If someone with unlimited funds went shopping for BASS BOAT

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

If a top level BASS fisherman with many years of experience. A person who is sincerely working at winning the Bassmasters Classic. A man who could buy a hundred Bass boats without even thinking about the money. A guy who wants a boat whose performance will enhance his chances of winning the classic. A guy who all of the major manufacturer of Bass boats would happily pay just to have him drive their boat, which they would give him for free. Lets also assume that this guy has done a tremendous amount a boat reserch to determin his choice
If a guy like that existed what brand of bass boat would he buy when as we know he could have gotten one of almost any other brand for free.

This man does exist. His name is Gary Yamamoto. He can afford to own the very best of everything there is in the Bass fishing world.

He drives a Legend boat. And he has started outfitting some of his other team members with Legends as well.

Dean Smith the owner of Legend Boats told me that Mr Yamamoto paid almost exactly the same price as I did for mine.

Nuff Said

Jim

[Dewayne]

How many major Tournament have been won out of a Legend?

There new, so that's not really fare. Now if Gary's performance on the trail improves after switching to this boat you may have an arguement. Has the boat improved your tournament finishes?

Till the boat proves itself in competition, more top level tournament angler's choose Ranger than any other boat. Time will tell if the Legend will Be able to hang with the big dogs.

Sorry! I just couldn't resist.

[MrSkeeter]

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not try to flame your post. But IMHO, the boat has little to do with how you fish. So long as it get's you to and from your fishing grounds expeditiously and safely while offer a stable and comfortable platform to fish from ... what more?

Perhaps I'm too simplistic and I'm not a tournament angler. Just a club level guy. In fact, the best year I had was when I was only going 30-40MPH in my old tin boat!! Just my $0.02 ....

[Jeff C.]

You've got to be kidding. Please enlighten me, how does the brand of boat affect ones tournament success?

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Ask a bunch of Ranger owners, and they will say it makes a big difference..In reality the boat is nothing more than a mobile platform to fish from..Some may get you to a particular spot quicker than others, but you da man dat gotta catch the fish..

mac

[Andy Giannini]

Dewayne, it was not a statement about which boat is sold more, has the highest customer satisfaction, or the greatest resale value. It isn't even a question about who owns what boat, or which one anybody thinks is best.

Jim is just excited that GY could pick ANY boat and cost would be no object. Gary has definately spent some time fishing from bassboats, and is more than qualified to do some comparison shopping. If he bought his own boat, he must have been impressed with it in some way. That is what Jim is getting at.

Sorry, could not resist!

And this is a funny thing, if GY BOUGHT a Ranger all the Ranger guys would think that was just great. It would add further arguement for all the Ranger fans out there! Wouldn't it?

Har!

A.G.

[NaCl]

Gary Yamamoto won the BASS 2005 Toyota Horizon Award as the most improved pro fisherman last year. He had Senkos before and after the new boat. He had his own rod line before and after the new boat. He had his own fluorocarbon line both before and after the new boat. Seems, the only thing that changed was the boat. Hmmmmm...I guess his new found success is solely due to.....THE NEW BOAT! HaHa!

.....NaCl

[Pat]

Gary Yamamoto won the BASS 2005 Toyota Horizon Award as the most improved pro fisherman last year. He had Senkos before and after the new boat. He had his own rod line before and after the new boat. He had his own fluorocarbon line both before and after the new boat. Seems, the only thing that changed was the boat. Hmmmmm...I guess his new found success is solely due to.....THE NEW BOAT! HaHa!

.....NaCl

But didn't he just get the new boat? Meaning after he won the Horizon award?

Pat

[Dewayne]

Dean, As I understand (Like Pat) he just got the new Legend, I could be wrong.

Boat/motor Manufacturer can be an advantage in tournament fishing. It's nice at big events to have on-site support trailers where you can get a bad live well pump repaired or have a blown power head swapped out. No matter what you own you can have a problem. It's comforting knowing there is a support team there for you. I was impressed that even at the BASS Open sponsored by Mercury there was a Evinrude support trailer.

AG - NAHH, To many people running Rangers to celebrate.

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

I certainly dont think that it is the boat that catches the fish, and of course neither do you.
I understand that it grates the nerves of all who are followers of the great and reverant cult of the RANGER. Ranger is as good a boat as many but is not as good as some others on the market.
My former Hawk and my Legend in my opinion will get you where you want to go with more speed, better cornering ability, better rough water handling abillty, and as a result a safer ride than any other boat that I have ridden in. In addition to that they have a storage locker layout that is second to none. I can put 8 foot rods in my rod lockers. Those of you who are long time Pros who have owned one brand of boat over the years are mostly only experienced with your own brand of boat and its capabilities.

You guys always talk about dealer support and manufacturer support for your boats. Since nothing has ever gone wrong with my old Hawk or my Legend that required a warranty solution the warranty work is a moot point. However they told me that if such a
problem arises I can take it any where that I choose and they will pay the bill
I have never claimed to be as great a fisherman or as knowledgable about fishing as you are Dewayne. but I do know a few things about boats.
Obviously Gary Yamamoto does too. perhaps even as much as he knows about making great baits.

Jim

Jim

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

*NM*

[Rick G]

First it was Viper, then Hawk, now Legend. Im glad you are lucky that you have never had a warranty claim, but Im sure there are plenty of the now bankrupt former companies owners not as lucky. Starting a boat company is very expensive and marketing against the big guys very expensive. Gary Yamamoto is a very unique individual that beats his own drum. My good buddy Kelly Power is Sales manager for Legend and a great guy, hopefully he will stick around with Legend, but his road is a uphill battle. Though to turn down the big companies tournament incentives . Rick G.

[Pat]

I have never claimed to be as great a fisherman or as knowledgable about fishing as you are Dewayne. but I do know a few things about boats.
Obviously Gary Yamamoto does too. perhaps even as much as he knows about making great baits.

Jim

Aren't we getting a little carried away here? Gary Yamamoto is a great bait designer, and a very astute busness man without a doubt. Neither of these things make him the ultimate authority on Bass Boats. I have not been in a Legend boat, unless they are the same company that was making Legend Boats North of Montgomery, Alabama in the 90s. If that is the case I have been in one, was a nice boat, huge at the time. I expect they are an exellent boat as most are these days.

Congrats to both Gary and Legend boats, I hope the relationship works well for both of them.

Pat

[sTony]

a 24' Legend back '98 at the Rally@Fork, now the Texas Rally. It looked something like an aircraft carrier. All fron deck to if my memory serves. Not sure how it was to fish from but it looked like it would've been a fun ride! I doubt that this is the same company though it may be.

And Jim, I think its cool that you really like the new boat. You should be proud of what you have as should every bass boat owner.

sTony

[eddremax]

Im on my 4th new boat since 89.they all have there pros and cons.
Ive had 18' 4 champion,201 stratos,20'1 viper cobra and now a 521 ranger.
My old champion and the20' were the best rough water boats bar none(OLD 88" BEAM) but that was going straight or slight angle into them.Stratos was a 96 w/225 rude ,wasn't real happy. VIPER
WAS 2000 W/225 OPTI.PUT 500-600HRS on this boat, loved this boat but it was so freagin wet it would piss me off.My understanding is the Legend was a break-off from the viper line and was wondering if it was as wet.If you truelly want the best overall bass boat in all types off rough water ,a stable non drifting
platform( GOOD FOR NOT FALLING OUT OF THE BOAT) fish out of a 521 for a day and if its rough get into the rollers going sideways, that will make a believer out of you.
Ed

[Fish Chris]

I would SOOO much love to be able to go right down to Design Concepts and have them build my ultimate, fully customized, >14 to 15 ft< aluminum bass boat. It would probably cost about 15K..... Cheap for most of you, but a ton of cash for a poor man like me, who spends too much time fishing, and not enough time working.

People who say the boat doesn't matter much are crazy ! It needs to be small enough to get into tight spots. Plain and boring enough that most serious bass fishermen will look right over the top of you (don't need to draw any extra attention and your "4 stroke" motor needs to be small / light enough to pick up, and remove, if you happen to be fishing a lake that does not allow gas. And forget the glitter...... you need to be "fishing" ! Not cleaning and polishing !

Finally, I believe the biggest factor for most anglers to consider is, would they rather be fishing ? ....or working there buts off to pay for an expensive boat ? Not to mention the outrageous cost of gas, insurance, and general upkeep.

Again, I believe the boat totally matters.

Peace,
Fish

God bless all of the men and women, on this memorial day, who have paid the ultimate price, so that we are able to live in the most awesome country on the planet, with all of the freedom that we have.

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

In a tournament there are many other factors to consider. Speed counts because it allows you to keep your bait wet longer. Roughwater handling capability fits into that same category. Glitter is because we like our toys to be pretty and glitter helps then sell and resell when we get a new one. Glittery boats and fancy shirts draw attention from the public and is percieved to creat a positive attitude in people. We are kind of following the footsteps of the race cars and race car drivers. tournament fishing is about money, and the sporit and fun of compitition. If what we do is not your cup of tea then you are absolutely correct in your assessment of the ideal bass boat. And then again what is ideal for you is not necessarily ideal for everyone.

Jim

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

The Hawk was an offshoot from and an improvement on the Viper. The Legend is an offshoot and improvement on the Hawk. My son Started us on the Hawks when he bought a 98 Hawk then in 2000 we both bought new Hawks. I would have kept my Hawk forever if Dean Smith from Legend had not offered me a very favorable sponsorship package. Neither my Hawk nor my legend are a wet ride.
I think it is perfectly ok for me to think my boat is the best boat on the water just like I sincerely like my Dodge Pickup. I just dont think it is right for anyone to make disparaging statements about a product of any kind until they have personal experience with it

Jim

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

I have never claimed to be as great a fisherman or as knowledgable about fishing as you are Dewayne. but I do know a few things about boats.
Obviously Gary Yamamoto does too. perhaps even as much as he knows about making great baits.

Jim

Aren't we getting a little carried away here? Gary Yamamoto is a great bait designer, and a very astute busness man without a doubt. Neither of these things make him the ultimate authority on Bass Boats. I have not been in a Legend boat, unless they are the same company that was making Legend Boats North of Montgomery, Alabama in the 90s. If that is the case I have been in one, was a nice boat, huge at the time. I expect they are an exellent boat as most are these days.

Congrats to both Gary and Legend boats, I hope the relationship works well for both of them.

Pat

The Legend boat of today is an alltogether different boat than the one of the 90's. I did not say that Gary Yamamoto is ultimate authotity on bass boats but I will bet you that he had someone do a lot of research before he bought a boat that he will rely on to help him win the level of tournaments that he fishes and with his ultimate desire to win the classic. I cannot believe him to be the kind of guy that would own anything but the very best when it comes to competeing in a tournament. He certainly can afford it. I have not the slightest doubt that if he asked Ranger and many other of the boat manufacturer's would give him several Ranger boats for free, yet he bought a Legend. Doesnt that tell you something. It certainly tells me something.

Jim

[Pat]

[/quote]
The Legend boat of today is an alltogether different boat than the one of the 90's. I did not say that Gary Yamamoto is ultimate authotity on bass boats but I will bet you that he had someone do a lot of research before he bought a boat that he will rely on to help him win the level of tournaments that he fishes and with his ultimate desire to win the classic. I cannot believe him to be the kind of guy that would own anything but the very best when it comes to competeing in a tournament. He certainly can afford it. I have not the slightest doubt that if he asked Ranger and many other of the boat manufacturer's would give him several Ranger boats for free, yet he bought a Legend. Doesnt that tell you something. It certainly tells me something.

Jim[/quote]

Jim, Do you not think that people like Denny Brauer, Kevin Van Dam, Rick Clunn, Gary Klein, Skeet Reese and many others are not just as driven to win the Classic or AOY as Gary Yamamoto is? Gary Y is fortuante that he does not need sponsor support to follow the tour. Perhaps he has chosen to buy a boat because he does not want the associated responsibilities and obligations that come with sponsorship. Don't get me wrong, I am not poo pooing the fact that he chose Legend when he could have chosen any other. My point, for what it is worth, is that having a Legend boat will not give him a significant advantage over the other competitors, if it did you can bet the others would also be banging down the door at Legend.

It's great that you have your relationship with Legend, but don't get too carried away pounding the drum for them. The overzealous, whether for religion or bass boats, can often do more harm than good for their cause. You know how tired you get of Ranger owners...

Have a great summer

Pat

[Fish Chris]

I totally here you, and mostly agree. I know speed is important in tournies, as is being able to safely travel in big water, under adverse conditions.

Believe it or not, I have actually spent a little bit of time imagining what my tournament boat might look like. It would probably still be aluminum, but heavy gauge, and welded. And it would definately have to have the straight up "Real Tree Mossy Oak" pattern paint job going on It might be 16 feet or so, with a big ol' 75 hp, or even a 90 hp four stroker too.

Honestly, I think a boat like this would be all I would need for tournies. I don't think I would race too many guys to hot spots anyway, but rather, I'd fish in my own spots. It they went right, I'd go left. If they zigged, I'd zag.

But for multiple reasons, I'd be a lousy tournament angler anyway. Oh well.

Peace,
Fish

PS, Dodge Vipers should be lime green ! Red ones are for lemmings

[Rick G]

First it was Viper, then Cobra, then Hawk, and now Legend. All of these boats molds were built by Champion boats founder John Storie. Same boats just different striping. Hoprfully Legend will not go BK like the other companies did. Lots of former dealers got burned for thousands of dollars in unpaid warranty and rebate money. Ask Bill at Bobs Marine. When you sell boats factory direct, you open up a new can of worms, like warranty and resale issues. Gary Yamamoto and his son Derek both paid for all the Champions they owned, and I guarantee you Ranger gives NOBODY free boats. Enjoy your boat , they build a first class product but dont hold a candle to Ranger. Rick G.

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

The Legend boat of today is an alltogether different boat than the one of the 90's. I did not say that Gary Yamamoto is ultimate authotity on bass boats but I will bet you that he had someone do a lot of research before he bought a boat that he will rely on to help him win the level of tournaments that he fishes and with his ultimate desire to win the classic. I cannot believe him to be the kind of guy that would own anything but the very best when it comes to competeing in a tournament. He certainly can afford it. I have not the slightest doubt that if he asked Ranger and many other of the boat manufacturer's would give him several Ranger boats for free, yet he bought a Legend. Doesnt that tell you something. It certainly tells me something.

Jim[/quote]

Jim, Do you not think that people like Denny Brauer, Kevin Van Dam, Rick Clunn, Gary Klein, Skeet Reese and many others are not just as driven to win the Classic or AOY as Gary Yamamoto is? Gary Y is fortuante that he does not need sponsor support to follow the tour. Perhaps he has chosen to buy a boat because he does not want the associated responsibilities and obligations that come with sponsorship. Don't get me wrong, I am not poo pooing the fact that he chose Legend when he could have chosen any other. My point, for what it is worth, is that having a Legend boat will not give him a significant advantage over the other competitors, if it did you can bet the others would also be banging down the door at Legend.

It's great that you have your relationship with Legend, but don't get too carried away pounding the drum for them. The overzealous, whether for religion or bass boats, can often do more harm than good for their cause. You know how tired you get of Ranger owners...

Have a great summer

Pat[/quote]

Hey Pat
I have to agree with most of your points except that I think that whatevr the best bass boat on the water is. it will give its owner an advantage over the compitition. If the water conditions are right for a specific boat to be the fastest boat in the touirnament on that particular day, all other things being equal the owner of that boat can keep his bait wet longer than the compitition and therefore increase his potential for winning. We recently saw the Classic won in the last 5 minutes of the tournament. Had that man had a boat that was a few miles an hour slower he may not have had that 5 minutes to use for fishing. The rough water handling capabilities can give you that same kind of advantage cornreing ability also helps you in keeping your bait in the water for some extra time. The ergonomics of the bait and rod storage can give you some advantage the square footage of the front and back decks can make your boat easier to fish out of and therefor perhaps help you to be able to catch one more key fish on a given day.
if the boat doesnt help you catch fish then why arent we all fishing out of 14 foot aluminum skif

Jim

[Tm Customs]

I would be a happy w/ almost any top of the line fully loaded boat but it would be cool to get some sort of custom boat made

[fsh4bss]

My $.02, nobody builds a boat with the quality that Ranger does!

[Peter Lloyd]

put a Yamaha on the back of your Legend like Yamamoto did? Like you, I am sure he wouldn't use anything but the best.

Seeya,
Peter

[Pat]

"We recently saw the Classic won in the last 5 minutes of the tournament. Had that man had a boat that was a few miles an hour slower he may not have had that 5 minutes to use for fishing. "

Interesting that you use the Classic as an example, in that event all the Anglers fished out of the same make and model boat! So Tak clearly did not have an advantage of one boat over another. And amazingly he still won! Also consider that some of the very best tournament fishermen, some say the two best of all time, choose to fish out of the much maligned Nitro. There are quite a few top quality high performance boats on the market: Ranger, Triton, Bass Cat, Skeeter, Champion, Stratos and even Nitro has come a long way. I will accept your testimony that Legend should be included among them. But please don't expect us to accept that running a Legend will give anyone a clear advantage over an entire season. And what will Gary Y do when he gets to the Classic and has to fish out of a Triton? Will he be at an advantage or disdvantage then?

To quote Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that"

Pat

[Dewayne]

I heard from Jimmy that Skeet won a WON pro/am out of a small aluminum boat years ago when that was all his boat sponsor (Lund??) produced. My bet is that boat was pretty slow. While there are always times when we would like a little more speed, it seldom makes a difference. First day of the last EverStart I blasted off in the 4th flight, left 5 boats late, and was pretty much done fishing for the day at 7:30am with about 20#s for 3 fish. I did pass a boat on the way to my spot. I was nervous that the boat ahead of me was headed to the spot I wanted, but it turned out that having a faster boat made no difference other than peace of mind.

We fish for 7-10 hours, you have to make one hell of a long run for speed to be any kind of advantage. The difference between a fast boat and a slow boat is about 2-3 minutes on most of the lakes we fish here in the West. Still, Jim is right that I would rather have the speed than not. I keep my slow 72 MPH Ranger any day with the on-site support team from Ranger and Evinrude. If speed were a true advantage we would see anglers on the Pro tours buying more Bullets, Gamblers, and Allisons.
Winning pays way better than a boat sponsorship.

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

put a Yamaha on the back of your Legend like Yamamoto did? Like you, I am sure he wouldn't use anything but the best.

Seeya,
Peter

I have always ran Mercuries and have always been happy with them. In addition to that where ever I can I buy things made in this country. I think it helps our economy and keeps americans employed. In addition to that I am sponsored my Mercury but owned Mercs by choice as I will continue to do.

Jim

[Peter Lloyd]

I was just teasing. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. People are going to buy what they like, not what someone else likes.
The Legend does look like a nice boat though. There sure are a bunch of them here in Texas.

Seeya,
Peter

[Andy Giannini]

I have thought about this, Jim as to why your intended positive post garnerned so many negative replies. Not that the fishing boat isn't great, or GY picking it isn't cool.

The last tag, "Nuff said" invited more responses. Kinda comes across as almost a dare. I did not send you this in private E mail because it really could apply to any writer that finished off with that tag. Thinking about it now, that IS the perfect thing to say to generate many responses!

.02 A.G.

(I have used two emoticons, don't know how I feel about that.)

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

I have thought about this, Jim as to why your intended positive post garnerned so many negative replies. Not that the fishing boat isn't great, or GY picking it isn't cool.

The last tag, "Nuff said" invited more responses. Kinda comes across as almost a dare. I did not send you this in private E mail because it really could apply to any writer that finished off with that tag. Thinking about it now, that IS the perfect thing to say to generate many responses!

.02 A.G.

(I have used two emoticons, don't know how I feel about that.)

I had not thought about the "nuff said" comment Andy, you may be totally correct. Something certalily raised the hackles of some people that I didnt even know had hackles. I had already decided to drop the subject when I recieved your posting. I thinkt the thing that bothers me the most here is the illogical logic that some are using to try to get their point across. A long time ago I read a book entitled "None Dare Call It Conspiracy". In this Book the author Philip Wiley stated that "When you hear someone, who you know to be an intelligent person saying something unintelligent, dont think it is because they are not as intelligent as you thought them to be. It is simply because there agenda is different than yours"

Jim

[catchnrelease]

The expensive boat doesn't catch fish. The expensive rods and reels don't catch fish. Nor do the expensive baits. It's the guy/gal who catches the fish!! This whole thread is silly!! You could arm Kevin Van Dam (the best imho) with a cheesy Zebco spincasting outfit for ALL his bass fishing, and he'd whoop the tar out of most all of us on any given body of water. The same with Cooch. I've fished with him a couple of times, and his boat is the messiest boat I've ever seen. He has piles of baits all tangled together everywhere in his old Stratos. He uses Cameron rods, which are nothing compared to Loomis and St Croix when it comes to how much they cost or what blanks they're built upon, and he also uses plain ol Ambassadeurs for his reels. No high dollar Shimanos. Yet he can outfish most ANYONE on the Delta anytime, and on any river there!!!!! He could catch more fish there blindfolded than I could on any given day, and I fish there all year round! It's the man behind the baits, not all that top dollar crapola! It's about putting your time in on the water. Legend, Ranger, Skeeter, blah blah. Sheesh! Give it a rest already.
C.