Hi

I talked to the builder of my boat today to discuss the project, it would be a 2072 with twin GTR37EFI engines.

I asked him about the material and he first said he recommended .190gauge bottom and .125gauge sides, 3 piece. I then asked the difference in weight between that set up and .125gauge all around and he said about 120pounds.

Then he said, if you are not going to abuse of it you can go .125gauge all over and safe the extra weight and he said that's what he recommended so I agreed on going with .125.

there are a lot of stumps in my area but when I do hit them I am going realy slow, in the area I run fast there are no stumps.

do you all think .125gauge it's more than enough or should I go with the .190gauge regardless of the extra weight? I am looking for performance so that's why I try to skip those 120 extra pounds/

thank You for your advice

With that kind of weight I would go 3/16ths (.190) all day long. You will beat the hell out of a 1/8th bottom in the stumps. And with a dual rig you will never notice the extra weight of the bottom

If you run any kind of stumps I would go 3/16 on the bottom. 1/8 will not last at all in the stumps.


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If u run any stumps at all, go 3/16". If not, then 1/8" is plenty good.

Those duals will hardly even notice the difference if at all. I'd rather 1 mph less the a screwed up hull !

It's not the same as having a 120lb lab sitting in one spot. That weight is evenly distributed over the entire length and width of the hull. Slow rolling stumps tears the bottom up just as bad if not worse than running through on plane. Like others said, if you run stumps, get 3/16.

Thank You guys for all the replies and advice.

A 3/16 may and can be faster than a 1/8 bottom. The thicker material will stay "true" and flat thus creating no hooks. The slightest hook in a hull will have tremendous effects on the performance. My 3 piece hull, 3/16 bottom and 1/8 sides is way faster, hole shot, than my buddies all 1/8 hull. The extra weight is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

I agree with these guys, I will never own another boat with a 1/8" bottom, 3/16 all the way

Another vote for 3/16

Will gatortail build a 3/16 bottom boat? Just out of curiosity

Thank You guys for all your replies and advice. I Will go with .190 bottom

On Blackshear??? That lake is clean compared to Seminole! Only stump I hit was with hotsauce170, and we barely brushed it, boat was sitting lower then normal with his 330lb ass in it tho

I dont need to hit stumps for me to break shafts tho

Trim up!

Something about hitting stumps that yall arent telling him is that slow is the worst way to hit a stump. Unless you're actually idling along and just barely tap it you'd be better off getting on plane.

thank You all for your feedback

In my last boat, opening day I had 4 people and gear in it at I was running wide open through probably the stumpiest bayou that y'all probably know nothing about and didn't get the first dent in it. Actually that boat had about 130 hrs on it and been ran in stumps the whole time and never put a dent in it.

I hear folks that dent 3/16 but with my experience with having 3 hulls with 3/16 and only one hull that has a dent in it and they all run in the same area. They are tough if they are braced right.


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