Haynie 24' Cat vs Shoalwater 23' Cat

[bloodtrailer28]

As several have said above you really can't go wrong with either one. For me it was between the Haynie 21 super cat and the Shoalwater 21 cat. I went with with the shoalwater

The Haynie is probably going to be a little heavier so may handle the chop a little better but will take a little more water to get up
One thing to consider is what motor you want on the back. Chris really pushes the mercs and the only motor he sells so if you want the haynie and a different brand motor its a little more of a pain.

[Mexico]

I've owned SW and been on Haynies... no brainer for me. SW seems better built and quicker on her toes if you know what I mean...

[breederbuck33]

By BIL has a 23' Haynie, but I believe it is the magnum not the cat. It is a bare bones as you can get one, and its my favorite trout fishing boat I've been in.

[Fightinaggies]

Shoalwater 23 of those two boats but if you are going to be running from Corpus to Baffin on a regular basis I would look at the Haynie Magnum

[breeds13]

Shoalwater 23 of those two boats but if you are going to be running from Corpus to Baffin on a regular basis I would look at the Haynie Magnum

Yeah one of my buddies has a Haynie Magnum with a 400 Merc on the back and it hauls. I wade fish mostly so I was trying to stick to something shallow, but obviously want to get down there and back as quick as possible.

[Wall_Hanger]

I've owned SW and been on Haynies... no brainer for me. SW seems better built and quicker on her toes if you know what I mean...

This is true for the most part but can be really impacted by your setup. I like the looks of the Shoalwater better, they just seem a little more aggressive. That said, I run a 23 Haynie cat with 36" mid tower w/a full console up top. I have a 225 ProXS on my setup. A really good friend and fishing buddy runs a 23' Shoalwater with 16" mid tower and Evinrude G2 300. His boat definitely feels more nimble. I draft a bit deeper but get more top end with the 225 then he does with the 300...with 1/2 a tank and two people I can inch out 51 mph in the right water conditions and his max speed on GPS is 48. Not a real difference to me speed wise but he spent a lot more on that 300 to go slower. He may not have his rig dialed in perfect just yet but hes been at it 2 years now and tested about 10 props. Both boats are running props setup for holeshot with a lot of cup so neither are speed demons but my hole shot has been better which I didn't expect. The performance differences in the boats are really pretty negligible to me at the end of the day. Haynie is better in some areas, SW better in other but neither blow the other away in a single performance variable. Most SW cats seem to be a little bit faster than a haynie with the exact same setup and my experience they run a bit skinnier but both will run in less water than they draft at rest. My rig wont run in 3" hard sand....verified in POC last time I was there.

I will say that with SW, I have seen a wide variation in the quality of the rigging with the dealers. Huge actually. Chris' Marine does a pretty dang good job on rigging and their customer service is top notch. That was the deciding factor for me. I wanted to be able to take my boat to the guy who built it when there are issues, not a dealer.

[Mexico]

This is true for the most part but can be really impacted by your setup. I like the looks of the Shoalwater better, they just seem a little more aggressive. That said, I run a 23 Haynie cat with 36" mid tower w/a full console up top. I have a 225 ProXS on my setup. A really good friend and fishing buddy runs a 23' Shoalwater with 16" mid tower and Evinrude G2 300. His boat definitely feels more nimble. I draft a bit deeper but get more top end with the 225 then he does with the 300...with 1/2 a tank and two people I can inch out 51 mph in the right water conditions and his max speed on GPS is 48. Not a real difference to me speed wise but he spent a lot more on that 300 to go slower. He may not have his rig dialed in perfect just yet but hes been at it 2 years now and tested about 10 props. Both boats are running props setup for holeshot with a lot of cup so neither are speed demons but my hole shot has been better which I didn't expect. The performance differences in the boats are really pretty negligible to me at the end of the day. Haynie is better in some areas, SW better in other but neither blow the other away in a single performance variable. Most SW cats seem to be a little bit faster than a haynie with the exact same setup and my experience they run a bit skinnier but both will run in less water than they draft at rest. My rig wont run in 3" hard sand....verified in POC last time I was there.

I will say that with SW, I have seen a wide variation in the quality of the rigging with the dealers. Huge actually. Chris' Marine does a pretty dang good job on rigging and their customer service is top notch. That was the deciding factor for me. I wanted to be able to take my boat to the guy who built it when there are issues, not a dealer.

Always interesting to find out how shallow they run the hard way.

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[Saltyag15]

I've spent quite a bit of time on both the Haynie 23' Cat & the Shoalwater 23'. If you put a gun to my head and made me pick one, not sure I could. Both great boats.

I know it has been mentioned, but motors could be the make or break. Haynie & Mercury kinda go together like spaghetti and meat balls. If you don't want a merc, probably look elsewhere than Haynie.

[Quackerbox]

I can't put a magnum or a big foot in the same room as a cat hull. They both ride like a dream though.

The haynie cat is the only one in the discussion ive not fished out of. Between a shoalwater,tran and jh cat the jh rode the best but it was a 24 or 25. The tran was the same and rode the worst. It soaked us!. I think the smaller shoalwater rode better

I looked at a 25 el pescador at bucces it was nice. They guy seemed to like it

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[Wall_Hanger]

Always interesting to find out how shallow they run the hard way.

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I probably could have motored it through but didn't want to risk a bent prop shaft. The water was crazy muddy and neither of us on the tower saw bottom. I knew the bar was in the area and actually just said "there is a big sand bar out here close......". First time I had to call in a friend to tow me off but it happens.

One other thing that is that Haynie was more open to making custom mods to our boat than SW or Tran was. We cut the front deck down 17", extended the riser box forward 17" and added a larger battery box to the riser with the 80 gallon tank. The other guys were not very flexible on those kinds of request.

[bowhntrmatt]

Between those 2, I would take the shoalwater. Haynie is a heavy tank.

I would look hard at Majek Reaper cat or an El Pescador. Same price range as those 2 and better speed/drier ride/just as shallow.

[Pin Oak DXT]

I have a 23' Shoalwater. It has been a great boat for what I do around POC. I have no doubt the Hayne would be just as good. I also like the new El Pescador design. I think they are worth taking a look as well. Either way, I don't think you can go wrong.

[IvoryRoot]

I’d go Shoalwater. But I would ride in a 24 El Pescador before I bought one. My wife’s uncle bought a new one and it is a really nice ride.

[chase15]

If you decide on Shoalwater i would definitely go Waypoint for rigging purposes. I have some buddys that had a nightmare experience with Texas Marine

[az2tx]

This one might be for sale soon. The reason I say might is because I've owned this boat for 6 year and wouldn't change a thing on it. It is a 2013 23 cat, 250 HP SHO with 265 hrs