Oct 23, 2013 - Jeff McCoy, the assistant chief of police in Trenton, Tenn., has owned two War Eagle Boats and is preparing to purchase his third boat this year. This 5-part Q-and-A with McCoy will examine how McCoy’s boat needs change as his life does.

War Eagle: Jeff, when you stepped up from a 1542 to a 1754 War Eagle boat, what did you do with your 1542?

McCoy: I sold it. That’s another reason I’m a huge War Eagle boat fan. The resale value of their boats is really good. I got back almost all the money I had put into my 1542, and I was able to hunt with it for a couple of seasons. I learned that there’s just about no depreciation on a War Eagle boat. When I sold the boat, it looked as good as it did the day I bought it. Even though I’d duck hunted out of it and bounced it off trees and stumps, the boat didn’t have any dings or dents in it. I added seats to the boat and a few other accessories, but as far as the amount of money I got back when I sold the boat, I was able to recoup my original investment. I’ve learned that resale value is something you really need to look at when you buy a boat because you usually buy a boat you can afford. But when your needs for a boat change, you need to get as much money as you can from your old boat to purchase a new boat. That’s where War Eagle Boats shines. When you can buy a brand-new boat and motor, use it for 2 years and still get all the money back that you’ve spent for the boat, you’ve made a wise investment.

War Eagle: What did you do with the money you received when you sold your 1542?

McCoy: I bought a bigger War Eagle boat – the 1754.

War Eagle: What did the 1754 offer you that you didn’t have in the 1542?

McCoy: It has more room in the boat, plus it’s set up so you can fish two crappie fishermen off the front of the boat with pole holders. It also provides a live well, much more storage in the rear bench seat, and it can handle a bigger motor. The 1754 also allows me to duck hunt in bigger water than the 1542. I bought this boat, however, primarily for crappie fishing. I’d been fishing local tournaments in my smaller boat. But I bought the bigger boat so I could fish the national crappie circuits. I wanted a boat I could take on the road, travel to different lakes and fish any kind of water, plus be able to store all my crappie-fishing gear in it and not have to unload and reload the boat every time I went crappie fishing. With the 1754, I can keep all my tackle, poles and rod holders in the boat and be able to leave for a tournament by simply hooking up my War Eagle boat to my vehicle.

War Eagle: What did you add to the boat to make it more crappie efficient?

McCoy: I added Tite-Lok rod holders, a Garmin 152 GPS and an Eagle depth finder. Also, I set up the boat, so I could long-line fish with crankbaits off the back of the boat. I wanted pole holders on the front as well as the back. Then I could fish three people out of my boat if I wanted.

War Eagle: What kind of engine did you put on the boat?

McCoy: I put a 90-horsepower Johnson engine on this boat. I’d had Johnson engines before and had found them to be very dependable. So, I went with what I knew. I bought this boat from Beach Lake Marine. The sales associate recommended the 90-horsepower Johnson engine because they’d seen very-few problems with these engines. Since the store sells and services boats and motors, they don’t want to sell a customer a motor and then see that motor in their repair shop. So, I saved money by not buying a motor that had to spend a lot of time in the shop. I fished local tournaments out of my 1542. When I started fishing the major crappie circuits, I found that the 1754 had all the room I needed to crappie fish. But I still want more room in my boat. I want a boat that’s really set up for crappie fishing. I’ve made the decision to sell my 1754 and buy a War Eagle Predator boat in June. But I’m not buying a red Predator. I’m sticking with the camouflage pattern, so I still can duck hunt out of the boat if I want.

War Eagle: Why are you planning to buy a Predator?

McCoy: One of my friends, David Pinkerton, bought a Predator boat, and I got the chance to ride in his boat. Too, I looked at the War Eagle Predator boat ads with Kent Driscoll. I like the way the Predator is set up. It gives me more room to fish, it can take a bigger motor (up to 115 horsepower), it has more storage than my 1754, and it’s the ultimate crappie boat. The Predator is designed strictly for crappie fishing. However, by getting it in the camo pattern, I still can duck hunt in it if I want. I’ve talked to Scott Dickson at War Eagle Boats and he told me I should be able to get that boat by June.

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Next time in Part 3: Why I Fish National Crappie Circuits