Advantages and disadvantages of "high wall" vs "low wall" 14

Guy has a ? Sylvan 14 ft high sided boat he might be selling. Kind of trashed inside, but solid.

I've got the 1959 Alumacraft 14 ft standard-sided boat, mostly finished for me.

I haven't had a high side (which seems often to be incorrectly called a "deep V.") boat, but for some reason that was the hull style I initially started looking for.

I know it will be heavier, but could some of you folks discuss the pros and cons of the difference in design?

I will be in the boat by myself most often.


Thank you.

Biggest advantage if you are talking about taller sides is you can take it out on bigger, rougher waters without as much worry of getting swamped by high waves. I have a 15ft Tracker flatbottom with 16 inch sides and many of the waters I go out on are often just too rough from waves an especially wakes from larger cruisers and yahts. Just had to buy a second boat to fill that requirement!!! Disadvantage is the wind will blow you around worse when trying to fish unless the boat is a lot heavier.

Although you will in the boat alone most of the time, if you ever have kids aboard the high sides are nice.

Deep V will plow through the water easier with less of a chance of getting wet all the time in rough waters. They may draft a bit more but you will be happy with the softer ride....IMO.

The more freeboard you have the safer you'll be.

The more freeboard you have, the more the wind will blow you around if you're trying to stay still or going real slow.

The wind problem can be overcome with a good anchor and windlass and/or a good bow mount trolling motor and a drift sock.

I have a lot of freeboard on my Pro Deep V (that's the name of it) and it took me a while to get used to/overcome the wind problem, but now I wouldn't trade it for 2 low freeboard boats.

Boats with a lot of freeboard are also harder to reenter if you should happen to fall your dumb butt out of it, that's why I installed a permanent boarding ladder on my boat like this one:
https://www.basspro.com/Folding-Ladder-Universal-Mount/product/803/128751

I haven't had to use it yet, but it's there if I need it.

jigngrub said:

Boats with a lot of freeboard are also harder to reenter if you should happen to fall your dumb butt out of it, that's why I installed a permanent boarding ladder on my boat like this one:
https://www.basspro.com/Folding-Ladder-Universal-Mount/product/803/128751

I haven't had to use it yet, but it's there if I need it.

Click to expand...

I carry a rope step ladder on my tin and my glass boat. I capsized a sailboat once and then realized after righting it that I couldn't re-enter it!

All things considered, always take the deeper boat if fishing bigger water.

If it were me I'd trade out and not think twice.

Disadvantages: Bound to be heavier, more affected by wind, harder to get in and out of under certain situations, and could be harder to fish out of.

Advantages: MIGHT be more "seaworthy......" Maybe.

Freeboard DOES NOT automatically equate to increased safety -it does create the illusion of it in some hulls.

I've got a little Valco U-12 that has a 15" transom and standard utility vee freeboard on the sides. But I've ridden in 14 footers with more freeboard that were a much wetter ride than my boat under calmer conditions than the worst I've had mine out in. Sounds unbelievable, I guess, but there is more to a seaworthy hull than freeboard. Stratigically placed spray rails, sides that flare out so the boat is wider gunwale to gunwale than chine to chine, and things of that nature also play a role. Old Valcos like mine, as well as the similar Gregors of the same cartoppable utility style, are among the driest riding 12' -14' tin boats out there, IMHO, because of the engineering details of things like bottom shape and hullside flare and spray rail placement.

I used to have a 13' Boston Whaler Super Sport.... The Jeep of the marine world, that thing was.... It cured me of automatically assuming that a bigger boat with more freeboard was more seaworthy than my little Whaler by default. They don't have a whole lot of freeboard, but they're one of most seaworthy little boats out there in spite of that. There are a whole host of larger boats with deeper sides that I wouldn't want to cross the 26 miles of Pacific Ocean between Long Beach, CA and Catalina Island, but I had no qualms at all over doing that in my little Whaler. There aren't many boats I'd rather be in when you can stand up straight and tall while in the trough between two swells and not see anything but 7' walls of water on eiher side of you. And I'd rather have an old 13' Whaler as a family boat than most of the "family runabout" style stuff (like the Tahoe line Bass Pro sells) out there.

Preferences are personal, but I prefer to fish from a boat with as little freeboard as possible. YMMV.

T/C

The High Side will hold more beer and ice. :mrgreen:







Sorry...sometimes I can't help myself. #-o

Thank you, Gentlemens...


To clarify, I'm not talking about a swap. He has this boat, and maybe will sell it.

I have my boat pretty much finished. I'd have to sell it and then go to work on the Sylvan.

I'd pretty much talked myself out of buying before I read your excellent responses.

Among other things, the buyers' market has slowed a bunch, partially due to time of year, and in part, because of the extremely hot temps and lack of rain in Wisconsin this year.

Hadn't thought of the wind, and I should have, because I spent years fighting it in various canoes. I don't have a complaint with the 14 ft Alumacraft.


and...to top it off...this is one of those "guys" who always leaves you feeling you just got taken to the cleaners.


Probably boredom had as much to do with my interest as did utility.


Thank you.

Kismet said:

Probably boredom had as much to do with my interest as did utility.
Thank you.

Click to expand...

I don't think that's the real reason for thinking about this other boat.

... I think you're becoming an addict, yup... that's right, I said it!

Restoring boats can be highly addictive! You get that feeling of accomplishment buzz and when your current boat is done you want more... then it's "let's see what's on Craigslist", it's a vicious cycle... and if you're not careful your yard will look like the Pacific Fleet and there will be a family intervention!!!

... but there's far worse things to be addicted to Kiz... go get you another boat Bubba!