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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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