# New duck boat question.



## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

Ok I was already signed up to buy a new boat an 18 ft tracker with 36 HP PD. 
after reading reviews and talking to people I am second guessing this. 
I have a 16ft crest liner with a 27 HP long tail and a 14ft with a 18 HP surface drive. And they have always worked well but don't seem to haul big loads well. 

So here is my question. Is the new purpose built mud hulls really that much better? Now I'm looking at boats like phowler and gatortraxx and pro drive. 
Are these newer mud style boats really worth the extra money. 
The tracker is $4200 new and these others are about $6600. That's a big difference. The motor will be the same price. 

Or how about a widow maker. What do they charge and are they worth it?


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Matt,

Just swing by my place on 5900s in hooper. I'll swap ya straight across. Your 16 footer for my 14 foot heavy hauler.


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

utahbigbull said:


> Matt,
> 
> Just swing by my place on 5900s in hooper. I'll swap ya straight across. Your 16 footer for my 14 foot heavy hauler.


That's on my way home. I'm on 5900.

If I weld my 14 to yours then ill have 18 ft of fun:grin:

My 16 is pretty good with the weight the 14 sucks. But I do over load it sometimes.

My biggest problem is the wife keeps getting pissed that I'm late. So I told her i need a faster boat and the new boat would make me get home on time.


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Hoopermat said:


> That's on my way home. I'm on 5900.
> 
> If I weld my 14 to yours then ill have 18 ft of fun:grin:
> 
> ...


Wondered if that was you driving past my place on your way home with the boat after the youth fair?!? Think you're just west of me. U know where the John Deere service truck is that's parked on the corner just east of ya?


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

utahbigbull said:


> Wondered if that was you driving past my place on your way home with the boat after the youth fair?!? Think you're just west of me. U know where the John Deere service truck is that's parked on the corner just east of ya?


Yup. Your four houses away.

You need a blind on your boat?
It behind your truck right?
We're going to re grass the two boats this week. Might have some left over. Could build a quick frame.


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Haha small world. Think I know your house. Seen the boats out there and always told my wife one of those was mine.


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

utahbigbull said:


> Haha small world. Think I know your house. Seen the boats out there and always told my wife one of those was mine.


For such a small city sure is a lot of us on this forum.


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## Hunter_17 (Mar 15, 2008)

There are a lot of boats on 5900. I am just west of you both 1 block. Another guy few house west of me and 1 guy way east.


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

I know someone on here is with widow maker boats. Please PM me.


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## Hunter_17 (Mar 15, 2008)

Have either of you been checking the gates to Ogden or Howard to see if there open yet?


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

Hunter_17 said:


> Have either of you been checking the gates to Ogden or Howard to see if there open yet?


Nope not yet.


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Hunter_17 said:


> There are a lot of boats on 5900. I am just west of you both 1 block. Another guy few house west of me and 1 guy way east.


Sounds like we're gonna have to start a Hooper 5900s quacker smacker club haha


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## kev (Feb 7, 2008)

Widow Maker boats are worth every penny. They are specifically designed for the marshes around here and are designed to be used with the new mud motors. Small things like, transom angle, transom height, draft, round chines, tapered hull, things like that all add up.
Look up Widow Maker boats in google, or Chuck Harsin, he's the owner.

Two thumbs up from me.

Also, Chuck is one of the most stand up guys I know. He'll treat you right.

Later,
Kev


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## chuck harsin (May 1, 2011)

I'm not really a guy to toot the horn so to speak but since I got asked outright..... YES a true mud hull is that much better for the type of conditions we run here (shallow hard pan flats). One ride would prove my point! That being said our boats (Widow Maker Boats) are specifically designed for our flats not timber filled stump laiden warzones like the majority of the mud hulls on the market. So what does that mean? We can build a brickhouse solid tub without the added weight the others need to hold out the 25 stumps they will hit today in their neck of the woods. We are on average 20% lighter that a apple to apple commercial built boat. Our base model 16x44 comes in at 380# and our 18x44 comes in at 410# or one of our 9' lockable deck boats is only in the 460# range. Not that our competition are bad boats because they are not! A GTrax is a great boat just built heavier than what we need here. There are some design features on our boats you just don't find on others, combined they are the reason these boats float so shallow and run so quickly. My 18x44 with a 35 lt and empty boat will float in 2.5 to 3" of water. Plenty of light weight rivet boats will also but remember apple to apple, .125 thickness, all weld, round chine, slick bottom, with a custom 9' lockable deck with hydraulic rams and all the sudden the competition is sitting on the hard pan mud. 

Mud hulls are more money than Jon boats that is a fact, there is more material and more man hours in an all weld as opposed to one that is a "stamped" tub. But again one ride will prove the point! I have said it many times before if you are hunting in 12+ inches of water with a good prop a boat is a boat, if you want to go into 6-" with a hard bottom and get back out you had better have the right boat.
Again I was called out or I wouldn't have replied in such detail. The best way to find out about us is, when you see one of my customers at the ramp ask them...... But they may lie so you can't get to where they hunt!;-) 
Our 16x44 starts at $4200 18x44 is $4500 and we can build up to a 20x60.
You can check us out on facebook or widowmakerboats.com
If I can help I would be happy to.
Thanks, Chuck
Widow Maker Boats


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

chuck harsin said:


> I'm not really a guy to toot the horn so to speak but since I got asked outright..... YES a true mud hull is that much better for the type of conditions we run here (shallow hard pan flats). One ride would prove my point! That being said our boats (Widow Maker Boats) are specifically designed for our flats not timber filled stump laiden warzones like the majority of the mud hulls on the market. So what does that mean? We can build a brickhouse solid tub without the added weight the others need to hold out the 25 stumps they will hit today in their neck of the woods. We are on average 20% lighter that a apple to apple commercial built boat. Our base model 16x44 comes in at 380# and our 18x44 comes in at 410# or one of our 9' lockable deck boats is only in the 460# range. Not that our competition are bad boats because they are not! A GTrax is a great boat just built heavier than what we need here. There are some design features on our boats you just don't find on others, combined they are the reason these boats float so shallow and run so quickly. My 18x44 with a 35 lt and empty boat will float in 2.5 to 3" of water. Plenty of light weight rivet boats will also but remember apple to apple, .125 thickness, all weld, round chine, slick bottom, with a custom 9' lockable deck with hydraulic rams and all the sudden the competition is sitting on the hard pan mud.
> 
> Mud hulls are more money than Jon boats that is a fact, there is more material and more man hours in an all weld as opposed to one that is a "stamped" tub. But again one ride will prove the point! I have said it many times before if you are hunting in 12+ inches of water with a good prop a boat is a boat, if you want to go into 6-" with a hard bottom and get back out you had better have the right boat.
> Again I was called out or I wouldn't have replied in such detail. The best way to find out about us is, when you see one of my customers at the ramp ask them...... But they may lie so you can't get to where they hunt!;-)
> ...


PM sent.


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