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MA 18.5 vs 18 HPX-V


apalach_tarpon

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I am on the hunt for my next skiff and interested in comparing and contrasting the master angler 18.5 and an older 18 HPX-V. 

I am primarily looking for a tarpon skiff, but will also be doing some flats poling for redfish over oysterbeds and marshes. 

Draft is obviously not my top priority. I have a growing family and value stability and size. 

Any first hand accounts of these two would be greatly appreciated!

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If you mean a pre new design 18v, I wouldn't get one...  I owned one and it doesn't drive anything like my new V...  The old 18 is very wide with a flat stern, so it drives like it... The newer 18 carves turns like a race car and rides much much better IMO....MA compared to the HPX line is too very different beasts...   The big difference between the new 18 and the MA is the no hull slap design and pole ability ...  The MA rides like a dream and has enormous bait wells but it's going to slap when you are poling for reds..

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Go for rides if possible, if you're ever down south, waaaay down south I'll take you out. Just don't get a bay boat, family is only so important and they eventually move out. Then you're stuck with a boat that does nothing well but hold beverages and stereo equipmentI applaud you for not falling into this $90K cup holder/tanning bed marketing trap and I will do anything I can to help in your search for a proper inshore fishing vessel;)

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17 hours ago, jason p said:

Go for rides if possible, if you're ever down south, waaaay down south I'll take you out. Just don't get a bay boat, family is only so important and they eventually move out. Then you're stuck with a boat that does nothing well but hold beverages and stereo equipmentI applaud you for not falling into this $90K cup holder/tanning bed marketing trap and I will do anything I can to help in your search for a proper inshore fishing vessel;)

👆🏻 This literally has me rolling!! 😂

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On 11/17/2016 at 7:26 PM, jason p said:

Go for rides if possible, if you're ever down south, waaaay down south I'll take you out. Just don't get a bay boat, family is only so important and they eventually move out. Then you're stuck with a boat that does nothing well but hold beverages and stereo equipmentI applaud you for not falling into this $90K cup holder/tanning bed marketing trap and I will do anything I can to help in your search for a proper inshore fishing vessel;)

Very true. I never understood the bay boat craze with low gunwales that weren't high enough to grab and not wide enough to walk on-- like fishing in a box.   The MA 18 does many things well. Newer HPXV is next in line. 

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We're really not making an "apples to apples" comparison. Poling a MA is comparable to poling a big Egret, Hewes LT, Lappy, etc... The best advice I've ever heard is to buy the boat that's built for what you do 80% of the time. The other 20% you just deal with. 

As stated before, on all but slick calm conditions the MA is gonna make noise which is the main reason for utilizing a push pole in the first place. A soft riding-dry hull and a shallow-silent hull are usually polar opposites in every sense except for the fact they float. In MBC circles everything between a HPX Micro and Master Angler 21 is a compromise, if that makes sense. I don't know if anything short of a 20+degree deadrise boat rides like a MA (bay barge included) except for an Egret 2011, never been on a 18 Egret. I took a 21 MA/250 Optimax from Flamingo to Sugarloaf Key in a fairly decent chop and ran 4500rpm the whole way, it was pretty impressive.

I pole 99% of the time but also make some long runs so my 18HPX is the perfect boat for me. As far as stability; 2 full grown men and a large tarpon (fish in the water) can be on the gunnel of a HPX without putting the rail in the water and the deck is below the waterline so it's very deep, for a poling skiff. You will get pounded sometimes if you make the wrong decision or if you can't run head-on or straight-away from the seas. When water does get into the boat (which is rare) it doesn't exactly evacuate in a hurry. It's a little disconcerting the first time your ankle deep in water for 10-20 seconds, or more depending how bad you stuffed it.

I'd also see what the local guides are running as well, that's probably the best indicator of what works best for the type of fishing you want to do. Good luck

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  • 1 month later...

@apalach_tarpon if you are still in the market, i have a friend seeing a very nice 2004 Maverick Mirage HPX 18 Carbon/Kevlar with a 115hp Yammy 4S. boat needs a few things but may be in your price range i think he wants 18k. (will need a trailer and the trim tabs may need to be replaced.) If you are interested shoot me a PM and i can get you guys in contact. boats over in Cocoa Beach

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On ‎11‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 9:01 AM, Nag Juice said:

....the RF is wider, longer and heavier, but won't ride like an 18 MA. I figured in the long run the 18 MA would suit me better and was more desirable if I needed to dump it

18MA is 7" wider than 18RF which is one of the reasons it is more stable.  

I believe that 18MA's will always be more desirable than 18RF's for many reasons but that new 18RF pictured above sure is pretty.

I love that Smurf Blue MA of yours, Nag!

 

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3 hours ago, conocean said:

18MA is 7" wider than 18RF which is one of the reasons it is more stable.  

I believe that 18MA's will always be more desirable than 18RF's for many reasons but that new 18RF pictured above sure is pretty.

I love that Smurf Blue MA of yours, Nag!

 

Am I missing something on the beam?

IMG_1023.PNG

IMG_1024.PNG

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2 hours ago, conocean said:

No! I got the models backwards and was using the voice type on my phone.....that "7" should have been "several" LoL

Yeah i always thought the MA was bigger too until I looked at the PBs. The Redfisher is longer, heavier, and wider but a MA rides so nice

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