Help me narrow my search for my first boat

[fishwizzard]

Hi,

 

I have been fishing from the bank and out of a kayak for three or four years now and I am getting the itch it get a boat.  I didn't grow up around them and don't really know anyone with one so I am flying blind here.  I have been reading this forum for the past year and am slowly gathering bits of info, but there is still a ton of stuff I don't know and honestly I don't even begin to know where to start looking. 

 

Right now my plan for boat buying is as follows;

 

Step 1: buy tow vehicle

Step 2: find a indoor spot to store it

Step 3: buy a boat.

 

But to even get moving on step 1, I need to have an idea of how much weight I will need to tow, so I need to at least narrow my searching down to a general size/style.  

 

Here are my thoughts on what I want out of my first boat and some of the conditions I will be working with;

 

• I will mainly be fishing alone, but would like to be able to take one to two other people out in it with me, assume we are all around 150-200lbs.
• Most of my fishing will be done in electric-only reservoirs.  However, I live right by the Chesapeake bay and would like a boat that I can at least throw a small gas motor on and fish the many tidal rivers that feed the bay, if not the bay itself.  Most of the tidal spots I am thinking of are pretty shallow and marshy and any open water fishing would be working docks or close to shore cover going for white perch.  I don't have a lot of interest in fishing the bay proper for stripers. 
• My wife grew up around boat people, so while her interest in fishing is minimal, she is very into the idea of cruising around, so something where I can mount a bimini top would be nice, but not an absolute need.  If I was more into tidal fishing I would be looking at skiffs, but I think that I will mostly be fishing alone in reservoirs or lakes.  

 

I am thinking of starting with a small aluminum jon boat for reasons of cost and convenience.  My wife is a pretty skilled metal worker and has a shop we could roll a boat into, so the idea of buying a basic to mid-range jon and upgrading it ourselves seems like a fun project for us.  The issue I am having is trying to decide what length/width/hull shape to start looking at.   I have found a huge range of opinions over the net as to what I should be looking for in terms of a nice middle ground of something that will be stable enough for local conditions but still light enough to use a trolling motor as my main propulsion most of the time.  

 

Thanks for any imput or suggestions.  

 

 

 

[fishnkamp]

Boy congrats on moving up to a boat.  You and I have written back and forth many times. 

Here is the deal in MD. There are two totally different opportunities to use a boat in MD. One is the electric only reservoir rig (we have no "lakes" except for Deep Creek in MD) so this type boat can fish our 5 reservoirs.  If you set up a boat and select Liberty/Pretty Boy, Loch Raven you can not use it anywhere else.

If you set up a reservoir boat but do not fish the big 3 you have lots of fishing options. These includes Tridelphia, Rocky Gorge, Piney Run, Black Hills, and a few more.  Reservoir rigs are specialized boats, but can be really great rigs. They unfortunately do not work real well in tidal waters because long narrow, flat bottom or mod V aluminum boats work best for electric rigs. They can have two trolling motors on the rear and a front one, like my old reservoir rig had, or one large higher horsepower electric outboard (see Ray Electic, Torqueedo, and a few other units).  Some of these require 60 volts worth of batteries and their cost is high, but they are the best rig for serious reservoir fishing.  Fiberglass does not fit well in this world.  The tow rig needs only be a small truck or SUV.  I prefer the truck as it is easier to tow with due to its longer wheel base. Trucks like the Toyota Tacoma and Tundra, Ford F150s, Chevy Colorado and Silverado. A V 6 is what is needed, but a V8 works even better. These boats are relatively light. I pull my 17 1/2 Lowe with a Chevy S-10.

 

The best rigs for tidal river fishing are either bigger deep V aluminum and 18 to 21 foot fiberglass boats. These take much bigger engines ( 150 - 200 HP)  and weigh closer to 2000 pounds or more. This takes a full size pickup, or SUV.  The cost of a good used boat here is much more.

If you have some time we can talk more on the phone.   Here are a couple of pics, two are pics of my Polar Kraft that I turned into a reservoir rig for a while. The other is my current aluminum bass boat.

 

I lived in Reisterstown and fished Piney Run, Dale Hollow, Center Hill Lake (both in TN.),  Lake Marburg and other places with the Lowe.  I fished Pretty Boy Reservoir with the Polar Kraft. We owned both boats at the time. Again I would be happy to go into it more with you.

 

[MickD]

There is a towing spec that changes at 3500 pounds total weight.  There is a great number of rigs that fall below that, and what you describe will easily be below that.  This means that most mid-sized SUV's and similar "box-shaped/hatchback" vehicles, which are great all-around vehicles will easily tow and be good, versatile, family vehicles, too.  And they will get much better fuel economy than any of the true trucks, regardless of size.

 

I personally don't care for jon-boats.  I really dislike how noisy they are when small waves simply lap against the bow.  Just a personal thing; many have no problem with the noise.

 

I would strongly consider a 14 or 16 foot deep V with about a 25 HP outboard and a good trolling motor.  It's only a small step up from less capable rigs, and this will allow you to actually fish the bay on a good day.  Even if the weather changes, it will get you home.

 

Check Craig's list for rigs where their owners are stepping from their starter.  There are a lot of boats sold on Craig's list.

[WRB]

First things first...enjoy your 4th of July holiday.

My advice to you is join a local bass club and back seat with a few different boaters. Be honest telling them you need to learn boating skills, trailer handling etc. Back seater's are usually expected to back down the rig for launching so ask how to do it, if you don't already know. You have basic bass fishing skills so being a new club member should easy for you.

3 anglers in any bass boat is max if they are all casting at the same time, usually 2 anglers is a lot better situation. 

I have never owned a pick up truck, bass fished all my life and owned more boats then I can remember. Nearly every bass boat under 17' 6" weighs less then 2,000 lbs, so nearly any vehicle weighing over 3,500 lbs can tow a boat rig weighing less. Some vehicle warranty prevent towing anything, so read the vehicle limitations.

A good used Tahoe or Yukon makes a perfect family and tow vehicle.

Tom

[fishwizzard]

Thanks for the info guys.  It sounds like any truck or van that I buy with a v6 should be good, but even "can tow a bit over 3000lbs" us a good benchmark when I am looking.  The reservoir/bay question is still out there, but I have time to sort that out.  There are a lot of small tidal rivers around that I have seen some tiny boats in, like from Jug Bay and north on the Patuxent River in MD.  Owning two boats for the two applications sounds best, but lets not get ahead of ourselves 

 

And yea, learning how to launch/drive/land a boat is on the list as well, I was planning on trying to join a club next year if I can get my work schedule to a more regular place.  

[Catt]

I fish Toledo Bend Reservoir which is 65 miles long & 10 miles wide. For many years I fished it out of a 14' long 48" bottom Jon boat with a 25 hp Suzuki; my current rig is a 16' long 52" bottom modified vee bottom Jon with a 40 HP Tohatsu.

 

Fishing big water does not require a big boat, it does require you pay close attention to approaching weather. You also need to be aware of your boats limitations as you would in larger boats.

 

Smaller boat on large bodies of water teaches you to know your water. If I want to fish different areas of Toledo Bend I simply trailer to the closest launch.