Help me build a budget flats boat with Merc power

[Capted]

I've been lurking for a minute and here it goes my 1st post. As the title states, I want to build a flats boat 18-20' with a 150-200 Merc. My goal is similar to what motorheadbishop had back in 2008. Since this is a startup project, meaning I do not have a hull, power, etc. My primary questions are what design features should I be looking for in a used hull. By design features I mean tunnel, pocket, center, side console, etc. not necessarily live well, fish well, etc. As for the power, what years should I look for or stay away from. As you can tell, I'm a newbie looking for a good starting point with room to grow in this hobby. Thank you in advance and please take it easy on me...

[Corona Mike]

Welcome To S&F! It Kind Of Depends What You Are Planning To Do With The Boat... If You Plan On Fishing Mostly, Horse Power Isn't As Important As If You Plan On Fishing A Little And Attending Boat Rallies A Little More Often.... You Will Tire Quickly Of Not Being Able To Keep Up! As Far As Bottom Design, That Mostly Depends On A Couple Of Things. #1) What Type Of Fish You Will Target Most. Red Fish Are Not As Spooky As Say A Bone Fish Or Permit Like They Target In The Keys So It You Plan On Fishing For Those, That Narrows Down Your Hull Design... NO TUNNEL BOATS! They Are Noisy! If You Plan On Fishing Tampa Bay, Tunnel Boats Work Fine. They Will Get You In "Skinnier" Water Than A "V" Hull. You Can Get A Merc V-6 135/150 That Is Still The Older Design Very Reasonable. They Are Lighter And Much Less Expensive Than The New Model Direct Injection Opti Max Motors. Look For As Large A Boat As You Can Afford Due Mostly To The Ride. Also Get As Good A Quality A Boat As You Can Afford Stay Away From Off Brand/Boats That Need Finishing/ETC... They Will Cost You More In The Long Run. One More Thing, Don't Get Stuck On A Pure Flats Boat, You Can Get A Good Bass Boat And "Modify" It To Fit Your Needs And It Will Most Likely Be A Little Less Expensive. Lastly, Broden Your Search Area. Take A Day Trip To The Upper Keys. Look For One With A Blown Motor. Have Cash In Hand. You Can Find Someone That Just Wants It Gone! The 135/150 2.0 Liter Motors Arn't That Hard To Find And Can Be Bought Reasonable. Good Luck With Your Search!

[Capted]

First and foremost, thank you for the quick response. Ideally, this vessel will fish mostly Tampa Bay with 2 sometimes 3. Cruise up to Rick's on the river for dinner with a family of 4 and attend rallies without being embarrassed to badly. I guess I should put it out there, I do have a buddy that wants to trade me his fresh mid 90's 20" 200 with controls.

[Corona Mike]

First and foremost, thank you for the quick response. Ideally, this vessel will fish mostly Tampa Bay with 2 sometimes 3. Cruise up to Rick's on the river for dinner with a family of 4 and attend rallies without being embarrassed to badly. I guess I should put it out there, I do have a buddy that wants to trade me his fresh mid 90's 20" 200 with controls.

That Helps That You Have Your Power Already. I'd Look In The Upper Keys Around Largo Or Islamorada For Something Like A 19' Action Or One Of The Lesser Priced Brands. They Arn't That Hard To Find Down There.... Don't Visit Boat Dealers Or You Will Think You Are Trying To Buy Gold!!... Check The Craigs List For Sale By Owner Adds. And Like I Said, Don't Discount The Bass Boats. Ranger, Triton, Skeeter, And Bullet To Mention A Few, Are Already Making A "Cross-Over" Model So, It Would Not Be Hard To "Convert" A Decent Bass Boat Over!

[Capted]

I found this converted hull in the classified section. http://www.screamandfly.com/showthread.php?297334-Bullet-flats-boat-copy I see that it has all the deck area, storage, etc. I will need to expand my search to include South Florida and not overlook crossovers. Thanks again!

[south599]

Prob one of the best cheapest style boats I can think of for that is a 19v Bullet. theres one for sale int tn right now with a 200 johnson in almost perfect condition ready to fish for $5800. Hard to beat that. A 2.4 200s are some of the lightest power to weight ratio (stock) motors out there. That above combo will have a 6in draft or less when you are on front deck. And a 19v setup with a 200 is a mid 80s boat.

[Capted]

Prob one of the best cheapest style boats I can think of for that is a 19v Bullet. theres one for sale int tn right now with a 200 johnson in almost perfect condition ready to fish for $5800. Hard to beat that. A 2.4 200s are some of the lightest power to weight ratio (stock) motors out there. That above combo will have a 6in draft or less when you are on front deck. And a 19v setup with a 200 is a mid 80s boat.
Do you happen to have a link for this boat?

[south599]

Fastest way will be to go on facebook go to the bullet boats page and itll be a blue 19v just posted

[south599]

Fastest way will be to go on facebook go to the bullet boat owners page and itll be a blue 19v just posted. Posted by matt.

[Varmint]

I'd buy a Paramount 21, with a 2.4/2.5/200 merc. Great bay chop hull with low freeboard and shallow draft

[m-tor]

I found this converted hull in the classified section. http://www.screamandfly.com/showthread.php?297334-Bullet-flats-boat-copy I see that it has all the deck area, storage, etc. I will need to expand my search to include South Florida and not overlook crossovers. Thanks again!

I wanted that exact boat but ended up with a different Legend Dominator 202 closer to home. Good thing about these is the deck lids are hard core aluminum so you don't have to worry about it getting tired like fiberglass does. Also, it is a fast hull same as the Bullet 20XD virtually so if you want to rip the channels you can. That boat needs a lot of work I'll tell you!! I got one that was pretty good condition rigged and all and I've spent a ton of time fixing little stuff on my Legend 202 like steering electronics rigging lighting and trailer wheels/bearings. The good thing is I love working on stuff like that but a project does take time away from being on the water.

[Capted]

Thank you for the sound advice. I'm truly not looking for an all out project (my wife and neighbors will kill me) just looking for a good starting point with room to improve. I'd rather find something that just needs to be tweaked and fine tuned. Bullet and dominator boats do not show up often near Tampa.