Can a Fishing Boat have front seating?

[Hubreid]

Looking at a very nice Sailfish 218. Looks great for my wife and I to haul around at 60 years old. The boat has front seating. My wife loves the seating for family. I like to flyfish and in my opinon the fs kills the purchase. Am I nuts or will I rue the day I bought the boat. My thought is if the weather allows the use of a casting deck I may as well use my 14.5 foot Scout.

[z-drive]

No. A fishing boat can't have front seating. A multiple purpose boat can have front seating. A fishing boat over 20' needs to have a full flush deck in my opinion too. I'm all set with stepping up or down in the dark or when fighting a big fish.

Just my $.02

[ruge13]

Is wife likability needed to buy the boat? If not, dump the seat. If so, you might be stuck compromising if it means no boat.

Then again, I have never compromised with any female over fishing and as a result I remain single so your mileage may vary.

[z-drive]

stern, but fair. i support ruge's policy.

[riptide]

I'm with Ruge, but a fishing boat certainly can have FS. For that matter most of the big CC makers are pushing them hard to meet you and your wife's needs.

31 Jupiter FS
http://www2.worldpub.net/images/saltwater/articles/boating/2003/10/jupiter_31.jpg

32 (http://www.regulatormarine.com/32fs.html)FS Regulator
http://www.boattest.com/images-gallery/photos/Regulator32FS-run.jpg

All the new Yellowfins as an option
http://www2.worldpub.net/images/11Yellowfin300.jpg

Sea Vee offers front seats that tip out of the gunnels with a flush deck
http://www2.worldpub.net/images/SF/125-06seaveee.jpg

[Go Fish]

Jeff Smith and his clients put more fly rod tuna in the boat each year than most.

There have been a few lunker bass over his rail because of feathers as well.

The Carla Noel has forward seating.

It is not the freakin boat that catches fish...it is the fisherman/woman. If the stupid thing gets you to the fish and doesn't sink it is a fishing boat. If you are making excuses about not being able to catch fish because there are seats in the bow of your boat you need to rethink something.

[riptide]

I guided with my Hydra Sports for 4 seasons and it had a raised deck too. The gunnels were high enough that you could stand there even in rough seas. It was a good casting platform and it was a great place to stack your catch :brow

[exmtguide]

I own a Sailfish 218.

The FS makes a great raised location to fly fish from.
I'm comfortable standing on the FS in all but the roughest seas. The extra height is a great advantage for spotting fish.
The FS is also large enough to serve as a fish box for tuna.

Bill
"Happy Time"
Sailfish 218
Brewster/Lakeport

[browndog]

By forward seating you mean like a bow rider ? There's usually room to fly fish in a bow rider. Many center consoles have a front seat incorporated in the console.

[ShaneY]

The 218 looks like a similar seat setup to my hydrasports 180 only larger. It's not a problem except for the occasional mis-step. No bad spills yet but a few close ones. On the positive side of it they have great extra storage.

[Hubreid]

Thanks for the input. I'll be launching a Sailfish 218 in the spring.