[cdolan503]

Hey y'all,
I am currently in the process of trying to sell my 13' Gheenoe for a larger craft that is more comfortable for my wife to ride in so she'll actually look forward to taking the boat out.

I live in Charleston and primarily fly fish flats FWIW.

I have been looking at the Skimmer Skiff 16 6 as a possible option as it is one of the more budget friendly poling skiff options I have found. I am a big Gheenoe fan and could also be interested in the LT25. Can anyone speak to both of these boats and give some pros/cons?

Ideally, I think I would like the SS with a center console using a cooler as a jump seat. With the Gheenoe, I would probably go tiller with a grab bar the cooler fits inside of.

Besides the roughly $8-13k difference in price depending on set up, would it be a mistake to go Gheenoe? Does anybody know of any other boat makers like Skimmer in the same price range?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Christian

 

[Zika]

No experience with the Skimmer Skiffs, but I have fished several times on LT25s. It's a cool little craft that floats in spit and offers the ability to really sneak up on fish. A 25-hp two stroke is the ideal power, but it does pretty well with a F25 with the right prop and shifting weight. Narrow beam, so poling requires nimble movement and balance, plus coordination with your fishing partner. Runs all day on a 12-volt trolling motor and economical on gas as well.

The cons: Two anglers max. Storage and mobility is limited. This is also not a long range/open water skiff and it does tend to pound/slap in a chop. Weight distribution again helps somewhat, but the best case scenario is to launch close to where you want to fish in sheltered areas, keep an eye on the weather and realize its limitations.

Good luck with your deliberations and let us know what you end up with.

 

[Moonpie]

Here is a link to my Santee 160 CC review. Best of luck in your search.

2020 Santee 160 CC Review

After a lifetime of boating, mostly in large sail and power boats with six foot draft’s, I was in need of a shallow draft craft for our winter home in Coastal Georgia. Another factor was that I needed a craft light enough for my dock and boat lift, as well as the requirement to navigate the...

www.microskiff.com

 

[Viking1]

I've owned my LT25 for about 10 years. It was the first LT25 sold in 2007 and I am the third owner. Zika gave a good review of the boat. I have a lot of videos of the LT25 in action on my YouTube channel and I am including one on fishing the marshes in NE Florida below. Of the 5 boats I own the LT25 gets used the most because it fits my shallow water fishing style the best. The other reason I like the LT25 is that it is easy to pull behind almost any vehicle and I have fished it all along the Gulf coast from Louisiana to the Keys and up the Atlantic coast in the ICW. I have a tiller and grab bar set up like you said you are looking for. I have been very happy with it and would get the same set up again with maybe a front deck added. For your wife's comfort you could engineer a backrest on the front of the grab bar and she could sit on a cooler with a cushion. Some people will leave the cooler at home and use a bean bag chair in front of the grab bar. The bean bag is very comfortable. I don't have any experience with the Skimmer Skiff but I did look at their website and it looks like a nice boat too. In your price range you also may want to look at Ankona. The other thing you might want to add to your grab bar is some sort of receptacle to hold a beach umbrella. I've seen several people do this and it is nice to keep the sun off of you if you are hanging out on the sandbar or dipping bait. I am not much of a fan for Bimini tops but that is just me. Before you buy anything take a test drive to make sure it meets your expectations on the water. There are lots of good choices out there in boats and I hope you find what you are looking for.