I have a 16' Gheenoe with a 25 Yamaha 2-stroke that I have had for years. It has a Pop-Up Blind on it. With two people, decoys, and gear, it is very fast, and can go in very shallow water and moves well through tight spaces. However, with it's VERY short sides, it gets, shall we say, "exciting" when there is current pushing on the sides, or if there is chop.

I have been kicking tires on a new boat for a while, and have been all over the board...Havoc 17' or 18' DBST, War Eagle 754 or 860, 18' Gator Trax.

First off, I will NEVER hunt more than three people out of the boat, and that would be rare...I might take 3-5 people to the hole, but as far as actually hunting out of the boat...3 max. So, I think I'd like a Center Console, and I love the removable front deck on the Gator Trax. I'm thinking the 18' with 62" bottom, and put a 115 Yamaha on it. The hunt deck would add another foot, and I will get a hunt deck if I get this boat.

My main concern is getting to and from hunting areas...that's never a concern in the Gheenoe. I mainly hunt the White River Refuge in AR. Am I being a bit "ambitious" going with a boat this large? I'm wondering if the size differential compared to my tiny boat will make the larger boat impractical. That said, many have recommended the 860 War Eagle, and now I see Havoc offers an 860 also.

Thoughts?

My 18x60 can get around in some pretty tight cypress swamp. Im a trees worst nightmare but i can get around. A console might make it interesting though, you just cant quite get the response out of a remote steer like you can a tiller

I ran a 2048 cc season before last and I did well in the timber. It just takes some getting use to.

Now it will not go like a 16' rig but if you pick your path well you can get through the timber pretty quick.


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18' is definitely as long as you want to go. The 60" should be fine for most areas. I wouldn't go any longer than that and may want to go a little narrower 54" or 48".

I know cc are nice but with that long of a boat in the timber you might want to stick with a tiller. Just my preference

My 1860 has been in some very tight areas. It's work, but I still don't hate having the extra room when I get where I'm going. The last month of last season my boat never got on plane. I idled pretty much everywhere I went back into some very thick woods. Didn't have room to get up and run for the tight quarters. If I were building a boat strictly for timber, I'd probably go narrower. Just don't lock yourself into a hull size based on one type of terrain. If you're like me, I run mine everywhere.

Get a size that accommodates what you hunt most, and make everything work best you can. I hunt marsh/bays most with alot of gear so i got the bigger hull but i can make timber work. Its a bumpy ride and my paint dont like it but i make it work.

get a 18x36 skiff built. slice thru the woods like a boss.
60'' boats is made for the bay, not the woods.

Your desire for a CC is not conducive with timber hunting, but if you only hunt /fish in swamps a few weeks and do most of your fishing in the bay and lakes, I could understand why the CC floats your boat. Yet a tiller and a smaller width would make timber hunt much easier.

Depends on what your definition of timber hunting is. If it's to run boat lanes and rivers to get to a spot to walk in, you should be fine. If you're trying to take it through the woods it'll be a headache. My 18x44 can be pretty aggravating when I go through the woods and I can't imagine how irritating it'd be having a center console.


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My 1650 gatortrax with a huntdeck measures right around 17 and a half feet and its 70" wide at the top. Its a pain in the rear when trying to follow guys throughbig timber because those big oaks wont move any. Its not so bad in shorter, smaller timber because i can usually get enough of a run to push a 6-8" oak tree over or at least out of my way. Its awesome in buck brush and thick flooded fields though. You could get away with a smaller havoc because of those goofy sides. They make for a very dry ride. Idk how much gear you plan on carrying but a 1656 mdb sounds more suitable for the timber and would still be plenty big for the white river.