Hey, looking to buy a new boat. getting into duck hunting. would like a boat to fit 3 people, be able to duck hunt, and be able to fish for reds and specks in the lake and surrounding area. i dont plan on taking this bout to big water like venice or rigs/. thinking about the 1854 but all i see is open floor plans and no seating for guest when ridding around?

Here is how I laid out my 18x54 cc. She may be going up for sale in the next week or 2 if your interested.

Seat in front of my console. 24" tall sides make for a good, dry ride on big water.




I'll make you a great deal....I want a 24' to go a little further and carry a lot more! LOL

I've got an 1854 PD with the rear fish deck (3 seat pedestals on the fish deck), moved the rear seat in front of the console with seat pedestal, and have the side box that fits 3 people pretty easy. I can also have a few sit on the front deck facing back if need be. Most I've carried is 7 when my son and his buddies threw the motor off their boat and we had to carry them back with the people I already had.

Thanks guys they look like great rigs! I like the center console but people keep telling me you get stuck alot in South louisiana alot more with them can yall weigh in on this?

I can go anywhere a tiller boat can go.

CC will go just fine. I find there are some places I actually have an advantage over a tiller because they get in the thick marsh where it's settled on the bottom and it's hard for them to turn the handle whereas it's easy for me to turn the motor with hydraulic steering.

Plus you can still navigate tight canals pretty easy. That's all throttle control. I think my steering is only 2.5 turns from center to full turn.

Check out cotton mouth you can get a custom rig for the price of a used boat I have the 1754 with a stock gdsd running 25-26 with two guys and a fishing load

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

Thanks guys. I'm gonna see if I can schedule a test drive this week!

Next question. Is dual motors worth the money???? Will it add any mph??

That's what I was thinking. Just 1 motor and nice boat. But I was just curious.


What kind of water can these boats take? Lake ponchatrain can kick up in a minute. Would you'll feel comfortable in 3 footers in say a 1750 with high sides? Ik I got alot of questions but what better place to ask them righy???

My next rig is gonna be duals, but I've got a modded 1854 right now and it's a beast. I just want the security of the extra motor because I do travel pretty far around Bayou Black, plus doing 40+ is pretty nice lmao.

I would not suggest taking them out in Ponchatrain. I've had mine out in Lake Des Allemands in some 2-3' waves during a tropical storm and it was not fun....I really didn't think we were gonna make it back lol. I fish Lake DeCade sometimes and it gets pretty rough and you will learn to hug the banks. Go across the middle and you're gonna get beat up.

Nope. It'd have to be 19 before the hunt deck and 54" minimum before I'd touch 3 footers. Not to say it can't be done, but no. It's not worth the chance you take. Get a 20x60 with 24"+ sides, run a single modded or duals if thats the type of water you plan to run (and I suggest duals simply due to having redundancy if something happens to 1 engine in the dark).

On a good day the middle of Ponchatrain is about as good as the worst day on Des Allemands. That's a pretty rough lake when you get out there. There is plenty of marshy area around there and hundreds of canals to fish in that are great. If we go out there we ride the banks to where we wanna get too.

Then again, like Bryce said, it's your money.....you wanna take that thing across that like I'll gladly sit on the bridge with the video camera lmao.

Yea all I have had was fiberglass Bay boats and small Jon boats. I would like something I could run out of Delacroix and the lake with and if weather turns bad feel safe getting in. 18 foot fiberglass i know can get me in....not ideal but it does the trick... what is the best hulls to choose from? Gator trax? Excel? Prodrive? I hear so many things but I like the excel boats and gator trax.

I've got a PD hull and I love it. It's a little heavier than the GTR and GD hulls, but I've hit just about anything you can imagine and it takes it like a champ. I've heard bad things about the Excel hulls.

Do you have a prodrive motor as well. How do you like the for? I don't know if I would want to wait for motor to turn around to get into reverse. Especially when running my crawfish traps or trout lines. I think I would like a reverse that is quick and easy. But if it's alot better it may be worth it.

Do you have a prodrive motor as well. How do you like the for? I don't know if I would want to wait for motor to turn around to get into reverse. Especially when running my crawfish traps or trout lines. I think I would like a reverse that is quick and easy. But if it's alot better it may be worth it.

Do you have a prodrive motor as well. How do you like the for? I don't know if I would want to wait for motor to turn around to get into reverse. Especially when running my crawfish traps or trout lines. I think I would like a reverse that is quick and easy. But if it's alot better it may be worth it.

I have a PD 37 EFI with the Delta Performance level 3 (stage 2) kit on it.

The reverse takes about 3 seconds to turn around. Once it's engaged you have all the power you have in fwd going backwards. It can be an aggravation at times, but I will say this. The GTR reverse sucks big time. You get in a bind and it won't get you out of anything unless it's very light stuff. You get in some serious stuff you aren't getting out with any reverse except the PD. There is a slight learning curve with the PD, but once you learn how to operate with the FPR you can't remember how you lived without it. You can literally pull the entire boat onto land and then just back off.

Once you get good with it you're gonna love it. The first couple times I had trouble pulling up to the dock solo and judging when to let it drift in. Now I know the boat and I run in as far as I need too then kick it out of gear, walk to the front, grab the rope, and step right off onto the dock as it is about to stop.

I have a PD 37 EFI with the Delta Performance level 3 (stage 2) kit on it.

The reverse takes about 3 seconds to turn around. Once it's engaged you have all the power you have in fwd going backwards. It can be an aggravation at times, but I will say this. The GTR reverse sucks big time. You get in a bind and it won't get you out of anything unless it's very light stuff. You get in some serious stuff you aren't getting out with any reverse except the PD. There is a slight learning curve with the PD, but once you learn how to operate with the FPR you can't remember how you lived without it. You can literally pull the entire boat onto land and then just back off.

Once you get good with it you're gonna love it. The first couple times I had trouble pulling up to the dock solo and judging when to let it drift in. Now I know the boat and I run in as far as I need too then kick it out of gear, walk to the front, grab the rope, and step right off onto the dock as it is about to stop.

i like those videos! very good to see what the rig can do. Has anyone ran a v bottom like the excel f4? can these preform in 6 inches of water? just curious...

True v bottom isn't very good in the mud....too much drag. A semi-v is ok if you wanna go in some rougher water, but I wouldn't go full v.

I've heard mixed reviews of the excel hulls. If I had to choose I'd go with someone like Prodigy over an Excel. Unless I was getting a PD, then I'd get the PD hull.

Who would yall say is the top hulls for a mod v? I called prodrive and they said they don't have any boats with that. They can put a v front but it won't help with waves

It sounds like a outboard with a tunnel hull and jack plate may be better for you

T-Bubba anyone you can point me to so i can do some research on this? who makes a good tunnel hull? how shallow can these things go? thanks for the input im definitely going to start looking into this option.

Eric Romero (Custom Aluminum Boats) Hwy 90 Lydia louisiana

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

thanks going check them out now.