Shallow Sport boats are designed for fishing in external water environments and come equipped with three generations of boat-building expertise from their family-owned company.
The Classic line boasts a clean flush deck for Wade fisherman to fish from and convenient netting of fish quickly. Furthermore, its time-tested hull has proven itself on flats while remaining exceptionally dry.
Quadrahedral Tunnel Hull
Shallow Sport’s Quadrahedral Tunnel Hull allows it to navigate shallower waters than traditional V-bottom boats by channeling water under and directly towards its prop, thus keeping its interior dry while eliminating splash from splashing over its sides as with conventional V-bottom boats. Furthermore, the quadrupedal design of its tunnel provides more stable platforms for the ship’s passengers.
Tunnel vents connected with the forward portion of a tunnel help facilitate efficient use of an outboard motor located at its rear end, as well as reduce loss of buoyancy caused by its presence and thus improve operating characteristics and draft of boats.
The invention relies on the principle that an outboard engine 14 can be mounted higher on a boat ten due to its propeller acting on the water passing through a tunnel 30 instead of directly under its bottom. This increases shallow water capabilities without significant decreases in operating or draft characteristics.
When an outboard boat is traveling at high speed, its tunnel will transition from plane mode into plane mode; water and air will rush along the bottom of its vessel 10, passing through tunnel opening 82 and communicating back through transom 20 until reduced air pressure occurs behind transom 20, speaking back through tunnel opening 82 into front wall 60 of tunnel.
Tunnel wall 60’s rear side slopes downward from 14 inches (16”) apart at its transom to 5 inches (5”) at the forward end of the tunnel, gradually narrowing in size until reaching 14 inches (16”) apart near its fore-end. Tunnel sidewalls 36 and 38 also move progressively closer together at the forward end of the tunnel than they do at its transom, providing greater capacity. The tunnel rear edge 68 features a trapezoidal shape with narrow parallel legs at its top and wide diagonal legs at its base, which serves to minimize buoyancy loss at the stem of the boat. This configuration is especially beneficial as it reduces stress on buoyancy, reducing overall boat weight by keeping buoyancy close to where it should be. This short tunnel allows an outboard motor to be placed eight inches (8”) higher on the planing surface while still maintaining acceptable operating and draft characteristics, representing a substantial advancement over prior art tunnels that required 15 inches or more of draft for motor down position and only 7/8ths (7/8ths) when engine raised position was needed.
Quadrahedral Double Tunnel Hull
Shallow Sport tunnel designs differ from V bottom boats by forcing water up into the prop area for shallower drafts and more efficient backwoods running. Furthermore, these tunnels also help provide more flotation in these areas while improving handling at higher speeds.
Our Quadrahedral Double Tunnel design brings two distinct hull styles together into a compelling combination, ready to tackle even the shallowest backcountry waters. Its time-tested stringer systems have been foam-filled for extra strength, while its unique Quadrahedral tunnel hull draws water up through it for lift while minimizing unwanted spray off of its sides.
The full-length tunnel not only makes these boats ideal for skinny water conditions but also sets them apart from traditional non-tunnel flats boats available on the market. It creates a hydraulic lock system with a lower unit and propeller directing water up into the tunnel instead of spraying off sides – keeping both you and your rig dry in any conditions.
Tunnels also help straddle chop and eliminate any chance of spray while at speed by closing off tunnel space with a dedicated “Tunnel Tab.” when deployed, they reduce boat drag, allowing its engine to operate more efficiently.
Additionally, our patented hydrofoil system further strengthens this revolutionary new design with speed and performance benefits for any given situation. Consisting of one main foil spanning the tunnel at keel position and two cantilever-type stern foils positioned behind, this allows the motor’s thrust to lift the hull into the air by way of lifter motor thrust, thus reducing drag while increasing load-bearing capacity.
Hydrofoil technology can be found on Legacy Marine’s X3 and SV models, adding another level of efficiency and speed to these already impressively capable boats. We offer our patented retrofit system as an optional extra cost option if you’re looking to take their performance even further – contact your local Legacy Marine dealer for more details on this and other available upgrades!
Quadrahedral Quad Tunnel Hull
Shallow Sport boats feature the quadrupedal tunnel hull as a trademark, known for its time-tested performance that marries stability, efficiency, and maneuverability – qualities that make it the ideal platform for shallow water fishing.
Shallow Sport was developed to meet a need for a specialized hull design capable of running, drifting, and taking off in highly shallow waters while still standing up to open water crossings. To meet this challenge, the first fiberglass tunnel hull was developed. Since then, generations of Shallow Sports families have continuously refined and improved upon this groundbreaking design.
Shallow Sport boats feature tunnel hulls designed with venturi hulls that use venturi force to propel water forward, creating lift in their bow. This gives these vessels a much higher top speed than conventional V-bottom boats while helping keep you dry – an attractive feature for anglers who plan on being out all day on the water! It’s no wonder these vessels are so popular among fisherman!
The Shallow Sport MOD V is an outstanding example of how tunnel hulls can benefit boaters. Its combination of Modified Vee entry and tunnel design easily crush bay chop and boat wakes while maintaining smooth ride qualities at high speeds – this provides boaters in shallow waters an advantage but also enables it to run deeper unsteady waters more effortlessly.
Tunnel hulls offer several key advantages over traditional v-bottoms, including their ability to smoothly run over hard, sandy bottoms. This is especially beneficial in shallow, challenging bottom areas with rocks or brushes that the conventional v-bottom would scrape against; their shallow draft also allows them to float at lower RPMs, thus decreasing drag and increasing fuel efficiency.
Tunnel hulls may be ideal for shallow water flats fishing, but they do come with certain drawbacks. One is their susceptibility to backflipping when pulling back quickly on the throttle, something not encountered with conventional V-bottom boats but something specific to tunnel hulls.
To help mitigate this, many tunnel hull boat owners install trim tabs at the stern. When adjusted properly, little tabs break the suction that causes tunnels to squat or sink to the surface and give more lift during running – an excellent solution for anyone interested in tunnels but wary about their risks.
