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G3 Likes and Dislikes? - HP 180 Boat Review

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Curt:
I've had my 2007 G3 HP180 since 2008. I bought it as a leftover at the very end of 2007 and picked it up in early 2008.

Overall, I love this boat and the way it's built/laid out. It really has everything you need for tourney fishing on small to medium sized waters.






* two livewells
* recirculating pumps
* Livewell pump out system
* big outboard
* HP (high performance) hull
* large front deck
* 90 inch beam
* livewell timers
* dual rod lockers
* ample storage
* etc.
I love the way the boat handles. It literally jumps out of the hole and is on full plane in about 2.5 seconds. It corners like a dream and handles chop with no big issues. It's also comfortable to ride in when running the outboard.



The rod lockers are OK, with plenty of storage, but I despise the rod tubes. The lockers also had some kind of rod management system, where there were places to rest each rod handle. But in all honesty, they were very poorly designed and trying to get each handle into its resting place was sheer madness. I ultimately took them out so the rod handles just rest where they can, without being worried about fitting each rod handle into a specific slot. As I said, I despise the rod tubes. I would much prefer an open locker.





The livewells are awesome, and much bigger than they look in this pic. I've never had a fish die in them because of lack of water or oxygen. Having the dual livewells is also a huge plus when I'm fishing solo because I can keep cull fish separate from fish that are more likely not going to be culled because they're big.



The console is decent, but not big enough to mount any electronics in-dash. All of the controls and gauges are in reasonable locations, with everything being easy to reach and to see. My one gripe about the switches is the funky textured background color, which you can see here in the pic. It looks nice, but can make it really, really hard to see the labels for the switches.





The cockpit area is comfortable, as I mentioned earlier. There is a step up to the front deck, which is nice, but it's also wasted space because there is no door or lid in it to allow me to store anything under it. One thing that was well thought out with that step is the way the front of it is angled. It makes a great place for a passenger to put their feet against to brace themselves in rough water  ;D



The bilge area is OK, but a tad small, in my opinion. With the fuel tank and 3 batteries, the space is all but used up. Also on the negative side, there was only room for 2 group 27 batteries and one group 24 for cranking. I much prefer to run 3 group 27s. This also eliminates the possibility of running a 36 volt TM in the future, unless I come up with a creative way to store a 3rd group 27 somewhere.

Filling the oil tank is OK, not too hard to access. I do have to use a funnel, though, since the filler hole is well below the surface of the lid.



The hull is really nice with regard to design. The HP aspects give it a nice pad to run on, unlike most aluminum boats. This thing hugs corners like a dream, with no sliding that's typical of most aluminum boats.



The back deck is of decent proportions, where a co-angler can fish comfortably. I've seen some boats where the back deck is so small it literally looks like an afterthought. Not so with this boat. There are also two storage compartments in the rear deck that are watertight and have slots for Plano boxes to slide into.



They're not huge, but they make a great place to stow extra clothing, extra reels, etc.

Overall, I really like this boat and have only a few complaints, which were mentioned above. The bummer about this is that the HP models are no longer made  :'(

G3 said they were too expensive to manufacturer with all of the extras that were included. They now only make the Eagle series.

If I had to give this boat a rating from 1 - 10, I would give it an 8. Keep in mind that's based on how it  fits my needs and my overall experience with it.

G3 has been a great company to deal with in the 1 or 2 instances where I needed warranty work. Their customer service is top notch.

I hope this info helps someone who may be considering buying a G3 boat in the future.

Any other G3 owners out there, feel free to chime in with your own boat review or comments on this one :)

Jimmy RodandReel:
Great overview and review. :)

Jig Man:
They are made about 50 miles down the road from me.  They came from a family of boat builders.  Does Yamaha still own them?

Curt:

--- Quote from: Jig Man on January 30, 2015, 10:26:14 PM ---They are made about 50 miles down the road from me.  They came from a family of boat builders.  Does Yamaha still own them?

--- End quote ---

Yes, Yamaha does still own them :)

Curt:

--- Quote from: Jimmy RodandReel on January 25, 2015, 08:21:37 PM ---Great overview and review. :)

--- End quote ---

Thanks @Jimmy RodandReel  :D

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