Dragonfly Bass Boats

[Flukemaster]

Hi guys

I'm very keen to upgrade my current hull (home-build) to a new Dragonfly hull and put my new 115hp Mercury at the back.

Does anyone of you own a Dragonfly?

I need all the advice I can get about the boat regarding stability and any other issues...
Would you recommend the boat or are there things I need to know before purchasing it?

Thanks

[pomerob]

Howzit Flukemaster

I have the Dragon Fly MkIII, it is a very nice boat, due to it's deep V it handles rough water like a dream and with a 115 you will be flying. I am clocking 70kmph with a 90hp. Plenty of storage with 2 live wells and 2 cooler boxes, 1 in the front and one at the back plus all the other standard hatches. Very easy to tow. light and economical on fuel. easily launch and retrieve by yourself.

Downfalls, the front Deck may be a little narrow, the finishes on the hatches could be improved and are a bit creaky.

I have outgrown mine and will be trading it in soon for a bigger boat.

All in all I would say it is good value for money 16fter boat.

[pomerob]

Oh and another very important consideration is after sales service. Outdoor Marine have been outstanding to me, I have never had a reason to fault them, they certaimly did go the extra mile for me.

[robfisher]

Hi Flukemaster... when I bought my boat a year ago I tested 4 boats... a splash bass, a dragonfly, a rebel and one other one which I can?t remember what it was. I found the splash bass and dragonfly a little unstable for my large framed body... but Pomerob is very happy with his apart from the size of the deck... and Oli has one which he just bought and is very happy with it... I must say I wasn?t too impressed with the finishes on the dragonfly... if they would just spend another couple of hours on the little things it would make such a difference. I ended up spending a little more than I planned to and bought a second hand Rebel 532 rather than a brand new Splash Bass and I?m very glad I did.

Try and get a ride on a few boats before making a choice!

[Shannon]

Howzit FlukeMaster

The deep V Pomee talks about definately helps with handling rough water, the downside of a deep V is that it makes the boat an unstable fishing platform.
The Dragon Fly hull is about 25 years old, it was a very good hull for it's time but has obvioulsy aged with the new designs in boat hulls.
But it still isn't a bad boat for it's size class.
For engines up to 90hp it's a decent choice but the fact that you have a 115hp opens up a whole new level of boats for you and they are not that much more expensive.

When I bought my boat I compared it to the DragonFly because they were so close in price, this is what I noted:

DragonFly:
Length 4.5m
Width 1.5m

Bass Seeker 480
Length 4.8m
Width 2.2m

With the same motor the Bass Seeker was R5000 more expensive, I run a 90hp Mercury with a max GPS speed of 74.5km/h (With a Stainless Prop)

Escape boating also makes a Bass Seeker 440 now, I'll find out some prices on both and post them here later

[Flukemaster]

Thanks for all the advice and info guys, this really is one awesome site...

Shannon I've contacted Neil from Escape boating a few times and his best price on a 480 Seeker is R58 000 (Hull on trailer).

I know the guy that builds the dragonfly in Witbank and he's willing to give me a deal for R34 000 (Hull on trailer with all the neccesary pumps and seats etc.), I have R35 000 max cash to spent on a new hull and trailer.

The 440 Seekers is going for about R35 000 so thats more in my price range, I've had a look at it and the dragonfly is definately a better buy in that price class.

Pomerob if you guys mean unstable is it a pretty bad issue or not?
I weigh 80kg and my partner about 90kg.
Would the boat be stable enough for us not to cause any serious drawbacks or irritations?

The specs of the dragonfly he builds is:
Length: 4.70m
Beam: 1.75m

Also as far as I understand the boat holds it's value pretty well?
Thats another big issue as I'm planning to upgrade to a 19-21ft rig in about 5 years time.

I don't know of any other boat manufacturers that builds a boat in my price range... :?

[pomerob]

Shannon has some very valid points and if you can get a good deel on the seeker it is a better option. However buck for buck the fly is a good deal.

My fishing partner and I are about 90kg each and we have no serious problems, it's obviously not as stable as an 18ft boat with a 2.4m beam. The max rating on the fly is a 130hp (I think) so your 115 is very suited for it.

I bought mine new for R115k, for a new boat that was about the best deal i could find. In hind sight I would have gone for a bigger boat and gone into a bit of debt, but for all purposes I didnt know how much this bug was going to bite at the time I purchashed the fly.

To round up, the fly is not the newest or best boat on the market but you do get your monies worth in that class of boat. I do not regret buying mine and if I hadnt got so involved in the sport in the short space of time I have had it, it surely would have lasted several more years than it has.

The only quark i have is the beam of the boat and thats why I say look into the seeker option. when you have 4 to 8 rods on the deck there really isnt room to move around and you end up tip toeing around your rods, hence the reason I have out grown it.

It is good value for money as long as you know your not buying a Z21. You are in Jhb right, both robdog and myself have fly's you are welcome to come out for a flip if you want. We will both be at Witbank in two weeks time for the weekend. Try before you buy

[basstid]

I know "jack" about boats but I do know
that when I fished off Pomerobs boat I thought it was awesome,
I also found it to be very stable also loads of storage etc..

Cheers Rob.

[Shannon]

Fluke Master that's a pretty good deal on the Fly. With a 115hp that thing will haul ass and peel back your eye lids. 8O
My suggestion would be to buy that boat, but just make sure you put an order through in writing and list all the seperate pumps, switches, seats and whatever else you have negotiated with them. When these guys build your boat they will have 3 or 4 other boats they are busy with at the same time and it just gaurentees you don't have to fight with them at a latter stage.

The stability of the boat will not be a problem providing you remember you are on a small boat and you both don't try hang off one side of the boat at the same time.
It should give you plenty of pleasurable fishing hours.

Just remember that it's not the boat that catches the fish!
One of the most important features on a boat to me is that it can hold 7ft rods in the hatches. I've come across a couple bigger boats that can only hold 6ft 6" rods and that's a stuff up. Also look at the finishes and the strength of the hatch lids, if the hatches flex when you stand on them, they are eventually going to break.

Good luck

[pomerob]

The MkIII has had some minor hull modifications to the MkII, minor but very noticable i.e mkII has a cut out for the transom where as the MKIII has a flat tansom and uses a jack plate which give you an extra ft in length to the deck, they have used this space to increase the rear deck :-? why I dont know cause the front could have used that extra ft. The center of gravity is further back in the mkIII giving it a bit of an advantage for better prop effciency and hole shot.

[CrankbaitCarl]

My wife has a Dragonfly MK111 FTP with 115 Mariner.
Fair handling but sh*t finishing. Unfortunately cannot handle our rough Cape waters.
The Rebel 440 I think is a much better buy.

[pomerob]

With the new boat on the market I almost feel suckered for information. :blue-evil:

[VX70]

My wife has a Dragonfly MK111 FTP with 115 Mariner.
Fair handling but sh*t finishing. Unfortunately cannot handle our rough Cape waters.
The Rebel 440 I think is a much better buy.

Erm, if your wife got a dragonfly what boat do you have? Or is she the main fisher in your family! :blue-lol:

[CrankbaitCarl]

Rebel 532 EFI 200 Merc ,2 boats because we compete against each other.
Unfair hey!