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THIS SITE IS CURRENTLY UNDER RE-CONSTRUCTION...PLEASE CONTACT US AT hoffner@vistanet.net

YOU CAN ALSO CALL SCOTT HOFFNER AT 863-441-0872.

Welcome to the Big "O" Boats Web Site. We are a custom combination freshwater / saltwater boat manufacturer located in Okeechobee, Florida.

For the last 20 years Big "O" Boats has built numerous types of fiberglass fishing boats.

We cater to the discriminating angler, the tournament fisherman or guide who has had all the boats on the market, but still craves more. If there is something you have always wanted in a boat, and everything you see just doesn't quite have it all, then we can give you what you want, the boat of your dreams!

From our flagship, the Big "O" Bass Boat, to the 16' and 20' flats boats, to airboats, we have a boat for every fisherman.

Financing now available through: Recreational Finance, BBC Boards Sponsor. www.reclending.com.

The Big "O" Bass Boat comes in 4 different styles. All 4 styles are 20'1" and feature a 86" beam. The major difference between the 4 styles is in the cockpit layout. The front and rear deck pretty much remain constant as far as what boxes and livewells are there. What you do with those storage areas and livewells is an entirely different thing of course. Since we custom build these boats from scratch we can tailor make each craft to the exact specifications of the customer. You are limited only by your imagination as far as color, seating arrangement, and what you want on the boat.

The 4 different styles of the Big "O" Boat are the Single, Twin, Center, and flats boat. The Single, Twin, and Center all use a Bass boat styled console. It is designed to appeal to the traditional bass fisherman. The main differences between these 3 styles is the placement of the consoles and the seating arrangement involved.


Construction

Big "O" Boats are hand crafted with only the finest materials. Our bass and flats boats contain absolutely no wood. All construction is either fiberglass or composite materials. Since we have no wood in our boats, damage caused by dry rot and warping is eliminated. It’s our intention to build you a boat that will last a lifetime, and we go out of our way to do just that.

Most manufactured bass boats of today are built for production speed. The manufacturers have to make units fast, and they have to get them out the door quick to fulfill their orders.  The hull and top deck thickness of these boats as a whole is very thin. They then put the two pieces together and inject them with foam. The foam is used for structural strength and flotation. That is the main reason why it is so difficult to find a bass boat these days that has a front live well. Since the boat is filled with foam, there is no way for them to fix the livewell if it becomes damaged. To remedy this they build the livewells in the rear.

Also over time, boats retain water. Whether this is from humidity, or normal use, boats with foam liners will begin to act like a sponge, absorbing water and getting heavier and heavier.      Big "O" Boats are constructed differently. The Big "O" Boat is laid with fiberglass for maximum strength and durability. The hull is then affixed with transangular stringers, and then those stringers are foam filled for strength and flotation. The foam in the hull is entirely encased in fiberglass to keep them from absorbing moisture, and therefore keeping it dry, and the bottom of the hull smooth and clean.

Any moisture that gets into the boat, or accumulates due to use, washes to the center and flows out the rear of the boat. Due to this design a Big "O" Boat will be the same way 20 years from now as it is the day it was bought. It’s the reason we can offer a limited lifetime warranty on our hulls.

A Transom being clamped into a hull while still in the mold

Same Transom and hull, but with a wider view.

Top deck flotation from the front. The top deck is still in the mold, therefore it's upside down.

Side shot of top deck and flotation.

Full Hull shot showing stingers, floor, transom, flotation packs, and transom bar.

Note on this top deck with no flotation the smoothness.  A chop gun could never be this splinter free.

Top Deck under view without flotation

Stringer System with bulkheads.  Note Flotation in stringers is entirely incased in Fiberglass to prevent water saturation.

Entire hull with floor panel installed over bulkheads.

Top Deck

The Big "O" Boat has a 100% laminated top deck that can be made in a variety of configurations. Absolutely no wood is used in any part of our boats, and therefore structural damage that is caused by water just isn’t a problem with the Big "O" Boat. 

The top deck is designed for convenience and maximum storage capacity. It contains 2 livewells, a huge storage box / catch and release tank, 2 coolers, battery and engine area access doors, an anchor box, and 2 rod lockers. A step box is also included in some models depending on console configuration. 

The boat lids are made of reinforced aluminum, and the larger lids have support braces in the undersides to keep the lids from bending or flexing under weight.  All our openings are trimmed and fit with a top gasket.  The lids themselves are fully insulated on the underside to keep moisture condensation down to nothing, and to further keep the boxes watertight.

The rod lockers are fully carpeted and run the entire length of the boat to the nose. We carpet the entire rod locker to prevent you from snagging or breaking a rod, and since they run the entire length of the boat, they can hold fly rods with ease (rod storage systems are also an option). Premium salt-water resistant carpet is used in the Big "O" Boat, and it is custom matched to your specifications.

The top deck of the Big "O" Boat has been compared to an aircraft carrier when people first see it. Most manufacturers make large cockpit areas, with small fishing decks. The Big "O" Boat takes just the opposite approach. You spend the majority of the time fishing, after all, that’s what you are out there to do. Why have a fishing area that’s so small you trip over whoever your fishing with? The Big "O" Boat’s decks can handle 3-4 fisherman with ease. Additional pedestal bases can be installed to provide more deck seating, and the amount of extra deck space enables us to put even more storage room into the boat. The dual rod lockers allow you to have a full walk around deck. You won’t have to go down into the cockpit, or walk around a console to land that big fish ever again. Once you’ve fished off a Big "O" Boat, everything else just seems cramped.

Fixing things in a Big "O" Boat is a snap. EVERYTHING in the boat can be accessed. There are twist out’s in the front boxes to allow access the front livewell pumps, troll motor, lights, and switches. The battery area in the rear of the boat allows you to get to your batteries, oil reservoir, automatic bilge pump, and the pumps for the rear livewell. The fuel tank can be pulled out in less than 20 minutes. We have done everything we can think of to make sure that maintenance on a Big "O" Boat is an easy and enjoyable experience, not something that requires you to have to take your boat down to a marina every time you turn around.

Cockpit areas showing storage

Bass Front deck and cockpit

Close up of cockpit area

Combination Flats/Bass Front Deck

Full Boat shot showing storage

Front Deck with storage shown

Bass Boat Front Deck

Bass Boat Front Deck

Full Bass Boat Shot with Battery area open

Fully insulated lids and trimmed openings.

Rear Deck

Deck Layouts

Below are the most common deck layouts our customers request.  Click on a image for a larger picture.

Single Console

Length - 20' 1"

Beam: 86"

Weight: 1200 lbs

Draft: 10"

 

Twin Console

Length - 20' 1"

Beam: 86"

Weight: 1200 lbs

Draft: 10"

 

Flats Console

Length - 20' 1"

Beam: 86"

Weight: 1200 lbs

Draft: 10"

 

Speedboat Console

Length - 20' 1"

Beam: 86"

Weight: 1200 lbs

Draft: 10"

Click picture for larger image

Livewells

The Big "O" Boat has 2 main livewells with the option of a large 3rd catch and release tank. We take a different approach with our livewells. Since we don’t make foam cored bass or flats boats, we can have a front livewell, and we most certainly do with a 25 gallon round livewell in the front deck of the boat, and a 20 gallon round livewell in the rear of the boat. Why round livewells? It was mainly at the request of our saltwater customers. Baitfish will beat themselves to death in the square corners of most livewells. With a round livewell they simply swim in a circle, keeping your baitfish alive.

As an option, there is a large storage box with round corners behind the front livewell and in front of the cockpit area. This box can be plumbed for use as a 28 gallon catch and release tank. It’s a huge box, and we can actually put a person in there. All our livewells and release tanks are fully insulated. We insulate our livewells to help keep the water temperature in them constant.

All our livewells come standard with a fill pump and a re-circulating pump. Since we make each Big "O" Boat custom designed for you, we can put many options in, Air pumps, timers, anything you want, just ask.

Front Livewell w/ insulation

Rear Livewell

Top deck bottom showing livewells, including middle storage/livewell

We can put a person in the large storage box / livewell!

Large storage box plumbed as a livewell.

Coolers

There are 2 coolers in the Big "O" Boat. These coolers are fully insulated and laminated to help keep your perishable items and drinks cool. Throw a bag of ice in a cooler the night before a tournament and the next day your drinks are ready to go. Both coolers look the same from the outside, and can be used as normal storage. No matter which way you use them, you win.

Carpeting

The Big "O" Boat uses only the best marine carpet on the market today.  We use the same carpeting that the major saltwater yacht makers’ use. We do that because our customers tend to fish in both salt and fresh water. We want that boat of yours to look good for a long time, and to survive in a marine environment, we have to get the best.

We have had customers use their carpeted boats to fish for the largest bass, and we've had some of our customers use their boats to lobster fish down in the keys.  From fish guts to slime, it can all be blown out due to the carpet being pressure cleaner safe.

You get the comfort of a bass boat with the capability to take your boat out into saltwater without having to worry about your boat coming apart on you.

Electronics

All instrumentation and electrical components are connected to the Big "O" Boat using soldering and heat shrink collars. We do this to help prevent corrosion to the electronics, especially in a salt-water environment. We also use 6 gauge Trolling motor wire. Since the Big "O" Boat is custom built for you, we can put anything you can dream of in the boat. We have put in stereo systems with remote controls, digital panels, numerous types of flashers and depth finders; it’s entirely up to you.

All the wires in the boat are run through PVC wiring tubes. Nothing is left hanging to get caught on. We also run various extra wiring tubes to make it easier for you to add things to your Big "O" Boat down the line. If you want to put an additional flasher on the front of the boat, you run your wiring down the extra wiring tube, hook it to the electrical panel, and your done. Circuit breakers on the console allow you to easily reset your pumps, lights, and other equipment in case of an overload.  Just push the button and keep on going.  A master power switch is included so you can make sure an errant pump isn't going to drain your batteries down when left on accidentally.

We try to make things as simple as possible for our customers, after all, you’d rather be fishing instead of trying to find ways to wire things wouldn’t you?

Bass Boat Twin Consoles

Combination Bass/Flats Console

Bass Boat Single Console

Combination Bass/Flats Console

 

Under deck PVC wiring tubes

Fuel Tanks

The Fuel Tank in the Big "O" Boat is a 41 gallon Aluminum tank. The fuel tank is coast guard approved, and is a horseshoe design. The reasoning behind the horseshoe shape is so that it will fit around our rear livewell. What we do is slide the fuel tank under the rear deck, and the bench (for seating) is locked in place in front of the fuel tank. This allows someone to remove the fuel tank if needed in the case of a problem. A lot of boat manufacturers seal their tanks in under the consoles, or in other areas of the boat. If you ever have a problem with a fuel tank in a boat that seals their tanks in, you have to cut the tank out. We don’t believe you should ever have to cut a Big "O" Boat open to do anything to it.

Seating

All our seats are done in house here at Big "O" Boats. We offer a wide range of seat layouts, all based on what you want in your boat, and the type of boat you purchase.  We custom match your upholstery to match the color scheme that you want for your boat.

In our bass boat models, the standard boat comes with two bucket style seats, and a center cushion. We can also construct bench seats, and buckets.  We tend to like the tempress types, because they don't have the tendency to stay wet like the bucket and bench seats do.  Since the foam padding in the tempress is incased in plastic, you can simply unsnap the covers, take them off, and put them back on.  They also don't hold and retain water.  For the cockpit area, we have made a center cushion for use with the tempress seats.  It fits in between the driver and passenger seats, and makes the cockpit area into a bench.  If you have more than 2 passengers, you simply put the cushion in, and you have more space.  You can remove the cushion, and you then have a space to walk in between the seats.  If your a guide, this will keep your customers from walking all over your seats.

For the Bass/Flats model boats with a raised bench seat, we have a different layout.  Since the bench seating area is raised to the height of the deck, we have made a large cushion that fits the entire area of the bench.  Under the cushion, we have put 3 pedestal bases.  Our tempress type seats fit those pedestal bases, and it allows the customer to put the front deck seats on the bench.  That way you can have a cushion to sit on with no back, or you can remove the cushion and fit 3 seats across the bench, allowing you to choose easily how you want to sit in your boat.

Tempress type Seat with removable cushions

Bucket Seats

Removable Center Cushion

Combination Flats/Bass Cushion

Tempress type seats  with Removable Center Cushion

Tempress type seats.

Tempress type seats  with removable cushions

Bass/Flats Cushion

Bass/Flats w/ 3 seats after cushion is removed

Motor Rigging

Big "O" Boats isn't tied to any particular motor manufacturer.  We provide you with the brand of motor that you want on your boat.

We also are happy to de-rig your current outboard and put it on a brand new Big "O" Boat, saving you money. We cater to you, and what you want in a boat.

Mercury Motor on Combination Flats/Bass

Mercury 225 EFI

Yamaha VMax 3.1L

Standard Features

The Big "O" Boat is a custom built boat.  Therefore the features that are in the boat are the features YOU want.  We build these boats with the gear that you need to catch fish, and therefore the features that are in the boat are unlimited.

Boat Specs

Boat Length: 20' 1"

Beam: 86"

Weight: 1200 lbs.

The standard features in a Big "O" Boat

Aluminum Dual-Axel Amentrail Trailer
Custom Gel coat Colors
Custom Matched Upholstery
6 gauge Troll Motor wiring
Automatic bilge pump switch
1500 GPH Bilge pump
Front 25 Gallon insulated round livewell 
Rear 20 Gallon insulated round livewell 
2 Stainless Steel pedestal plates
2 750gph Livewell fill pumps
2 750gph Livewell re-circulating pumps
Bow Trim and Front livewell controls
Console Rear Livewell controls
Built in teardrop bow navigation lights
Built in rear dome motor mounted light
Stainless bow and transom eyes
Control switches
40 gallon aluminum fuel tank 
Master power switch
Aluminum transom plates
Aluminum lids
Lid Insulation
2 Full length carpeted rod lockers
5 lockable storage compartments
2 Fully insulated coolers
Seastar Hydraulic Steering
Hydraulic Jack Plate
Carpeted deck
LENCO Trim Tabs
Hot Foot

Options

The Big "O" Boat is unlimited in the amount of options we can do. This is one of the hardest things to convey to our customers. When you walk into most marine dealerships they have a few models sitting there and you basically pick the one you like the best. The Big "O" Boat isn’t a model that you pick, it’s a boat YOU build. Do you want rod holders mounted on the console sides? Do you want a stereo system? Do you want a rigging light mounted on the cockpit wall? Do you want a Polling tower? Everything is possible with this boat; the only limitation is your imagination. You tell us the boat you’ve always dreamed of and we’ll make it for you.

Some of the many features of The Big "O" Boat

Batteries/Battery Chargers Extra Pedestal Bases & Seats
Pop Up Cleats Hamby's Keel Protector
Aerator Pumps & Stones Aerator Timers
Polling Towers California style shift handles
Gauge Bezels Stereo Systems
Power Point Plugs Boat Covers
Power Poles Trolling Motor
Console Hand Rails Pro Trim Control Systems

Colors

The colors of your Big "O" Boat are limited only by your imagination.   We use only premium gel coats, and we don't urethane our top decks.  All gel coat colors are custom matched to your specifications, and all gel coats are sprayed in mold, meaning you get a great finish that is actually part of the boat itself, not added on at a later date in the manufacturing.

Custom graphics, fade jobs, etc. can also be done.  We build the boat to your wants and desires, the only limitation is your imagination.

Prices

Twin Console 20'1"x86" - $29,000



Single Console 20'1"x86" - $28,500



Aluminum Dual-Axel Amentrail Trailer
Custom Gel coat Colors
Custom Matched Upholstery
6 gauge Troll Motor wiring
Automatic bilge pump switch
1500 GPH Bilge pump
Front 25 Gallon insulated round livewell 
Rear 20 Gallon insulated round livewell 
2 Stainless Steel pedestal plates
2 750gph Livewell fill pumps
2 750gph Livewell re-circulating pumps
Bow Trim and Front livewell controls
Console Rear Livewell controls
Built in teardrop bow navigation lights
Built in rear dome motor mounted light
Stainless bow and transom eyes
Control switches
40 gallon aluminum fuel tank 
Master power switch
Aluminum transom plates
Aluminum lids
Lid Insulation
2 Full length carpeted rod lockers
5 lockable storage compartments
2 Fully insulated coolers
Seastar Hydraulic Steering
Hydraulic Jack Plate
Carpeted deck
LENCO Trim Tabs
Hot Foot

The combination Flats/Bass boat modelhas a Flats Boat style console that has been shortened and put into the center of the cockpit area. The bench seating area of the Flats/Bass boat model is reaised up to allow the operator of the vessel the more standard view that most flats boats provide. Also, options of either B&M folding seats or a cushion can be used for this model, once again the boats are custom made to order, so it is entirely up to you.

All of the Big "O" Boats can be made saltwater compatible to resist corrosion. Making a boat salt water compatible consists of making sure all the electronic connections in the boat are protected from corrosion by using stainless steel connectors, and soldering and heat shrinking them. Also, a Big "O" Boat that is made salt water compatible has all the bolts, plates, nuts, basically anything made out of metal constructed of stainless steel. This is an effort to make your Big "O" Boat last a lifetime.

They also all have that Big "O" Boat ride. The Big "O" Boat has been compared in driving a sports car. It is an extremely stable and dry boat. It is not the speed demon that you will find in some boats, but it actually runs better in rough water compared to smooth, and it will hit 70 mph with a 200 hp outboard motor.

The Twister Boat is a 16'6" Flats boat. The deck layout was designed to stress simplicity.  The object was to produce a boat that can run and go anywhere, but at the same time doesn't come at a price tag that stresses a family's budget.

For a limited time only, we are selling the Twister flats boat with a 60 hp Evinrude Etec Outboard motor, and an aluminum trailer for $15,999 ($16,600 for a 75 hp motor).

We are in the process of obtaining Coast Guard approval. This model will be available soon.

TWISTER SPECIFICATIONS

Overall Length - 16' 6"
Hull Draft - 7"
Max Horsepower - 75 Horsepower
Beam - 82"

Weight (Approx.) - 600 lbs.
Transom Height - 20"

TWISTER STANDARD FEATURES

Center Console with cooler box
Fiberglass Construction - No Wood
USCG Navigation Lights
1200 gph bilge pump with automatic switch
500 gph Livewell Fill Pump
3 Stainless Steel Pull Up Cleats
Front Deck Storage area
Heavy Duty Rubrail
Foam Gilled Fiberglass Stringers
Rear Livewell / Baitwell
Stainless Steel Steering Wheel
25 Gallon Fuel Tank
Teleflex No Feedback Cable Steering
Circuit Breakers for Electronics and Pumps
Self Bailing Cockpit
Twist Out doors for access to wiring.
Livewell cushion and full width rear cushion
1 Battery

TWISTER OPTIONAL FEATURES

Polling Tower
Troll Motor
Jack Plate
Front deck pedestal and seat
Power Pole
Trim Tabs
Much more upon customer request.

We also build airboat hulls. All our airboat hulls are custom built to your needs.  Color combinations, stringer layout, etc. are entirely up to you , the customer. We build our airboat hulls out of the same fiberglass materials we use in our Big "O" Bass / Flats Boats, so you know that your getting a boat that is built to last.

We also do seats (single, double, triple and fat boy), instrument panels, seat covers, rain covers, etc. We do not do metalwork or engine work. The only thing we produce are the fiberglass hulls, seats, instrument panels, and the accompanying upholstery.

For more info, call 1-800-407-2628.


Click on Photo to Enlarge.

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How to Contact us:

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E-mail : scott.hoffner@bigoboats.com

Phone : 1-800-407-2628

Fax: 1-863-357-1265

Mailing Address :

Big O Boats Inc.

106 N.W. 36th St.

Okeechobee, FL. 34972