I have been looking at the Geaux Customs.
Two boats of comparable size for duck hunting.
Not anything hardcore like you all in LA.
Dare I say... round vs tapered?

-The Lil' Outlaw 1738 "round" VS The 1740 "double tapered"?
-Roughly the same size. Not going fast. Not sliding off cypress knees.
-Some hard bottom, but mostly soft. Lower HP motor.
-21" or 17" sides. The 21" is crimped; the 17" is not.
-I am a big guy 6'6" 270 and will have a partner, dog and dekes.
-Figure up to a 700lb load.
-Don't want to be to shakey in the boat.
-The outlaw is a $1000 cheaper. I assume because its easier to manufacture?

Educate me with the pros and cons for what I am doing, - Duck Hunting!

Don't tell me to buy another brand!

38" and 40" wide boats are gonna be a bit "shaky" regardless of the brand.

The Lil outlaw is a very narrow boat. The beam is only 51 inches. In comparison a gatortrax rogue and a 1638 round chine go devil both have 56 inch beams. Are you running areas where size is an issue? A 44 inch bottom will be way more stable and still small enough to get in tight areas. You may want to see if they can build you a 1744 tapered. If they cant a custom builder can.

As it has been mentioned, generally more width = more stability. Unless you are planning on negotiating some tight timber, consider a bit more beam.

talk to some of the custom builder's on here, I'm sure they can build you a boat that size with square chines ( a little more stable) for that price or less.

Are you still plannin on the copperhead?
Do you want floatation?

The Lil Outlaw is a great boat but it sounds like you may want to go a bit bigger to fit your needs. Woodiebusters is right a tapered or hard chine will be a little more stable than a round chine. If you want to stay small then our 1740 tapered chine may better suit your needs. The outlaws beam is 51" ID if we measured from outside the gunnel then it will be 56" beam.

I say it would run mid to high 20s with one man and gear. Depends on how you distribute the weight in the boat and how good the motors running.

Yes, I am interested in staying on the small side.

I understand both boat styles will be more shakey than a wider boat. It sounds like you all think the round chine is not the best option for my application.
I will be going with a lower HP motor and I want storage, not floatation.

Small and light is what I want

What else should I be considering?

Keep the info flowing!

I just do not like a small boat. If you are just going to be in timber a 38 inch bottom might be ok. You will just have to be careful and load the boat right. Honestly if i were to go with a smaller boat strictly for timber, i would run a gatortrax rogue. They have a 38 inch bottom and round chines. With a 23hp these boats perform very will. The main thing is you dont want to under buy and be disappointed and wish you had bought a bigger boat.

You're a big old boy and if you are going to take a partner, dog and all the stuff you take hunting you should go with a minimum of 48" wide boat for stability and load carrying.