Pantera61 Posted February 5, 2011 Posted February 5, 2011 After spending the last 4 months in search of a new (or new 2 me) boat and the sticker shock for even a basic aluminum boat, trailer and outboard, I decided to get back to my roots. Small boat for small ponds, creeks and rivers. I saw most of the guys on the Pelican and related threads and how most of you are quite satisfied with your smaller water craft I figured maybe it's time to go back old school. It's going to be 3-5 weeks before it arrives to my house. Last week I told my uncle I would take his 20' Stratos w/200 hp and I was nothing but a bundle of nerves. A few unforeseen hurdles arose and I had to back out. I put the phone down after placing my order and I'm quite relaxed. My previous boat was a 15' Express aluminum with a bass boat side console layout. I'm really not losing that much space. A new page! Quote
Super User Goose52 Posted February 5, 2011 Super User Posted February 5, 2011 I'm always looking at small watercraft alternatives to expensive bass boats or the bigger jons. I fish out of a canoe right now but eventually my back will probably get bad enough where I will need something different and I will have to trailer. I have looked at that very boat a number of times. Seems like a good solution. Stable enough to stand, enough room for stuff, but compact enough that it won't take up too much room in the driveway or garage. After you get it, let us know how it fishes and especially any solutions you might come up with on rod storage. Looks like it will be great ! Quote
cBooms@SML Posted February 6, 2011 Posted February 6, 2011 awesome! good deal! let us know how it works out Quote
Pantera61 Posted February 7, 2011 Author Posted February 7, 2011 Well, can I change the headline to "cancelled order"? On the surface, not bad. In detail, not that great. Quote
Stasher1 Posted February 7, 2011 Posted February 7, 2011 Wow, that's an expensive plastic boat. Around here, you could buy a johnboat, trailer, and small motor or trolling motor for that kind of money. Quote
Super User Grey Wolf Posted February 7, 2011 Super User Posted February 7, 2011 Well, can I change the headline to "cancelled order"? On the surface, not bad. In detail, not that great. I'm glad to see you changed your mind. Quote
bwell Posted February 8, 2011 Posted February 8, 2011 Wow, that's an expensive plastic boat. Around here, you could buy a johnboat, trailer, and small motor or trolling motor for that kind of money. No kidding... I was shocked when I saw how much that went for. I bought my pelican 10e for 600 and that came with battery and trolling motor. Quote
Super User Goose52 Posted February 8, 2011 Super User Posted February 8, 2011 Can you share what factor(s) lead you to change your mind? As I said above - I'm trying to keep on top of the pros-cons of some of these small watercraft and am always interested in folks experiences with them... Quote
Pantera61 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Posted February 8, 2011 Can you share what factor(s) lead you to change your mind? As I said above - I'm trying to keep on top of the pros-cons of some of these small watercraft and am always interested in folks experiences with them... 1. Bow mount trolling motor limited to 43 lb thrust. 2. Transom mount outboard limited to 83 lbs in weight. That's important because the owner's manual claims you need 9.9 to get on plane. The lightest 9.9 I found was 83 lbs dry weight. Now, I'm sure that's livable for some folks or you could exceed the recommendations, have something break and they don't honor the warranty. You can't hold a fire to your chest without getting burned. If this were a second boat or for a property pond, maybe I would go forward with it but ... Quote
Super User Goose52 Posted February 8, 2011 Super User Posted February 8, 2011 Can you share what factor(s) lead you to change your mind? As I said above - I'm trying to keep on top of the pros-cons of some of these small watercraft and am always interested in folks experiences with them... 1. Bow mount trolling motor limited to 43 lb thrust. 2. Transom mount outboard limited to 83 lbs in weight. That's important because the owner's manual claims you need 9.9 to get on plane. The lightest 9.9 I found was 83 lbs dry weight. Now, I'm sure that's livable for some folks or you could exceed the recommendations, have something break and they don't honor the warranty. You can't hold a fire to your chest without getting burned. If this were a second boat or for a property pond, maybe I would go forward with it but ... I saw the weight limit for the rear transom, I didn't know about the thrust limit for the front mount. Bummer. For me, my lakes are 201 acres or smaller, and NO wake. I would only put about a 5/6 horse gas motor on it anyway and would be under the weight. BUT, I would like to have more than 43lbs of thrust up front. Too bad about those limits. I like the beam of this boat and the built in features. Yes, you can get get a narrow jon for much less, but if you shop for a wide-beam jon, and rig it comparable to this boat, that price delta gets much narrower. Looks like I still haven't found the ideal 12-14ft, wide-beam solution... Quote
Pond fisher Posted February 8, 2011 Posted February 8, 2011 Take a look at a Weldbilt @ weldbilt.com. Nice wide boats. See if they have a dealer near you. Quote
Super User Goose52 Posted February 9, 2011 Super User Posted February 9, 2011 Take a look at a Weldbilt @ weldbilt.com. Nice wide boats. See if they have a dealer near you. I've been on the Weldbilt site, and well as the Alweld site ( http://www.alweld.com ). You can get wide jons...but you pay for that width. Then add the costs of decking, wiring, seats, etc. and the price adds up. My canoe will do for now - but for the long term I keep looking at the Plan B's ... ;D Quote
Live.2.Fish Posted February 9, 2011 Posted February 9, 2011 I had a Pro120 with a 50lb trolling motor and a 8hp mercury. I had it for a year, it was a nice little boat. Great for the little sandpits I was fishing at the time. I bought it from my uncle. THE only reason I bought is that he ask if I wanted to buy it. Boat, motor, trailer, trolling motor all for $500. I'm not sure if he was just being nice or what, but I didn't ask questions. Just gave him the cash and drove off with the boat. One year later, I $old the boat, motors, and trailer for $1900. 8-) Quote
Pantera61 Posted February 12, 2011 Author Posted February 12, 2011 Update: Received confirmation of cancelled order w/confirmation to credit to my account. Placed order for G3 Gator Tough 1756SC, significantly more expensive and need to find an outboard but I kept my last boat for 11 years and only got rid of it because I wanted a bit more room. Here's a manufacture's pic: Quote
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