Bass Boating:
Elite Thoughts on Future Boats

Who would have imagined 20 years ago that we would be piloting 21-foot rigs tricked out with GPS computers and colorful graphs, and powered with 250- to 300-hp outboards?

Welcome to the 21st century bass boat, delivered by mindful manufacturers who continue to fulfill dreams and desires of anglers who demand the next best thing.

So, where do we go from here? What could possibly be done to improve today's rig to make it more comfortable and efficient for hard-core fishermen?

We asked some of today's Bassmaster Elite Series anglers, and here is what they'd like to see on the bass boat of the future:

Denny Brauer: "Give me a jet boat outboard with the same high performance we have in today's boat. That would eliminate concerns of knocking off a lower unit when running over shallow stumps and rocks."

Shaw Grigsby: "A refrigerant system that runs through the boat cooler and the livewells, keeping water at an optimum temperature to keep fish alive in hot weather."

Tim Horton: "Different livewells for two anglers that have three dividers within each one. Your dinks go in one side, medium fish in the middle and your giants in the other. And while you're at it, build in a box that serves as an accurate scale. Drop your fish in, close the lid and it instantly tells you the weight so you know which fish to cull."

Kelly Jordon: "It would be great to have an aerodynamic, retractable and see-through cockpit that encapsulates the driver and passenger while running in bad weather and rough water. And since we are dreaming, pump heat into the cockpit for those cold days."

Gary Klein: "I'd love to have underwater vision. Our electronics are great and help us interpret the underwater environment, but it's still left to our interpretation. There are underwater cameras, and they're getting better, but they're difficult to apply
to the way we like to fish."
Skeet Reese: "I'd like a fuel efficient, onboard generator powered by boat gas that provides enough current that we could eliminate most of our heavy batteries. Even if the generator weighed as much as one battery, the weight saved should improve top-end speed. By cutting out 150 pounds worth of batteries from the bilge area, we'd reduce stress from the back of the boat, open up more storage area, and could run trolling motors all day when fishing current or wind."

Dean Rojas: "A heating/cooling system mounted in the bow area that blows warm or cold air up on the angler while he fishes. I'd also like to see a heated floor mat. Warm feet help make cold days a little more bearable."

Marty Stone: "How about a highly efficient solar charging system that has a monitor and tells me how much juice has been put in my batteries so I never have to worry about them?"

Gerald Swindle: "I'd like to see Velcro boat seats to keep a partner from bouncing out when I unexpectedly hit a boat wave. Perhaps it could be a seat belt type of deal that keeps you seated but releases easily when you need to get out."

Kevin VanDam: "I'd love to have a trolling motor with 200 pounds of thrust so I can zip between docks that I'm fishing. I'd also like to be able to touch a button and have the electric (motor) quickly periscope up into the hull of the boat and out of the way."

Stephen Browning: "I'd like to have an outboard that would be the equivalent of a hybrid. It would use gas to get on plane, and then a battery pack would keep you at high speeds. Ultimately, you'd be able to save a ton on gas, and the batteries would weigh less and take up less space than a giant gas tank."

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