Last year the Coast Guard did away with the "commercial", or "shallow Water" exemption that let hull manufacturers not use flotation if they labeled it as commercial use only. Depending on when manufacturers renewed their coast guard credentials determines how long they have left to not use flotation. Some are beyond, some have a year or two left. The new rules say any boat under 20' must have flotation.

For arguments sake lets say everyones CG credentials have expired today, and you are going to buy a boat tomorrow. What would you get?

A- A 20'+ boat with no flotation.

B- A 19' or under boat with minimum flotation

C- Have a small time fab shop build you a 19' or under with no flotation, and hope to fly under the radar.

20 footer..done

Spray all noticeable cracks where flotation should be with expanding foam so it looks full


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Tough call. What about that "shallow water" credential Gatortail is getting away with right now? Does that go away, too? Or, can the other manufacturers go this route to avoid floatation requirements?

Under 20ft with sealed float chambers. I would not have foam in my surface drive or longtail rig.

Read it again. There's a subpart specifically addressing air chambers and the requirements concerning. Foam isn't the only way to skin the legal flotation cat.

20'er and not worry about the rule.... But that's just me. There are definitely a lot of guys wanting shorter boats.

Home built or 20ft.

I'd just buy what I wanted and take the foam out as soon as it got home


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I would not be scared of a 20' rig....but, in the same Brest, I'd rather have an 18' rig and rip the floatation out of it.

Just gonna throw this out there...let's assume you get insurance on your boat that was new with legal floatation but then rip it out. Then you sink it and try to claim it on your insurance. I'm betting the insurance company is gonna wanna see the boat (assuming it's not sunk beyond retrieval), and they probably would deny the claim.

u lawyer types crack me up. mudmotors are for throwing on a jo-boat or a crawfish skiff. they are not a skeeter or a ranger. fuk the coast guard. everybody knows the whole flotation crap was started by one boat builder trying to run the other boat builder out of bidness. it's all a bunch of big brother crap.

maybe some of u guys need the tags on their mattresses so they don't smother at night, but not everybody does.

who has insurance on a boat? jesus this whole thing has gotten way too yuppie. lol

I dont have floatation or insurance. I was just throwing it out there. Hell theres an allstate mud boat insurance ad on this website so someone is using it...at 30k for some of these rigs I would imagine alot of people have it.

For those of us that are not made of money and take a loan out for the boat we have to have insurance to be able to keep the loan

Friend of mine bought a GatorTail new in 2015. In January 2016 his insurance was up, and the company didn't notify him or send a bill. The bank got notice, added insurance, and stacked it to his loan. Last month he discovered the bank charge him just about 5,000 dollars for insurance for the 2016 year.

It took him a few weeks, but finally got it corrected. Almost shady.

.

I don't have a problem with anybody who wants to insure their boat. it could pay for itself real quick.

back to the original post about flotation and the coast guard, all I know is that every time some slapnut starts a stink about flotation for a duckboat it makes the cost of the boats go thru the roof, and the whole process of getting some welder to build you a boat in his garage is becoming a thing of the past. this screws the common working man more than anybody, and it is a slap in the face to any real American.
this used to be America. leave it to the gotdayemed coast guard to fuk up a good thing. I ain't out catching blue marlin in my boat.

enjoy Hillary u bunch of communist motherfukers. lol

Id buy an instagator. Jay has this figured out already...

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I'd have to stick with a 17' boat, 20 isn't too handy in the wma's in Arkansas. I would have to get a "home build" I guess

20' in a heartbeat for me. My next one will be that size anyway


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Didn't know wooden boats had to have floatation also, to pass CG inspection. Before completely enclosing his floor gunnels and any little nook and cranny, my friend stuffed empty one litter bottles, one gallon milk jugs into them after crushing them to fit space, then sealing on the cap. CG inspector passed his boat with out question. When we remove foam in our friends boats, we use the flat style oil bottles between the ribs. Flattening them to size and sealing cap, then welding, or riveting floor back on. They never have to worry about floatation or foam soaking up water. And water trapped in bottom of boats seems to drain better. You wouldn't think a few oil bottles would have that much floatation.

Wow.................

I like to buy about 6 cases of them resealable aluminum bottles...hammer down every last one and get shit rocked and start cramming them between the ribs. Slap a floor on top and its coast guard approved.

Don't forget your screw on hardware store muffler kit while you're out collecting them plastic bottles.

Speechless

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