Trophy Fishing TN Forum - Caney Fork Trout Fly Fishing - Caney Fork Trout Guide
Boating => Shallow Water River Boats and Jet Boats.. => Topic started by: DSchlact on October 22, 2010, 04:29:35 PM
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Hey ya'll - just recently joined the forum...been "browsing" for a while now. Here is a picture of my Gheenoe. If you see me out and about (usually on the Stones River and JPP...occasionally on the Caney) holler:
2008 Gheenoe Classic
20 HP Nissan 4 Stroke with Power Tilt
Stik Steer Setup
(http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/rr89/dschlact/Copyof03022009003.jpg)
I love fishing out of this boat and would love to talk Gheenoe with anyone who might be interested.
Dave
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Welcome to the board, and nice rig you have there.
JW
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Yep thanks for the intro. BD and David and a few others have Gheenoe boats so your in good company.
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I've got a 13' riverhawk that I share with my brother.
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Welcome to the board! Nice rig and you will find good company here.
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Thanks for the welcome!
Bfish...I'm got a couple of friends with Riverhawk B-60's. They make a nice boat!
How does yours hold up to the beating on the river or at the ramp...I have had to patch the gel coat a few times already...mainly from getting scratched up on the ramp.
Dave
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I always anchor a few feet offshore and wade to the bank to avoid crunching up my gelcoat on a concrete ramp. That's the only thing I don't like about Gheenoes - fiberglass and rocks don't mix. They're the perfect river fishing boat other than that. Where they're made down in Florida, it's mostly sand and mud flats, so they don't have those worries down there, unless they happen to hit an oyster bed.
I've thought about putting Line-X on the hull, but I've heard conflicting views about that. Mike's got Line-X on his Supreme and it seems to help, though it's not bulletproof. My main concern is that it slows the boat down. I'm running a Classic with a 15hp. It gets me where I need to go just fine, but I wouldn't want to lose any speed. If I had a 25hp, I'd probably be okay getting the Line-X.
I'd also love to put a good jack plate on my boat one day. If I could just get it to run 5 or 6 inches skinnier, it would make a world of difference in the river.
bd
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Mine has truck bedliner on it. Slows it down pretty good, but we only run a 6 hp on it (ssh it is rated for only 5). My brother's house has summer water, so we launch at the nearby marina with floating dock. No rocks to worry about. We do beach it often at his house, but it is a soft mud bank.
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I have considered just putting some line-x on the front section...just enough to cover from the bow eye down to about 3 feet back from there. This way I can beach it at the ramp or on a gravel bar and not worry about the scratches, but the line-x would be completely out of the water while running anything more than idle so it shouldn't effect speed that way. I called and talked to the line-x guy in Smyrna about this, he seems to think it should work just fine for what I am looking for.
With the 20HP 4 stroke (HEAVY), gas tank and group 27 battery all in the back, I draft a few more inches than I would like to while I am underway, but I don't really see any other way to set it up. Putting the battery and gas tank anywhere else really isn't feasible. Once I am fishing (from bow casting deck) the boat is really well balanced and I can float in 6 inches of water if I didn't have too much for breakfast that day :)
Were do you guys run your boats? I am primarily a Stones River/JPP guy, but would like to know if there are some other Gheenoe friendly waters around Middle TN?
I just got back from a business trip that took me through Northern Middle TN and Southern Kentucky...I haven't been through that area in such a long time, but it seems like there are some nice rivers up that way...anyone ever get up there?
Dave
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Here is a picture showing my bow:
(http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/5328/dsc01951b.jpg) (http://img36.imageshack.us/i/dsc01951b.jpg/)
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Nice looking rig! What year is it? Is that one of the "lowsider" models from the late 70's early 80's? Its hard to tell from the picture. What product did you use for the bedliner on the bottom?
Dave
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I have no clue on the year but I think it is mid 90's. It is a 12'6" Riverhawk. The liner was placed on it by the previous owner, sorry for the lack of details.
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how does the trolling motor mount work for you? I currently have a square piece of aluminum fencepost that I am using. It does the job fine, but is starting to wear out a bit from tightening the clamps down. Seems like wood might hold up better to the pressure. Gheenoe sells some really nice welded aluminum mounts, but I have never been able to justify dropping that much $ for one. Here's mine. Cost $10 for a 4 foot section of fencepost from Hooper Fence. Still have 2 feet left for when this one wears out:
(http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/rr89/dschlact/01182010001.jpg)
Dave
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The one in the pictured is from the previous owner which had it zip tied to the metal deck plate, with a transom mount motor.
I turned the head around and have a different mount. Much sturdier than the one in the pic, but of similar design.
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Hi DSchlact,
I'm brand new to the forum as well, but I've been browsing for a while now.
I'm currently in the market for a boat and have it narrowed down to two boats...
A River Hawk B-60 pro caster and the Gheenoe Super 16.
Either of these boats will be getting the same motor you chose, the Nissan 4-stroke 20HP. How do you like it, besides it being heavy? I live in Mount Juliet, so I'll be fishing some of the same water as you, although I like fly fishing the Caney as much as possible.
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I love the motor and feel it would be even more well suited to the 2 boats you mention...maybe the b60 more than the Super. I would STRONGLY recommend adding the Custom Ghennoe LT 25 to your list as well. The Super 16 is a bigger boat and I think it was built to pair up better with a larger motor. 25HP and up - longshaft. I get the impression that it is a more stout boat all around and might draft a little more than the b60 or LT25 would. There is a Gheenoe Dealer in Lynchburg (TN Trout Bum) and another one in Antioch (The Boat Locker).
The LT25 and B60's will both have a wider transom as compared to my Gheenoe Classic...the stern will float skinnier at rest and will get up on plane easier and run faster overall. My buddie's b60 with a nissan 15 horse would run 1-2 mph faster than my Classic with the 20hp...I think the wider transom played a major part in that.
I love my Classic, but I wish I had known more about the LT25's when I was shopping. If I buy another boat, that would probably be it. It is more stable, drier ride, shallower floating and you can have it built just about any way you want to. You would be doing your boat search a disservice if you did not at least give them a look in my opinion....but to answer your question:
I would not hestitate to put the Nissan 20HP 4 stroke on either the B60 or LT25. I would consider a bigger motor for the Super 16, but it would probably do just fine on that boat too as long as you are not looking to be a speed demon. The motor is strong running, reliable, super quiet when running and very smoooth. I feel good knowing that I am not dumping oil into the water when running the 4 stroke too and feel this is a fair trade-off for a little extra weight as compared to a 2 stroke motor that might be lighter.
Sorry for the rambling post...if you want to chat more about the motor or boats, give me a PM and I can give you my phone number.
Good luck...and definitley let me know what you end up getting...maybe even post some pics.
Dave
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Dave...thanks a lot for the advice. I don't think you were rambling at all, this is great info for a guy getting ready to make an important purchase like this. I'm already looking into the LT25's and might head down to the Boat Locker this week to get some more info.
I am also pleased to hear the good review of the Nissan 20HP 4 stroke. I had a feeling it would be very quiet and a good motor to put on boats this size.
I'll take you up on your offer of PMing if I have more questions, I'm sure I will because I want to make sure I've researched everything to death before I drop the money.
Some day you'll have to tell me about the good spots on the Stones...that isn't too far away from where I live.