Need some advice,

[kentucky fisherman]

Recently I bought a 14ft alum boat from a guy at work. Yesterday I took it out for a test run and was not to happy with it. Too tipy.

Its a good setup but I just need something more stable in deep water. I got it for a lot less than its worth so I;m thinking of reselling it an making a little off of it.

I'm on a budget of about 2k. I've been seeing nice bass boats with no motor on them for sell. For example their was a 90's ranger bass boat for 1700. It had everything but the motor.

MIGHT BE A CRAZY IDEA but has anyone ever heard of someone using one of these boats with just the trolling motor? Or with like a 10hp Johnson? Just need something to putt around the lake with, don't have to go far. Need stability cause I love to catfish and night fish.

Any help greatly appreciated.

[kentucky fisherman]

I was told without the Big Boy motor on it, it would be almost impossible to get it on the trailer. Is that so?

[cart7t]

You sure can. There will be engine mounting holes in the transom you'll have to fill up and seal but other than that you'll have no problem. Re-trailering will involve backing it in further.  I've done it before on lakes that absolutely don't allow an OB motor to be fired up.

[claydee]

It'll be just like trailering anything from the water that you can't drive up, tougher than with a motor but not that difficult. Hell, until I got the boat I have now, I had never driven nothing up on a trailer and I've fished some very heavy fiberglass rigs. Just gotta get a little wet is all.

[bobbyc]

Since stability is your main concern, i'd opt for a deep-V hull.

[Brian B]

No motor on the back means a lot less weight, which will make trailering easier.  Back in a little further and make sure you have a good winch to crank it up with.

[DawsonH]

A bit of misinformation here, a deep V john will not be as stable at rest as a square nose or a semi v. It will let you fish rougher water without getting wet.

For 2k you can find a few good deals, but there will be many pieces of garbage with gold paint on them.

Be careful, and test drive everything. Don't take anything without a title to motor and hull, and have everything checked by a qualified person before any money changes hands. If it looks like crap walk away, because it is.

[Way2slow]

No motor or very small motor on back could mean a boat that's almost impossible to control. The back will always be wanting to go around. Especially if you're in the front running the trolling motor and there's no one in the back.

Deep V's generally give a better ride in rough water, but never knew one to make a more stable fishing platform.  Normall, a flat bottom or catamaran style bottom will be much more stable sitting.