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Fishing Boats

Doewhacker

By Doewhacker,
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Doewhacker Newbie

Doewhacker

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I am trying to convince my wife that I need a fishing rig upgrade for safety sake. I currently have a little 12ft row boat which is fine for like two people my size but not so great for a family. What kind of rigs do you guys run? I am thinking something in the 14-16ft range, not too fancy, not for water sports, just fishing.

 

Lawdawz, Grampy?

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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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My rig is a 14.5 foot Alumicraft  Fisherman with a stern drive 30 HP Honda 4 stroke.

 

It  is quite wide and deep, VERY seaworthy.  The outboard runs quiet and  is  a miser on gas... I can run 28 MPH  on calm water  by myself, and 25 with another person aboard, which is as fast as I  ever need to go on the water.

 

I have a 45 lb. thrust Minn Kota electric stern mounted..It is not quite as maneuverable as a bow mount, but works well for me, because my depth finder and all of my controls are in the stern, so I can control everything without having to move around the boat.  There are two pedestal seats and they are the most comfortable boat seats I have ever had.

 

It's a great fishing rig for one or two people..Three is a bit crowded..

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Doewhacker Newbie

Doewhacker

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Take her out in it and leave the plug loose,when the boat fills up with water ,she'll see why you need a new boat. The old one leaks.

 

 

I showed her the 500 pound weight limit and she understood that we can't all go out safely, plus there is a crack on the top rail in the center of the back where a motor would mount. I want to sell it or trade it in honestly. It is @75 years old so it has been around long enough.

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grampy Veteran

grampy

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My rig is an 18 foot, fiberglass pro-style bass boat. Very stable running in rough water and while fishing. No rocking or tipping. And gets me to where I'm going quickly. But there are drawbacks to this set up too. I have seating for only three, but more comfortable fishing with two. So taking out the whole family together, is not going to work out too well. My rig holds 18 gallons of gas and I have to run run the high test 93 octain in my motor.  I can and at times do run through a tank of fuel in a days fishing.

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Doewhacker Newbie

Doewhacker

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My rig is an 18 foot, fiberglass pro-style bass boat. Very stable running in rough water and while fishing. No rocking or tipping. And gets me to where I'm going quickly. But there are drawbacks to this set up too. I have seating for only three, but more comfortable fishing with two. So taking out the whole family together, is not going to work out too well. My rig holds 18 gallons of gas and I have to run run the high test 93 octain in my motor.  I can and at times do run through a tank of fuel in a days fishing.

 

 

Yea that's a step up from what I would get I think. Plus the price tag jumps on bass rigs.

 

I'm thinking something like this but used. I like the flat floor.

 

http://www.rowboatking.com/

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stoneam2006 Newbie

stoneam2006

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I am also in this position as I have a 12 foot row boat with trolling motor on it and it's fine right now pretty much anywhere I want to go but my kids are still small and by next summer I will need to go bigger...I've been looking on pennswoods and cra8gslist and seems for 1500 you can get a pretty decent boat especially if mechanicly inclined

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

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turkeyfeathers Veteran

turkeyfeathers

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14 foot Mad River Adventure canoe . It's pretty tippy, more than I thought it would be. Not being able to swim a lick I can't say we use it enough. It's more fun to fish with only daughter as she baits her own hook and releases fish while wife makes a rat nest out of line and reel, doesn't bait and doesn't release fish. I actually get to fish with only daughter in it and wife tends to "almost" flip it too many times.

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Culvercreek hunt club Enthusiast

Culvercreek hunt club

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14 foot Mad River Adventure canoe . It's pretty tippy, more than I thought it would be. Not being able to swim a lick I can't say we use it enough. It's more fun to fish with only daughter as she baits her own hook and releases fish while wife makes a rat nest out of line and reel, doesn't bait and doesn't release fish. I actually get to fish with only daughter in it and wife tends to "almost" flip it too many times.

Fab up an outrigger and you could dance in that canoe. We did it back when a buddy had a duck dog and we used to duck hunt out of canoe with an outrigger. the outrigger arms had a platform for the dog.  not a speed demon to paddle but crazy stable. 

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Lawdwaz Grand Master

Lawdwaz

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Mine is gone from here getting a new canvas cover so I'll have to go into the archives................

 

She's a 20 year old Sea Nymph 165 Back Troller.  16' long with a 2006 25hp Mercury 4 stroke outboard.

 

IMG_0070_zpsdd179ad8.jpg

 

IMG_0073_zps86d5495d.jpg

 

IMG_0072_zps42aff58a.jpg

 

IMG_4838_zps2065bcc4.jpg

 

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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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I have had the pleasure of fishing out of Larry's boat.. Nice boat to fish out of as long as I keep my fly open  <<INSIDE JOKE>>...

 

My Alumicraft is set up very similar, except it is a little shorter, but deeper and wider...

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grampy Veteran

grampy

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Mine is gone from here getting a new canvas cover so I'll have to go into the archives................

She's a 20 year old Sea Nymph 165 Back Troller. 16' long with a 2006 25hp Mercury 4 stroke outboard.

IMG_0070_zpsdd179ad8.jpg

IMG_0073_zps86d5495d.jpg

Nice boat !! And one heck of a nice stringer of smallies !!!

IMG_0072_zps42aff58a.jpg

IMG_4838_zps2065bcc4.jpg

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wolc123 Grand Master

wolc123

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What kind of fish will you be targeting and what waters will you use it on?   New York state is blessed with some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the world.   Excellent fishing for Largemouth bass , trout and salmon is also easy to find here.  A few places even produce respectable walleye and pike fishing on occasion.    These are the species I go for with my 17 ft Sylvan Profisherman with the main engine, a 70 hp Johnson 2-stroke outboard, plus a 15 hp Johnson kicker on the side of the stern and a 28 lb thrust min-kota trolling motor up in the bow.   The boat is a 1989 and the motors are 1999's.  You out to be able to locate a similar used rig in the $4000 - $5000 price range.     

 

The deep V 17 foot aluminum hull is just right for trolling the great lakes with 4 occupants (rated for 6 and 900 lbs max, 130 hp max).   The 70 hp easily pulls waterskiers with a heavy load in the boat (my original 60 hp was a little underpowered for that).   For drift fishing or working shorelines, weedlines etc with the electric motor, it is just right for 3 fisherman.   The 70 hp main motor will push it close to 40 mph which is plenty fast in most sea conditions.  The 15 hp will plane it at about 10 mph with 2 guys on board if one is up front.  That provides great backup if the main engine goes down out on the big-waters.    The boat takes great wind-driven waves like we find out on the great lakes,  but does not do so good with boat wakes like we find on busy afternoons on the upper Niagara river (I usually finish up my fishing early on the weekends there).

 

One thing to consider in a fishing boat, that many overlook, is the color of the hull.   Fish see silver or light grey when they look up, so if you can match that, you will spook less and catch more.  Those fancy red and purple metal flake bass boats might be pretty, but probably cost the owners lots of fish.   

 

Any boat is a compromise, but the one I have represents the best combination of capabilities for the species and waters where I fish.   Aluminum is lighter, thus cheaper to power than fiberglass and easier to trailer, but ride comfort in wake-driven waves suffers in comparison.   Fiberglass bass boats are certainly superior for bass fishing, but not too good for great lake salmon or walleye trolling.  

 

With an aluminum boat, you cant fight the wind as there is always too much "sail area" for that.   Rather than fight it, I just work with it and let it push me over the fish, using the electric motor to control the drift a bit.   Doing that with my rig, I was able to secure my families yearly fish supply (12 quart vacuum-sealed freezer bags)  of Smallmouth bass, Largemouth bass, and Walleye fillets in just 4 days last week up on the St Lawrence river.   Just like hunting, sport is a secondary reason why I fish, food is the primary reason.    

Edited by wolc123
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reeltime Explorer

reeltime

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29 foot penn yan with 2 350 chevys

 

18 foot blue fin with a 90hp evinrude

 

16 foot starcraft with either a 15 hp evinrude pr 9.5 hp evinride  depending on where I am duck hunting

 

12 foot starcraft that is only used when flat calm for late season duck hunting.

 

 

depending on what lakes you fish I would go with an absolute minimum 14 foot but it would have to be deep and wide.   would lean more towards a 16 or 18 footer also deep and wide with at or close to max hp rating just be  conscience of the engine weight, generally 4 strokes are heavier than 2 strokes, just something to consider if you have an open traditional transom as you don't want to be too stern heavy. 

 

safety first, deep and wide generally equals stability and ability to take a heavier sea but just because its bigger doesn't mean take more chances.   being at or near max hp will help with more passengers and will certainly be of  a benefit to get to safety in a hurry if weather changes quickly. 

 

if you do upgrade in size make sure to double check your safety gear for compliance with uscg requirements for the size of the boat, it changes depending on the size of the boat, flares, signal flag, throwable flotation device etc.   make sure your anchor is of suitable size and with ample chain and rope, even better is 2 anchors. 

 

another thing to look at and make it a serious consideration on purchase is flotation foam in the boat make sure it has it or make sure if it doesn't and you buy it have it done.  you don't want the boat sinking out from under you if it gets loaded with water.

 

Edited by reeltime
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