A little help here appreciated from you wise boatmen. Will be doing 75% lake fishing to 25% steelhead on the Clearwater in Idaho. Is the 14' Hewescraft river runner A good choice for all around fishing? Or is the deep V bow Lund style 14' A better choice on lakes that may get rough with weather like Couer D alene? or Pend Orielle Lake? I like the looks of the small Hewescraft, but thinking safety also with my Wife on board. Thanks for any and all replies! Pete

The 14' River runner is almost 15' long, but it's a flat bottom boat and delivers a pounding ride whenever the water isn't glass smooth. A 14' Lund in the WC model is really a flat bottom with rounded chines. The SSV model is a shallow vee bottom and delivers a much better ride. However, if there is serious chop on the water, the SSV doesn't have enough vee to smooth that out, and you will get some pounding if you try and go very fast. And none of the above boats have a dry ride when there is serious chop on the water. I have a 16' SSV, and when coming in at Bouy 10 with the afternoon wind chop, I have to suit up in full rain gear, cuz that's a wet return.

Sg

Thanks SG, had another experienced river sled fisherman told me to go alitttle longer and try and stay with a welded hull. slides off the rocks better. I see I'll have alitle longer! Pete

I have owned a few boats in the class you are considering, although not the River Runner. For my money the best in this class is the 15 foot Klamath. It is welded, wider and deeper than the closest Gregor, and has a .080 hull versus a .063 for others. Mine was a very seaworthy and dry boat that I used way offshore in Queen Charlotte sound a few times, as well as on the Columbia and similar rivers. I ran mine with a 25 Johnson.
It held its value well, selling for about what I paid for it after 5 good years use.

The good thing about the Clearwater is there are a lot of ramps so you don't need a really shallow running boat to fish it. I wouldn't fish it in any boat bigger then 16' and a prop unless you really know the river.

Your better off looking for a 16' Alumaweld or similar. A 66" bottom provides more room and is better setup as an open boat and fishing. Having removable seat boxes is a big bonus and allows you to remove a seatbox and add a cooler to balance the boat out.

stay away from the old '14 rivited Hewes river runners, I have had 2 both smoking piles, loose as hell all over, leakers, and low sides, and the larger riveted hewes dont plane very well either there tanks and needs lots of motor,

if your on a budget some of the old Smoker rivited sleds are well built, high sides and are tough, also there is a cherry '14 Smoker on craigs now in burlington, plus a few decent looking old welded sleds on craigs.....what ever you buy WATER TEST! it, preferably with a buddy that knows motors and checks it out well.

if they wont go for a ride with cash in hand you know it dont run right, you will be surprised how often it was a perfect runner in the driveway and how it dont run like that on the water.

peace, B.