Hello,
Fairly straight forward question -
Which would be better for fishing, an open boat with a bimini top, or a cuddy with a small cabin instead?
Thanks
An open with a T TOP, a bimini is more protective but interferes with fishing especially if you re trolling and you need to move your rod around
A fairly simple question to ask, but quite complicated to answer. As usual with fishing there is no straight cut answer. There are advantages and disadvantages in both. I will state one advantage for each and hope that others contribute by stating more advantages (of course if it's an advantage for one it's a disadvantage for the other).
Open boat: lighter (less fuel consumption)
Cuddly cabin: shelter from the elements (especially in winter)
to add to what the others said I will take into consideration whether you are going to use your boat only in summer or even in winter and cold weather. In summer an open boat will be more than enough but in cold weather its nice to have some shelter from cold wind and from sea splashing as Shanook told you in the previous post. If you are going to keep your boat on the hard and haul up your boat every time you use it, an open will be much lighter and more appropriate while a cabin boat will be more difficult to haul due to weight, although not impossible. I am sure there are much more pros and cons that others here might want to share with you.
Quote from: fisheye on June 09, 2014, 08:53:52 CET
to add to what the others said I will take into consideration whether you are going to use your boat only in summer or even in winter and cold weather. In summer an open boat will be more than enough but in cold weather its nice to have some shelter from cold wind and from sea splashing as Shanook told you in the previous post. If you are going to keep your boat on the hard and haul up your boat every time you use it, an open will be much lighter and more appropriate while a cabin boat will be more difficult to haul due to weight, although not impossible. I am sure there are much more pros and cons that others here might want to share with you.
If you plan regular winter use, Go for a Cuddy Cabin. Trust me, I had an open boat and in winter you would need to resort to a 'kabus'. But it is a matter of personal preference too.
Thank you all for your help.
I only go out in Summer so an open boat with a good T-top seems more adequate.
JBM
Quote from: nickraw on July 31, 2014, 12:56:40 CET
Other than splashing around in the water, making waves and wasting gasoline... What do you want to use this boat for? If it's primarilly for fishing, then an open bow boat would be more convenient. The only reason to have a cuddy cabin is to have a dry place to get in out of the weather, and to sleep at night. If you're not going to do this, then seems like a waste of space and money.
In winter, trust me you need this.