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A Review
Lake and Bay Boca Grand 20ft Flats Boat.
Also See:
Mercury
Outboards for Sale
Used Lake and Bay Boat For Sale
Currently I have a 2003 20 Ft Kevlar Lake and
Bay for sale.
Click Here
This Boat is For Sale....
I have been around production model boats since I was small enough to
sit on the dash board like a crumpled hat inside my daddies Windshield on
his 1966 TRI Hull beat ya to death Thunder Bird. Lets just say, I know
boats.
I was not looking for another flats boat as I was quite
content with my 2001 Back Country Pro Guide 202. I met the owners of Lake
and Bay at the Miami international Boat show in February and they seemed
like they were intent on making the best 20 ft "flats Capable" Boat. I
thought I should check it out.
The first ride on the demo was all it took. The way the
boat ran across a nasty lake chop and kept me dry as could be for truly
snotty conditions. Not to mention it was the smoothest riding hull ever.
My Back Country is very similar to the Lake and Bay but even being heavier
it rides only almost as well.
I ordered a boat from them, Received in in Mid May
right on schedule and I was truly impressed with this model of boat. We
made some changes per my request to ensure level polling and stable ride
with light weight. The boat comes standard with two fuel tanks and we
eliminated on moving the lager 35 gallon tank forward. With the 200 XS and
35 gallons of fuel I have a 175 mile range at a cruise of 40 knots. Top
speed is a trait of the Lake and Bay and defiantly not lacking here. Looks
like after break in we will be in the high 60s to low seventies with my
daily working propeller a Mercury Lab finished 23 " 3 Blade Tempest..
Fish ability, No sweat. Poles like a dream and I pole
80% of my day on the flats. Now Granted I am a bigger than average guy, so
I asked one of my colleagues who is normal sized to see what he thought.
His exact words were, " F%*(&#*G Unbelievable"! He is used to being in a
Silver King 16 so you know what he said about the ride of the Lake and
Bay. With every thing about any boat out there there is give and take. The
boat is a bit noisy in light wind chop. To add to its credit and maybe
mine, we have hooked over 6 permit in three days of fishing. So I do not
think that the noise is an issue. Casting deck is awesome tons of room
with an optional forward deck extension insert. Fly fishing out of the
boat is sweet as the line falls right behind you.
The Mercury Racing 200 XS is quite the motor for the
boater who really wants to milk all the performance out of a boat. Not
just speed but fuel efficiency. The motor weighs in at under 400 lbs and
has the Opti Max technology. This makes for light weight fuel efficiency.
I will challenge anyone in a smaller boat to compare all aspect of fuel
and efficiency to this motor and boat package. 90 mile runs on 16 gallons
of fuel. That's getting up on a plane seven or eight times in that 90
miles. This motor is not for everyone. Performance minded means higher RPM
power curve. The motor likes to run at 3600 Rpm and up. Using a Mercury
Marine Jack plate with a 6 inch set back allows me to stay in that range
and vary my speed with ventilation of the prop. By the way, there is allot
of love going out to the newly designed Jack plate.
System View Monitor, From Mercury Marine is a step way
forward in marine technology. With every major engine function at your
finger tips you can dial your running habits right in for optimum
everything. This little system view does it all. I am still learning it
but will be happy to answer any question I can or send you to the right
people for the tech stuff. I really believe that the Mercury 5 5 5 system
will set the standard in the marine industry. Offering the boater Fail
safe operation in all conditions, with the patented Engine Guardian System
that backs off the power to the motor if there is something wrong that may
harm the motor. Lots of folks have said, well what if one of the sensors
goes funky and the motor is shutting itself down for no reason. Well I
have to answer with simply this. No one beats on a motor harder than I and
I have not had a problem yet, but the System has saved me from power Head
damage on several occasions due to over heat from me sucking up surface
grass at elevated RPM and Engine heights.
As I fish more I will tell more about this great new
boat that I have discovered. Mike and the family of Lake and Bay have
really produced a winner here.
CSPL
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