Why Are Bay Boats a Popular Choice Among Anglers?
Are you in the market for a bay boat? Curious why they’re so popular among anglers? In this article, we’ll thoroughly explain what makes bay boats so popular among anglers, especially in the Pensacola and Mobile areas along the Gulf Coast. Here at Day Break Marine we have 30+ years of experience with bay boats and pride ourselves on sharing our knowledge and experience as well as overall great experience. Although bay boats aren’t necessarily everyone’s cup of tea, their popularity only continues to rise. Here’s what makes bay boats so appealing to so many anglers.
The Main Appeal of Bay Boats: Versatility + Mobility
Bay boats are typically between 18-24’, and feature an open layout as well as a center console with a front fishing deck. Typically they have at least one live well and you’re easily able to maneuver around the whole boat. You have lots of mobility on a bay boat due to the layout as opposed to other boats that feature a side console. Some call this an open fishermen style as they’re easy to fish from no matter where you’re on the boat. Bay boats are popular because of how versatile they are, especially in our area on the Gulf Coast - you’re able to bass fish and snapper fish all in the same boat.
Draft + Deadrise
Bay boats can draft between 10-15 inches of water depending on the size of your boat. Most bay boats have a deadrise of 10-17 degrees, and typically they fall in the middle of the range, depending on the boat brand. Bay boats from Blazer Bay are on the higher end of the range and most models typically have a 17-degree deadrise.
Features That Make Bay Boats Popular Among Anglers
The features of bay boats that make them so popular include:
Seating: You can comfortably seat 3-6 people in a center console bay boat, and it’s much easier for people to get up and walk around the boat (while others can stay seated) versus other kinds of boats.
Visibility + Great Beginner’s Boat: These boats are good for beginning boaters as they’re easiery to operate and since you’re typically standing in a bay boat, leaning against the leaning post, this means you have a higher vantage point and therefore better visibility.
Ride Quality: They’re designed to handle rough, chopper water, and a bay boat that’s 18-24’ should be able to handle 12-18” of swell with little difficulty. (Maybe even larger depending on the size of the boat as well as what the user is comfortable with as everyone has different limitations.)
Mobility: Bay boats are extremely easy to maneuver, allowing people to easily walk around and fish from every part of the boat.
Storage: Another feature that makes bay boats so popular is they have adequate storage. Some bay boats feature rod lockers or rear storage, it just depends on the brand. Bay boats were built with this being top of mind: fishing.
You Can Outfit Your Bay Boat With Whatever Amenities You Want
Another attractive thing about bay boats for anglers is that you can put whatever you want on them, from trolling motors to depth finders to T-tops. You could outfit them just as you could with a tournament bass boat and we’ve had customers purchase a bay boat, such as an Xpress H20 or H22 (an aluminum bay boat) but outfit it like a bass boat with a big motor, a trolling motor, and dual electronics. This can come in handy for the fisherman who also has kids as you’re able to seat more people in a bay boat.
Capabilities + Maintenance
Most bay boats can do everything you want to do in this area, a 21’ or 22’ bay boat is able to access areas with as little a foot of water or less. You do have the ability to trim your motor up, while standing on the front deck utilizing your trolling motor to go even more shallow, although your boat says it drafts a foot - but when you use a trolling motor it could draft 10 inches or so.
Bay boats overall require less maintenance than some other types of boats because you’re able to just hose it out (minus any cushions you may have on board). This involves a lot less maintenance than a bass boat with carpet for example.
Bay Boat Cost + Resale Value
You can find a bay boat for any budget (swap for ‘price range?’), here are typical price ranges for 20-24’ both aluminum and fiberglass bay boats:
Aluminum bay boats: $40,000-$65,000
Fiberglass bay boats: $55,000-$100,000
As far as resale value goes, some brands have better resale values than others, for example: Blazer Boats are built locally, have a great reputation and they have great resale value. Some more examples include Sea Hunt, Kinner, and Frontier. This likely differs based on each area as different parts of Florida/along the Gulf Coast may have different brands with better resale values.
Why Are Bay Boats So Popular in the Pensacola + Mobile Areas of the Gulf Coast?
Bay boats are especially popular in the Pensacola and Mobile areas due to their versatility - this is especially useful in our fishery where you can fish for both speckled trout and redfish. Bay boats are the #1 choice for fishing for these types of species - typically you’re not going to see someone in a side console fishing for speckled trout and redfish.
Our local waters here have both shallow and deep water, while shallow flats can be 1-2 feet deep, there are a lot of deeper areas in Mobile and Pensacola Bay that can range from 30-40 feet as well as offshore, which can be hundreds of feet deep.
Summary
An employee has a Skeeter SX250 and sometimes starts off fishing with his wife and two kids in the morning in Mobile Bay, then they’ll go watch the U.S. Navy Blue Angels in Pensacola later on. Bay boats allow you to go snapper fishing, go offshore, and also cruise and post up on a sandbar, bay boats are perfect for it all.
A friend of an employee has a 24’ Blue Wave Purebay and he can start the day in a shallow bay, Weeks Bay in Fish River, then run out to Mobile Bay, handling 2-3 foot waves with ease, then out to Bon Secour to fish for redfish, then over to Dixie Bar and out into the Gulf, all in the same day, all in the same boat.
In summary, bay boats are extremely versatile, they offer great storage, great ride quality and mobility, lots of seating, and you’re able to outfit them with tons of different amenities. They’re a great fit for the Pensacola and Mobile areas as they allow you to take full advantage of our fishery. We’d love for you to experience why bay boats are such a popular choice in the Pensacola and Mobile area for yourself, feel free to give us a call and set up your Sea Trial and see our current bay boat inventory:
- Pensacola - (850) 434-9022
- L&M Marine (251) 937-1380
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