4 rivers vs fatboy (again?)

Rocky

Rocky

New member
I've done a search to see what has been discussed on this topic before and I've gotten the impression that the momarsh fatboy is preferred
over the 4 rivers 13'6'' boat, but I haven't seen any details why.

I would want to paddle and pole the boat as much as possible, but a small outboard might be used occasionally.

Would anyone care to enlighten me?
Just by looking at the two websites, I'm leaning towards the 4 rivers, but websites can be deceiving! ;-)
 
One plus for the Fatboy is that Ira McCauley, the founder of Momarsh, can be found on this forum quite often so it's an easy place to come complain if something is wrong with your boat. :)
Wish I could help more but all I know is Ira is a good guy.

Tim
 
Rocky,

Can't tell ya much about the differences between the two, but I do own the fatboy, and can tell you it's a great boat for what it was intended to do. Take a man, dog, and gear into little cover and vanish. I have paddled mine short distances just to see how it performed, and it's ok to do that for a short while but I wouldn't want to go that way as my main means of propulsion. I believe the 4Rivers has a similar footprint and suspect that would be the case with that boat as well. I use a trolling motor and it scoots the boat just fine. The boat is very comfortable and really stable. No worries taking a pee over the side or moving around to setup the decoys. I wouldn't want to use the boat in unprotected waters. If you're looking to use it in streams, swamp/marsh, or protected waters I don't think you could go wrong with the Momarsh.

If you have any specific questions just ask.

Ryan
 
I have had both of them and both of them have their places. My FatBoy weighed in @ 85 pounds and was my boat of choice if I had to pull it into secluded areas or over a couple beaver dams. I ran a Nissan 2-1/2hp two-stroke on it (28 pounds) and that turned out to be a great combination. For ease of concealment, the FatBoy was by far the easiest one to hide. I had no problems with myself, a bag of decoys, dog, and hunting essentials. The FatBoy also is much easier to pole than the Four Rivers but a little caution and practice is needed to keep from falling into the water. My Four Rivers weighed @ 120 pounds was my choice when I wanted to travel a little further and if I could launch directly into body of water I wanted to hunt. I ran a Nissan 5hp on this one with no problems. I have also had two people in this boat but it does get a little cozy. The Four Rivers is a much more stable boat but is a little harder to hide. It will also haul more "stuff" than the FatBoy. All in all you would probably enjoy either one and both boats are a great addition to duck hunting and the enjoyment of "in your face" hunting. Here is the picture of my old trailer with the FatBoy on the bottom, Four Rivers in the middle, and a maghauler and decoy cart on the top.

View attachment rig2.JPG
 
One thing I was told about the 4 Rivers was it's a balsa wood core between thin fliberglass and if you get a crack in the fiberglass say in the bow area or stern the balsa is like a sponge and will never dry. I have no proof of that and if someone here knows better please speak up. I'd be interested in knowing myself.

Ed L.
 
Not sure about the 13' model but I have the smaller 4 Rivers boat and it is all glass.
 
I love my Fatboy with a 2 hp Evinrude on it. You wouldn't want to paddle any boat that's 44" wide and pushing 100+ pounds. With stability comes friction. The build quality is good and it's rock steady. If you get the doors, you can hide on a sandbar and just disappear from view. It' the cat's ass:)

[inline pic1.jpg]

View attachment pic1.JPG
 
You can call Four Rivers and find out. A little known fact is they manufacture the Momarsh Fatboy at their plant so they know both boats pretty well. I like them both. For two people and a motor the Four Rivers 13'6" will do it. If its gear, a dog and one person poling most times the Fatboy DP will do it very well.


Tony
 
Hey Guys,
I really appreciate all the feedback!
Now it is perfectly clear to me that I need to buy one of each! ;-)

They both sound like really good boats, and since my son and I are looking to each get a boat and hunt together out of them, I really think we'll get one fatboy and one 4 rivers 13'6"!

He's got kids that he will have hunt with him so the 4 rivers should work for him and the Fatboy should work for me hunting solo!

Thanks again!
 
I'm new on here but I just wanted to throw in my .02 cents worth. I've had a 13'6" Four Rivers for about 5 years now and absolutely love it. It is a breeze to paddle even long distances with a Kayak paddle and it poles pretty well too for short jaunts. I have a 97 lb. dog and the boat is stable enough to allow him to go in and out of the boat without any issues other than getting me soaking wet when he shakes off. I purposely try to hunt shallow water because he likes to lay in wait in the water like a big old sneaky Wirehaired Alligator with just his head showing, that way I don't get quite as wet. Anyway good decision get both. Great products
Don
 
After you hunt a season with both let us know what you think. I've got a Fatboy and a Kara. They are pretty similar but there are differences between them that has become apparent over time.

Tight Lines ... Fred
 
Rocky, I think one thing that is misleading in this thread is that everyone is comparing the original fatboy to the big rivers boat. The DP actually has a higher cap rating that the bigger 4 rivers boat. That said, both of those do the same things. There are quite a few differences in design and laminations schedules between the boats. But, both of them do the same things based on what size/ model you select....

Tom did start making parts for me a couple of years ago. It is kind of a weird relationship, but it has been working for us! Actual duck hunters are innovators- I will leave it at that........
 
Ira,
Can you tell me any more details about the lamination schedules you were talking about?
Unfourtunatly because of the distance, I won't be able to actually look at or try out either boat before deciding.
So, I'm going to have to get as much detail as possible on the net.

Also, the more info on paddling these boats the better, this is my preferred form of propulsion! ;-)

I do all my fishing out of a kayak, so paddling a bit is not a problem if the boat is designed for it.
 
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