Best boat for crabbing/fishing/bowfishing the upper bay rivers (carolina skiff vs aluminum v hull)

[2stubs]

First post on here fellas and I'm looking to get a lot more active (fishing/crabbing/bowfishing) on the water this spring. I'm mainly looking to fish/crab/bowfish the upper bay rivers and flats. Due to monetary and size constraints I'm going to stay around 16 ft. for my next boat purchase. I've narrowed my choice down to two boats that meet my requirements but need some opinions to sway me. The first is a 16 ft. Monark V hull SC with a 60 hp marniner and the second is a 16 ft. Carolina Skiff SC with a 40 hp Evenrude. Both are very well maintained and are the same price. I'm leaning toward to the Carolina Skiff for the flat bottom stability, shallow draft, and less chance for leaks (the Monark is riveted). However I've been told that with any chop at all I'll get beat to death and soaked. Any of you guys want to weigh in with real world experience or advice? Thanks in advance!

[Luv2fishCB]

I'm not sure what model Carolina Skiff you are looking at but I have a DLX 1655 that I have bern very happy with. In 1 footers it handles very well. You can get beat to death in my Parker deep V if you go too fast in certain conditions. Like any boat, adjust your speed to the conditions.

I replaced a 17 foot aluminum bass tracker with the skiff. As you pointed out it had rivets and the hull cracked. I have been very happy with the skiff. Handles well alone, plenty of room and I have front and rear decks. The Carolina Skiff is a no nonsense boat you can configure to your needs. There is a Carolina Skiff site http://www.carolinaskiffowner.com/index.php that has a lot of info on the various models and customizations by owners.

Good luck.

Steve

[wen]

the older
bass trackers don't hold up- stay away from them.
The Carolina is a good solid choice, 40hp is fine for it.
The Monarch being riveted might be a problem, but then not all riveted aluminum boats leak. I had a nice Starcraft years ago that was dry as a bone.
With aluminum the thicker the material the less flex.Most better newer aluminum hulls will be 100 guage welded.Don't know what that Monarch is, but I would guess it's more like 70 guage and riveted to boot.
If you haen't pulled the trigger on either boat, take the winter to look around.Polarcraft and SeaArk make fine all welded aluminum boats that will last a lifetime I have owned a Polarcraft and still own a SeaArk.The SeaArk will outlive me!(it's 125 Ga.)
Aluminum will give you the most economy and skinny water capabilities because of weight.
That being said, in either motor class you aren't going to be using that much gas even with two cycles which I assume they both are.

[2stubs]

Thanks for the replies fellas and after looking at both the MonArk was the hands down winner. It is a meticulously maintained, one owner rig that is set up for exactly what I am looking to do. For the record I found out it was manufactured by Starcraft and is a twin to the Starcraft Starfire they are currently still making. The boat has a fantastic reputation and it is evident it was well built. As an added bonus it came with a nice trolling motor, on board battery charger, built in live well, fish finder, and LED interior lighting for night fishing. I already had it on the water and it ran and handled beautifully. I can't wait for the striper to get here in the spring...