Javelin Renegade 21 MSX: Many Species... One Boat

Multi-species boats such as the Javelin 21 MSX offer anglers plenty of options.

For anglers who view the fishing life as a smorgasbord, "multi-species" boats are becoming the buzz. They're not exactly bass boats, but neither are they walleye boats or flats rigs. They're something in between. But unlike most compromises, with the Javelin 21 MSX, you don't give up much of anything to get the all-around capability.

Most boats in this category are big, safe, comfortable — and slow. The MSX scores on the first three, but not on the latter. It cranked out an impressive 60.4 mph on GPS ahead of the Evinrude FICHT Ram 225. This is as fast as a lot of pure bass machines will run, if you put them to the GPS test rather than looking at their optimistic speedometers.

One area where the boat gave up a bit in performance was in initial acceleration. The big, deep hull took 7.5 seconds to reach 30 mph. Lighter, sleeker bass machines and some flats boats will beat you out of the chute, but then you'll go by them if the water is at all rough. Reason? They'll have to slow down or take a pounding, and you won't thanks to the extra length and bulk of this rig.

Of course, if you need more hole shot due to carrying a heavy crew and gear, you could always step down a few inches in prop pitch. Our test boat ran a 14 x 22 three-blade stainless Raker. The higher the pitch, the higher the top end, but the slower the takeoff.

Another plus of the MSX is that there's very little bow rise on the hole shot. On many high-performance bass boats, there are several seconds when you simply can't see over the bow, and this can be dangerous. This boat, by contrast, simply jumps out and heads down the lake.

It drives much like most utility-style hulls until you get to about 5000 rpm, then the bow starts to lift. As you get on the trim button, the boat rocks back on the pad and really starts to fly. But it's not a difficult boat to drive at full speed. Basically you just hang on and steer. It's not nearly as touchy as some high-speed rigs.

Cornering is predictable. The boat tracks like it's on rails, with no tendencies to skid out or to hook a chine and "trip." This would be a nice family rig for water skiing on the days when you're not fishing seriously.

I also liked the fact that you sit high in this boat. The swivel seat at the helm is full chair height, which gives you a better view all around than the Corvette-style, flat-on-the-floor seats in performance bassers. In fact, thanks to the considerable inside depth of this boat, 26.5 inches, you can safely stand up to run it, just as you would a center-console saltwater rig. Getting higher above the water makes it easier to see shallow spots and bars where you might run aground. It's also easier to see underwater cover where there might be fish.

The added freeboard of this boat also makes it a safer rig when you run into really rough water. There's less chance of a wave coming aboard, and less chance of passengers falling out. The bow casting deck is inset about 10 inches below the gunwale, rather than nearly flush with it as on many bass boats, another safety feature that may appeal to those with children, as well as to older anglers less sure of their balance.

There are locking rod boxes on both sides of the bow casting deck, with the port box long enough to hold 8-foot flippin' sticks. Lids on these boxes are reinforced aluminum, very stiff and solid, and each has a gas piston to make it easy to hoist. As with most multi-species rigs, there is no aft casting deck. There are four brackets for mounting the pedestal seats on the bow, four more in the cockpit, allowing lots of options in seating.

I also like the fact that this boat comes equipped with mooring cleats all around, something missing on many bass boats, where the cleats are sacrificed for improved eye appeal. And, all the cleats on the MSX are inset, so they're not likely to snag lures or lines.

For live baiters, a small minnow bucket inside the front baitwell and a larger one in a second well near the starboard transom mean you're always in reach of fresh bait. The giant livewell just forward of the transom is 4-feet long, which means you could drop a limit of big walleyes in there and keep them healthy for the run to weigh-in before release.

On the port side aft, there's a pre-wired plug allowing you to easily hook up a transom-mount trolling motor or an electric downrigger. The tall transom and splash well make it easy to back-troll for walleyes without slopping water into the cockpit. The boat also comes equipped with a 54-pound-thrust, 24-volt OMC troller on the bow, the most useful location for bass anglers as well as for saltwater snookers. This boat would make a great inshore rig for chasing not only snook but also seatrout and redfish in the south, backwater stripers in the north.

The curved Plexiglass windshield is tall enough to keep wind and spray out of the driver's face, and the Dino padded wheel tilts to fit drivers of any height. The seats have molded, rot-proof backs and firm, deep, foam cushions that will soften the ride. And below decks, the all-fiberglass and foam construction should make this a boat that lasts as long as you want to fish it. Completely factory-rigged and with a tandem-axle, color-matched trailer, it goes for $28,160. For more information, contact: Javelin Boats, 880 Butlers Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37127; (615) 895-5190; www.javelinboats.com.

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