No offense taken Big Country. I wasn' t trying to say that bigger isn' t better. I guess the point I was originally trying to make was that you don' t necessarily need a high hp motor to be competitive or to have a good time on the lake.

I do think that Skeeter boats do have a pretty quick hull design, but I think they lack in performance in rougher water compared to Ranger, Triton & others. On calm water I have no doubt that I can keep up with higher hp boats but on the average day on the lake I can' t quite stay with them.

My uncle had a ' 92 Ranger w/150 merc when I first got my Skeeter and I could keep up with him anywhere, anytime. But I think that was mostly due to the fact that my Yamaha was basically new and his Merc. was on it' s last legs. He now has a ' 00 Ranger w/150 merc and I can' t keep up at all....except on calm water.

I do love my Skeeter & am pleased with the performance I' m getting from my 130 Yamaha but my next boat will definitely be a little longer and will definitely have more hp (just because I can). I bought the best boat I could afford at the time & will probably do the same again when it comes time to upgrade. I just wanted to point out that while bigger may be more efficient, more fun, etc., it isn' t actually necessary.

I just started fishing some local tournaments last summer but didn' t have the time to enter too many. I' m hoping to have more time this year to start taking it a little more seriously. You definitely have to change your mindset and your approach when you' re fishing against the clock compared to a leisurely day on the lake.

Any time you' re in this neck of the woods I' d be more than happy to show you around the local waters.