small or big boat?

[rodrick williams]

I want a good boat, but I don't know whether to choose from a flat bed or a v-hull. are there anymore boats that I can consider? I have a v-hull, but its shifty and I can hardly stand up on the boat and fish (I'm 6'5"). I want to pay at least $1,000 dollars for a decent one, fishfinder, outboard, trolling motor, the works..... what should I start off with? I can't afford a $25000 bass boat right now until I become a pro in the angling circuit. thats my dream goal.  help me!  

 :-[

[Way2slow]

For $1,000, your options are very limited, and it will probably not have "the works" on it that works. To find a glass or aluminum boat and motor of any size for that, it's going to be very old and with age comes a whole host of problems. You've pretty well limited yourself to smaller boats that are going to be somewhat unstable. Probably need to look for a 48" wide flat bottom jon, that's about as stable as you're gonna get in a small boat.

[Sam]

Here are some suggestions:

1.  Make sure you can stand up and not fall out of the boat. This is the most important aspect of your search.  The boat has to be able to support you and anyone else in the boat when you both stand on the same side of the craft without having the craft tip over.

2.  Depending on where you fish, the hull may or may not be important.  So figure out where you are going to fish and which type hull will better meet your needs.

3.  Depending on the boat's materials, figerglass or aluminium, you can pick your motor and trolling motor.  Be sure to have room for the gas tank and batteries.  Aluminum is light and you can do so much more with an aluminum boat as compared to the larger and heavier figerglass models.

Now go get a boat and get on the water and do some fishing.

[Grey Wolf]

You had better rethink your price range. 1000.00 will not get you much.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I bought a 16ft Bass Tracker w/ trailer, two trolling motors, two batteries, life jackets, cuda fish finder and oar for $950 a year and a half ago.

Replaced the tires-$150

Buying new trolling motor this year-$200

That is what I have in it. I am 6'1" and 275lbs and I can take two other guys of comparable size and fish comfortably all day in that boat.

Wayne

[Hillbilly_Hooker]

As Sam pointed out, you really need to determine what water you're going to be using the boat on.  If you're fishing rivers and small lakes primarily, you'd probably be better off with a flat-bottom jon boat.  The wider and longer you can get it, the more stable it will be. The flat bottom would be better in shallow water and especially in rivers, where you encounter more rocks, shallow sand bars, etc.  I had a 36" wide X 14' long jon, and at 6'4" - 230 lbs., I had to be very careful when standing or moving around the boat.

If you're fishing larger lakes and waters, you would do better with a V-bottom or modified V.  They will be much more stable and handle rougher water better.  If you could afford more in the $5K - 7K price range, that would open up many more options.  That would get you a newer aluminum bass rig or an older glass rig.

Hillbilly

[fishbear]

You are gonna be hard pressed to find what you are wanting.  For starters, most guys with outboards on thier boats think they are made of gold...  because they are so expensive to replace.   I paid 700.00 for just a bare 14 ft. jon boat and trailer....  I then had to get TMs, batteries, depth finder, etc... now, I am decking it, I will have 1600.00 invested in it. (my wife isnt looking is she?? : :-X :-X)  

I am a big guy also, 6'3" and about 300 lbs.. my 14 ft. boat is plenty stable enough for me to stand up in and fish, and someone in the back as well.

If you want something specific, you are gonna pay for it, if you are willling to buy a basic boat and trailer and do the work yourself, then you will get more bang for your buck.  

Just something to consider.  

[kickbasskid]

You can get very nice molded plastic boats at dickssportinggoods.com for under $1000.