Layout boats - Bankes Hercules vs Waterfowl Works UFO

Nelson Graves

Nelson Graves

Active member
Gentlemen, I've found comparisons between the UFO and the smaller Bankes, but not with the Hercules. Sharing your insights/experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Specifics:
Area of operation: Lower Chesapeake bay and tributaries.
Tender: Either 21' Boston Whaler or 2480 Carolina Skiff, depending on location. Can tow or carry.
Hunters: range in size from L to 4XL big/tall (why I've chosen two with highest USCG weight ratings)
Birds: primarily sea ducks, but hope to work on the diver duck game.
 
If cost is not an issue, no comparison. Banks Hercules hands down for comfort, seaworthyness and safety. It is, however, about 2 to 2 1/2 times as much money and weighs about 2 as much too.

Jon
 
Be very careful towing the Bankes. I know from personal experience that they make a great submarine and can stop a boat dead in the water when they hit bottom. :)
 
Paul, please expand on your submarine experience. I own a Hercules I bought used in Ohio. I don't use it alot because of the need for a second trailer to get it to a hunting site, but have never had a problem with the boat submerging while under tow. As previously stated, it is a very comfortable layout to gun from. I am 6'-3" and tip the scales currently at 217lbs.
 
I have a close friend who owned one and he and I would often hunt it on Lake Erie. On at least two occasions (with me) the bow caught a wave and immediately dove straight to the bottom where it dug in like an anchor, almost stopping the boat before the tow rope snapped. He sold it and bought a layout that was light enough to haul on the boat. Great layout, just be very careful towing.

The tender was a 23' glass hull and finding the sweet spot for towing the layout was tricky. It changed quickly whenever the boat changed its direction relative to the wind and waves. One of the problems was the tender itself as it really needed a good speed to stay up on plane. The layout is advertised as towed safely up to 35 mph but that particular boat couldn't go much less than 30 mph with any efficiency. That meant towing at less than 25 mph was a difficult proposition. Things happen very quickly at that speed.
 
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Towing any layout is tricky, What I have learned while testing them is that the heavier they are the closer to the water they ride and the more risk for the boat to spear a wave and take a dive. But a light boat is flighty and floats on the water surface and can take a side roll into a wave and cause the same dive in really rough conditions.
Towing them takes practice and each tender and speed will be different. We always tell guys to test and tune during the warmer months to know what the boats combined can do together for the best results. Tow rope length and wake wash are all variables that have to be determined by each towing set up.
So if you plan to buy a towable layout make sure you test and tune with your set up and if and when you send the layout down immediately stop, empty and go again. a USCG rated boat thats been tested to USCG standards wont sink. NEVER try to lift one out of the water, First you can't and second you risk splitting them in half or busting a seam. grab a bucket or pump and empty. If its nasty our SLOWLY drag it to the nearest shore first before trying to empty.
In the end having a layout that tows is great in perfect conditions but being able to throw it up on the tender as well is what makes a towable layout so great. Double duty in those times of need.

Any questions I'd be glad to help. 20 years building layout boats and 25 years gunning from them.
 
TonyH, do you use a Y-yoke at the layout with an in-line float attached to the tow line and the same set-up immediately behind the towboat's transom tie-off cleats? I always reattach the hardcover on my Hercules prior towing as well.
 
We use a Ski Bridle on the tender boat and only a single line attachment to the layout. Our Towable Layout hull is not like any others and works very nicely with 40ft of line. Our Hull is Copyrighted due to the complex design. You can watch the UFO towable in action here if interested. In some fairly snotty weather towards the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF-8d1L-eiM
 
Thanks to all for the input so far. Although we've gotten a bit off track, I am holding out hope that more folks who have owned and/or hunted both may weigh in.
 
I have hunted out of a older UFO and found the toe room a little tight, and have since hunted out of another boat that I found roomier and more stable. I fit the bill of your larger friend I weigh round 265 without gear and 5'11".
 
I've hunted out of both and would choose the Bankes Hercules for pure "huntablity" Not even close in terms of stability or room( I own a UFO)...But as was mentioned its a lot bigger and presents its own challenges in transportation(both on and off the water) and it has a heftier price tag
 
Why do you want to tow them vs puling them into the boat? I prefer across the cockpit, and I run wide open then....
 
One thing to point out, The UFO towable is not the same as a regular UFO. The towable model has over 13" of foot room and a deeper wider area for bigger guys. Much more room inside it compared to a standard UFO. The top decks are the same but the hull is totally different and allows much more room inside. The weight if the towable model is around 140lbs. about 15lbs heavier than the standard model UFO.

Here is a shot of the hull of the towable

 
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Nelson, If You Want A Towable, & Most Sea Worthy Lay Out Boat Look At The Marty Kristiansen Lay OutBoat Out Of Little Silver New Jersey. I Have Hunted With All Types Over The Years & Haven't Found Any Thing To ComPare to it Put All Others To Shame.He Can Be REACHED AT 732 977 5648. He Also Builds Sneak Boxes.He Has Recently been Featured Building One Of His Sneak Boxes On This Forum From Step One To Completion. Good Luck PAUL
 
That layout boat being towed at speed was impressive--seemed to stay right in the sweet spot flattened by the tow boat. Has anyone towed a layout right beside the tow boat? I used a Folboat that way snubbed off to a cleat on the bow of my big boat and it rode just inside the bow wave quite handily.
 
The "trick" is to get the point of tow under the bow and back far enough to employ the hull countors to deflect water and keep the boat from diving. Setting your tow rope up with a standard two point ski bridle at the boat, and using a tow rope length that puts the bow just behind were the prop wash surfaces in the wake is usually the sweet spot. You can achieve the same thing with a Bankes Hercules by using a Y-bridle and attaching two zig-zag cleats to the hull decking in line with the back of the cockpit, for high speed towing. Using the below deck towing eye in the stern as point of attachment for low to moderate tow speeds is workable as well.

My duck hunting partner uses the same Y bridle set-up to tow his Hoefgens at high speed.
 
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