Yet Another 2-person Bass Boat Purchasing Decision

[GlenInBossTown]

I'm sure this type of thing has been beaten to death in this forum before, but my circumstances are unusual, so I thought I'd put this out to the community for comment. I live on a 350 acre lake in Massachusetts. I have a private beach behind the house. I'm planning on getting a two-person boat that I can just drag up on the beach when not in use. I don't have a truck or any way to trailer a boat, but I'm planning on getting a new car (likely a Subaru or some such) that I can put a light duty hitch on later this year. I've been combing Craigslist and the Boat Trader and I'm not finding what I want - and I have no way to get anything I purchase to the house anyway. So I've got it narrowed down to two of the plastic boats that can be shipped to me. I'm considering either the Pelican Bass Raider 10E or the Sun Dolphin Pro 10.2 powered by an electric trolling motor. Since they'd be left outside during the summer, I'll get a cover for either. They will be stored under my back deck in the winter. Later in the year, I'll likely get a Harbor Freight trailer to move the boat when I want to. 

Any thoughts are welcome. 

 

Thanks!

Glen

[WIGuide]

I had a Bass Tender 10.2 which is now the Sun Dolphin. I've got nothing but good things to say about them and would be the one I pick.

[Bluebasser86]

Me personally, I'd prefer a johnboat. They're about the same price, but much lighter and easier to drag or even carry and the effects of the sun, heat, and cold are not nearly as great on a tin boat as it is plastic. It's not as much weight for the trolling motor to push either. The downside of being lighter is it's effected by the wind and waves more so if it's windy a lot in your area then that's something to consider.

As far as picking it up, you can rent trucks from Uhaul or maybe ask a friend with a truck to haul it to you since you're only going to have to haul it to that lake once and then it's staying there. 

[Fishes in trees]

I'm with Bluebasser86.   A jon boat is the way to go if you're going to leave it outside.   I don't think that a 350 acre lake is too big for an electric powered boat - as long as you have alternate power - which is the case of a jon boat would be a good set of oars.    7 1/2 foot oars are better than 7' oars and 8' oars are better yet.   I suggest this because a jon boat is way easier to row than the plastic pond boats are.  

I used to have one - pond boats are great until you run low on power and you are a long way from the ramp.  There are various ways to handle the low on power issue besides oars.   The way I handled it was to buy 3 of the largest 12 volt deep cycle batteries I could find and wire them parallel, so I still had 12 volts, just 3 times as much of it.   Get the biggest 12 volt trolling motor you can find.   I had a Maxxum 55 lb thrust with the variable speed.   Get a 3 bank charger and set it up in your shop so that you can charge all the batteries at once and leave it plugged in.   That way they're ready to go when you're ready to go.   Invest in a decent cart so that you can transport all the gear from your house to the boat in one trip.

You can get detachable seats, electronics, and so forth so that the only thing you're leaving outside is a piece of metal.  Plan ahead and your stuff will last longer and your fishing will be funner.     

 

[GlenInBossTown]

Thanks guys! I actually grew up in the Bronx, and my dad bought a 14' jon boat when I was a kid. He put a rack on the top of our '69 Grand Torino and we'd drive north and leave  the boat chained to a tree in the summer up on a reservoir  in Duchess County. I'd love one. The problem is that a well made one is about $2,000 new. The older ones I see for sale either have been patched, or have a few leaks or have enough cosmetic problems as to need a good sanding and painting. I just don't need a project right now. My job is hectic, and I just want to go fishing. Is there a brand of aluminum jon boat that I can buy new for under $1500?

[Wileyw]

I have the Sun Dolphin on my pond in the back of our property. I leave it there for the local kids to use if they want to. It is powered by a single 12 v. deep cycle battery with a 30 lb trolling motor that I keep in the barn. The pond is not 350 acres but sometimes the kids take it out for hours and never run the battery down. The boat has sat out in the weather for over 5 years and it still looks new with the exception of the seats. The sun and rain has been hard on the plastic seats, but it comes with the cheapest seats you can imagine. It is difficult to pull out of the water and get back in. With the battery and trolling motor included, it is very heavy.

[GlenInBossTown]

I can imagine that it could get heavy quickly. I have an AGM Group 27 battery that is a beast and weighs just under 70#. I'll have to carry it about 100' up a shallow hill to charge it at the house. I chose a 30# thrust motor because the boat is pretty light and if you use the equations (2# thrust for every 100# of weight), there should be at least a 50% thrust reserve to account for wind, assuming you don't want to go past hull speed. The lake doesn't have any currents to speak of. Not going to win any races!  My hope is that the 92 Ah battery will be enough for 1/2 day of messing about with long periods of drifting with a sock or being at anchor. In any event, both the battery box and the motor have battery level indicators, so hopefully I'll stay out of trouble. 

The boat doesn't have to come all the way out of the water each time.  It just needs to be well beached. I can tie it off so it doesn't go anywhere. I'd prefer to have an aluminum boat if I can find one. But there is something nice about this little design with the integrated running lights and live well. We'll see. I'm waiting for my tax return before I can pull the trigger, so there's a  little time before I have to decide. Maybe something will spring up in the classifieds. 

[rippin-lips]

Keep an eye out for a Coleman crawdad. It's a jon boat but made of a durable plastic. I wish I would of never sold mine. It's not super heavy and I found mine with a trailer for $600. 

[fishnkamp]

Take a look at this Craigslist listing.  I am not sure how far from you he is but if I really wanted a boat like this I might look at it in person and if he is not too far away i would bribe him with a great fresh seafood dinner somewhere or pay him to trailer it for you.  Once it is there you can figure what to do to store it.  Myself I bet it is pretty light and you could just pull it up on shore.

http://westernmass.craigslist.org/boa/5544651244.html

12 ft aluminum fishing boat for sale!
-2.5 HP 
-Mercury motor (less than 10 hrs)
-New tires, rims, bearings
-Swivel seats
-1500$

The price fits your budget the boat looks clean and the engine means either you use it or sell it to finance your trolling motor needs.  Win Win in my eyes!  Good Luck. 

[flyfisher]

also take a look at the twin troller....

http://freedomelectricmarine.com

there are a lot of electric only lakes around here and i am thinking about getting one of these for me and my son to use since he could fish more easily than in my kayak.

[Allen Der]

5 hours ago, rippin-lips said:

Keep an eye out for a Coleman crawdad. It's a jon boat but made of a durable plastic. I wish I would of never sold mine. It's not super heavy and I found mine with a trailer for $600. 

ditto.  should've never sold mine.  

how about a coleman scanoe with outriggers?  I have a buddy that fishes out of one and it's easy to car top and cheap

[Bluebasser86]

11 hours ago, GlenInBossTown said:

Thanks guys! I actually grew up in the Bronx, and my dad bought a 14' jon boat when I was a kid. He put a rack on the top of our '69 Grand Torino and we'd drive north and leave  the boat chained to a tree in the summer up on a reservoir  in Duchess County. I'd love one. The problem is that a well made one is about $2,000 new. The older ones I see for sale either have been patched, or have a few leaks or have enough cosmetic problems as to need a good sanding and painting. I just don't need a project right now. My job is hectic, and I just want to go fishing. Is there a brand of aluminum jon boat that I can buy new for under $1500?

How big of a johnboat are you looking at that it cost 1,500 new??

This is a brand new 14' 36" beam boat from Bass Pro (not known for low prices), for $709. 

http://olathe.trackerboatcenter.com/boats/detail.cfm?boatID=5762040

Or Academy has a 12' Alumacraft for $620.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/alumacraft-12-flat-bottom-jon-boat?repChildCatid=161554

I'm sure you can keep an eye on Craigslist and find a used one for cheaper or one that's set up nicely for a reasonable price if you're patient. 

[tbone1993]

My buddy has a few boats that he leaves out almost year round. The plastic sun dolphin type and regular john boats. When not in use he simply flips them upside down. The john boats seem a little be worse for wear and the old plug holes aren't the best.  No issues leaving out the plastic boat ( he has one and his uncle has another)  The sun dolphin is easily the most stable option with two guys in it. If I were on his pond I wouldn't hesitate to get a bass raider or sun dolphin.