Looking for a new boat up to 10'8 long with a bit of wiggle room

[slimbo85]

hey guys just have a couple questions (not to sure if this is the right area?)

looking for a new boat to keep at the cottage but also bring back home in my chevy express cargo van

looking at the sundolphin pro 102 which would fit in the back of my truck (toronto boat show has them on for $1200 from the kawartha boat depot booth next month)

only looking to put a trolling motor on it at the moment and it looks perfect for what i wanna do with it (troll for pike, or get it shallow and hammer them bass on top water lures)

my truck mesurements are 48 inches across and could possibly fit 60 inches if i slid it in on an angle, the length is 10 foot 8 with the doors shut and could probably stretch it out if i tie the doors shut with rope

what are my best options? looking to spend up to $2000 on the boat itself

not to sure if the sundolphin pro is good on the body of water where my cottage is? severn falls is the town, our pontoon is on a boat lift for a reason, the waves from the boats going by can be pretty big at times

thanks guys

[A-Jay]

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

I don't have the experience needed to comment or recommend that size & type of craft.

Many here do and will no doubt offer responses here.

Good Luck

A-Jay

[fishnkamp]

Can you tow with the cargo van?  If so maybe you would be safer with a Vee hull boat like this.

It is just an example but this is a brand new  tiller control 14 foot long 67 inch wide hull. This one is located at a dealer near Toronto.  The boat along with a 9.9 hp outboard and a new trailer was under $7000. Now i realize what you were looking at was only a fraction of that But I am sure if you liked this boat you can find a used boat like it with a little research.  ALso if you liked this boat they can easily rig up a front or rear trolling motor for you. Just be careful getting say a 1436 jon boat or something like that as you may not be safe enough in rough water. 

http://www.parismarine.com/Page.aspx/diid/10103391/list/InventoryList/pageId/13459/view/Details/2016-Crestliner-1467.aspx

Here is a great example of a used boat similar to the new one,

https://porthuron.craigslist.org/boa/5887854469.html

[trick worms]

Pelican bass raider 10e or something that style

[WIGuide]

The Sun Dolphin will do what you want it to. They're stable for such a small boat and heads and tails above a jon boat. It's not going to be the easiest thing to load in a van by yourself. but they're light enough to pull out of the water by yourself. The trihull type hull handles water well for such a small platform. I fished out of one for many years and even though I have moved on to bigger bass boats, if I had the extra money, I'd probably buy another one for some of the really small lakes around here. 

[slimbo85]

10 hours ago, WIGuide said:

The Sun Dolphin will do what you want it to. They're stable for such a small boat and heads and tails above a jon boat. It's not going to be the easiest thing to load in a van by yourself. but they're light enough to pull out of the water by yourself. The trihull type hull handles water well for such a small platform. I fished out of one for many years and even though I have moved on to bigger bass boats, if I had the extra money, I'd probably buy another one for some of the really small lakes around here. 

 

think i can reach 5 mph with a trolling motor on it? was planning on just using that, getting a great battery and finding a solid trolling motor is all i really need.

[WIGuide]

13 hours ago, slimbo85 said:

 

think i can reach 5 mph with a trolling motor on it? was planning on just using that, getting a great battery and finding a solid trolling motor is all i really need.

I think 5 mph with a trolling motor is going to be a bit of a stretch. If you get a 55 lb thrust 12V you could see 3-4 when fully charged. 

[Turkey sandwich]

For those dimensions, I'd be concerned with stability in any kind of wind/current/chop.  48" or less isn't very wide for a johnboat.  In fact, I like the stabilty of my kayak at 36" width over any small johnboat I've ever tried standing in and it handles much, much better in current and choppy water.  Have you considered either towing or tieing to the rack on you ur vehicle?  A few decent options you might consider - a used 14-16' V hull, an inflatable, a Pelican (I've never fished from one, but plenty of guys here have had great experiences with them), or a kayak (many are now available with a trolling motor in the 2-3k range).

 

 I hope this info is helpful.  You have lots to boat options in that price range, I would just be careful about buying something primarily because it fits in the bed of your truck.  None of that will matter if you hate using it because it handles poorly or is super uncomfortable on the water.  My .02.