Does anyone have a Rouge? I am looking into a 15' with a hunt deck this summer and was seenin what yall thought. If so what's pushing it? Thanks for the Info

i know of a fe people runnin the 16w hunt deck with big blocks and gettin 28-29mph. the weight difference from the 38'' bottom to 44 or 46'' is only 50-100 lbs from what iv heard. to me unless you have deminished width clearance the benfeit of having a wider boat to fish and for stablilty greatly outweighs that minimal 50-100 lbs.

Well what I was looking at was the 1638 but I could get a smaller length boat and with the addition to the hunt deck add some length to the boat. I agree a wider boat would be optimal so I could fish. I was thinking of putting the 23 from MB on it, you think that would give it enough speed. Also I am going to try and find it used so I could get a seperate motor and hull.

Someone was just asking about that on the MB forum and Kman added some info and pics.

I browsed through quick and didn't see it would you mind posting a link? How about speeds and preformance with the rouge?

Hey also figured I would throw in the use for the boat would but hunt during season with 2 guys and a dog and off season crusing and fishing with the dog and the ole lady...if that helps at all. Is this hull motor combo a good idea for that or is there better out there? I wont be buying until this summer so I have some time.

Hunt decks serve a purpose for some but adding length to a boat will be cheaper
If you don't do it by adding a hunt deck.

my buddy just ordered a 1538 rogue with HuntDeck. It is ready and should be here next sunday. He is putting a MB 23 bandi with carb and tuned exhaust. We will post back up to what the speeds and handling are when we get it run.

phoneman, thanks, let me know how it does because that was pretty much the setup I was looking for. other than the small block, I had been looking at the mini 27, but I am interested to see how the small block pushes it. I have a lot of family in Sumter. the Rigby family. Also by the time you get your rig and try it out it may be a while so pm me if its been some time.

if you do decide to do the rougue i would do the 23 mini simply because of the mods they have for it. i bet you could get that 23 close to pushing 35hp modded out

With the 23, what boat length and width would you recommend. Also, any negatives of the rouge? if there are a bunch I could look into some other shapes. Also I am doing this research so that I can get a rig this summer or at least before next season so I have some time to make the decision. Is the only reason to use the 23 mini over the small block the mods? I like the price of the small block but want to have long fast life out of the motor. I really appreciate all of the info guys.

honestly, i like the 27 better. I have a 27 GDSD and with my my buddies motor all hopped up, mine still was neck and neck with his and outrun it sometime. Also i got about 2grand less in mine as its stock and still has warranty. I think the kohler has a little more torque too.

So basically you pay more for the 27 SD now but in the long run you end up paying more for the small block to upgrade it? Sorry if I am kind of stupid when it comes to this but this is my first mudboat

don't quote me on price, but it will give you an idea. My 27 was 3900 roughly, my buddies 23 was like 3600. His carb was 600, exhaust was 500, mods to motor was about 400 or so, so that makes the 23 about 5100 bucks. For about 200 more bucks you could have a stock 35 and walk the dog on both motors. my .02

Phoneman, any info on how the boat ran this week?

Finally got the boat rigged and got to take it out. He was running 28.5 consistantly with one man and 25-27 with 2 and a cooler up and down stream. He loves the rig. I personally have not riden in it yet.

dang man If i was gonna get a 15 30somethin I would just get a canoe or a square stern like a gheenoe. the weight ratio would send you to the moon for speed and handle better. mud rigs need leeeeeeeeeenght. thats all I'm gonna say.

thats what he wanted man. Its actually a really sweet boat for the tight places we hunt. For the bigger water we'll take my 1648 but in the swamp, its gonna be hard to beat that rogue. If i ever get another mud rig, i'll get an 1838 with my 27 on it.

oh yeah and crawfish

AcolemrcU,

You didn't mention the weight of those 2 guys and dog so I'm
guessin ya'll are young and light.

But at 220 where I am smaller than most my hunting buddies the
16x48 is as small or short as is reasonable 18x48 is better.

Also square chine / tapered chine / round chine matter too, the
more square, the more lift at speed ans shallower draft.

Like phoneman I run the GDSD 1648 w/27 GDSD - but also run
a square chine 1742 w/27 GDSD - the 1742 will actually carry more
load cause it is square chine. The 1742 is 3 mph faster too - but
slides like a mutha in the turns at speed.

2 cents - get a 16 or longer - get a 27 or bigger - you will be
happy longer and resale will be much better too

2 more cents - the Rouge is round chine - at 15 to 16 foot it is gonna
sit really low in the water - you gonna need power to get going - forget the 23hp

PS - go look at the GD 18x38 too - if I wanted a round chine that's where my money would be going - w/35 GDSD --- it's one of their fastest combos
and has the power to blast off outta spit

Test drive - test drive - test drive

I agree with Texas Proud. I love my 1648, but that 1838 is nasty. Nab has one with a 35 on it and it is a beast. I've thought about asking him to trade boats with me.

My buddies rogue has a super hopped up 23 on it, but I think with a 27 it would produce similar numbers. If it was my primary rig, i'd go with the 18 and at least a 27. My buddy has his for the swamps and tight stuff and I have my GD for more open water. I wouldn't want to get in real big areas when the wi nd picked up in it though.

I am not even out of college, it will be 2 more years before I can get an 18' boat and a motor that big. That is the reason I am mostly looking at 15'-16' boats and smaller motors. Thanks for all the input thought.