Ok what exactly is the whole purpose of a hunt deck? From the pics I have seen they look to small to hunt from. What the he'll are they far??

for ur dog can be used for many things most guys run them with the gtr to keep less water out the boat but they r really nice

to help keep backwash from coming over the transom when you stop suddenly or with a reverse like a GTR's. i guess a dog can sit on it but its not ment to hunt from. Helps with getting in the boat in shallow water too.

i have a huntdeck on my gator trax and i love it.. easy to get in and out of the water when wading, no backwash period, nice spot for the dog, good bowfishing spot for 2 people, get the motor 20 inches further away from you so if u hunt out of your boat the handle isnt right in your way. good place to fish from too. pretty sure there are alot more advantages to it.

X2 on what they already said and i went from a boat with no hunt deck to a boat with one and its just so much more convenient, driving slowly around the marsh i stand on it and drive and im able to see a lot more. overall well worth it

They are great!!

Cool I might have to look into that. Thanks for all the input

I like mine. No more water in the boat in reverse and my battery, bildge pump, and tool box are under in. Keeps that stuff out of the weather.

I fish out of my rig so wade fishing & getting back in is super easy with the hunt deck. I have hunted off mine FYI but half my arse was hanging off

A tall transom boat/motor will prevent backwash just as well. A huntdeck boat is harder to turn at slow speeds as the tiller end is outside the boat and you have to hang over the side/back to turn sharp. When having to dig in on a turn and trying to keep the handle straight, you don't have the leverage of your body to hold the turn. If they have floatation in them, it is difficult to get to a performance killing hook at the transom and bang it out.

They are easier to step into the boat but that is the only thing I like about it- my next boat will not have one.

The whole concept of the huntdeck came about, IMHO, as a result of Gator Trax going back to the rounded chine boats vs. the tapered chine models they built for awhile for PD. The round chine boats tended to "squat" at the rear end or draft more water then a hard chine or tapered chine model. The hunt deck essentially makes the boat a longer boat, i.e. a 16 Huntdeck model is about the same as a 17' 6" boat in bottom surface, so it performs better then a 16" boat would.

When they first came out they maintained that they increased performance. They did, a 16' boat with a huntdeck (17' 6") will outrun a 16' standard boat with the same load, however they quickly conceded that an 18' standard boat would run about the same or better them a 16' Huntdeck boat. It was IMHO a gimmick to compensate for the rounded chines and make their boats competative again with the tapered and square chine boats. In short, a huntdeck boat is more expensive then just getting a longer standard boat with a tapered or square chine.

That is just the performance part, as mentioned, they are a nice step up for getting in the boat and they do cut down the backwash for short transomed boats. That is a nice feature. However, as mentioned, just get a high transom and a rear fold down step on a longer boat and you have just created the same advantages with more room actually in the boat for alot less money.

The other issue we have seen on a number of them up here that have come into our shop is the motor mounts cracking at the huntdeck. We have repaired and reinforced four of them in the last year for guys. IMHO the raised motor mounts on the hunt decks are not as strong as a regular transom.

They are a nice idea and do have some useful advantages as guys have already mentioned, but they are more for show then they are practical when you look at the added cost.

Just my .02

PW

It' easy to stand on the hunt deck an take a piss, dog sits on it , easy for the dog to get in an out the boat no more need to have a dog latter thats allways in the way ,easy to get my big butt back in the boat,boat stays cleaner with the hunt deck no back wash from mud or water when you hit hard in reverse, you can store stuff under it , it looks cool.

the original 50 did,it was posted here in the past.

DagGum it all to haedez ..... I knew it .... I just flat out knew it .....

the MudDoctors and DB8 are flat out genious type fellers ..... !!!!!

Now we gots proof in the puddin' !!!!!! Now would be a good time fo Crews to chime in !!!

BTW ~ I thank HuntDecks are Sexy !!!!! ......

24 seconds longer to plane??? are u forking serious are u sure u didnt have a 6hp longtail on that boat!!! i think there is a gator hater in this thread or just trying to get more looks at the phowler boat. i notice u didnt mention the fact that a square chined boat will slide its ass off in turns or did any test runs to show which turns the best, guarantee the gator trax will outperform any of em. i wouldnt own another square chine boat, bring your less drafting square chine boat and lets go ride the channels and see who ends up on the bank first, but u dont have to worry i have a winch on my boat and i can get u off the bank when u slide up on there

ah we have a new internet hard azz well welcome to the site. tiller times play a big factor as far your sliding problem with a square chime boat. lots of guys on here who can slide a donut around another boat or make it bite during mid donut and take off.

not trying to be a hardazz just curious if knowing my name is gonna make my post be any different is all. just stating the facts he wants to dog every aspect of a gator trax but doesnt tell the disadvantages of a square chine. donuts or no donuts a square chine boat WILL not handle like a round chine. im just saying go hauling ass down a tight channel with curves i bet u slow way down in the corners if not that boat will slide right up on the bank

your name can make your post alot more creditable if you are someone that is known in the business....just saying

ok my winch needs to be broken in anyway

He didn't say nuthin bout sliding in that test. It was all about draft/getting on plane. He sells Phowler boats and pretty much said that the P/D hull drafted less and got on step quicker.

....

once again, beating a dead horse. we all know square chine is the best and all brands with round chines are the devil. each person likes a certain set up for a reason. all this b.s. comparison mumbo jumbo is irrelevant. every freakin week everyone gets into a big ol debate about round vs. square vs. taper vs. step up (or whatever GT calls it) chines. each one has advantages and disadvantages. it really gets old, FAST. sounds like a bunch of teenage girls whining. if you like round chines, congratulations. if you like square chines, congratulations. until i see someone shoot a video of identical motors on 2 hulls of the same length, width and weight running a series of tests for speed, maneuverability, etc. i really don't believe any of this nonsense. if you want to go fast, get a big a$$ motor and shut up. i have a big a$$ motor on a round chine HEAVY boat and i stuck with the front of the pack at the LA mudrun. do i get a reward for defying the laws of mudmotor physics?

P.S. my name is Denis John Breaud IV and I'm not related to Kent or the man in utah. Just a coonass who likes his gator trax boat and go-devil boat, go draft your 1 inch less

Naked pictures of girlfriends or wives would make this post much more interesting.


Uncle-J

I want to be clear here, we tested the different boats to determine only draft, planing characteristics etc. The results are not in any way meant to cast a positive or negative light on anyones design. Each design has advantages and disadvantages and any boat must be viewed as a package of different characteristic. Someone challenges our opinion on this site and we put out the facts as we know them. You can argue the results if you like, you can read more or less into them if you want to, it is just the facts as we found them to be. Gator Trax builds a great boat, sold them for years and have many happy customers still running them, sell used ones every week. They do some very nice work, as does PD, GD and GT. They are all good boats. Each has its own set of advantages and drawbacks. Some folks really take to our boats, some do not, everyone has their own opinions, needs and wants.

We believe that when starting out in shallow water draft is important, draft when attempting to plane is equally important, especially when over harder bottom with clay and sand. Every second of dragging the prop or bottom of the boat equals more $ replacing props, etc. Less draft = more load you can carry into the same area. Less draft = less distance to push when you do go to far, etc.

We did not throw up the math in an attempt to prove anything and just as was stated it was a "quick" calculation. "Quick" calcuations do not represent all the facts and are generally a poor attempt to defend something counter to reality. I am not trying to come off as some smart azz who knows everything, I don't, but I do know alot of things about building boats and testing them, so when I see something that is not a true representation of something stated as fact, I feel a need to comment on it.

We are not trying to run down Gator Trax, or the idea of a huntdeck. The huntdeck, while we have not tested one, most likely counters the issues we saw in our tests. In fact it propbably does so very well, so in that light it was a good move by Gator Trax to start offering it. Kent and his crew have always like the handling of the round chine and have found a way to improve the idea to keep it competative. There are alot of reasons beyond this thread to go with a round or tapered chine vs. a square chine, i.e. the ability to put a high HP rating on the boat if getting Coast Guard Certified, and the better handling vs. sliding, just to name a few. Our only point in all of this was to get real information on what a huntdeck does/doesnot do out there and what its real purpose is in our opinion. I even think they look cool and do have some real value so if its what you want and it works for you great, you should have one.

Peace all,


PW

I'm going to have to get my attorney to read over what was just typed. All them words confused me.