Old guy, new bucket list item

[BigRWater]

Hello – In 2004, While out fishing with my dad, it just so happened that there was a tournament going on. We would hear, see, the boats coming and going… …a Ranger, a Champion… … then we heard and we saw something very different, an Allison! We had never seen or heard an Allison before and it was special!

When I retired a few years back I thought my old 1993 Champion 201 DC would be the last boat I would own. It is still a great boat and does everything, just as well as it did in 1993 when I bought it brand new. However last spring, my nephew suggested we enter a couple tournaments. Participating in those tournaments has inspired me to look at an Allison.

Owning an Allison, wasn’t a bucket list item prior to last summer, but it feels like a bucket list item now. ‘And there are logical reasons to look at an Allison for tournament fishing.

I feel lucky that my nephew and my youngest son will fish these tournaments with me. What could be better than that at any age?

Thanks for having me on the site. I know that I will learn a lot.

 

[dubmoney]

my time spent in the boat with my son is invaluable to me. Plus the shear fun of owning and using an Allison! I am sure each and everyone of us would support the idea to accomplish your new bucket list item. Good luck and let us know if we can help!

 

[SLOmofo]

I own a XB2003 and fish out of a 19' Champion. I have fished out of the XB2003 but I don't like having to pass around the consul to get to the front deck. I did make a pole to hold onto, helps greatly. IMHO I would buy one of the newer 21' models it'll do everything you need.

 

[BigRWater]

I own a XB2003 and fish out of a 19' Champion. I have fished out of the XB2003 but I don't like having to pass around the consul to get to the front deck. I did make a pole to hold onto, helps greatly. IMHO I would buy one of the newer 21' models it'll do everything you need.

Thank you for your opinion. I do need this boat to do everything & to be my last boat... ...looks like finding a high HP/low weight motor is going to be the difficult part to find. In big wind & waves everyone fishes in the back of the boat to keep from filling the boat with too much water. Bass boats have real difficulty with this. 'And the wind usually blows on the Columbia river. Most of my fishing clothes are waterproof! Even if it is sunny (and it usually is sunny), at times we still get wet.

 

[BigRWater]

my time spent in the boat with my son is invaluable to me. Plus the shear fun of owning and using an Allison! I am sure each and everyone of us would support the idea to accomplish your new bucket list item. Good luck and let us know if we can help!

Hey Thanks. I see you are on the Columbia near the wind surfing capital of world. What can you tell me about your experiences in fishing big wind, big waves etc. We launch at Roosevelt quite often. We have days in that section of the water that we never turn off the bilge pumps and everyone is fishing at the back or toward the back of the boat to reduce the amount of water we take on. Your water is probably more challenging???

 

[dubmoney]

The wind waves get up to 6 feet at times and it is not fun to get caught out. My xb03 handles rough water really good, but there is a limit. My brothers ranger will carry the bow really high at about 10 mph which is good in really close tall waves. It does take a lot more attention to make sure you don't get water in my smaller xb03. On 2' to 3' waves the Allison will land softer with no real hard slam like a ranger, plus many guys who fish up here hard have all sorts of stress cracks on all brands. I run my boat hard and I don't have one stress crack. If I only fished tournaments on the Columbia I would have purchased and XB21, but one of my bucket list items is owning a bass boat that can go over 100 mph, which is more easily achieved with the XB03 than the XB21. There is a guy named David Swensied, he has posted some good video on youtube of him running in Heavy Wind Water on the Columbia in his XB21. He put in at a tournament last year just to make video of him passing tournament angelers.

I used to run Jet Skies in the Surf and ride motorcross, and there are some simalarities to driving in big water, especially in my Allison. There are conditions were you can get in a rythem and skip across the tops of the waves, at some point it becomes very likely you will spear a wave and that is not a good experience. When the waves get so steep that when you launch and you land on your stern with the bow almost strait up and your entire motor goes under water, that is not a good deal either, LOL. Anyway, I think an Allsion is a good purchase because there are lots of guys up here that own new boats and after one season the are so cracked I would never buy it. I have never been in a bass boat that feels a structurally built like my xb03.

 

[Jon]

Glenn Reynolds passed me in a 21 one day, and I was in my 24' Supra. My boat is big and weighs almost 5000lbs, and the water was rough enough that I couldn't run over 20. That 21 came past me at 55mph, and was just cutting through the waves.

 

[BigRWater]

The wind waves get up to 6 feet at times and it is not fun to get caught out. My xb03 handles rough water really good, but there is a limit. There is a guy named David Swensied, he has posted some good video on youtube of him running in Heavy Wind Water on the Columbia in his XB21. He put in at a tournament last year just to make video of him passing tournament angelers.

I have never been in a bass boat that feels a structurally built like my xb03.

Godd stuff. Thanks! If you come across a youtube link for David Swensied's you tube video, I would love to see it. Thanks Again.

 

[BigRWater]

Glenn Reynolds passed me in a 21 one day, and I was in my 24' Supra. My boat is big and weighs almost 5000lbs, and the water was rough enough that I couldn't run over 20. That 21 came past me at 55mph, and was just cutting through the waves.

Thanks for the input. I checked out Glenn Reynolds web site & he is an Allison dealer. It looks like he could be a good dealer to check out. I want a light weight motor they appear to have some of that expertise.

 

[aeneas]

Buy one! You will not regret it!

I live in Scandinavia and I had never seen an Allison before I unwrapped my SS-2000 8 years ago. I am now contemplating a XB2002 or a XB21, just can't decide... Two very different boats.

P.S. The Allison SS-2000 was on my bucket list, an XB is now.

 

[BigRWater]

Buy one! You will not regret it!

I live in Scandinavia and I had never seen an Allison before I unwrapped my SS-2000 8 years ago. I am now contemplating a XB2002 or a XB21, just can't decide... Two very different boats.

P.S. The Allison SS-2000 was on my bucket list, an XB is now.

I think your right! I just watched some youtube of the Allison SS-2000... congratulations! the SS-2000 looks like fantastic fun!

 

[RiverRat71]

I think your right! I just watched some youtube of the Allison SS-2000... congratulations! the SS-2000 looks like fantastic fun!

SS-2000=Best Lookin Boat Ever. RR

 

[JWolff]

If you are launching out of Roosevelt are you driving down from the tri cities?

 

[BigRWater]

If you are launching out of Roosevelt are you driving down from the tri cities?

Yes, Kennewick. I see your location is Richland. Are you still located there? What model of Allison is that I see above your name?

 

[SLOmofo]

John Richied lives in the Tri City area. Has a red XB2002

 

[dubmoney]

Thanks for the input. I checked out Glenn Reynolds web site & he is an Allison dealer. It looks like he could be a good dealer to check out. I want a light weight motor they appear to have some of that expertise.

I just want to add a lesson I have learned about light weight motor, i.e. Mercury 2.5. I originally wanted a fishing boat, then I wanted a very fast fishing boat. I have ended up spending twice as much money on my light weight motor, as I did on the hull. My brother just looks at me and shakes his head, and says "you should buy something with a warrenty, then you would acturally be fishing instead of fixing your motor all the time."

Truth be told I kinda like tinkering with my motor, but I am now to the point, I just want to focus on fishing and not fixing. My next move will be an XB21 with 3 liter Mercury with warranty.

 

[JWolff]

Yes, still in Richland with my XB21 2+2.
Used to fish with Columbia Basin Bass Club until 2008. Have fished Arlington/Roosevelt, Crow Butte, and Boardman a bunch and never have to stand on the rear of the boat. If waves are that big the trolling motor is not staying in the water and I am not fishing. And I am one that still wants to fish when the club would cancel days down around Maryhill because of wind, so it takes quite a bit for the weather to blow me off the water.

I thought John R moved. Havent seen or heard anything about him in a while.

 

[BigRWater]

Yes, still in Richland with my XB21 2+2.
Used to fish with Columbia Basin Bass Club until 2008. Have fished Arlington/Roosevelt, Crow Butte, and Boardman a bunch and never have to stand on the rear of the boat. If waves are that big the trolling motor is not staying in the water and I am not fishing. And I am one that still wants to fish when the club would cancel days down around Maryhill because of wind, so it takes quite a bit for the weather to blow me off the water.
.

I could learn a lot from you! I would love to see your boat sometime & talk to you about it, if that was ever a possibility.
I have never fished down around Maryhill, how is it down there?
...fish tournaments at all anymore?

 

[BigRWater]

I just want to add a lesson I have learned about light weight motor, i.e. Mercury 2.5. I originally wanted a fishing boat, then I wanted a very fast fishing boat. I have ended up spending twice as much money on my light weight motor, as I did on the hull. My brother just looks at me and shakes his head, and says "you should buy something with a warrenty, then you would acturally be fishing instead of fixing your motor all the time."

Truth be told I kinda like tinkering with my motor, but I am now to the point, I just want to focus on fishing and not fixing. My next move will be an XB21 with 3 liter Mercury with warranty.

If you don't mind me asking, how light is your motor & how much hp?

 

[dubmoney]

I have not actually weighed it but, I think most people would agree that Offshore 15" mid 2.5 liter Mercury motors are right at 400 lbs. Some will claim 375 but that doesn't count the lower unit or trim pump that gets mounted in the boat. I just had JSRE racing build me a new 2.5 liter that is supposed to push 320 horsepower.