I am in the market for a new rig. Here is where I am at.

I hunt 90% standing timber which means I spend a lot of time jumping stumps and logs but not too much time in the mud. I occasionally make trips to swamps around here and in IA where vegetation and mud come into play. Many of the places we hunt, we make a long run across open water (oxbows or up rivers) to get to where we run in the woods. So, I need to haul a load at good speed (commonly 3 guys, 1 dog, 100 magnums, blind, etc).

Of all the boats on the market, I am most attracted to the Gator-Tail boats in a range from 1748 to 1860. The Gator-Tail seems to have better fit and finish (wall to wall floors, no ankle breakers, etc).

I have also looked closely and considered the PD rigs around the same size. I tend to like the PD motors more for what I will be doing but like I said above the gatortail boat seems to be more "finished."

As a third option, I like the Excel boats. I cant find a Gator tail used and have found some nice, well kept Excel rigs for cheap. They have the .125 hulls and floorplans like I like (open).

So here is where I need your help: EXCEL BOATS- Are they constructed as well as say, a Go-Devil boat? Am I going to cuss that "icebreaker" keel and the sqaured off chines with a 35GTR or 36PD? Is the transom angle ok for either one? I know they are built for Mudbuddys.

Hizzoner on here runs an Excel with a 36 PD and it performs good. I have never owned an Excel, but from the ones I have seen, they are finished out well and look very well built. The only complaint I have heard about them is that they are very heavy.

I've only seen one around here a few times and feel there might be better options out there. I been attracted to Gueax customs latley and a 1748 will most likely be my next boat also check out the phowler they look pretty good too

Good luck, Good hunting..

I think you are headed more in the right direction looking at PD, Gator Tail or Phowler Boats if you want a timber boat. Excel made some good boats, they also made some models that seemed to underperform with surface drives compared to the other boats out there. Some of the early ones were .100 and .125 5052 vs. .125 5086 grade. From what I have seen on the various threads, the flats they made towards the end were good runners, ask Hizzer, he will give you the straight up.

PW

best bet is to have a builder build you a 18x48 or 20x48 square chine point bow bateau, with a modded stage 1 motor.

The Excels are some good looking rigs and seem well made. Theres a reason you are seeing some cheap prices, probably because folks are dropping them for something else that performs better. I don't remember seeing anyone post up anything about Excel hulls with modded motors so more power may be the answer for them. If your in TN then your close enough for some demos.

I had an Excel and the fit and finish is good. Some are good runners and some are not and I cannot tell you why. I now have a Geax 18 48 and it is very stable (taped chine) and like it a lot. Hauls a load much better than the Excel did. Do not worry about the 48 inch not being stable for 3 guys to stand up.

Larry

I have an Excel 1754 Midwest Edition (0.125 hull, no floatation, no Rhino liner, single taper chine).

Fit and finish is excellent, boat is very well made and tough. High sides and Tall transom are good for big water. Has lots of storage. Rivertrail trailers are pretty good too, if the ones you are looking at have one.

Performance with a stock 35 MB- 27-29 with me, 25-27 two guys, heavy blind, dog, full hunting load.

Headwork, exhaust, some stock carb/intake mods: 30-31mph with me; 29 two guys blind, dog, hunting load; 25.5 3 guys blind, dog, hunting load. Add a 4th person with blind, dog, hunting load and performance falls off.

Some of these boats perform really well. I have heard of some that don't. Not sure what they were thinking by spraying Rhino liner on them. Only thing I would change is 5086 aluminum because of the stumps I run.

Have only heard good things about the 1850 flat nose models for performance- its a fast hull. Tim Scott makes a good boat.





And yes, we run stumps:

Them ain't stumps unless you get 3 more feet of water. Theys trees now.

I have a 1854 GTB and a 35GTR. On a duck hunt in Rockport Tx I had 6 peps in the boat. It took a while to get up on plane the water was 6-8ft but I topped out a 24mph per gps.

IMO, Excel started off with the intention of making a mud boat out of a fishing boat. Tim Scott is big on fit and finish so he was making his initial boats with the insides skinned out and lots of boxes. The rigs were heavy. In my opinion, to heavy for what these motors do. That's why the early rigs ran fine with light loads and were dogs with heavy loads....unless you modded the motor. They have lightened them up some since then. He came out with the flat front mud boat right before the factory was hit by the tornado and they are great boats. I run one now and love it. Don't plan on changing anytime soon. From what I hear, Excel should be back up and running within the next few months and I also hear that they will be building with 5086, but up till now all boats have been 5052. That's probably the only thing that I don't like about my rig, but to be honest these changes seem to have been highlighted in the market just the past couple of years, so I'm sure that a lot of the older boats of any mfg. were 5052 as it wasn't really discussed much.

I wouldn't get a Midwest 1754 unless you plan on running a hot motor. If you can find the 1848 flat front Excel, it will serve you well. It sounds like they've got some cool stuff in the works for when they reopen, but if your not interested in new it won't matter.

Me personally, I'd stay away from anything used that isn't an 1848 flat unless it's not tricked out with a bunch of boxes (but most were). Some do fine, but many don't, simply because they were on the heavy side and need more motor.

X2 what Hizz....had a 1854MW and a 1851flat nose and the flat nose ran great just hated the gutter size......................seems the 18ft ran alot better then the smaller boats...............my 1854 ran 31mph with a hot motor, 32-33 with the 1851