Advice on first boat!

[Jcost2131]

Hey yall, 

 

Recently got a lake house on a small lake that's about 8.1 miles of shoreline. I am looking into purchasing my first boat, I was thinking it would be best to buy a Jon boat or a Sun Dolphin to learn and teach myself on without worrying about damaging it like I would with a nice bass boat. Although, buying a cheaper nice bass boat is so tempting. Do yall think its best to order a smaller cheap boat like a Jon boat for learning purposes or just splurge and go for the bass boat?

 

Tight Lines,

Jake

[NYBasser]

Just go with the bass boat. Can't learn how to use a bass boat without using one first . Also you will save money in the long run, that is, if you are considering purchasing a bass boat in the future. 

[Jcost2131]

24 minutes ago, NYBasser said:

Just go with the bass boat. Can't learn how to use a bass boat without using one first . Also you will save money in the long run, that is, if you are considering purchasing a bass boat in the future. 

 

 

That's what I was thinking, do you have recommendations?

[NYBasser]

1 hour ago, Jcost2131 said:

 

That's what I was thinking, do you have recommendations?

 

What's your price range?

[Jcost2131]

1 hour ago, NYBasser said:

What's your price range?

 

Preferably around the 20k mark 

[NYBasser]

38 minutes ago, Jcost2131 said:

 

Preferably around the 20k mark 

Depends on what kind of boat you like, Aluminum or Fiberglass. At $20k, you have a lot of options. For Fiberglass, I'd recommend either a nice used Triton or Ranger. If you opt for the Aluminum boat, you can get a new Bass Tracker for around $15k.  

[BrianSnat]

I was going to suggest going with a 14-16 ft V hull aluminum with a 15 -25 hp  for about $2 or $3K to run around on, but once you said you had 20K to spend, that changes things.  Actually you can get a pretty good used bass boat for half that, but it is your money and you can get a nice new boat for 20K. Good luck to you whatever you decide. The bass don't care about what kind of boat you have.

[fishnkamp]

Your lake does not sound huge so a high powered bass boat may be overkill to begin with. This being your first boat I would suggest a nice used aluminum bass bass boat  for half your budget and then you can afford to throw some nice options on it like good electronics. Take a look at a few of these examples"

https://albany.craigslist.org/boa/6026230632.html

https://nwct.craigslist.org/boa/5984543178.html

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/boa/6021738855.html

 

These boats have good hulls and seem to have been well cared for. One benefit to learning in an aluminum boat like these is that aluminum is far more forgiving if you bump into a dock or a rock. I have owned 11 boats in over 40+ years and have caught as many fish from a 15 to 18 foot aluminum boat as any of my big fiberglass rocket ships.  Another benefit is cost of operation. Most of these boats should run around 40 mph and do it a lot cheaper than any 18 foot with a 150 or bigger boat will.  Just my 2 cents.

[Jcost2131]

14 hours ago, NYBasser said:

Depends on what kind of boat you like, Aluminum or Fiberglass. At $20k, you have a lot of options. For Fiberglass, I'd recommend either a nice used Triton or Ranger. If you opt for the Aluminum boat, you can get a new Bass Tracker for around $15k.  

 

 

Looked in Triton and they seemed to offer some great options at a fair price. I am currently leaning more towards the fiberglass side right now.

14 hours ago, briansnat said:

I was going to suggest going with a 14-16 ft V hull aluminum with a 15 -25 hp  for about $2 or $3K to run around on, but once you said you had 20K to spend, that changes things.  Actually you can get a pretty good used bass boat for half that, but it is your money and you can get a nice new boat for 20K. Good luck to you whatever you decide. The bass don't care about what kind of boat you have.

 

 

Definitely agree on the bass not caring, I have a pretty good budget but whatever gets the job done is all I need! 

13 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

Your lake does not sound huge so a high powered bass boat may be overkill to begin with. This being your first boat I would suggest a nice used aluminum bass bass boat  for half your budget and then you can afford to throw some nice options on it like good electronics. Take a look at a few of these examples"

https://albany.craigslist.org/boa/6026230632.html

https://nwct.craigslist.org/boa/5984543178.html

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/boa/6021738855.html

 

These boats have good hulls and seem to have been well cared for. One benefit to learning in an aluminum boat like these is that aluminum is far more forgiving if you bump into a dock or a rock. I have owned 11 boats in over 40+ years and have caught as many fish from a 15 to 18 foot aluminum boat as any of my big fiberglass rocket ships.  Another benefit is cost of operation. Most of these boats should run around 40 mph and do it a lot cheaper than any 18 foot with a 150 or bigger boat will.  Just my 2 cents.

 

 

Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time to find those examples.

 

That is a great point and something I didn't consider about aluminum boats. The more forgiving the better considering it will be my first purchase. 

 

Totally agree with getting a boat at a lower price point then loading it up with some options. 

[fishnkamp]

There is another advantage to finding a boat like these. All of the ones I picked were between 2004 and 2014. They are in excellent condition it would seem ( obviously you never know till you see and test drive them) but are well below the cost of a similar boat new. That means more than likely if you take care of it you could trade in or resell it in a few years on a fiberglass boat if you wish. There would be a minimal drop in value, making this a good economical choice to begin learning with.  I have owned both aluminum and fiberglass bass boats.  The fiberglass requires much more effort to take care of and is much more expensive to repair.

 

When I purchased my current Lowe bass boat I had the same grocery list I would have had if I was purchasing a new fiberglass boat.  We upgraded the trolling motor to a 24 volt model, so I installed 3 large AGM batteries, an on board charger, added an electric anchor winch, and chose to have $2500 worth of gps/ fishfinders.  I have traveled from MD to PA,VA. KY, TN,and NC with this boat. It fishes almost anywhere my big fiberglass boat went.  

 

As I have indicated I think a good, relatively new, aluminum bass boat would serve you well and return enough of your investment that if you decide to upgrade later you will be able to recoup your investment. Just a note, back in April 2016 we looked at an almost brand new Phoenix 618 fiberglass bass boat. We were offered $10,000 for our boat in trade and it is a 2010.

Here is a few pics of it just for an example.  You might notice a slight engine upgrade. I originally ran the boat with a 20 hp outboard to fish a hp restricted lake. After moving, I sold off that engine and repowered with the 75 that is on there now.  I do suggest getting a boat with max hp or close to it, they perform best that way.

 

[runt4561]

judging by your situation, I think an aluminum bass tracker style boat would suit you well. the aluminum is way more forgiving if you bump into anything and based off your 20k buget, you can by a very nice aluminum rig. if you are going to fish this small lake solely, there is no need to purchase a big fiberglass rig with a lot of horsepower. not a lot of room to travel 50-60 mph on that lake. I would think an 18 or 19 foot aluminum with a 115 hp motor would be plenty and would get you close to the 50 mph mark if speed is your thing. it is exactly the boat I would be looking for in that situation. aluminum hulls don't require the care that a fiberglass boat does.

[BrianSnat]

I agree with the others that aluminum will be more forgiving and easier to maintain.   There is also the weight factor which comes into play if you are fishing solo a lot.  It's easier to handle a lighter aluminum boat around the dock and launch.

And if you go with a used aluminum  in the 9k to 12k range, that leaves you plenty of money for nifty upgrades such as a GPS guided electric motor, a high end fish finder, Talon anchors, etc. Things that can actually help you catch more fish.

[Fishing Rhino]

First things first.   Take a safe boat handling course.  It can save you a lot of grief.

[RoLo]

In your situation, I wouldn't buy a Jon boat or a Bass boat.

I'd recommend an aluminum 14-16-ft modified deep-V, aka Utility Boat & Pike Boat.

An aluminum mod-V would be significantly cheaper than a fiberglass bass boat

and significantly safer than a flat-bottomed pram, and depending on the your choice,

as safe as a bass boat (I fished extensively in the ocean with a 14-ft Starliner).

 

Roger

[Clinton john]

This is what I would do going off of what kind of water you will be fishing and the fact that it is your first boat.

 

I would buy a new Alweld or Weldbuilt boat with trailer, I would get a 16x52.

 

Reason being is its your first boat so get one with a wide bottom so it will be more stable and 16 foot is more then enough for larger water bodies.

 

A boat this size will run a 40 to 60 horse power motor and that's plenty for the water you described and more then enough for bigger lakes.

 

Aluminum is cheaper to maintain over time and more forgiving on a first timer being its lighter then fiberglass.

 

I would get it with a simple layout bench seat in the back, rod box on port side and extended front deck with a trolling motor mount built in.

 

Drop a 50 pound thrust 12 volt Minnkota trolling motor on it and get to fishing.

 

Mount the gas tank up front on the left and the battery up front on the right it will help balance out the boat when your in the back driving.

 

As far as motor I would buy a new merc or Yamaha four stroke that is max for the boat.

 

Then if you still want the fish finder and power pole things and whatever other fancy electronic stuff you can upgrade to it for cheaper and still end up with money leavt over.

 

At the end of the day it's your money and should buy what you want, this is just what I would do.

 

I have a 17.5 foot tracker and if I had to do it over again I wouldn't have bought it I would have just bought a regular mod v like I listed above and added the upgrades I wanted and still had money leavt over and the boat of my dreams.

[MickD]

Get what you want now because from now on your wife will tell you that you already have a boat, why do you need a new one?  Then. .  .

 

Lund Rebel 1650 ss, if you can find a used one, good for you.  But a new one can be had for less than $20.  Do it now, discounts run out at the end of the month.  I'd go 60 HP.  50 with this boat will be a little underpowered.  

 

 

[sully420]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this on this thread yet but the one thing I would do differently is spend less on the boat and get all the accessories power poles fishfinder trolling motor

[MickD]

10 hours ago, sully420 said:

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this on this thread yet but the one thing I would do differently is spend less on the boat and get all the accessories power poles fishfinder trolling motor

 

One difference between higher level boats and entry level boats is the storage.  I have fished with an entry level boat for 17 years, and it's tough to not have enough easy storage.   I have my cooler, the clothes I take off as the day heats, bait boxes, tools, rods/reels all over the place.  Hard to move through the boat, rods more likely to get broken, easy to trip over something.  I'm getting a new boat, will cost much more than the last one, but I can keep all my crap from being under foot.

 

I don't argue with the logic of the post, but am just mentioning something that should be considered as you evaluate your priorities.  Top drawer fish finder, yes.  Which can eliminate the need for a power pole.  And I'm really going for good storage this time.