# New (to me) Lake Erie Boat Help



## wvhillbilly (Jul 23, 2013)

Hey everyone, sorry if this is a re-post but I've searched and not found anything. I'm looking to get a new-to-me fishing boat for the big lake. I've been fishing 4 years now and I know I'm no where near experienced or professional level. I currently have a 21' crownline cuddy that I've used for trolling walleye and some perch fishing. I want something that is much easier to control while trolling. I need more space than I have in the current cockpit plus a layout and accessories that benefit the fisherman would be huge. I bought this first boat thinking it would be a family boat we sometimes use for fish but its become a fishing boat the family sometimes goes out on so it's time to get something more fishing style.

Right now I'm torn between a bigger (21-27') walk-around or a 20ish' aluminum deep V. The aluminum I've considered buying brand new (though not against a good used deal) but a brand new walk-around wouldn't fit the budget. I'm hoping to stay in (or under) the $40k ballpark. This is going to be the lifetime boat (at least for the boat's lifetime). I'm also hoping to stick with an outboard engine to make it possible to fish when weather allows through the winter months without needing a complete winterizing flush of the engine.

I see the aluminum as being easier to control for a small fishing operation but not as easy of a ride if the water becomes somewhat rough. I've learned how quick the weather can change the lake and I don't want to be caught out in a sudden wind change in an aluminum. I feel a lot safer with the larger boat. At the same time, having the option to haul it to smaller lakes or down to WV where my family resides would be a huge advantage to a smaller aluminum. I'd also like to have the option to trailer East and learn some other fishing through Ohio other than the Western Basin. My 9 year old also loves to camp out in the cuddy, so having that option is a huge advantage to a walk-around.

I guess I'm looking for input from aluminum guys on how you handle the weather other than being picky on your days. What lake conditions can an aluminum boat safely navigate? Anyone with experience on both please feel free to offer opinions. Is there any clear advantages or disadvantages I'm missing on either type of boat? I have a pole barn at my house and I'm pretty close to the lake so trailering has always been my thing but I'm not opposed to docking if i do have a bigger boat. Thanks in advance for any advice and taking the time to help me out!

Brandon
WVHillbilly


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## Eastside Al (Apr 25, 2010)

Do search on here
Earlier in year post of big boat verses small on lake erie. Pros n cons each way


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## ShaneMC (Nov 27, 2012)

Biggest boat you can afford. Aluminum rough ride but decent with suspension seats


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## Draggin' Fish (Jul 10, 2007)

If you want something easier to control for trolling, you can't beat the "multi-species" boats with a trolling motor on the bow. The autopilot feature makes for "hands free" boat control. The deep v aluminum boats around 20 feet are very capable. I have had my starcraft out in 5' waves - not comfortable, but boat handled the conditions safely. On Erie you always have to pick your days, it is not much fun in more than 3' waves for most folks even in boats in 25' range. For fishing it is hard to beat the flexibility of the deep v boats around 20' - easy to trailer and can be used almost year round.


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

For fiberglass look into Prolines, Stripers, or Grady White, Boston Whaler. These come with cuddy's, are trailerable in the 21-23' size, and fish very well on Erie as they have fishing space in the rear of boat. Get a kicker, hard top, and auto pilot and you will be happy. Something like in the picture.


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

X2 on blue max pic of boats.


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## wvhillbilly (Jul 23, 2013)

Thanks for all the replies so far, you guys are great at helping newer people. I guess I think the aluminum will be easiest to go hands free but at the same time I don't like the added risk of a sudden lake change. I've seen days gone bad already when the forecast was totally off and I had to limp in my 21' Cuddy. I hope to get out on the water in each an aluminum and a walk-around just to get a feel for the differences and hopefully can pull the trigger on something sooner than later...but it has to be 100% the right boat this time! I'm leaning more towards the 21-23' walk-around for now though. Any advice on auto-pilots or more importantly ones to avoid?


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## Andrew zalinsky (Jun 14, 2017)

Garmin tr1 auto pilot, I'd stick to blue water boats, Boston whaler, grady white, edgewater, everglades, and McKee craft....all great boats but not cheap


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## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

I regularly fish 1-3's in my 19'9" Starcraft Fishmaster. And Erie being Erie I regularly return to port in 2-4's and occasionally 3-5's unfortunately. As long as you use your head and don't get in a rush a well constructed 20' aluminum deep vee with sufficient horsepower is a legitimate Erie fishing boat. I don't make 16 mile runs to the buoy on choppy days like the big guys can. I know my limits and stay within them.


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## backfar (Sep 24, 2014)

The aluminum boats have alot of advantages for those who like to trailer to the lake...biggest 2 things i dislike with the aluminum boats is 1) they ride rough 2) all the ones ive been on are wet boats and i dont like getting wet... next boat i will get will be a nice walk around with an outboard or a pilot house... that closed bow is awful nice during ice out or late in the year...the only 2 disadvantages for me with a walk around are 1) heavier and harder to pull 2)harder on gas.....i fish from a 23ft sea ray weekender and i wouldn't trade it for anything but a walk around.....


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## dgfidler (Sep 22, 2014)

I was looking at the specs on a 21 crownline cuddy. 18 degree dead rise and 3900 lbs. This is a substantial boat that gives you a ride comparable to the trailerable 21-23 ft walkarounds. If you're not happy with the ride you're getting with your current boat, I think you would really dislike the ride from a lighter aluminum hull. I personally think your reasons for wanting to trailer are worth it (fishing eastern basin & wv). I have a 20 ft Grady Walkaround for the very same reasons. If I were you, I'd look at 20-23 ft walk arounds to give you a better deck layout but understand that these boats are not going to offer a major improvement in the ride over what you have now.


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## wvhillbilly (Jul 23, 2013)

dgfidler said:


> I was looking at the specs on a 21 crownline cuddy. 18 degree dead rise and 3900 lbs. This is a substantial boat that gives you a ride comparable to the trailerable 21-23 ft walkarounds. If you're not happy with the ride you're getting with your current boat, I think you would really dislike the ride from a lighter aluminum hull. I personally think your reasons for wanting to trailer are worth it (fishing eastern basin & wv). I have a 20 ft Grady Walkaround for the very same reasons. If I were you, I'd look at 20-23 ft walk arounds to give you a better deck layout but understand that these boats are not going to offer a major improvement in the ride over what you have now.


Hey DG, Thanks for the input. Actually the ride being similar is great news to me. What exactly is measured as the dead rise on a boat? I'll look that up and read more about that today. The biggest concern with mine is control when at trolling speed. You have to have someone constantly glued to the wheel making adjustments and within 5-10 seconds if you turn your attention briefly the boat will quickly spin 180 degrees. It's really difficult to even net a fish if I'm fishing with 2 people. I don't plan to neglect paying attention to surroundings when trolling but a little more freedom is very desirable. Which model Grady do you have? I really like those boats, but most of those I can see and afford see to be older. I don't want to get into a boat that needs a lot of work sooner than later so I'm definitely going to look into a surveyor when I find a boat I'd like to purchase.


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## dgfidler (Sep 22, 2014)

Deadrise is the angle of the V. Boats with a 24 degree deadrise can go fast in choppy conditions because when they come off a wave, the boat does not land on a flat surface and 'pound'. That type of ride is often described as a 'soft entry'. The trade off for a steep deadrise is it rocks with the waves while drifting. An example of a 24 degree deadrise fishing boat would be an Albemarle 24 express. You would hate this boat while perch fishing, but would love it running in 2-4s. 
I have the Grady 208 Adventure. I bought it used over the winter and had it shipped from the east coast. The deal with my boat was that it was purchased new in 2002 and basically never used. The marina that brokered the deal told me they put most of the 56 hours on the motor when they serviced it each spring and fall. I rolled the dice and paid 15k for the boat and what seemed like too good of a deal to be true turned out to a good deal. Motor is perfect and the boat is truly like new. I waited over a year waiting for something like this to come along. Along with this boat came a 200815hp Yamaha 4s kicker with a similar story. Owner bought it, never mounted it to the Grady and loaned it to their buddies. This also ended up to be in perfect condition. This boat will track straight without user input as long as you put the wind at your back when trolling. I couldn't believe how straight it tracks. It's the perfect boat for me. I love it. I got it weighed and it was 5000lbs with an empty gas tank. My Jeep Commander that was rated to tow 7500 felt like it was being 'manhandled' by the boat whenever it was windy so I upgraded the tow vehicle to a Nissan Armada and it feels about right now. This boat has a variable deadrise where it's very steep at the front (56 degrees) and tapers to 18 degrees at the stern. It's not a fast boat. It cruises around 28 and tops out at 40. In 2-4s, you can run on plane with the bow down at 15mph without pounding going into the waves and can get about 22 mph going with the waves. At around 5ft, you'll start taking some waves over the front which will drain out the rear scuppers. If you're around Columbus, I'll show you the boat. It's the biggest 20 ft boat I've ever seen and seems to be very seaworthy. Did I mention I really like this boat? My list of boats were this one, whaler conquest 205, proline 23 express, wellcraft coastal 230, and Trophy 2352. All these can be found in 2005 or newer models under your 40k budget and they're all great boats in my opinion. Don't be fearful of a late model saltwater boat if it's has an outboard. I settled for 2 stroke on mine which is part of the reason I got mine for 15k. It's ok, but I would have preferred 4 stroke.


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

wvhillbilly said:


> Hey DG, Thanks for the input. Actually the ride being similar is great news to me. What exactly is measured as the dead rise on a boat? I'll look that up and read more about that today. The biggest concern with mine is control when at trolling speed. You have to have someone constantly glued to the wheel making adjustments and within 5-10 seconds if you turn your attention briefly the boat will quickly spin 180 degrees. It's really difficult to even net a fish if I'm fishing with 2 people. I don't plan to neglect paying attention to surroundings when trolling but a little more freedom is very desirable. Which model Grady do you have? I really like those boats, but most of those I can see and afford see to be older. I don't want to get into a boat that needs a lot of work sooner than later so I'm definitely going to look into a surveyor when I find a boat I'd like to purchase.


I would go for 21' alumacraft with 150 hp and 9.9hp outboard.
planty room,stable,speed 45mph.
perch fishing 3' to 5' feel fine,
I fish up to 20 miles off port,never had a problem.


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## wvhillbilly (Jul 23, 2013)

dgfidler said:


> Deadrise is the angle of the V. Boats with a 24 degree deadrise can go fast in choppy conditions because when they come off a wave, the boat does not land on a flat surface and 'pound'. That type of ride is often described as a 'soft entry'. The trade off for a steep deadrise is it rocks with the waves while drifting. An example of a 24 degree deadrise fishing boat would be an Albemarle 24 express. You would hate this boat while perch fishing, but would love it running in 2-4s.
> I have the Grady 208 Adventure. I bought it used over the winter and had it shipped from the east coast. The deal with my boat was that it was purchased new in 2002 and basically never used. The marina that brokered the deal told me they put most of the 56 hours on the motor when they serviced it each spring and fall. I rolled the dice and paid 15k for the boat and what seemed like too good of a deal to be true turned out to a good deal. Motor is perfect and the boat is truly like new. I waited over a year waiting for something like this to come along. Along with this boat came a 200815hp Yamaha 4s kicker with a similar story. Owner bought it, never mounted it to the Grady and loaned it to their buddies. This also ended up to be in perfect condition. This boat will track straight without user input as long as you put the wind at your back when trolling. I couldn't believe how straight it tracks. It's the perfect boat for me. I love it. I got it weighed and it was 5000lbs with an empty gas tank. My Jeep Commander that was rated to tow 7500 felt like it was being 'manhandled' by the boat whenever it was windy so I upgraded the tow vehicle to a Nissan Armada and it feels about right now. This boat has a variable deadrise where it's very steep at the front (56 degrees) and tapers to 18 degrees at the stern. It's not a fast boat. It cruises around 28 and tops out at 40. In 2-4s, you can run on plane with the bow down at 15mph without pounding going into the waves and can get about 22 mph going with the waves. At around 5ft, you'll start taking some waves over the front which will drain out the rear scuppers. If you're around Columbus, I'll show you the boat. It's the biggest 20 ft boat I've ever seen and seems to be very seaworthy. Did I mention I really like this boat? My list of boats were this one, whaler conquest 205, proline 23 express, wellcraft coastal 230, and Trophy 2352. All these can be found in 2005 or newer models under your 40k budget and they're all great boats in my opinion. Don't be fearful of a late model saltwater boat if it's has an outboard. I settled for 2 stroke on mine which is part of the reason I got mine for 15k. It's ok, but I would have preferred 4 stroke.


Thanks for some great info! Yea I can tell you really love that machine. What did you use to search and find a boat on the east coast? I've been using some BoatTrader, iboat.com search and this forum of course as well as browsing Craigslist even though I'm not a big fan of most stuff on there.


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## wvhillbilly (Jul 23, 2013)

HappySnag said:


> I would go for 21' alumacraft with 150 hp and 9.9hp outboard.
> planty room,stable,speed 45mph.
> perch fishing 3' to 5' feel fine,
> I fish up to 20 miles off port,never had a problem.


Hey Happy! I really do like the Alumacrafts! My buddy just bought one and I'm hoping to take a lake ride on his one day soon before making a purchase.


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

wvhillbilly said:


> Hey Happy! I really do like the Alumacrafts! My buddy just bought one and I'm hoping to take a lake ride on his one day soon before making a purchase.


I fished with lot of deferent boats,i like this one best,i think it is 20'.6" exacly.that is my neibor boat,he set that up for trolling with 4 triple cisco rod holders,planty room in front and planty room in back,150hp evinrude etech,plenty power and speed,he has the boat 5 years more,never had problem,he was one time in shop ,for test in warantie.he was looking for boat,he found this and it was 10K cheeper the another shop for same boat,that made his decision to buy that.he is very happy with that.there is lot of good boats in minesota,search creg list minesota.you have to know what you like,then zero in on price.alumacraft gives discount in January , if you buy new.


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## wvhillbilly (Jul 23, 2013)

dgfidler said:


> Deadrise is the angle of the V. Boats with a 24 degree deadrise can go fast in choppy conditions because when they come off a wave, the boat does not land on a flat surface and 'pound'. That type of ride is often described as a 'soft entry'. The trade off for a steep deadrise is it rocks with the waves while drifting. An example of a 24 degree deadrise fishing boat would be an Albemarle 24 express. You would hate this boat while perch fishing, but would love it running in 2-4s.
> I have the Grady 208 Adventure. I bought it used over the winter and had it shipped from the east coast. The deal with my boat was that it was purchased new in 2002 and basically never used. The marina that brokered the deal told me they put most of the 56 hours on the motor when they serviced it each spring and fall. I rolled the dice and paid 15k for the boat and what seemed like too good of a deal to be true turned out to a good deal. Motor is perfect and the boat is truly like new. I waited over a year waiting for something like this to come along. Along with this boat came a 200815hp Yamaha 4s kicker with a similar story. Owner bought it, never mounted it to the Grady and loaned it to their buddies. This also ended up to be in perfect condition. This boat will track straight without user input as long as you put the wind at your back when trolling. I couldn't believe how straight it tracks. It's the perfect boat for me. I love it. I got it weighed and it was 5000lbs with an empty gas tank. My Jeep Commander that was rated to tow 7500 felt like it was being 'manhandled' by the boat whenever it was windy so I upgraded the tow vehicle to a Nissan Armada and it feels about right now. This boat has a variable deadrise where it's very steep at the front (56 degrees) and tapers to 18 degrees at the stern. It's not a fast boat. It cruises around 28 and tops out at 40. In 2-4s, you can run on plane with the bow down at 15mph without pounding going into the waves and can get about 22 mph going with the waves. At around 5ft, you'll start taking some waves over the front which will drain out the rear scuppers. If you're around Columbus, I'll show you the boat. It's the biggest 20 ft boat I've ever seen and seems to be very seaworthy. Did I mention I really like this boat? My list of boats were this one, whaler conquest 205, proline 23 express, wellcraft coastal 230, and Trophy 2352. All these can be found in 2005 or newer models under your 40k budget and they're all great boats in my opinion. Don't be fearful of a late model saltwater boat if it's has an outboard. I settled for 2 stroke on mine which is part of the reason I got mine for 15k. It's ok, but I would have preferred 4 stroke.


Hey DG, do you have any insight on the Hydra Sport Seahorse 230? I'm going to look at one tomorrow. Seems comparable to these other boats from what I can tell but maybe someone with more knowledge has a better idea?

Year-2000


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## fishhogg (Apr 16, 2009)

wvhillbilly said:


> Hey everyone, sorry if this is a re-post but I've searched and not found anything. I'm looking to get a new-to-me fishing boat for the big lake. I've been fishing 4 years now and I know I'm no where near experienced or professional level. I currently have a 21' crownline cuddy that I've used for trolling walleye and some perch fishing. I want something that is much easier to control while trolling. I need more space than I have in the current cockpit plus a layout and accessories that benefit the fisherman would be huge. I bought this first boat thinking it would be a family boat we sometimes use for fish but its become a fishing boat the family sometimes goes out on so it's time to get something more fishing style.
> 
> Right now I'm torn between a bigger (21-27') walk-around or a 20ish' aluminum deep V. The aluminum I've considered buying brand new (though not against a good used deal) but a brand new walk-around wouldn't fit the budget. I'm hoping to stay in (or under) the $40k ballpark. This is going to be the lifetime boat (at least for the boat's lifetime). I'm also hoping to stick with an outboard engine to make it possible to fish when weather allows through the winter months without needing a complete winterizing flush of the engine.
> 
> ...


Brandon,
Make it easy on yourself and give Steve Carlson a call at South Shore Marine, or shoot him an email at [email protected]. If Steve can't help you, then you are helpless. Steve has been running/selling boats on Erie for a very long time. Have your wants and needs broken down when you call him. He will get you taken care of. He sold me a couple Contenders and help me customize them to fit my needs. Good luck, and get a hold of Steve.


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