I currently have a 1652 flat that i use for bowfishing during the summer and duck hunting during the fall. I am looking at buying a boat for dedicated duck hunting only. Have been looking at many boats....excel, phowler, gator trax etc. Which one? Opinions one each?

Check out the custom builders, you can generally get more boat for a better price.

I have a Phowler and I am very pleased with the boat and my experiences with the company. I actually had them build two boats for me within a few months of each other, but that is another story. I selected them because of their warranty, the offering of a hull size I wanted, their USCG rated floatation hulls, how easy it was to communicate with them, and the lack of any complaint records with the BBB or the state's department of consumer affairs. Two years after the sale and they are just as helpful and responsive as before I signed the purchase order(s). I've found the same to be true of the good folks at ProDrive as well.

With that said, add Uncle-J and ProDrive to your list and talk to (and research) them all. It is a custom/semi-custom boat. Be sure you can communicate with them and that you believe you can get the boat you want with all the features you want.

Lastly, If you want to get it nearly right the first time, spend as much time as is practical looking at the photos of rigs on this site and the builder's sites. These guys and their builders come up with some very useful and aesthetically pleasing options on their boats that could help your new rig better suit your needs and look sharp doing it.

My research began here as well. You've started in the right place. Best of luck!

Man I love my Phowler -