Flats boat. Any of you own one?

I actually like the redfisher a lot. Definitely up there

My neighbor has a brand new Hewes that's really nice but probably doesn't get as skinny as I would like in my personal boat. I'm trying to get my dad to sell his Gatortail and buy a poling skiff, but idk if that's gonna happen. For the price of a Chittum, Hells Bay, Maverick, East Cape, Beavertail, etc, you could buy a fully loaded 22 or 24 bay boat, so keep in mind these aren't cheap by any means, but you pay for the custom features. All of the affordable boats are anywhere from 8-12 months which sucks. I contacted Mel with Salt Marsh skiffs and was told they're close to a year wait list for the new Heron they just started production on.

If money wasn't an issue I'd probably buy an Maverick HPX or HB Marquesa

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Deciding if you want a boat you can pole or if you just want a shallow draft boat you want to run a trolling motor on will help a lot when deciding what kind of hull to look for.

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Great advice.

It's worth water testing a Redfisher. I'm a big fan of that hull, and if I were looking for a smaller profile flats boat, that would be close to the top of my list. My issue with flats boats is just that if I'm gonna get something that realistically drafts a foot, I'd just as soon get a bay boat.

I have an East Cape Fury. I've got about 200 hours on it in a little less than a year, and it's been a great hull. Very solid construction, fit and finish is great, and it's a no bullshite fishing boat. It's a larger poling skiff, but with the right amount of weight it handles rough water like a bay boat. With less weight, it poles like a skiff with half its profile.

Just keep in mind that skiffs are not bay boats. If you're looking for something to spend 90% of your time in big water, get something else. For fishing inside the marsh and occasionally crossing big water to get there, there's no better boat than a good skiff.

A lot of poling skiff guys run trolling motors as well

I remember seeing a restored one on Microskiff last year at some point.


eta: for those interested, someone is selling a Beavertail skiff in BR. I think I saw it on Sportsman

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Deciding if you want a boat you can pole or if you just want a shallow draft boat you want to run a trolling motor on will help a lot when deciding what kind of hull to look for.

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Definitely shallow and troll motor. I've had gatortails before and I loved them but got out of duck hunting and my kids hated the aluminum in the summer.

With something like a Hewes I could fish bass, reds, specks and have enough room for my family. Going to take a look at one in Covington. A buddy of mine fishes tournaments and knows a few guys selling boats.

Is there a flats boat with a bay boat layout instead of all that deck?

Like a sabalo?

No, only the small one is even close. The bigger ones are more like an offshore looking boat to me. So far, Lake and Bay is the closest.