Down to three, info needed please!!!

[Sparky89]

Hi guys, researching boats for an upgrade and narrowed it down to three which I'm hoping to get some reviews back as there's none around the area to go have a look at and get a better idea of. I'm tossing up between the clark dominator, clark kakadu and bluefin tournament drifter either pro or standard. I havnt chosen the exact size yet but it will be in the 435-455 range, most of the fishing will be done in deep and shallow waters of dams with the occasional trip to the coast. The budget for it fully set up will be approx $26,000, any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance

[Bi_polar]

There are a lot of other boats around Sparky. The bay can be very unforgiving on boats and the main thing to check would be hull thickness and design.

Personally i think a bay boat needs to have a minium of 3mm bottom to have any sort of longevity. Now i know there are a lot of boats out there that don't have 3mm bottoms, but as a welder i see them cracked out all the time from the pounding that the bay can give a boat.

Hull design plays another important part in the decision making process and these factors can be added into the costing equation when making your choice.

A boat that i am very impressed with is the Aluvan, it has the 3mm bottom and also has an awesome hull design to match.

They are around for the price you are looking for and are very good buying for the money. I'll put a link up for one that is for sale that has virtually no hours on it and i don't know the guy either...lol. So this is just my opinion from someone that has a lot to do with aluminium boats.

good luck

[Zim man]

i have a dominator 435, i like it suits my needs very well. if you planning on fishing damns with the odd coastal trip then a 435 would be fine. it will also for the excess funds saved from not going to a 455 to be used for gadgets and the like

[Scope]

I've deckied (read freeloaded) on Rob's aforementioned dominator plenty of times and its a great boat for the activities mentioned. I don't think you'd be disappointed with it. I'd make sure to go as powerful as possible with the outboard though, as all that extra gear adds up.

[Do$tylz]

By "all the extra gear" he means having a 2m tall Zim man as a pilot and a rugby front rower as the passenger.

I've also been on Rob's boat and it's a great ride. I don't think you'd be disappointed at all.

[Sparky89]

Rito thanks guys for the advice, I had heard good things about the dominator, the partners old boy had a 435 before upgrading to the 485 and only advice he could give was if we got the 455 now it would save upgrading in the future if we ever wanted to take it out off shore