Small fishing boat

[bassman018]

I was looking at Basspro and took a look at their small boats. I saw that they had some plastic boats for a decent price and I figured I could run a 30-45 pund minn kota trolling motor on the back and be set. The one I like is called the Uncle Bucks Pond Prowler (9 foot)

I am not sure I'f this would be the best, Is it?  My other option would be to get a 10 or 12 foot jon boat and put a 50 pound trolling motor on it. I cant really afford an outboard so this would be all.

And also:

The Bass Pro boat can fit in the bed of a truck, Would this be possible with a jon boat or should I use a trailer?

Are outfitting the Jon boat with swivel seat expensive?

How many batteries do you need for the motor/fishfinder?

Also which boat would you choose?

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramble, Thanks in advance ,

Matt

[skunked_again]

man, ive been all over some of the smaller kansas lakes in those little green plastic boats. i like them cept for one thing. there's not a lot of room in them.

for that reason i would look for a 12' jon boat. a 12' jon will ride in the back of a truck and can be loaded/unloaded by yourself. plus after a few years the plastic cracks and breaks on the pond prowlers.

[bassman018]

How do the jons work with a just a trolling motor? Do you need 2 batteries?  Good tip on the cracking plastic. So I guess your saying in the long run a jon is the way to go?

[zerofivenismo]

You can't go wrong with either vessel.  Both has pros and cons.  I had a 10ft Bass Raider and it was great, but it lacked room for my gear.  Stability is good because the bottom measures about 45 inches across.  I could stand and fish all day.  10/12ft jons gives you more room for your gear, but is very unstable with a 32-36 inch bottom.  No standing until your sea legs are strong.  Not sure about the Pond Prowler, but BR is made with Ram-X material and it has held up very nice to rocks, stumps, and cement ramps, and my boat was a 2000 model. 

You can transport both in a truck, but I would use an extender support that hooks up to your hitch receiver to support the longer hull of the 12ft jon.

I only use 1 battery for tm and ff.  On a jon, you can use a bench seat clamp and place a seat on it.  Or you can get a cheap swivel pedastal and put a seat on it.  You'll need to make a floor so you can bolt the pedastal to it.  Basic seat is going to cost about $20-$25. 

[Ken668]

Zerofivenismo, could you provide a link to a hitch receiver support bracket like you mentioned above?  I've been looking for something along these lines, but haven't come across anything.  I need it for exactly the reason you stated, to help support my 12' Jon in the bed of my truck.  Thanks!

-Ken

[DerekB]

I fish out of a 14' jon boat that's on a trailer.  It already had marine carpet when I bought it as well as a livewell.  I put two pedestal seats in it and a 40 lb. thrust foot-controlled trolling motor in front.  I added a 9.9 HP Johnson outboard last year.  It's a little unstable due to the narrow beam, but I can lean back on the seat while standing and fish comfortably.

Trailering the boat was somewhat a challenge until I added trailer guides last year.  Works like a charm and it's paid for!   

[32251]

Craigslist has those plastic things on there all the time for cheap.  I don't like them.  For $200 or less you can get an old vhull jon that will ride you through rough water when the wind and rain comes up (and it will) or when a big old bass boat comes too close and will last a lifetime. 

I have a 12' Alumacraft vhull I bought for $125. A small trolling motor will push it around all day. A 5-10hp motor will push it wherever you need.

Your asking about small boats....I have tried them and 12' is as small as I like.  I might try a 10'...if I could find a wide based one...have not found one yet used.

[bassman018]

Okay guys, This is an update:

The Thing with the Jons are they are a little to big for me to manage because I am 14 and my dad isn't to into boats. I plan on getting a Jon when I move out but for now I think a plastic boat is all I need. I also can store it in the bed of my dads truck because he mainly uses his company car. My dad and I or just myself would go out in it and there are really only two smaller lakes near me. one being electric only. With those requirements I found a sweet deal on a Pelican Bass Raider 10 foot with a trolling motor (46 pound thrust Minn Kota)  It is located in jersey which is close by. The catch? It's on ebay. which means anything can happen and the current price can triple. The boat is 300 dollars as of this writing. Its a 10 foot so It will be large enough Lightweight and STABLE. Besides I still need to register it, Get life preservers, Battery, ETC. Because I have never had a boat before. Below is the link and I want you all to tell me if it's a good deal, Thank you all,

Matt

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300411896600&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

[Grey Wolf]

Okay guys, This is an update:

The Thing with the Jons are they are a little to big for me to manage because I am 14 and my dad isn't to into boats. I plan on getting a Jon when I move out but for now I think a plastic boat is all I need. I also can store it in the bed of my dads truck because he mainly uses his company car. My dad and I or just myself would go out in it and there are really only two smaller lakes near me. one being electric only. With those requirements I found a sweet deal on a Pelican Bass Raider 10 foot with a trolling motor (46 pound thrust Minn Kota) It is located in jersey which is close by. The catch? It's on ebay. which means anything can happen and the current price can triple. The boat is 300 dollars as of this writing. Its a 10 foot so It will be large enough Lightweight and STABLE. Besides I still need to register it, Get life preservers, Battery, ETC. Because I have never had a boat before. Below is the link and I want you all to tell me if it's a good deal, Thank you all,

Matt

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300411896600&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

Your dad would have to bid /buy the boat on e-bay. It's not legal for a 14 yr. old to do transactions.

[bassman018]

I know that, My dad has an account and were watching it now.

[buzzcatcher]

That Pelican is a lot heavier than even a 12' jon, just so you know.

Buzz

[bassman018]

The pelican is about 150 , So it's not too bad. But the thing is I would customize a Jon out more so it would be heavier in the long run

[32251]

No. Get a vhull 12' jon. You can fish in it for many years. It is lighter and the center of gravity is not so high as that plastic boat is. Those things fall apart over time. Your money...do what you want. If you insist on a plastic boat then look at a Gheenoe or a bass tender. The Gheenoe would be perfect for you.

http://www.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/mash.cgi?itm=gheenoe&cat=cpboat&pgs=100

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I have had both and MUCH prefer the bass buster type boat.

[bassman018]

To Those who think I should get a V hull:

If a Got a V Hull Then loading into a pickup bed would probably be difficult, and I would need a trailer. Also I would want to put in some mid decks at least just so I could move around comfortably. I plan on getting something like this when I move out, But now I'm pretty strapped for cash and another big projoct is really not what I'm looking for. And also @KU_Bassmaster., I was wondering if you may have had any pics of your "bass Buster" fishing setup, Would really appreciate it,

Thanks Guys,

Matt

[zerofivenismo]

Zerofivenismo, could you provide a link to a hitch receiver support bracket like you mentioned above? I've been looking for something along these lines, but haven't come across anything. I need it for exactly the reason you stated, to help support my 12' Jon in the bed of my truck. Thanks!

-Ken

Here's the link.  $30 at HB.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=39168

Also found a photo of my previous BR.

[Ken668]

Thanks a ton!  And what a great price too.  I'll have to give my local HF a call to see if they have one in stock.

-Ken

[bassman018]

Sweet little boat, Geez, You really loaded the sides with sods, Where do you get those velcro deck straps?

[zerofivenismo]

bassman018,

Here's another pic of my set up, loaded onto my short bed truck. My set up had a 36lb thrust MK tm, 3hp outboard, Cuda300 ff, and a group 24 deep cycle battery. I agree that a bass raider type boat is heavier than a jon, and your back will agree. Build a boat dolly, it makes loading/unloading alot easier. I recommend craigslist over ebay for an item like that. With CL, you can go look at the boat first, and if you don't like it, you can walk away without any obligations, and plus you can try to negotiate price down. Good luck with your decision.

[zerofivenismo]

Sweet little boat, Geez, You really loaded the sides with sods, Where do you get those velcro deck straps?

Oh no, I normally only take 3-4 rods with me. In the pic, I had just added the rod saver velcro straps to the boat, and wanted to see how many combos I could fit. 

Got the straps from Cabela's.  Package comes with two straps: a big one and small one.  Big strap is intended to be used to strap your rods close to the reels while the small one is intended to be used to strap up aways on your rods.  I wanted a rod strap on each side so I cut the big strap down to fit on the little platform and sewed it back together and used the smaller strap on the other side.  Nothing special about it.

[bassman018]

Well guys, The price on the Bass Raider Is going up stedily, 65$ in a day. It is a good deal but it may get to high up for what I'm getting. So I have a few questions:

I don't really want to get a V-Hull jon because Of the extra weight and stuff that I would need to do to deck it.

So could I get a 12-14 foot and trailer that could be powered with a trolling motor? Because there is one electric only lake near me. And If I added some mid decks and storage would It be to much for a trolling motor? How big of one would I need?

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Sorry I don't have a picture of the inside.  I may make the maiden voyage of the year this weekend and I can snap a picture of the set up.

Pictured below are both the Jon boat (which I have gotten rid of) and my Bass Buster type boat I have had for 15 years now.

I bought the jon boat as a project a few years ago to see if I would like it.  It was wayyyy too tippy with the decks I installed.  I eventually cut them down and just used them as floor boards.  It was better, but it was still something you had to watch yourself with.  Yeah you had a little more room to move around in, but the loss of stability just wasn't worth it to me.

After only a couple trips I sold the jon and went back to "old faithful".  I have had it for 15 years and it just as of a couple of years ago started leaking.  But not through the seam.  Rain water leaks in where the handles are.  I can turn it over before a trip and it drains in 10 to 15 minutes.  I have made a mod just this winter and drilled a hole on the back corners.  Now it drains in less than a minute.  I will plug those up with boat plugs while on the water.

It's not the most comfortable of boats with 2 people (I have to 10 ft model), but its doable.  I feel comfortable taking 6 rods with me.  I have an Eagle FishMark 320 that I secure with velcro so it's easily removable, but also somewhat secure.  I launch it by myself 80% of the time I go fishing.  I have only had the trailer around 5 years.  Before that it was tossed in and out of the back of a truck.  It has always been kept outside in the elements.  I guess what I am getting at there is the durability factor that people seem to have issues with.  By boat has taken a beating it was leak proof for 13+ years, but like I said before not in the place most will think.

[bassman018]

HMM, well It seems like you did a nice job on the jon but how long was it? It seems like you need a 12-14+ footer to be stable. So I gues a pontoon boat should work well on most places I fish.  The lakes I fish in Are mainly for paddle sprots and the larger one is a 20 HP limit so I gues The mission continues to find a small boat!, Also When you fly solo Do you launch It from the trailer like any other boat? And how did you move it out of your truck alone? And How was the gear storage on it with only one person? Do you just drop it all in or use storage totes? Or something else?

[KU_Bassmaster.]

The jon boat was a 14ft.

With the utility trailer I get the boat ready (put the motor on, connect the battery, load my gear except for my rods because those can and will fall out when you launch) and back it up so the tires are barely in the water and push it off.

With the truck we created 2 levels.  I used some 2x4's cut to the length of these notches about 1/2 way up the bed side walls.  The 2x4's rested across the bed in notches and then I cut a piece of plywood roughly the size of the bed to rest on top of those.  Boat went on top and all the gear below.  I did this method with a Ford Ranger first and then a Dodge Ram.

[Madd Lunacy]

I also have one of the Buster boats.  Mine is very easy to unload/load with just one person.  I have a 36lb minnkota and a 3.5hp merc. on it.  I've only had it out a handful of times, but so far I love it.