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I am in the process of planning a build. I had been leaning towards a bateau lm18, but now I am all but set on a Conchfish, (or other Chris Morejohn design) build.
These are probably better questions for Chris, however before I start bothering him I figured I would get some insight here first.
Things I want:
-Something closer to 18' so its either the Conchfish 17.5 or one of his other plans.
-I want to be able to fish 2 people pretty much every time, 3 people comfortably, and maybe 4 on a rare occasion.
-I want to be able to do this with some speed as well. I really want a 70hp yamaha 4 stroke.
-I want to be able to run across a bay in up to 2' chop and not get soaking wet.
I don't plan on doing this regularly, however if we drive 4-12 hours to a destination to fish, I dont want reasonable wind to completely keep us off the water. I don't want to be stuck if a storm picks up when I'm halfway between flamingo and islamorada.
Most of the conchfish builds I have seen have been 16' and 20-30 hp. Is the conchfish 17.5 rated for a 70 if built to spec?
Right now I am in a gheenoe lt25. Its a great little boat, has served us well, and will continue to do so, however we want a bigger boat. I want to be able to run across a bay in up to 2' chop and not get soaking wet. I am not looking for a bay boat. I still want a poling skiff. In fact poling ability is a very important part of this boat for me. I wanted a tiller, however my wife is not a fan. So I will be building as low a profile side console as I can. Open cockpit.
Having said all of this, is it possible to get all of these things and still be able to run on plane in less than 1' of water? I saw first hand all of the prop scars in florida bay and I do not want to be a contributor of that. Being able to hop on plane from a "pothole" is another ability I want.
Am I looking for a unicorn or is this a boat that I can build?
These are probably better questions for Chris, however before I start bothering him I figured I would get some insight here first.
Things I want:
-Something closer to 18' so its either the Conchfish 17.5 or one of his other plans.
-I want to be able to fish 2 people pretty much every time, 3 people comfortably, and maybe 4 on a rare occasion.
-I want to be able to do this with some speed as well. I really want a 70hp yamaha 4 stroke.
-I want to be able to run across a bay in up to 2' chop and not get soaking wet.
I don't plan on doing this regularly, however if we drive 4-12 hours to a destination to fish, I dont want reasonable wind to completely keep us off the water. I don't want to be stuck if a storm picks up when I'm halfway between flamingo and islamorada.
Most of the conchfish builds I have seen have been 16' and 20-30 hp. Is the conchfish 17.5 rated for a 70 if built to spec?
Right now I am in a gheenoe lt25. Its a great little boat, has served us well, and will continue to do so, however we want a bigger boat. I want to be able to run across a bay in up to 2' chop and not get soaking wet. I am not looking for a bay boat. I still want a poling skiff. In fact poling ability is a very important part of this boat for me. I wanted a tiller, however my wife is not a fan. So I will be building as low a profile side console as I can. Open cockpit.
Having said all of this, is it possible to get all of these things and still be able to run on plane in less than 1' of water? I saw first hand all of the prop scars in florida bay and I do not want to be a contributor of that. Being able to hop on plane from a "pothole" is another ability I want.
Am I looking for a unicorn or is this a boat that I can build?