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i like an xpress or war eagle, but i do as much fishin as huntin, and not much shallow water huntin. if i had to pick one id say xpress. i have one of each at the moment, and the xpress is the better boat in my opinion.

you need to get one from Southern Duck Boats Jason will hook you up , He has a yard full of boats right now,

I agree SDH would be my first stop, Jason will do you right. As far as the tiller I would think about that if your getting an outboard. With a boat that big you will be fighting a monster if you go with a tiller, I would go with a console.

my .02

I have a 1754 War Eagle with a 50 horse Yamaha Tiller handle. I usually hunt 3 people out of my boat, so if your going to hunt 4 people, I would for sure go with a 18 ft. boat.
All the boats mentioned on here are great boats. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with any of them. Do your research and shop around to get a good deal.
Kealhofer, how much did it run on that jack plate?? Did you install it yourself?

Another vote for War Eagle. I have had my 1754 LDV with 50 Merc 4stroke tiller for five years and never had a problem. I have run my boat all over Alabama from shallow water in Mobile Bay, flooded timber and fields in Stevenson and up and down the Alabama River. Rides great and will take some licks. I think all the boats you're looking at will work for your purposes. It gets to be a matter of preference as all are well built, qaulity boats.

When it's all said and done...Pure ProDrive, from front to back is the best there is.

I've seen the torture a PD can handle. It may not be for everybody

(Gordon) If you run an outboard over 60hp. the construction of a Gatortrax requires you to use a thicker hull. I have a 4-stroke 90. My boat only drafts 5". I can run in 2" in the marsh. It is heavy, but I hit a rock dike in the Ms. and got stuck on a rock that centered us and all it did was a scratch. (no dent). That thing will last forever. I also think a War Eagle is nothing more than a bass boat painted camo. I don't have one screw or rivet in my boat anywhere. everything is welded.

i thought that might be the case to add a bit of stiffness to the hull because of the way the stringers are run...i was just wondering....

if you're gonna run skinny water and use an outboard tunnel hull is a good thing....they don't run too well on a mudmotor though from what i hear.... most all of the premium hulls are really nice boats.... just looked at two new gatortrax gator-hides (3 man and 4 man) and a new 1644 guide series last night.... those gator hides are something.... the 4 man would make a great bowfishing boat.... cool boats.....

the war eagle is fine for a mass produced hull...but nothing like the big mudboat players.... just two different ballgames....

Gekko, are you the one I know from Tennessee??

nope, at least i don't think so....I'm down here in the state capitol of Mississippi....

I currently have a 1650 Xpress with 50 Yamaha. Hyperlift hull. I can fish and hunt two comfortably. I can hunt 3 comfortably. Hunting four is just too tight. You are right to be looking for 18ft. Honestly, If I could change one thing about my boat it would only be to add two feet to the length. It really doesn't take much more to hide the bigger boat. I've spent a lot of time in WarEagles and Xpresses. My opinion is Xpress builds a better boat. I really like the longitudinal stringers in the hull instead of cross braces.

J