When my wife goes with me and doesn't want to fish, she just sits on a seat mounted to the live well all day.
Ham Posted August 11, 2014 Posted August 11, 2014 I've never been in one, but IF I lived close enough to fish the Current more I would absolutely have a Blazer set up with a 40 hp jet. They seemed to be very efficient for that situation. I have no idea about the varibles and options, but I bet you can work all that out. Every Saint has a past, every Sinner has a future. On Instagram @hamneedstofish
Blazerman Posted August 11, 2014 Posted August 11, 2014 As you might imagine, I am partial to a Blazer. Although War Eagle is top of the line as well. Truthfully I think you could do fine with any of the major Ozark jet boat builders like Legend, or Alweld. I have noticed I have been seeing a lot more brand new Blazers this year though. I have the 17/54 with the 40/60 but mine is set up different than most you see on the river. For starters I have the modified V at the front end with a front deck and trolling motor and butt seat. I also have a full floor with carpeting and four nice seats. I have two live wells, plus additional dry storage under the front deck and seats. I have taken mine to LOZ in the off season and other smaller lakes as well and the modified V does help some on the lakes. I love my seating set up because I can carry 4 people comfortably but I do lose some clearance with the added weight. My boats is 10 years old now and I am sure I will be replacing it fairly soon. And when I do, I will be getting the exact same boat set up the same way with a few minor changes. Like aerated live wells and a bigger gas tank. Ham 1
LittleRedFisherman Posted August 12, 2014 Author Posted August 12, 2014 As you might imagine, I am partial to a Blazer. Although War Eagle is top of the line as well. Truthfully I think you could do fine with any of the major Ozark jet boat builders like Legend, or Alweld. I have noticed I have been seeing a lot more brand new Blazers this year though. I have the 17/54 with the 40/60 but mine is set up different than most you see on the river. For starters I have the modified V at the front end with a front deck and trolling motor and butt seat. I also have a full floor with carpeting and four nice seats. I have two live wells, plus additional dry storage under the front deck and seats. I have taken mine to LOZ in the off season and other smaller lakes as well and the modified V does help some on the lakes. I love my seating set up because I can carry 4 people comfortably but I do lose some clearance with the added weight. My boats is 10 years old now and I am sure I will be replacing it fairly soon. And when I do, I will be getting the exact same boat set up the same way with a few minor changes. Like aerated live wells and a bigger gas tank. [/q Sweet setup, thank you and Al for the advice. I like the idea of the modified V, which you can get in the Blazer SS as well. You don't see many of them, but they make um. I also like the idea of an aerated livewell, I've thought about adding that to the extended deck option instead of the storage, that way I could have a livewell big enough to hold say a 40 pound flathead. that's all i'll be using a livewell for anyways. Could store under a bench seat, that I've seen rigged up, the different options are endless! I love that high deck, that's one thing I love about a blazer. I've loved my war eagle, had it 10years as well, but it's a duck and catfish boat, I could use the blazer for that to if needed. There's no such thing, as a bad day fishing!
grizwilson Posted August 15, 2014 Posted August 15, 2014 Give Fred at current river marine a look his knowledge and alweld quality worth a lot IMO G Ham 1 “If a cluttered desk is a sign, of a cluttered mind, of what then, is an empty desk a sign?”- Albert Einstein
LittleRedFisherman Posted August 17, 2014 Author Posted August 17, 2014 Give Fred at current river marine a look his knowledge and alweld quality worth a lot IMO G I've bought from Fred before, good guy, runs a good business! He has a lot of the business here in NE AR now to. There's no such thing, as a bad day fishing!
LittleRedFisherman Posted August 31, 2014 Author Posted August 31, 2014 WEll, I got my duck boat sold, and found this Blazer SS from a guy not to far from here. Tried it out the other day, runs great. It was mostly a play boat for this guy and his family, i'm installing seat bases on the decks, and trolling moter tomorrow, will soon be a smallmouth boat! Ham 1 There's no such thing, as a bad day fishing!
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