The Best Flats Boats Brands, Special Boats for Skinny Waters

Of all the different types of fishing boats out there, flats boats are among the most specialized. They’re designed to get to distant hotspots fast, allow anglers to make it through the skinniest waters, and then stealthily prowl around for fish like reds, bonefish, and permit. To maintain minimal draft and remain unobtrusive, most are quite small, and few dedicated flats boats stretch much past the 21-foot mark. They’re also powerful but light, rigged with angling features like livewells, rodholders, and casting decks, and they usually have elevated poling platforms for pushing the boat along manually while sighting for fish.

Since they fill such a narrow niche, the best shallow water flats boats are often built by smaller brands, and many major boat manufacturers ignore the genre entirely. So, as you peruse our picks you may notice many unfamiliar names. Rest assured, each of these standouts has traits that warrant your attention as you search for your own ideal shallow-water angling machine.

 

Best Small Flats Boats Brands

While most flats boats are on the small side, there’s a subcategory of very small flats boats commonly called “micro-skiffs.” These range from single-person fishing machines up to 16-footers that are generally designed to carry a pair of anglers, or maybe three in a pinch. Despite their diminutive nature, don’t sell the micro-skiffs short; often they’re just as advanced in design and construction as their larger brethren and can cost twice as much as simpler skiffs. In fact, anglers on a tight budget may want to check out The Best Small Skiff Boat Brands in order to seek out a less expensive option. That said, if you’re willing to pay top dollar for the LOA and you want a mini-might that gives you an angling edge, these brands are tops.

 

Beavertail Skiffs

Beavertail Skiffs has a number of larger flats boats, but their smallest, the 16 Micro, falls into this category—and sets a high bar. This boat drafts a mere five inches with the engine up, weighs only 400 pounds, and requires no more than 30 horsepower, yet can still cruise in the 20s and approach a top-end of 30 mph. Its combination of shoal draft, minimal weight, and zippy performance come from high-tech construction including a vacuum-infused vinylester hull and deck. See Beavertail Skiffs' website.

Beavertail 16 Micro. Beavertail Skiffs photo. 

 

Dragonfly Boatworks

There are three models in Dragonfly’s lineup that count as true micros, the DGB 15’ Skiff, the 15’ Marsh Hen, and the 16’ Emerger. Each are available in both tiller-steer and forward console versions. These hand-laid, all-composite boats are generally custom-built and can be rigged out with as many special features and perks—or not—as the buyer chooses. The brand has a long history, launching its first boat all the way back in 1979.

 

 

 

Dragonfly 16 Emerger. Dragonfly Boatworks photo. 

 

Solo Skiff

This builder describes its 14’5” long, 41” wide micro skiff as a “fishing kayak on steroids.” It’s built like most of today’s kayaks, with one-piece rotational molded high-density polyethylene construction. It’s rugged, though, with a two-layer hull over half an inch thick. The boat can plane out and reach speeds in the teens with just six horsepower on the transom and floats in an ankle-deep three inches of water. Frills are few, with just an integrated cooler/storage compartment, two rod tubes, a seat with a stowage compartment, and a grab bar. The Solo Skiff only holds one angler, yet it’s also significantly less expensive than most other micro skiffs. See Solo Skiff's website.

 

Solo-Skiff. Solo-Skiff photo. 

 

Best Affordable Flats Boats Brands

When it comes to affordability, the first thing we should point out is that the word has different meaning to different people, and for some, looking at used boats may be in order. We also want to note that as a general rule of thumb, Jon boats work relatively well on the flats and provide a lower-cost option many budget-conscious anglers settle on. All of that said, when you look at all the different flats boats for sale and compare pricing for the below brands against the competition, you’ll find that they place an emphasis on affordability and for the average fisherman, won’t break the bank.

 

Carolina Skiffs

Although they aren’t 100-percent oriented towards the flats, Carolina Skiffs are pressed into duty by countless flats anglers because they cost less than many other options and draw very little water thanks to their flat bottoms. Anglers most interested in affordability will want to check out their E-Series, which are the most straightforward and simplest. Still, they can be ordered with or without a wide range of optional features that can affect the bottom line quite a bit, so expect low-cost models to come fairly bare. Some are also available in “kit” form as just a hull and deck, allowing you to build it out as you like. Carolina Skiffs boats for sale.

 

Carolina Skiff E18 JVX. Carolina Skiff photo. 

 

Mako

Mako has a model line called the Pro Skiffs that, while they aren’t dedicated flats fishing boats, have all the traits needed to serve well for shallow-water anglers. And with prices ranging from under $20,000 to around $40,000, these boats cost less than you probably spent on your car or pick-up truck. The range goes from the Pro Skiff 13 CC to the Pro Skiff 19 CC, and all models are sold as complete boat-motor-trailer packages with a full suite of fishing features. Even the largest model can get into the shallows as the entire line has a draft of eight or nine inches, and all feature Mako’s chop-smoothing “Advanced Inverted V” hull, which looks somewhat like a tri-hull with a tunnel. Mako boats for sale. 

 

Mako Pro Skiff 17 CC. Mako photo. 

 

Veer

Veer is another brand with just a single model, a 13’ long, 4’ wide two-person skiff that’s rotomolded polyethylene and filled with foam. It’s also decked out in MarineMat foam padding and comes with a limited list of standard features including fishing rod racks, nav lights, integrated stowage compartments, beverage holders, and a bench seat. The model won a 2023 National Marine Manufacturer Association Innovation Award and is available in package form with either a gasoline or electric outboard and a trailer, starting for under $13,000 complete and ready to fish. See Veer Boats website.

 

Veer V 13. Veer photo. 

 

Best Aluminum Flats Boats Brands

Aluminum boats offer a lot of advantages over fiberglass: they’re lighter weight, they tend to cost less, and they’re easier to maintain. That said, they’re also more subject to being blown around by a breeze, may not handle rough seas as well as some fiberglass boats, and have fewer integrated features since shapes can’t be molded in as with fiberglass. Depending on the characteristics you find more or less important, there’s a fair chance that an aluminum flats boat may be the right choice for your needs.

 

Sabine Skiffs

Few brands are dedicated to building aluminum flats boats and aluminum flats boats alone, but that’s exactly what Sabine does. They claim to be the first to build a “no hull slap” aluminum flats boat designed to minimize water noise against the hull, which can spook some fish. The hulls are also designed to pole straight, offer excellent maneuverability, and minimize draft. Both center console and tiller-steer versions are available, as well as tunnel-hull models. Sabine Skiff boats for sale.

 

Sabine Skiffs Versatile. Sabine Skiffs photo. 

 

Xpress

Though this brand has just one model specifically designed for the flats, the Xpress Skiff 185, it’s a 100-percent dedicated flats boat with an available poling platform, hydraulic jack plate, powered shallow-water pole anchor, and electric trolling motor. Construction is all-welded 5052 0.10” aluminum with injected foam and longitudinal ribs. Thanks to its aluminum construction, the boat weighs just 950 pounds, which means poling it through skinny water will require less work and trailering with a relatively small tow vehicle will be no problem. Xpress boats for sale. 

 

Xpress Skiff 185. Xpress boats photo. 

 

Xtreme Boats

Xtreme’s Micro-X series is designed with one overriding goal: minimizing draft. These models range in size from 13’ to 18’ and are available in tiller- and stick-steer versions. Xtreme boats are TIG welded using a minimum 0.125” thick aluminum and are paired with Xtreme Trail aluminum trailers matched to the specific boat. And unlike most builders, Xtreme can do completely customized work—if you can sketch exactly what you want, Xtreme will build it.

 

Xtreme Micro X. Xtreme Boats photo. 

 

Best High-Performance Flats Boat Brands

Serious anglers who want the best of the best and aren’t bothered by price tags will disregard all of the above classes, and opt for a high-performance flats boat. These boats sit at the very top of the heap, and although they cost a pretty penny, they represent the ultimate choices in flats boats.

 

Hell’s Bay Boatworks

Hell’s Bay Boatworks has one of the broadest lineups in the industry, including nine different models from 16’4” up to 18’4”. Most draft just 4.5” and one model, the Whipray, brings it all the way down to a mere 3.5”. Weight is minimized with cutting-edge materials and construction including carbon/Innegra (olefin), carbon-fiber stringers, vacuum-infusion, and Core Cell coring. These boats are able to carry plenty of power and provide top-end performance. The 18’1” Marquesa rigged with a Yamaha F115, for example, exceeds 50 mph at top end and can cruise at around 40 mph. See Hell’s Bay Boatworks website.

 

Hells Bay Marquesa. Hells Bay Boatworks photo. 

 

Hewes

Hewes boats are designed and built for fishing the shallows, period. They’re among the most popular high-end options and are known for riding smoother through open water than many of the other flats boats of similar size. They’re also known for the high-tech VARIS vacuum-infused construction, and deck and cockpit layouts that maximize fishability. They offer three Redfisher models, 16’6”, 18’10”, and 21’6”. The Redfisher 21 pushes the limits of just how large a true flats boat can be, but also provides more room and comfort than a smaller boat plus the ability to fish larger open waters on occasion. And as for performance it’ll be tough to beat—with a Yamaha F300 on the transom the Redfisher 21 can blast past the 60-mph mark with no problem. Hewes boats for sale. 

 

Hewes Redfisher 18. Hewes photo. 

 

Maverick

Maverick has a relatively small lineup with just three models, but every one of their boats (which are 16’9”, 17’8”, and 18’4”) are 100-percent dedicated to fishing the flats. Maverick has been designing and building flats boats for over 30 years and has a well-deserved reputation for building topnotch technical poling skiffs. The smallest draws six inches, and the largest, nine inches with a 150-hp outboard. Note that with this much power, the 18 HPX-V can also cruise at around 50 mph and hit a top-end over 62 mph with two people and full fuel aboard. Maverick boats for sale. 

 

Maverick 17 HPX S. Maverick photo. 

 

Which of these shallow water fishing machines will be the best choice for you personally? That’s a decision that only you can make. But these brands are among the best flats fishing boats on the face of the planet, and any angler in search of the ultimate shallow-water fishing machine will be checking them out.