Is a war eagle 861 predator a good boat ?
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Is a war eagle 861 predator a good boat ?
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My favorite. Put a 90 on it. A lot of good boats out there.
Was looking at a rt188c but the 861 caught my eye .
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I've been running boats built by the Ward family for around 50 years. First with Duracraft and then to WarEagle. We abused
them , in my younger, days to no end. If we came to a log road crossing a slue, we would just pour the coal to it and hope it
came down right side up and in water. I was running 1542s with 30 Johnsons on them. They would last me about 10 years
before they would start popping rivets. They shouldn't have lasted a season. Some years they would be run every day of duck
season. Slower, wiser, and with no need for speed, I now have an 860 with a 70 Yamaha rigged for crappie fishing. I bad
wanted the Predator but it wouldn't go in my garage.
I’ve got a Tomahawk with a 150 Tohatsu. Absolutely love it. Attachment 322646
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A War Eagle is the BEST aluminum boat made. Period.
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Best ? I think not . They are good though. Why not go custom build if your buying new ? You can get a lot more boat for your money with a custom builder.
Now I can’t speak for anyone else but I made several changes to the base Tomahawk model. The War Eagle factory was very receptive to all of the “custom” changes that I wanted. I tweaked here and there, changed this and that with no problem at all. As far as I know, my boat is the only one of its kind.
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Just take a ride in one and you’ll definitely FEEL the difference. You just can’t beat the ride of a Pad boat. PERIOD!! These boats also rate for a 200 engine. There’s a Reason for that!!!!! Attachment 322917Attachment 322918
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I think my Triton rides just as smooth as an eagle but I do like the removable floors of the eagle. That is the one feature that I like about the eagle that I wish I had on my Triton.
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By the way, I do have a aluminum camo duck boat and that's what I'm comparing it to. If you're looking into the carpeted models I have no say so because I've not rode in the same two models with carpet
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The 861 is a nice boat I had one but if you plan to fish 2 people up front the side panels make it tight. If you are looking at a new War Eagle consider the Blackhawk series they are available in 17', 19', 21' and 23'. I prefer a high deck and I want my seats close to the front of the bow. It is easier to land fish plus if you are fishing 16' poles you are 14' to 15' in front of trolling motor verses losing 4 to 6' on low deck models. I went with War Eagle because they are rugged boats but the biggest reason is I could get changes made to the floor plan, not some cookie cutter boat that was all bass fishing decks without any floor space. Lots of good options out there just depends on what fits your needs.
This is a 2170 Blackhawk, high front deck with seats moved forward, center insulated live well between steps. Lots of floor room for ice chest and gear without them having to be on the decks.
I have talked to Mike about building another 2170 for me with same front set up, moving the console forward and dropping the console live well off. I also don't want the back deck, we long line and pull cranks the back deck is worthless to us. Copy the multi species glass boats if you will. Our grandkids are starting to fish with us some in the summer, I would feel better with them standing in the bottom of the floor verses standing on the back deck reeling fish in.
Try as many different boats as you can decide what you like and want. You are the one that has to be happy with the choice! Good Luck!
Nice rig
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Thanks, I have a friend that guides, I fish with him some and send customers to him on guided trips. I had an 861 but I really liked the room and floor layout of his boat. I decided to have a 2170 built so I went to my friend measured the layout of his boat, asked him what he would change in a new boat. I tweeked his layout and had it built, there are a few things that I would change in a do over but for the most part I'm very satisfied. I mentioned earlier I would like to do away with back deck, leaving room for gas tank, batteries and floatation only. Would like to have driver and passenger seat on pedestals so they turn around for long lining and cranking. It would be nice to get up from the seat to reel fish in and stay on floor of boat verses getting on the back deck. You could also set a Bimini top over seats for shade but still have open back area to work while reeling fish in.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cubeice
I have looked at the multi species glass boats but they sit so high due to deep V, a little bit of a pain to get in on lakes without boat docks plus they are very expensive.
I mainly spider rig and pull some in the spring and summer . I would like to have a live well up front and in the back . I need to sit in a 861 because I have some questions about how far my pole will be back from the front.
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Attachment 323014
Before you decide on your new boat give me a shout. I’d be happy to take you for a test Ride on a ROUGH day in one of my Xpress Hyperlift Pad Ride Crappie Boats.
I’ll be glad to meet you with several others with different boats so you can have a fair comparison and test drive them all to see which one YOU like best.
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I will do that . I’m going to take my time and find her boat that’s right for me .
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Just call me when you’re ready. I have a demo ready to go. You’ll be glad you did. [emoji4]Quote:
Originally Posted by Cubeice
The 200 is a screamer on my 20’ foot model. You can get if for around the same money as everybody else’s 150hp boat too.
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You are going to be sitting back, that along with the side panels were my complaint with the boat. Sitting back makes it tougher to land fish and easier to get tangled in TM plus you defeat the purpose of fishing long rods when fish are shallow. I have no complaints what so ever with ride and we have been caught in 25 plus mph wind on Grenada in both the 861 and 2170. The 2170 took the waves much better of course. If you are looking for the fastest and lightest boat then may want to look at other boats.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cubeice
If you compare ride to sportsman series verses black hawk or predator series there is a huge difference. The predator and black hawk are hands down better, no comparison.
I can't tell you about Xpress all have ever owned of theirs was a duck boat, traded it for an 16' War Eagle which was my first War Eagle.
Once again Good Luck! Lots of great options makes for tough decision! I only replied because you asked about an 861 and I have owned and fished with one. I'm not trying to sell it, just giving my opinion of the predator series verses War Eagle's other series.
I owned a 861 predator and had the same comversation bigrivermarine thought he was just trying to sell me an xpress boat well I I now have a h20 with a pad hull or hyper lift hull no comparison in ride compared to the 861 would beat me to death in rough water .
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Ive fished outof one 861 predator and a 1860 war eagle,both fished better than my boat.By fishing better i mean in windy and lots of boat traffic,boat seams alot heavier than mine and is more stable when fishing.When running up and down the lake my boat is better in windy conditions,the deadrise hull cuts the big waves better.I have a fisher prohawk 170,i wouldnt just buy a boat on how it rides alone.Here on kylake theres a ton of boat traffic,kinda wish i had a wareagle or a glass boat instead of the boat i have now.Another thing about war eagle they are built like tanks,dont hear about many weld problems with them,just my $0.02
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My war eagle was a good boat and it was great to fish out of, but for room and ride no comparison and I have no ties to xpress or Brm just telling my views from owning both
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Ive never been in a xpress,but from looking at the 861 and xpress i would agree.But my buddy's 1860 has tons of room,dont think your gonna get much more room in a 18fter than hisQuote:
Originally Posted by kyrich
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Your comparing a 20ft boat to an 18fter also,2 ft will make a difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by kyrich
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Your doing the right things now, getting opinions and thoughts. Stick to your important key must haves.
Mine was the front deck, had to be wide and stable. 2nd was easily handled by myself. 3rd was being more fuel economical with a 4 stroke. 3rd was back to a aluminum hull. And lastly it needed to have an outstanding warranty and hold its value for later down the road.
All of these elements led me to my first brand new boat, Ranger RT198p. I absolutely love my rig, has the pad hull, and rides just like a glass boat. 150hp Mercury is all the power I need, had the boat up to 60mph, and she just sips the fuel!! The boat is 19 feet long, and handles KY Lake just fine. The wife and I really the new Ranger!
The overall rig is just under half of the weight of my previous 21ft Nitro. The Ranger pulls like a dream, better fuel economy on my truck also.
I would personally lay your hands on each and every model that your considering. Measure off the decks, and storage capacity needs to be looked at as well. In the end it's up to you and how you want to fish, period.
Happy shopping!
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Just to Up The Ante, I will take you for a Test RIDE and FISHING trip. The Xpress fishes as good as any aluminum boat in the business.
All takers welcome to give a fair comparison.
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If hes compareing it needs to be the same size though for a fair comparision.Thats a heck of an offer though,if i was looking for one i would definately take that offer.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine
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Sign me up for one of those fishing trips!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine
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The Ranger is 19 feet 8 inches hence the Rt198P. The Xpress is only 4 inches longer than the Ranger and 10 inches shorter than the WE. They both rate for a 150 and the Xpress a 200. Sounds fairly equal to me, give or take a few inches. The Xpress X18 PFC RATES FOR A 150 and is almost 2’ feet shorter than the other two brands. [emoji848]Quote:
Originally Posted by blueball
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Guy who started the thread is asking about a 861 wareagle,not a ranger or xpress.The 861 i believe is 18ft long,just saying.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine
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Wow ! a lot of different boats brought up....kinda neat hearing the plus's and minus's on them......But yep the original poster asked......" Is a war eagle 861 predator a good boat ? "
War eagle is 18.5 Attachment 323191
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How much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?Quote:
Originally Posted by "G"
Answer: depends if it's pine, oak, hickory, cedar, maple or cherry.......
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What if its Bois D'arc ?Quote:
Originally Posted by bandchaser
Either hard headed or very sharp teeth!Quote:
Originally Posted by "G"
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And my last sentence above was The Xpress X18 PFC rates for a 150. It’s a Pad Ride Hull also. I do sell most of them with a 115 though.Quote:
Originally Posted by blueball
Also Just Sayin. [emoji4]
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Yep i can read,just stating facts[emoji16]Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine
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How about Ironwood?Quote:
Originally Posted by bandchaser
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Then he would be an union ironworker, duh. LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by Redge
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War Eagle, Havoc, Triton, Ranger, and Express are all good boats. Can't go wrong with any of them. Just got to find the one that suits your way and style of fishing. I'd take BRM up on his offer and you might find what you looking for. Worse thing that could happen is you get skunked on a fishing trip.
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