Bankes hulls provide excellent performance in rough water from a heavy chop on up to big rollers. You have to hold a TDB at just under planning speed when heavily loaded in big seas, but they handle them well, producing a little more spray. Build quality of both boats is now excellent again, with TDB producing bagged hulls and deck components, which reduces weight, but also maximizes laminate strength and quality by reducing resin volume and bubbles, versus hand lay-up. TDB has returned to using Kevlar (Aramid 49) in their bow construction lay-up, so both hulls will handle breaking sea ice well. TDB's materials used in the hull and transom build is top-notch, as is Bankes. As a Boston Whaler geek, I appreciate the production process Bankes uses to make hulls: strong hull construction that spreads loads over more surface area via the foam core injection production. TDB has improved their blind frame, using a thicker tubing on the blind frame runs. Blind construction is a wash, with a slight nod to TDB for using a new Cordura 1000D Mil-Spec that is Berry Amendment compliant. IF TDB opts to change their rain-roof zippers to install two-way #10 separating units(you can do this yourself via purchase of a pair of YKK Dual-Pull #10 separating pulls, two top stops, and a stint on Youtube to understand how to re-fit the zipper pulls to make them two-way units), I would give their blind the edge, since you can then un-zip each end to open-up the cockpit to gun, while still keeping the blind closed in inclement weather and providing concealment from over-head incoming birds. Wiring quality is the same, both in materials and how the runs are set-up.
I would give the nod to TDB in terms of the hull's ability to set and pull decoys over the bow in a heavy wind. I think it is where the keelsons "die" on a Bankes, but they are nearly impossible to hold "bow-on" in a wind, blowing away one way or another, making setting longlines a pure pain. I appreciate the Bankes great beam width for its improvement in the rough water ride capability, but that also equates to making pulling and resetting anchors a chore, since you have to really lean-out and work via your upper body muscles to lift the last ten feet of rode and clear the grassing rails in the bow. The same holds true for pulling longline rigged decoys, since they routinely catch on the hull-deck junction lip and the grassing rails which extend too far forward in the bow to be of any real use.
If you are going to add a boarding ladder, do it yourself, rather than using the Garelick unit that Bankes offers as an option. Both boats have good dog ladders as an option ( I said good, not great). It is nearly impossible to add a transducer to a Bankes, post-production, that will work when the boat is underway, so get it done in the build process.
Both hard storage covers are comparable quality now, with the bag technology lowering the weight on the TDB from that of the Classic 17' ( I own a Classic 17' with a Honda 50hp on it that I have completely refurbished, right down to a new blind just added) you are used to.
Hope this helps...
I just checked TDB's website, they are offering a demo boat with a Suzuki 50hp tiller and trailer at an excellent price. Suzuki makes some of the best 4-strokes out there now, reliable, gas sippers.
