Amish Boards -vs- Otter Boards

Speed Racer · June 24, 2014

Which would be better when pulling copper on each side ?

BAZOOKAJOE · June 24, 2014

Ford vs Chevy

Like Otters and Chevys

Edited June 24, 2014 by BAZOOKAJOE

GAMBLER · June 24, 2014

Otters will not flip in very rough water................

rolmops · June 25, 2014

This last weekend we pulled 10 colors leadcore +one surface line with stickbait at a 150 foot distance one lure line with a 1 ounce dive bomb on port and 400 feet of copper with a lure line with a 2 ounce bomb on starboard. We did this with double keeled otterboats. In the end the only difference between amish and otter is the storage room they take up. We keep the otter boats in the cooler till we need them, which is usually right at the start of trolling because when fishing ,they provide a lot stabilizing action when steering is difficult because of fish or wave action.

bottom-feeder · June 25, 2014

amish better all around......otters are a waste of time

Total Chaos · June 25, 2014

I run Amish boards. Last week I ran a 2, 5 and 7 color core and in the past I've run a 5, 7 and 10 color cores with no issues. Had Otter boats years ago before the double keel and never liked them.

Total Chaos

Speed Racer · June 25, 2014

Thanks for the replies. Right now I run the single keel Otter Boats, but wondered if I should invest in the additional keel or go the way of the Amish Boards. Thanks again to all.

bottom-feeder · June 25, 2014

FYI....much cheaper to make your own

think I have $4.80 invested in mine

Gator · June 25, 2014

If you invest in the extra keel (which sounds cheaper), make sure that you read Yankee's post on where to tie off. You probably already know that the board are sensitive to where you tie the loop and make a connection. However, once it's done right, they are sweet indeed.

FleetTracker · June 25, 2014

Last weekend we ran a 3, 5, and 10 color on starboard and a 4 and 6 color with 300' copper on port. Amish boards didn't put up any fuss and ran well as always. I was actually surprised there was no lag. Those boards are awesome!

Chas0218 · June 25, 2014

FYI....much cheaper to make your own

think I have $4.80 invested in mine

Mine ended up being about $30 but ya a lot cheaper than both. The plans are right under the Tackle and techniques sub forum.

Edited June 25, 2014 by Chas0218

d_balm24 · June 25, 2014

Otters. Double keel. Take a look at 95% of the charter boats. Almost ALL run the otters.

sammyslayer · June 25, 2014

Double keel and you will have no issues. Pulled a 400 copper a 300 copper and a 3 color on 1 side. You already have the otters, mine as well just improve them. All around better performance with 2nd keel. They stay tight at any speed.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Edited June 25, 2014 by sammyslayer

Chas0218 · June 25, 2014

Otters. Double keel. Take a look at 95% of the charter boats. Almost ALL run the otters.

That doesn't mean they are the best...I see a lot of "professional bass fisherman" running Nitro bass boats, and they aren't anywhere near the best boat out there.

I'm not trying to bash any one brand, I just hate seeing someone spend money that they may not need too.

For the price of the otters I could have 2 complete copper setups.

FleetTracker · June 25, 2014

That doesn't mean they are the best...I see a lot of "professional bass fisherman" running Nitro bass boats, and they aren't anywhere near the best boat out there.

I'm not trying to bash any one brand, I just hate seeing someone spend money that they may not need too.

For the price of the otters I could have 2 complete copper setups.

Yep. I may take em and run if they were free too. Do ppl not realize what sponsorship is? Ha

d_balm24 · June 25, 2014

That doesn't mean they are the best...I see a lot of "professional bass fisherman" running Nitro bass boats, and they aren't anywhere near the best boat out there.

I'm not trying to bash any one brand, I just hate seeing someone spend money that they may not need too.

For the price of the otters I could have 2 complete copper setups.

He ALREADY has otters so he would be spending WAY less putting another set of keels on. The reason most of the charter fleet uses them are because the Amish boards WILL flip in some rough conditions. The otters WON'T

baitrigger · June 25, 2014

Flipped boards are the worst. Anyone who has had to recover and clean up after that will agree.

GAMBLER · June 26, 2014

Flipped boards are the worst. Anyone who has had to recover and clean up after that will agree.

:yes:

momay4000 · June 26, 2014

_{On a personal note, I have run a set of Rivera boards, Canon boards and a homemade pair I made about 6 years ago using Bob's plans from this website. All three were junk in my opinion (my own pair sat too low in the water, the Canons and Riveras didn't pull right) so I bought a pair of Otters about 5 years ago. Yes, I have had to modify them with the second keel, but they run great and I have them out from April til September. They are tremendous. I did buy a factory blemish pair directly from Big Jon and to this day I have no idea what the blemish is.}

_{I cannot comment on Amish boards, but the website indicates that they pull hard and it's recommended to put your boat in neutral when retrieving them.}

_{Thus, the pros and cons of Amish vs. Otters:}

_{Amish cons: based on their website, you have to retrieve while in neutral as they pull like a mo fo}

_{Amish pros: cheaper than Otters, seem to be very well built}

_{Otter pros: wont flip, track great, good BJ customer service, can get blemish pairs cheaper}

_{Otter cons: need the extra keel for coppers and heavier lines, learning curve to get the top rope on the board just right, aren't collapsible}

_{Good luck - I have no professional or financial ties to either product.}

_Chris

Chas0218 · June 27, 2014

We had one of our boards flip at the begining of walleye season. We manages to get all 8 lines in without a single tangle. You should have seen the chinese fire drill. I dont think I have ever reeled in 200' of line so fast.

Sent from my thinking car!

GAMBLER · June 27, 2014

We had one of our boards flip at the begining of walleye season. We manages to get all 8 lines in without a single tangle. You should have seen the chinese fire drill. I dont think I have ever reeled in 200' of line so fast.

Sent from my thinking car!

And that right there is enough of a reason to not run then. Flipped boards have the potential to turn into a dangerous situation if things are not handled quickly enough.

Chas0218 · June 27, 2014

My homemade boards haven't flipped it was a set of walker boards, I guess I should have specified sorry about that.

Edited June 27, 2014 by Chas0218

Peave · June 27, 2014

If I was a charter I'd go with Otters because I don't care about deck space, storage space and a flip would be a huge problem with an unknown crew to handle it.

Because I am a small boater I go with Amish. Easy to work, easy to stow, and if I FU and flip one, my bad....

Sent from my iPad using Lake Ontario United mobile app

djw13cwru · June 30, 2014

I think it is more lake specific. I don't recall ever seeing a set of Otter boards on the western & central end of lake Erie, even on charters. I've seen lots of big boards though, even bigger than the Amish ones. Especially in the central basin, the charters will run 4-6 lines per side so you need lots of pull.

BAZOOKAJOE · June 30, 2014

The Otters don't work well in weedy lakes. The keels pick up weeds very easily.

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