Small Boat for Big Water?

[Jay Dubs]

I just moved to by Chickamauga and am looking for my first boat. As a kid and teen, I fished out of jon boats in Indiana, but we fished ponds, strip pit lakes and smaller bodies of water.  Most were under 400 acres, but we fished some larger ones just electric only. Chickamauga has several bays, sloughs and shallow water areas, but even there you see bass boats at speed.  What would be the best small boat for dealing with boat waves, and that may be safe enough to get around a larger main lake body? Cash is limited, so I'm trying to stick to $5,000 or less for boat, motor and sonar.  I've looked at the mini boats, like the Bass Hunter, and some 10-12' jons with a 42" bottom.  I'd love to find wider, but the only ones I've seen have been smaller dealers, and nowhere near me. It's going to be just me for now, since I don't know anyone here, and I'd like something that wouldn't necessarily require a ramp to launch, which would make more areas accessible. I know a lot of people kayak, and I'm considering a peddle powered yak too.  I fished in Florida with an inflatable kayak in the Ocala National Forest.  I don't have any recent experience with boats, just yaks, so would love to hear what you use, and how capable and safe it is in dealing with big water and wakes.  Thanks!

[A-Jay]

35 minutes ago, Jay Dubs said:

 What would be the best small boat for dealing with boat waves, and that may be safe enough to get around a larger main lake body?  I don't have any recent experience with boats, just yaks, so would love to hear what you use, and how capable and safe it is in dealing with big water and wakes.  Thanks!

Unfortunately, what you're looking for does not exist.

While perfect for small ponds, 10 ft Jon boats are never going to be safe on the Main Body of any  Larger Lake that is subjected to wind, weather & larger vessel traffic (boat wakes).

When it comes to security on Big Water, you'll want to trust your life to a full size, rock-solid hull

that will deliver the perfect balance of performance, strength, & durability.

Settling for less is risky business.

A-Jay

[Deephaven]

Are you looking for small due to your budget or is there another constraint?  The deeper the V and the bigger the better the boat is in big water.

[gim]

I'd probably go with a pedal power kayak in your situation.  You will have to limit yourself to specific areas on a sizable body of water but you will be able to use it on smaller bodies of water without a designated access.  Plus if you've already used one, then you are familiar with it.  Upgrade to a bigger boat in the future when your budget increases.  I don't own a kayak but they are very popular and there are more than enough people on this forum that can offer their advice with that.

[Dens228]

I'd rather be in my 12 foot kayak than a 10 foot jon boat.

[Alpster]

My boat is 16' aluminum vee hull. Paid less than 2 grand for boat & trailer. My buddy and I got caught in a thunder storm in a huge lake in Canada. 3' swells that scared the crap out of us. That little V hull proved to be quite sea worthy. We ran about a mile with several big fast boats blowing past us. No problem getting back to shore safely. Motor was an 18HP rented outboard.

[TnRiver46]

14-18 foot aluminum boat , 9.9 or more horsepower . There are dozens for sale everyday in your budget. If it’s windy don’t go far, my dad always called it chickamauga ocean 

[TOXIC]

I hate to sound like a dad here but think about whether your life is worth saving a few bucks.  My saying has always been.....”Know both your and your boats capabilities and don’t exceed either of them”.  Setting aside the fact that you could get caught unexpectedly in a  pop up storm.  For that reason I would suggest a kayak so that there is no question or temptation to get out in big water.  Save your cash and get your big water boat when you can afford it.  

[TnRiver46]

23 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

I hate to sound like a dad here but think about whether your life is worth saving a few bucks.  My saying has always been.....”Know both your and your boats capabilities and don’t exceed either of them”.  Setting aside the fact that you could get caught unexpectedly in a  pop up storm.  For that reason I would suggest a kayak so that there is no question or temptation to get out in big water.  Save your cash and get your big water boat when you can afford it.  

Kayaks are all over big water nowadays 

[WRB]

There are a ton of 17’ Bass Trackers on the market that would be a good choice for reservoir fishing.

Tom

 

[TOXIC]

53 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Kayaks are all over big water nowadays 

Yes they are but they double as a flotation device if they turn over you are required to wear a pfd and I can tell you I’ve never seen a kayak running across lake St Clair or anywhere more than 1/2 mile offshore an we have been right in the middle of kayak tournaments.  I assume it’s that way on all of the bigger water.  

[Jigfishn10]

I used to fish and take the kids in the Atlantic Ocean on this. 

The bottom left hand side of the pic is a 9.9 Yamaha 4 stroke motor and we felt pretty safe in it. I had it since 2010 and just sold it for $1,200 to a very good friend.

I probably could have gotten about $2K, but he gave it to his son for his kid.

It's pretty easy to inflate at the lake/pond/ocean and the engine was fairly light enough to take off and whatnot. Everything fit in the back of my Ford Ranger at the time. 

[VolFan]

I have a Lowe 1467 with a 20 hp Merc that I bought for $4500 last May. I don’t think you’re getting that anymore but there is a ton of used tin around the Chick and you should be able to find a well-used boat for what you are looking to spend. Your safety is between your ears. Make good choices that suit whatever boat you end up with and you will have no problems. All things being equal, if you’re not going to be taking other people fishing a lot, I’d get a great kayak setup and save some money.

[TnRiver46]

29 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Yes they are but they double as a flotation device if they turn over you are required to wear a pfd and I can tell you I’ve never seen a kayak running across lake St Clair or anywhere more than 1/2 mile offshore an we have been right in the middle of kayak tournaments.  I assume it’s that way on all of the bigger water.  

You aren’t required to wear a PFD in Tennessee, just has to be on board 

[gim]

20 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

You aren’t required to wear a PFD in Tennessee, just has to be on board 

Are you required to wear it anywhere?  Here in MN you don't have to wear it either but the regs say it has to be accessible.  Anyone who is under the age of 10 has to wear one all the time.  Tucked away in a compartment is not accessible IMO.  If you need to search for it, its not accessible.

 

I wear mine when I'm operating the main outboard as its tethered to my kill switch.

[TnRiver46]

10 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Are you required to wear it anywhere?  Here in MN you don't have to wear it either but the regs say it has to be accessible.  Anyone who is under the age of 10 has to wear one all the time.  Tucked away in a compartment is not accessible IMO.  If you need to search for it, its not accessible.

 

I wear mine when I'm operating the main outboard as its tethered to my kill switch.

I don’t think so unless you are under 13 or 16 or something like that 

 

BUT ITS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA TO WEAR A LIFE JACKET!!!!!

 

2-3 people recently drowned in a canoe on the lake the OP is on, but there was some foul play involved 

[WRB]

Off topic...Lots of drowned boaters who set on their PFD’s in lieu of wearing them.

Everyone needs to be aware a fast boat running off shore may not be looking for kayaks out in the middle of the lake.

Tom

[J Francho]

Back to the original question, Cickamauga is mostly less than a mile wide, though several miles long.  I would not call it "big water" and as such, you can probably get by with a smaller deep-v that is 16-18' long.  I ran 15' and 17' deep-v tillers for years on Lake Ontario.  These boats handle other boat wakes and rough water better than any big bass boat I've been in.  The only issue is the higher freeboard means they catch wind, so make sure you spec out a trolling motor with plenty of thrust.  70 lbs./24v minimum.  Speaking of boat wakes, it's not the bass boat wakes you should worry about, it's pleasure boaters and wake boats.  On busy days, you have to keep your head on a swivel.  Life jackets...just wear them.  I actually feel like they're more important when you're fishing or moving around the craft when not running.  Seems I end up tripping on something several times an outing.  

[TnRiver46]

57 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Back to the original question, Cickamauga is mostly less than a mile wide, though several miles long.  I would not call it "big water" and as such, you can probably get by with a smaller deep-v that is 16-18' long.  I ran 15' and 17' deep-v tillers for years on Lake Ontario.  These boats handle other boat wakes and rough water better than any big bass boat I've been in.  The only issue is the higher freeboard means they catch wind, so make sure you spec out a trolling motor with plenty of thrust.  70 lbs./24v minimum.  Speaking of boat wakes, it's not the bass boat wakes you should worry about, it's pleasure boaters and wake boats.  On busy days, you have to keep your head on a swivel.  Life jackets...just wear them.  I actually feel like they're more important when you're fishing or moving around the craft when not running.  Seems I end up tripping on something several times an outing.  

The problem is the wind always blows upstream making the waves worse. But nothing like the Great Lakes! There’s every kind of boat imaginable on chickamauga and then a few more. From paddle boards to 3 story yachts 

[Deephaven]

8 hours ago, J Francho said:

Back to the original question, Cickamauga is mostly less than a mile wide, though several miles long.  I would not call it "big water" and as such, you can probably get by with a smaller deep-v that is 16-18' long.  

I started fishing in bigger water than that.  Had a 10' deep v rowboat with a 9.9 on it.  Was never scared.  Parents let me got out alone at age 10 in it everywhere.  A 16' with a 25hp and a good trolling motor would have been glorious.

[FryDog62]

Don’t know if you can find one ... but the best “small boat” I ever had and if I had to go back to a small boat again ...  is a 16 foot fiberglass Yar-Craft tiller.
 

I bought it when I didn’t have the

money for it but never regretted - except the day I sold it. I had it for 6 years and the boat had great bones and I upgraded the motor and electronics over time.
 

I took it into the shallow/tight places on the vaunted Rum River for smallmouth - as well as for Walleyes/Muskie in 3 foot swells on Mille Lacs and Waubay. It was a beast in bigger water and yet sleek and agile when you needed it. It would kick any aluminum tiller’s arse, even those 2-3 feet longer.. 
 

There are probably other small glass tillers out there, hard to beat IMO and extremely versatile. 
 

[Jay Dubs]

I'm looking for smaller budget, to make it easier to get into spots close to me (I live in Soddy Daisy, so am 10 minutes from access to Possum Creel, Sale Creek and Soddy Lake) and I also know going used and cheap is risky.  I'm assuming boats are like old motorcycles, know what you can and can't fix.  Any idea if buying used, sellers would let you take it to a mechanic to give the motor a quick look?  I'm just worried about getting burned going used, and things getting a lot more expensive than I bargained for.

[J Francho]

15 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

The problem is the wind always blows upstream making the waves worse. But nothing like the Great Lakes! There’s every kind of boat imaginable on chickamauga and then a few more. From paddle boards to 3 story yachts 

I've encountered this both down south and up here.  Believe it or not, there can be quite a bit of current in the Great Lakes (Erie especially near Buffalo) from wind and just the natural water flow from west to east.  That roiling wind against the current is pretty nasty sometimes.  I've seen it in salt where the wind is fight a tide.  It's pretty nuts. 

 

Like anything else, you pick your days.  This would be a pond/shore fishing day:

[TnRiver46]

8 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Don’t know if you can find one ... but the best “small boat” I ever had and if I had to go back to a small boat again ...  is a 16 foot fiberglass Yar-Craft tiller.
 

I bought it when I didn’t have the

money for it but never regretted - except the day I sold it. I had it for 6 years and the boat had great bones and I upgraded the motor and electronics over time.
 

I took it into the shallow/tight places on the vaunted Rum River for smallmouth - as well as for Walleyes/Muskie in 3 foot swells on Mille Lacs and Waubay. It was a beast in bigger water and yet sleek and agile when you needed it. It would kick any aluminum tiller’s arse, even those 2-3 feet longer.. 
 

There are probably other small glass tillers out there, hard to beat IMO and extremely versatile. 
 

That thing looks awesome!!!

22 minutes ago, Jay Dubs said:

I'm looking for smaller budget, to make it easier to get into spots close to me (I live in Soddy Daisy, so am 10 minutes from access to Possum Creel, Sale Creek and Soddy Lake) and I also know going used and cheap is risky.  I'm assuming boats are like old motorcycles, know what you can and can't fix.  Any idea if buying used, sellers would let you take it to a mechanic to give the motor a quick look?  I'm just worried about getting burned going used, and things getting a lot more expensive than I bargained for.

Definitely test ride in it before purchasing. Some motors run great in a barrel of water and not so great under load 

[K1500]

I would advise you to hang out at the boat ramp of the lake you want to fish and bend the ear of anyone who is willing to talk to you about their boat. Most folks won’t need much prompting to talk boats, especially if you mention you are looking for your first boat. In particular, ask folks in the smaller boats you are considering about the factors you care about. Things like seaworthiness, handling wind, waves, and wakes. How many days they get ‘blown off the water’, etc. Would they buy a bigger boat? Would they take their current boat out on bigger water. You can learn LOTS by asking folks at the ramp.