What Have You Used As a Bassboat?

[OCdockskipper]

Everyone on this forum either currently has the bass boat of their dreams or knows what they would like to own one day.  However, I bet that we have all used many different types of vessels as a bass fishing platform, whether it be when we started, when we were on vacation or just in a pinch.  I thought about this today and here is what I have used to catch bass over the years:

• 6 ft dingy (with electric motor);
• 12 ft canoe (same electric);
• 14 ft Sears Gamefisher (7.5 hp & foot controlled electric);
• Float tube;
• 25 ft party boat (put transom mount electric on front);
• 26 ft deck boat (put transom mount electric on front);
• 17 ft Champion Fish & Ski;
• 10 ft Kayak;
• Pedal boat;
• 10 ft Pond Prowler (with electric).

 

What are the different boats you have used to catch bass?

[BassinIndiana]

So far I’ve used 

• 14ft Kayak (caught my pb in this)

• 15ft Aluminum V Bottom Jon Boat 

    with 3 55lb thrust trolling motors

• 16ft Nitro 

    with a 50hp Mercury 2 stroke

 

[Jim Mac]

I never quite understood what a "bass boat" is. I don't need a special boat to catch bass.

[the reel ess]

24' pontoon

16' Ryan Craft aluminum semi-V hull bassboat. It was a riveted hull and we were constantly replacing rivets

20' Pontoon

16.5' ProCraft Fish & Ski (still have it and might use in the winter)

Pescador Pro Kayak (my current ride)

[Troy85]

Pirogue 

Kayak

10' jon boat( 5hp Mercury and trolling motor)

17' G3

18' Xpress

[Jelvas]

 If it floats i´ll use it for bass fishing!

 

 I´ve fished from to many boats, canoes, kayaks, pontoons and float tubes in my life to be able to name them all. However, owned by me, i´ve fished from a 9 feet dingy, my current 10 feet small fiberglass boat, various float tubes and one kayak...

[BaitMonkey1984]

16ft v hull with 7.5 hp game fisher  given to me by my Grandfather when he was too old to use it. Upgraded to an 8.0 hp Mercury.

19 foot Ranger 2001 R81vs with yamaha 150hp that is currently undergoing a major restoration 

[WRB]

12' wooden row boat

14' wooden row boat 

14' Lund aluminum v bottom fishing boat w/15 hp OB and bow mt/ trolling motor. 1963-2005

15' wooden Yellow Jacket water ski family run about w/75hp OB and paddle.

16' Astroglass bass boat w/ 65 hp OB, 1st fiberglass bass boat.

18' Ranger bass boat w/175 hp OB

18'6" Ranger bass boat w/200 hp OB

18'6" Skeeter Bass boat w/225 hp OB

19' Ranger bass boat w/225 hp OB 

17'6" Triton bass boat w/115 OB, currently.

Above are boats owned, can't remember all the bass boats fished out of, a few dozen different makes and models at least.

Tom

 

[Catt]

[Catt]

When I ducked hunted a lot we fished out of mud boats like the Excel

[Logan S]

My boat ownership history from about 13 years old til now...AKA the history of my spending habits for more than half my life ?.

 

12' hand-me-down aluminum v-hull that was probably 40 years old, w/electric motors.

17' Tracker TX17 w/ 25hp Mercury

20' Stratos 20SS w/200HP Ficht, followed by a 200HP ETEC when the Ficht blew up.

21' Skeeter ZX250 w/250HP Yamaha SHO. (Current)

[AC870]

Grew up fishing out of my dad’s 24-Foot pontoon. It was built for pontoon fishing. Had 2 fishing chairs up front, bow-mount trolling motor between them and a giant livewell right behind the seats. It had a 40 or 50/hp on it and was slow as Christmas but we had fun fishing out of it. 

[crypt]

airboat....5 different bass boats,7 or 8 jon boats,multiple kayaks,anything that will float and carry my fat butt is a "baasboat" to me......

[Dirtyeggroll]

Anything that will float me away from the bank.

-Jon boat

-Old detached floating dock

-canoe

-kayak

-pontoon

-ski boat

-inner tube

-and currently my modified Bass hound which I love

 

[the reel ess]

I forgot the 14' canoe. It's how I came to realize I needed a kayak.

[J Francho]

The dock

Out of the family open bow runabout

17' canoe

16' rowboat

My father's 17' 1962 Penn Yan "Woody"

Jet ski

15' Sea Nymph deep-V tiller

17' Sea Nymph deep-V tiller

OK PBG kayak

18' Xpress bass boat

22' Bullet bass boat

14' Wildy Commander

12' Hobie Compass

 

Add in all the various boats I've been either fishing with buddies, or as a co-angler in team format tournaments.  Not all were bass boats.  I think my favorite is my friend's 16.5' Lund tiller.

[Elkins45]

14’ Sears Jon boat from my grandfather

16’ Astroglas bass boat

16’ Lowe Jon boat

16.5’ G3 V hull 

 

The Astroglas is the only one I don’t still have. 

[Way north bass guy]

-Multiple canoes and 12’-16’ open aluminum boats w/tiller outboards

-From shore by way of bicycle as a youngster

-17’ Triton w/115 Yamaha 

-Lund Pro-V 1900 w/200 Optimax

- Smokercraft 182 Promag w/Suzuki DF140 ( current boat)

 

 

 

[FishTank]

A regular old bass boat

Old aluminum john boat 8ft

An inflatable donut for slow river fishing 

 

And one of these.....

 

 

[shovelmouth83]

i used a huge peace of styrofoam from a old boat dock i got for free and justt strapped it to the top of my car..... it was great. i got all kinds of questions about it.

[OCdockskipper]

3 minutes ago, shovelmouth83 said:

i used a huge peace of styrofoam from a old boat dock i got for free and justt strapped it to the top of my car...

Very ingenious and exactly what you need, a mobile casting deck.  However, you do realize you have now confirmed every Yankee stereotype about Arkansas anglers... ?

[bassalive]

12' Sears Aluminum/6 Evinrude,

17' Scott ski boat/80 Merc,

14.5 Princecraft/30 rude

16' Princecraft pro series 162/50 rude,

18' Javelin 379 DC/150 Johnnie

17.5' Pro Craft/115

14.5 Princecraft/50 Rude

16' Lowe deep V/50 rude

17.5' Lowe stinger/50 rude

18' Nitro 180 TF/150 Rude

17' Stratos 258/70 rude

Currently,Stratos 285/150 Johnnie.

In that order, although the list looks a bit bizarre there was a couple of Divorces over the years.....lol?

 

 

 

[813basstard]

Up to my thighs..watching out for snakes 

Dock

1974 14ft fiberglass and a paddle

1974 14ft fiberglass with Johnson 15

 1985 Lowe 16ft converted to bass boat 30 hp Mariner/Yamaha and it has this small motor in the front to travel small distances. Believe it’s called a trolling motor. 

And the clincher is, I like fishing now more than back then..no rose colored spectacles in this eye shop

[Basseditor]

These are what I’ve owned:

 

Not in order

 

float tube

16’ Gregor aluminum / 70 hp

Smoker Craft 17’ aluminum/ 115 hp

Ranger 360/175 hp

stratos 285/150 hp And stratos 201/200 hp (at the same time) (different tournament rules)

And Stratos 20’/220 hp 

Astro (procraft) 150hp

Now— Phoenix 721/250 hp

[tstraub]

This is my"I can't afford a bass boat" boat I gave $150 for the boat and trailer. Installed new transom boards, wrestled a couple  new tires on the rims by hand for about $40.  The engine is a 1954 Ellen 2hp that I got non running  for $40 and reworked the carb, cleaned the gas tank, and set the points. Now it starts on the first pull and pushes the boat across the water at speeds nearly 6mph or can idle down to a nice slow troll.

The sonar is a Frankenstein I put together using a broken eagle portable unit and a working hummingbird console mount unit I had laying around.  I suck a couple rechargeable batteries in it and it does the job well enough for my needs.  

Removing the terrible camo paint job done by the previous owner is still an ongoing process.