Help me choose a 22’ aluminum bay boat

CRB357 · Nov 17, 2024

Looking to go from an 18’ to a 22ft. I fish mostly Louisiana Gulf Coast inshore marshes for Red fish in very shallow like 12”-18” and bays for Spec trout. Also go to Toledo Bend for bass and booze cruising with friends and family. Storage for boat is no longer an issue.

Right now with the 18’ I have to pick my days when the wind isn’t above 12 mph. Bays get too rough and the wind blows the little 18’ around in the marsh. Also, it’s a 2 person max fishing boat size/space wise.

Aluminum is the only way for me. Too many oyster reefs and other stuff. I prefer the light weight and ease of care. So not interested in glass boats.

Not looking for a “flats” boat or anything. Just a regular bay boat that can handle rough water with 4 people and fish in 15” of water.

How shallow can a boat like a 22ft Express H22 or similar type of boat go? People are telling me they can float in 14”.

Crazyboat · Nov 17, 2024

CRB357 said:
Looking to go from an 18’ to a 22ft. I fish mostly Louisiana Gulf Coast inshore marshes for Red fish in very shallow like 12”-18” and bays for Spec trout. Also go to Toledo Bend for bass and booze cruising with friends and family. Storage for boat is no longer an issue.

Right now with the 18’ I have to pick my days when the wind isn’t above 12 mph. Bays get too rough and the wind blows the little 18’ around in the marsh. Also, it’s a 2 person max fishing boat size/space wise.

Aluminum is the only way for me. Too many oyster reefs and other stuff. I prefer the light weight and ease of care. So not interested in glass boats.

Not looking for a “flats” boat or anything. Just a regular bay boat that can handle rough water with 4 people and fish in 15” of water.

How shallow can a boat like a 22ft Express H22 or similar type of boat go? People are telling me they can float in 14”.

Floating in 14" and running in 14" are very different. add at least another 12" on to that unless you run a JET, even then I'd want to add 6" to be safe. IDK what kind of bottoms you fish, but if firm enough you can always get out and push a light boat as long as you've got some water under you.

CRB357 · Nov 17, 2024

Floating in a foot of water fishing with prop up out water. Ha, I’m not running 14” man.

AlanT · Nov 18, 2024

The Avid aluminum boats look nice, but I haven't been on one and no idea of cost.

CRB357 · Nov 18, 2024

I believe it was an Avid I looked at a few weeks ago. The front deck was very narrow.

CRB357 · Nov 18, 2024

I’m more concerned about bigger boats floating in shallow water. I’ll narrow it down once I know which boats will actually do what I need them to do.

Alvarez1112 · Nov 18, 2024

I can't help with the draft of boats, but I would definitely recommend getting eyes on all potential boats that you're interested in. The build quality and fit/finish may choose for you. I just picked up a new Prodrive boat (not the same I know) but I looked at several other manufactures and the build quality was night and day different. I wasn't too impressed with the Excel boats. I checked out an Avid while that the dealer had on the lot and it was quite a bit nicer. Much more solid and quieter, even down to the weld quality.

CRB357 · Nov 18, 2024

I guess what I need to know is when a manufacturer says 14” draft, what is the real world number? I’m assuming any specifications are “dry” with no gear, fuel, etc in the boat. I want to know if anyone has a 22ft+ aluminum and if they can fish in shallow water.

surfsidenick · Nov 18, 2024

CRB357 said:
Looking to go from an 18’ to a 22ft. I fish mostly Louisiana Gulf Coast inshore marshes for Red fish in very shallow like 12”-18” and bays for Spec trout. Also go to Toledo Bend for bass and booze cruising with friends and family. Storage for boat is no longer an issue.

Right now with the 18’ I have to pick my days when the wind isn’t above 12 mph. Bays get too rough and the wind blows the little 18’ around in the marsh. Also, it’s a 2 person max fishing boat size/space wise.

Aluminum is the only way for me. Too many oyster reefs and other stuff. I prefer the light weight and ease of care. So not interested in glass boats.

Not looking for a “flats” boat or anything. Just a regular bay boat that can handle rough water with 4 people and fish in 15” of water.

How shallow can a boat like a 22ft Express H22 or similar type of boat go? People are telling me they can float in 14”.

Aluminum Ranger RB 200 might fit your requirements

Henk van Gerwen · Nov 18, 2024

CRB357 said:
Looking to go from an 18’ to a 22ft. I fish mostly Louisiana Gulf Coast inshore marshes for Red fish in very shallow like 12”-18” and bays for Spec trout. Also go to Toledo Bend for bass and booze cruising with friends and family. Storage for boat is no longer an issue.

Right now with the 18’ I have to pick my days when the wind isn’t above 12 mph. Bays get too rough and the wind blows the little 18’ around in the marsh. Also, it’s a 2 person max fishing boat size/space wise.

Aluminum is the only way for me. Too many oyster reefs and other stuff. I prefer the light weight and ease of care. So not interested in glass boats.

Not looking for a “flats” boat or anything. Just a regular bay boat that can handle rough water with 4 people and fish in 15” of water.

How shallow can a boat like a 22ft Express H22 or similar type of boat go? People are telling me they can float in 14”.

Xpress is the top choice. You can ask them your questions and they will reply prompt! I'm running an Xpress for over 10 years, not a bay boat because I only do fresh water fishing. But the boats are rugged and bullet proof. You can't go wrong with them.

David Atkins · Nov 18, 2024

CRB357 said:
Looking to go from an 18’ to a 22ft. I fish mostly Louisiana Gulf Coast inshore marshes for Red fish in very shallow like 12”-18” and bays for Spec trout. Also go to Toledo Bend for bass and booze cruising with friends and family. Storage for boat is no longer an issue.

Right now with the 18’ I have to pick my days when the wind isn’t above 12 mph. Bays get too rough and the wind blows the little 18’ around in the marsh. Also, it’s a 2 person max fishing boat size/space wise.

Aluminum is the only way for me. Too many oyster reefs and other stuff. I prefer the light weight and ease of care. So not interested in glass boats.

Not looking for a “flats” boat or anything. Just a regular bay boat that can handle rough water with 4 people and fish in 15” of water.

How shallow can a boat like a 22ft Express H22 or similar type of boat go? People are telling me they can float in 14”.

I did a lot of research on just this same type of boat; found the Avid 23 mag. fit my book of needs.

SPECS

Length
22' 7"
Beam
101"
Transom Height
25"
Max Horsepower
250 HP
Side Height
27"
Bottom Width
69"
Approximate Draft
12"
Aluminum - 5052 Marine Grade Alloy
0.125
Deadrise @ Transom
13°
Deadrise @ Entry
45°
Approximate Weight
1,634 LBS
Fuel Capacity
50 Gallons*
Forward Livewell/Baitwell
25 Gallons
In-Console Livewell
10.5 Gallons
Persons and Total Persons Weight
8/1157 lbs
Max Weight Capacity
2030 lbs

website: https://avid-boats.com/23-mag/

David Atkins · Nov 18, 2024

CRB357 said:
I believe it was an Avid I looked at a few weeks ago. The front deck was very narrow.

I didn't feel like the front deck of Avid 23 mag was too narrow, but I'm not holding a dance up there either, had my wife and I on it and it seemed like we had enough room to cast and fish together without bumping into each other!

CRB357 · Nov 18, 2024

Have you been in 12” of water?

David Atkins · Nov 19, 2024

CRB357 said:
Have you been in 12” of water?

Actually yes I have been in 12 inches and less; I have also gotten out of the boat in less than 6 inches and slid it across a sand bar to get into deeper water to where flounder where holding. I think if it has been tried and many times done fishing I would be guilty of it. I was raised on the water and from the age of 4 or 5 and now 71 yrs old I have spend considerable time on the water fishing. Do I run at speed in that shallow of water, not usually but have run across sand bars where I could look back and see my skeg tracks where it slid through the ground and another reason why I use a hydraulic jack plate to assist in keeping the motor up when necessary.

CRB357 · Nov 19, 2024

David Atkins said:
Actually yes I have been in 12 inches and less; I have also gotten out of the boat in less than 6 inches and slid it across a sand bar to get into deeper water to where flounder where holding. I think if it has been tried and many times done fishing I would be guilty of it. I was raised on the water and from the age of 4 or 5 and now 71 yrs old I have spend considerable time on the water fishing. Do I run at speed in that shallow of water, not usually but have run across sand bars where I could look back and see my skeg tracks where it slid through the ground and another reason why I use a hydraulic jack plate to assist in keeping the motor up when necessary.

I was just referring to the Avid being in 12” as the specs say it can. With a normal load of fuel and gear. Not if you have ever been in shallow water.

David Atkins · Nov 19, 2024

CRB357 said:
I was just referring to the Avid being in 12” as the specs say it can. With a normal load of fuel and gear. Not if you have ever been in shallow water.

That was what I was actually stating that for the Avid boat in question (23 mag), we were in 12 inches of water with 250 HP Yamaha outboard, 2 men full load of rods and reels (10) and artificial lures & tackle; sorry if it wasn't clearly stated.

CRB357 · Nov 19, 2024

Cool then. That is pretty good to hear. I definitely like the Avid. My main fishing buddy is a large man, together we take up a lot of space on the front deck. That is a concern though. I’m going to take my tape measurer and see what the front deck is actually size wise.

flatheadsteve · Nov 19, 2024

Xpress has 2 diffrent hulls for the bay boats. I have a H bay I would recommend looking into the x bay for your usage. It has a self bailing hull unlike most others and is slightly wider and deeper than the H bay. I love my 20ft H bay it goes everywhere from shallow rivers, to deep mountian lakes, and sees a little time in coastal waters and the Chesapeake Bay too. Get a good jack plate and you can idle through skinny water just fine. I know the hyperlift hulls are barely in the water at speed but I've never been brave enough to test the limits. If all I had to worry about was sand I might try. Avid would be another worth considering and gator trax too.

CRB357 · Nov 22, 2024

David Atkins said:
I didn't feel like the front deck of Avid 23 mag was too narrow, but I'm not holding a dance up there either, had my wife and I on it and it seemed like we had enough room to cast and fish together without bumping into each other!

I was mistaken, it was an Excel that I looked at with the narrowish front deck.

CRB357 · Nov 22, 2024

After thinking on it, I think the best plan is to keep my 18’ and get a bigger 24ft, like that Lounge series from Express. All issues solved. Now to convince wife…

Help me choose a 22’ aluminum bay boat

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