Would like to get opinions on which is better the transport 240svt cat or the shoalwater s23 cat. Would be doing lots of wade fishing in matagorda and crossing the rough lower Laguna madre in port mansfield I would also like to run offshore to troll for some kings and dorado and even go deep drop out of it ... Would just like some opinions or any feedback would be greatly appreciated !!! Thanks!!!
Brady Mears
Both boats are fantastic. Many love to deal directly with the manufacture but lets face it. Dealers are key to a good customer experience as they the 1st point of contact for the end user just like every other industry.
I pulled the trigger on a SW cat23 back in Jan and love the boat and is a great platform for most of Texas gulf coast waters and a fantastic boat for wading. Its all about how you set it up and the aspect of rigging in regards to performance however taking on offshore swells is not what it is designed for. Haynie, Shoalwater and Transport are all great Texas boats but the Shoalwater was best for me for performance, budget and layout.
If your looking for a inshore, offshore cat boat then you might check out the Shallowsport X3
Good luck
I pulled the trigger on a SW cat23 back in Jan and love the boat and is a great platform for most of Texas gulf coast waters and a fantastic boat for wading. Its all about how you set it up and the aspect of rigging in regards to performance however taking on offshore swells is not what it is designed for. Haynie, Shoalwater and Transport are all great Texas boats but the Shoalwater was best for me for performance, budget and layout.
If your looking for a inshore, offshore cat boat then you might check out the Shallowsport X3
Good luck
No wrong choice there for your inshore fishing activities.
Both are awful choices for your offshore excursions you describe. Yes you can do it but there are many better (safer) choices.
If you insist on taking a cat bay boat offshore the shoalwater would be last choice as it is lighter and you will get tossed.
If you are going offshore a lot dont sacrifice your safety for that shallow bay capability.
Both are awful choices for your offshore excursions you describe. Yes you can do it but there are many better (safer) choices.
If you insist on taking a cat bay boat offshore the shoalwater would be last choice as it is lighter and you will get tossed.
If you are going offshore a lot dont sacrifice your safety for that shallow bay capability.
If i was booking an offshore trip....and asked the guide what kind of boat.....it would be a short conversation with your guide friend. I would be looking elsewhere for a guide with an offshore boat for my guided offshore trip. It is a bad idea to plan to do that regularly. On the rare occassional ice cream day man rock on I would too. But not a good plan not smart to count on that for your offshore excursions almost every week as you describe.
Talk with Tran about their boats. Their boats have no wood in them and are well made.
As far as going across the East cut my BC has made that run across to protected water in 25+ just this spring.
My killer is coming back the 5 or 6 miles of water from King Ranch shore line where it gets so bad with all the cross chop in 20 plus. Broke two different 545 Garmins in that area in + 20.
As far as going across the East cut my BC has made that run across to protected water in 25+ just this spring.
My killer is coming back the 5 or 6 miles of water from King Ranch shore line where it gets so bad with all the cross chop in 20 plus. Broke two different 545 Garmins in that area in + 20.
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=599929&highlight=sword
Running deep can be done in a 24 SVT. I wouldn't do it but it can be done. This might help with your pick.
Running deep can be done in a 24 SVT. I wouldn't do it but it can be done. This might help with your pick.
Have you considered the 23' or 24' Haynie cats? Very stable platform and will run as shallow as needed in the bay and absolutely eats the chop up. They arent as fast as the SW cats on top end but they are fast enough to get you where you need to go. I have ridden in all 3 several times and also rode in them 3 different days leading up to the day I bought my 23' Haynie cat and to me the Tran and SW didnt compare to the Haynie. As others mentioned if customer service is a key priority I would definately lean towards Tran or Haynie.
The trans boats are defiantly good boats but are a bit heavier than the shoalwater line of boats. With that being said, the shoalwater will run shallower and will also out run the transcat. I doubt you will be satisfied with the off shore capabilities of either boat if you get caught out there when a storm pops up and the seas get rough. Good luck in your decision.
Easy way to tell...check the classifieds for boats for sale...see any Tran bigger than the Baby Cats??? Check to see how many others are for sale...ever wonder why???? Tran Cat are tremendous boats, smooth ride, shallow as any other out there and the service and warranty is the BEST, they stand behind their boats. And will give you great service....You cannot go wrong with a Tran boat...best buy for the dollar, bar none....check those ads.....if you don't believe me....
Zero problems with my 2014 21' Shoalwater Cat. Love it, couldn't be happier. No way I'm trying offshore, no way.
That is a great point about SW always being for sale... if a boat is everything the customer wants they usually do not sell them so fast
The Shoalwater Cat runs faster and gets better gas mileage than the Trans Cat. It also runs and gets on plane shallower. I've seen the Shoalwater Cats get up when not floating in mud without a whole lot of struggle. Don't know why it is but the Trans Cats just don't run as good as the other cats on the market. Maybe it's their weight or the hull design itself but a few guys I know with the 22 and 24 Trans Cats are a little disappointed in the speed and fuel efficiency. That being said the Trans Cat is built like a rock and is all composite and the quality of workmanship is fantastic and they rig them nicely as well. Shoalwater isn't as good of build quality but it's still good, not junky like Ultra Cat lol. Haynie Cat is another one you might consider, great hull and great service from Chris. None are going to be as good as a v hull offshore. On a 1 footer day it will work just fine offshore. Heck, guys take jon boats offshore on days like that so a large cat hull will do fine. Just have to find those really calm days. If it were me, I would buy the Shoalwater Cat over the Trans Cat based purely on performance but that's me. Take a ride in both boats and pick the one that fits your needs best. Neither one is going to do well in larger swells offshore like a v hull would.
yea sold it and was going with 21cat with 250 but i really wanted 300 on it
was not too happy with service from factory also
so i sold it
you have to pick the right dealer with these boats and not even try to call shoal water at all
right now im laying down i didn't really wanna say whats next but only SCB
have no idea stingray or recon yet
I'm just watching more and more combo colors no matter which one i go with will have 300 on the back
will probably see eric before end year
was not too happy with service from factory also
so i sold it
you have to pick the right dealer with these boats and not even try to call shoal water at all
right now im laying down i didn't really wanna say whats next but only SCB
have no idea stingray or recon yet
I'm just watching more and more combo colors no matter which one i go with will have 300 on the back
will probably see eric before end year
yea tran has nice boats and runs skinny and good service
i just look at it if you gonna spend 60k on any other boat i would just get a little more and go with scb and sleep good at nite and not worry about prop or service or finish or any other problems
thats just my 2cents from my experience with few boats
never saw any one crying on about scb or asking for a prop size
good luck with any boat you go with they all nice and do the job
i just look at it if you gonna spend 60k on any other boat i would just get a little more and go with scb and sleep good at nite and not worry about prop or service or finish or any other problems
thats just my 2cents from my experience with few boats
never saw any one crying on about scb or asking for a prop size
good luck with any boat you go with they all nice and do the job
I've run my 220svt 30 plus many times got beat up at times. Come to think of it I got beat up in 22 Aquasport. Not sure SW stinger but tran has 3 massive vertical stingers. I looked at SW n didn't like the storage up front. SVT you can store a 5 gal bucket for when you can't get to dock in time. I've taken waves over now and boat drains quick n Tran will put in larger scuppers. Consider raised deck for less water to store now you can be a semi submersible. Great boat to dive from very stable at anchor. I saw a BC of end of Port A jetties in 3's with 100 plus tarpon a couple weeks ago. Go with Tran for what you are wanting to do. Good luck fun process
It just seems to me with such a focus on offshore there are at least two manufacturers that make massive cats designed for shallow bay/offshore that would be much more confident in those conditions. Shallow Sports giant cat and Dargels giant cat seem to fit that bill so much better.
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