I have begun my search for a good little pond hopper boat and came across Trophy Buster Boat. From what I can tell these are the cadillacs of the plastic boats. I love the livewell, cooler, pre-wire, casting deck, carpet, and lights. In Highschool I had one from Bass Pro Shops that I loved and finally just beat it to pieces and gave it away.

has anybody have any comments on these? How stable are they and do they hold up? I am thinking about getting the trophy package and for that kind of money I want to make sure.

http://www.busterboats.com


Thanks
Brandon

I've never used one of these busterboats, but I have a Pond Master which is almost identical in design. The design seems to be commonplace.

My Pond Master is very, very heavy and it takes two people to move it, and even that is an uncomfortable gig.

Of course, the weight of the Pond Master is the only reason why it is still at my pond. Otherwise, it would have sprouted legs and ran away.

So my input would just be to consider the weight. Of course, some extra weight adds some stability, I think, and that helps with structure placement and such.

BrandonA, here's the pond boat I have, It's a Gheenoe, I've had it for 14 years, it's very stable and built like a tank, just another option to look at. there are bigger models also.
http://www.gheenoe.net/fifteenfour.html

I have thought about something like that, especially for the weight. My primary reason for getting this is so me and my little girl, who is 4 1/2, can go fishing together and spend time together. Room and stability is #1 priority for me.Thanks for the suggestion.

BrandonA: I have a Buster Boat, had it for probably 5 years. It really seems to be the Cadillac. I only take it out of the pond (some years) for winter storage and it is heavy. If you are really looking for a pond hopper that is a consideration unless two adults launch it. Yes, the carpeting, prewiring, aerated live wells, built in cooler, dry storage, etc. are great. Love it. But in my opinion the best feature is the stability and especially the stability of the seats. The other pontoon bass boats I have owned or fished out of have seats that are held in by friction (or tension). The one I had seemed to have a great tendency to come loose dropping me into the bottom of the boat on one of my classic worm fishing hook sets. I never went in the pond, but only because of luck. The seats of the Buster are bolted in (but adjustable). They just can't come out. These boats have two accessories i want to comment on, one I consider essential and the other was wasted for me. They sell an accessory rudder for the back of the boat. It is remarkable that such a simple device keeps the boat so steady. It just doesn't "drift" in the back end like others I've fished out of. The accessory that didn't work at all for me was a raised front deck. When I installed it and stood up to cast it really gave me a bad feeling. I am older than most people who will read this, and admittedly not as stable on my feet, and I just had a feeling that the first time I ran into an underwater obstruction while standing on the raised deck I'd go swimming.

All in all, a great boat for ponds.

Bing

Bing

Thanks for the review. I was kinda of wondering about that rudder. Who woulda thought something that simple would work that well. I think I am going to like the raised deck. I love to flip and in my last one I always wanted to be raised.

The weight is a concern and that is on reason I am wanting the trailer. Also being a shade tree welder and fabricator I have an idea on building a small frame with wheels that I would be able to strap the boat to and roll it.

I believe that at our last Pond Boss Conference the Buster people (or someone) donated a new boat to the silent auction where the proceeds benefit the SDSU fund we contribute to. My recollection is that I was standing by the boat right before the auction close watching two people pass the bid sheet back and forth each wanting to be the high bidder. As I recall the auction price was very close to the normal selling price. Of course if the winning bidder had a way to take the boat home with them they saved shipping costs. A great contribution for the folks who donated it plus the person who took it home.

I wonder if there will be another in Branson.

Bing

How much buster boat can I haul home in a 6 1/2 ft truck bed?

All of it if you put a red flag on the back of the boat sticking over the tail gate.

Bing

I really like the Buster Boats! Like 'em so much that I tracked down all the components to make my own custom version for myself.

Looking on there web site it looks like the Bass Wagon has 20" removable wheels with a sealed axle attached. It doesn't say if these accesories are available on any of the other boats. Does anyone of you guys know? I tried calling them but they are out. Ingenius idea.

I did talk to Tom at Buster Boats and the wheel assembly can be built into any boat. 100% sealed. He sold me on the boats now I just got to convince my lovely wife that it is a nbecessary piece of equipment.