TideIsRite Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 Not sure if it’s Blasphemy on this site or Not??? - But anyone with a back ground with the 1995 Pro Sports 18’ flats boat? Yes, they out of business now and were a Low-cost entry level skiff??? But found one w the motor i like and it’s a second boat only to be used a few weeks a year in Fla. Debating ownership vs. daily guide fees and owning has started to make sense to me. possible issues?? : Fuel cell?, hull defects? Terrible ride?? Other than that how bad can out be. The One I found has not been molested! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuddyBottomBluz Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 I believe they are wood and the decks get very soft, do a good inspection. Had a buddy look at one by lake Okeechobee and the guy said it was great and when he got there the deck was nice and soft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 on the plus side, you wont need sea deck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coto Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 I owned one. Mine was a 1998 and the ride was great so don’t worry about that. Draft was on par for the skiffs in those days same as my 18RF had. Storage was good. I hated the rod lockers they had a nylon male and female connect as a hinge that would pop out every time I opened the rod door. The angle at the base of the factory poking tower had a terrible bend where it met the deck which failed and crack had to get rewelded and added a support piece to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coto Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 You can also message SouthernWake he is a forum member and he actually has my boat now after making its way from south Florida thru some owners and all the way up to South Carolina where I believe SouthernWake is from. He can give you his current opinion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernWake Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 Like Coto said I have the boat now and have done a good bit of work bringing it back to life. i resolved the storage locker hinge issue by installing fixed hinges. boat has a great ride especially with tabs. its no technical skiff but I pole it regularly with no issues. Look on the fuel tank by the sender as the poly tanks tend to sag and hold water there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TideIsRite Posted March 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 Holy Cr*p ! ! ! You guys are great... I didn’t think this post would get noticed or commented on, so what a Nice surprise. Great initial info too, poly tank is a plus I think on an older boat?? And a wood ‘deck’ is a major concern after 20 years for sure. Chance of someone knowing if stringers or other “Hull“ items had wood. I can probably deal w deck, but not going there on a hull repairs. No tabs and cable steering But it’s not $30k either, if motor checks out I will now be checking her out soon thx Again boys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TideIsRite Posted March 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 15 minutes ago, SouthernWake said: Like Coto said I have the boat now and have done a good bit of work bringing it back to life. i resolved the storage locker hinge issue by installing fixed hinges. boat has a great ride especially with tabs. its no technical skiff but I pole it regularly with no issues. Look on the fuel tank by the sender as the poly tanks tend to sag and hold water there. Wow 😯, super impressive, nice work 👍🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TideIsRite Posted March 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 15 hours ago, Coto said: You can also message SouthernWake he is a forum member and he actually has my boat now after making its way from south Florida thru some owners and all the way up to South Carolina where I believe SouthernWake is from. He can give you his current opinion. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernWake Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 6 minutes ago, TideIsRite said: Holy Cr*p ! ! ! You guys are great... I didn’t think this post would get noticed or commented on, so what a Nice surprise. Great initial info too, poly tank is a plus I think on an older boat?? And a wood ‘deck’ is a major concern after 20 years for sure. Chance of someone knowing if stringers or other “Hull“ items had wood. I can probably deal w deck, but not going there on a hull repairs. No tabs and cable steering But it’s not $30k either, if motor checks out I will now be checking her out soon thx Again boys From my experience I have found wood in the deck but not the transom or stringers. Also doesn’t seem to be much foam to soak up water. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TideIsRite Posted March 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 ...that’s more ‘good’ news then. Thanks so much, maybe I can contact U after I see her? ? — Don’t want to bother ya until then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdemott Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 Had a 1998 1800FF with a 100HP Yamaha carbed four stroke. I rewired the boat, replaced the gauges, rewelded the poling platform and did a lot of cleaning. Loved the storage across the back which could be plumbed for a large release well. Boat was wood free according to the specs. Was a little underpowered with a 100 horse but rode very well. Used it when I first moved to NE Fl and visited my share of Oyster bars. Previous owner had bottom painted which helped with the Oysters. Really liked that boat and only sold to buy a bay boat to take the granddaughters out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TideIsRite Posted April 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 2 hours ago, mdemott said: Had a 1998 1800FF with a 100HP Yamaha carbed four stroke. I rewired the boat, replaced the gauges, rewelded the poling platform and did a lot of cleaning. Loved the storage across the back which could be plumbed for a large release well. Boat was wood free according to the specs. Was a little underpowered with a 100 horse but rode very well. Used it when I first moved to NE Fl and visited my share of Oyster bars. Previous owner had bottom painted which helped with the Oysters. Really liked that boat and only sold to buy a bay boat to take the granddaughters out. Hey,,,,That’s another plus on this boat and thanks so much...!! -the owner claims ‘no-wood’ and solid deck also. Thinking an 18’ anything needs at least a 115 by today’s standards but in the old days light and reliable probably more important. Wondering how the ride will be with NO tabs, but guess I can add them if needed. Would you say hull is ‘tank’ status like a Mav or a little more tender. Won’t Ben Poling much so weight not a big consideration for me , Thanks again all 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernWake Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 I would definitely factor tabs in as it makes a big difference being able to get the bow down. Not super detail oriented construction though but lots of glass which is a plus for me. I’ve run it in some nasty stuff and really beat on it and it is no worse off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coto Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 Yep, I beat that boat up as well in some nasty stuff. In fact, I remember out running a water spout one day. With all that and the boat is still here serving SouthernWake well. They were well built at the time later the hull was bought by Calba and they made them for a while but don't know much about their quality control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernWake Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 More glass/weight makes for a better ride. Learned this with my old mako. It seems like a lot of people have owned this model, I am pretty surprised. Strangely I frequently have people approach me and ask if it is an old master angler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdemott Posted April 4, 2019 Report Share Posted April 4, 2019 On 4/2/2019 at 12:30 PM, TideIsRite said: Hey,,,,That’s another plus on this boat and thanks so much...!! -the owner claims ‘no-wood’ and solid deck also. Thinking an 18’ anything needs at least a 115 by today’s standards but in the old days light and reliable probably more important. Wondering how the ride will be with NO tabs, but guess I can add them if needed. Would you say hull is ‘tank’ status like a Mav or a little more tender. Won’t Ben Poling much so weight not a big consideration for me , Thanks again all 😉 Though ProSports is no longer in business and was degraded for poor customer service, I feel this is the best boat they made. My 1800 was rated at 150hp which would be interesting to see how it performed. I had tabs on mine and used them from time to time but since I don't have to cross bays the rough weather was minimum. Previous owner installed a solar charger for the house battery which worked really well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TideIsRite Posted April 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2019 1 hour ago, mdemott said: Though ProSports is no longer in business and was degraded for poor customer service, I feel this is the best boat they made. My 1800 was rated at 150hp which would be interesting to see how it performed. I had tabs on mine and used them from time to time but since I don't have to cross bays the rough weather was minimum. Previous owner installed a solar charger for the house battery which worked really well. Very sharp boat mdemott! Just to keep this thread going a little bit I’m scheduled to view the boat next week so will report back. Anyways, it seems these a ‘decent’ boats that may have been a ‘knock-off’ type skiff to compete w hewes and Mav? I’m assuming at much lower cost... ? This boat is pretty stripped down, no tabs, cable steering, general ‘no-frills’ deck layout and I’m starting to believe some wood in the deck and hatches?? - also: any comments on the large front hatch, I personally Like only one up there instead of the usual 2-3 hatched in the front like others. (Less banging! and hinges to break). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coto Posted April 4, 2019 Report Share Posted April 4, 2019 That is a fine example of one mdemott! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdemott Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 On 4/4/2019 at 1:04 PM, TideIsRite said: Very sharp boat mdemott! Just to keep this thread going a little bit I’m scheduled to view the boat next week so will report back. Anyways, it seems these a ‘decent’ boats that may have been a ‘knock-off’ type skiff to compete w hewes and Mav? I’m assuming at much lower cost... ? This boat is pretty stripped down, no tabs, cable steering, general ‘no-frills’ deck layout and I’m starting to believe some wood in the deck and hatches?? - also: any comments on the large front hatch, I personally Like only one up there instead of the usual 2-3 hatched in the front like others. (Less banging! and hinges to break). I put my batteries and circuit shut off there. worked well with balance of the four stroke motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdemott Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 On 4/4/2019 at 3:07 PM, Coto said: That is a fine example of one mdemott! Thank you. A lot of sweat and planning on my part, a lot of fine execution by Master Repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TideIsRite Posted April 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 oKay, heading down to Fla next Monday in search of the flats boat. As mentioned, found a ProSports that fits my needs and at seemingly fair number??$$. Anyone able to ‘chime-in’ on some comments on where to look for issues? its a 1995 so assuming the usual wear/tear but curious if any ‘know’ hot spots for defects. Will inspect poly tank of-course. Wires will be so so I’m sure too... thinking deck components may have some wood in them but hoping I can get a positive read from someone about wood elsewhere?? Like transom? Stringers? Hope not!! thx again, boys PS -wish I had $20k for a nice Mav, but maybe next time ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernWake Posted April 16, 2019 Report Share Posted April 16, 2019 17 hours ago, TideIsRite said: oKay, heading down to Fla next Monday in search of the flats boat. As mentioned, found a ProSports that fits my needs and at seemingly fair number??$$. Anyone able to ‘chime-in’ on some comments on where to look for issues? its a 1995 so assuming the usual wear/tear but curious if any ‘know’ hot spots for defects. Will inspect poly tank of-course. Wires will be so so I’m sure too... thinking deck components may have some wood in them but hoping I can get a positive read from someone about wood elsewhere?? Like transom? Stringers? Hope not!! thx again, boys PS -wish I had $20k for a nice Mav, but maybe next time 😉 I can confirm stringers and transom are composite. i have torn into and redone about every aspect of mine and can walk you through it over the phone if you are interested but nothing out of the norm on these boats vs buying any other. Just take your time looking it over, I think they can be a very good value for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdemott Posted April 17, 2019 Report Share Posted April 17, 2019 My first concern is with the wiring. Since the ProSports that I looked at had a lot of dangling wires, I decided to buy it anyway with the commitment to rewire it completely which I did. We took everything out and started from scratch. Real fear of a fire on the water. Good luck with your search and let us know how it turns out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owen Posted January 10, 2020 Report Share Posted January 10, 2020 On 3/28/2019 at 4:07 PM, MuddyBottomBluz said: I believe they are wood and the decks get very soft, do a good inspection. Had a buddy look at one by lake Okeechobee and the guy said it was great and when he got there the deck was nice and soft. @MuddyBottomBluz was this boat by any chance an 18ft sailfish flats your buddy was looking at in Okeechobee..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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