I keep getting closer to buying a new boat. Getting everything I want for what I hope could be my rest-of-my-lifetime boat will be difficult or impossible. Some manufacturers have this, some have that. But I have a custom fiberglass boat maker nearby. He fully rigs them out and has a 'storefront' with a boat or two on display. I don't know his limitations on design but I do know people around here brag on his boats. It is apparently a good hull, I don't think he has changed the basic design for many, many years. Anyone have this done and care to share any pitfalls or advantages or how your experience went?

Big O boats are built around Lake Okeechobee area have a great reputation and a faithful following. I have no experience with custom boats but have been aware of these boats for years. I would not be afraid of a custom boat after some research. The "Big O" boats are pretty expensive but you generally get watch you pay for. They may be  the best rough water bass boat made...

 

11 minutes ago, Al Wolbach said:

Big O boats are built around Lake Okeechobee area have a great reputation and a faithful following. I have no experience with custom boats but have been aware of these boats for years. I would not be afraid of a custom boat after some research. The "Big O" boats are pretty expensive but you generally get watch you pay for. They may be  the best rough water bass boat made...

 

Wow, that looks like a boat with a fantastic layout capability. I have no idea of price but it says it is built for saltwater, thus, stainless steel connections and such, so, it might be "too" expensive, since I only fish freshwater? Then again, perhaps it truly has top line craftsmanship and might be worth it in the long run? Worth looking into, I sure love the layout. Concerned about draft, though, I fish shallow lakes. Will have to check into that. I also do not favor a 200hp motor, it seems overkill for me, I don't race around at high speeds. About 40-45 is fine for me. But I also like that they claim superior rough water ride; that has major merit with me on the occasion I have to ride rough water.

5 minutes ago, livemusic said:

Wow, that looks like a boat with a fantastic layout capability. I have no idea of price but it says it is built for saltwater, thus, stainless steel connections and such, so, it might be "too" expensive, since I only fish freshwater? Then again, perhaps it truly has top line craftsmanship and might be worth it in the long run? Worth looking into, I sure love the layout. Concerned about draft, though, I fish shallow lakes. Will have to check into that. I also do not favor a 200hp motor, it seems overkill for me, I don't race around at high speeds. About 40-45 is fine for me. But I also like that they claim superior rough water ride; that has major merit with me on the occasion I have to ride rough water.

Don't think the draft would be a problem at all. The average depth of Lake Okeechobee is only 6-8ft, most is less, and you see these boats frequently. I have spoken with several owners and all have said they love their boats. One other feature of these boats is the aluminum trailers. Trailers are often taken for granted but if you keep a boat for years the trailer will become an issue at some point and the best time to address this is at purchase time rather than repair/replace time. If I were in the market for a boat to keep for 20 years this boat would certainly be looked at very hard.