War Eagle Boats

[war eagle man]

Hello all First post here and would apreciate the input.I have just recently ordered a 20 foot allumnium Boat with a 12 degree bottom. I order a yamaha 150 HPDI motor I want to add the following upgrades to it 1 hot foot pro,Hyd. Jack plate, hyd. steering, And pro trim duel switches to put my controls on the steering wheel.Would any of you guys have any thoughts on anything else I will need and what kind of speeds I can hit with this boat? The boat weighs 950 pounds. All comments are very much apreciated Thanks Todd

[marshmat]

Welcome aboard the forum
Is this your boat? http://www.wareagleboats.com/boats/d...p?id=9&catID=1 Seems to match what you describe, the 2072 LBDR version.
The 150 HPDI is right at the top of the suitable range for that boat, meaning that it'll go like stink in calm water (I wouldn't be surprised to see 40+ knots on the speedo) but will be a real handful to drive when things get rough or windy. Especially with the shallow deadrise, low freeboard and low weight, open water will require caution and a very light touch on the throttle.
Figure on a considerable amount of extra weight. That 900-odd pounds is probably the bare hull and fittings. Add the weight of the motor, plus 200 pounds per crewman, plus gear and fuel. It'll be fairly sensitive to loading and you'll have to experiment with where to put the gear and crew to get the best balance when running.
Hydraulic steering will make the driving a fair bit less tiring than muscling that beefy motor around on long trips. The jack plate is not a bad idea but will require some practice and testing to make the most of it. It may add a bit of top-end in calm water but I think the big advantage will be in better acceleration and the ability to get the motor out of harm's way when fishing the shallows.
Other equipment you might want to consider:
- Get a good set of lifejackets, it's surprisingly easy to fall overboard in these boats.
- Standard safety gear that doesn't appear to come with the boat includes a fire extinguisher, heaving line with float or ringbuoy, an anchor (if you do any serious fishing, you'll want a good one), sound and light signals (a Fox40 whistle and a high-power floating lantern will do), bailer (cut the bottom off an old bleach jug) etc. All told it's $50-$100 of gear that takes up almost no space, and that you may someday be very glad to have.
- The built in bilge pump appears to be rated at 500 gph peak. That's only eight gallons a minute, half that if the bilge is dirty. Fishing boats, especially fast open boats, take on a lot of spray and if you're going to be getting serious use out of this boat, a second bigger bilge pump would be a good idea.

[war eagle man]

Pretty close but I got the side console and better seats.Havent got it yet I wont get it till sometime in June

[war eagle man]

Thanks for the reply you did give me some more things to think about. And I do know about falling out.Last duck season I fell out in 15 foot of water with my waders on.That on sucked