Sharing: Do you remember when you got your first fishing boat?

[LuckyLittleFisher]

Why did you start boat fishing？For me it's really a great moment I can share with my lovely wife and son and daughter.How about you guys?

[Swamp Girl]

It was a 12' Sears Ted Williams jon boat and it nearly killed me several times, as I launched it on far bigger water, like Lake Superior, than was sensible. It went to Canada many times too, as well as Ohio farm ponds and when our suburban street flooded, I launched it on that too and rowed up and down the block.

 

I was 13 or thereabouts.

[TnRiver46]

Oh yeah, still got it. 1957 Cherokee that my papaw gave to my mother. She gave it to me since she has no interest in boat ownership, although she said she did “wake surf” behind it on a sheet of plywood as a kid, pulled by a 7.5 hp Johnson seahorse 

here it is back in the late 1980s

 

And here it is around 2021 with a fresh transom 

 

[Jar11591]

I got my first and current boat about 12 years ago. Was in my early twenties, obsessed with fishing, but so tired of being stuck on the bank. Somebody local was selling a little boat and trolling motor for like $400 bucks, and I had the truck to haul it, so I jumped on that immediately. One of my best decisions I’ve made. 

[Jig Man]

My first boat was a 12’ 16# styrofoam canoe.  I bought it to float the creeks that beside our farms.  It cost $39.

[Scott F]

Back in the late 80’s, a friend took me out on his 16’ tin boat on a couple of fishing trips. I didn’t like having to stay home because he wasn’t available to go fishing. I went to a boat show that winter and put money down on a 16’ aluminum boat with a console. I don’t even remember what brand it was. We were about to leave the show and was walking past a Ranger dealers display. I told my wife if I could afford it, I really wanted a Ranger. While I was admiring the boat in front of me, I saw the price was only $500 more than the boat I put money down on. I went back, got my money back from the first dealer then ordered a 1988 Ranger Fisherman. 17’ with an 80hp Mercury. 37 years later that Ranger is still in my garage. I’ve towed it to 10 states and Canada, it’s had 2 engines, 4 trolling motors, 8 depth finders.

I’ve caught more smallmouth and largemouth than I could ever count and every other kind of fish that swims in Midwest fresh water.

[DinkDonkey30]

I got my first boat around 8 years ago. It was a Landau 18ft mod v customized for bow fishing. It had a mercury 50hp 2stroke. The wiring harness caught fire and put the motor out of commission. I got out of bow fishing sold that boat and bought my first and current bass boat. It’s a 98 Triton Tr 17 with a 90 hp Evinrude. It’s been a great boat although I’ve had to do quite a bit of motor maintenance but what can you expect from something with god knows how many hours on it.

[scaleface]

My first was a 14 foot aluminum semi V powered by a 2 hp Johnson motor. I bought a 2 speed Pflueger elec motor and fished from it hard. 

[GaryH]

First boat was a 12’ Jon boat. Matched it up with my friends 12’ Jon boat. We took 2x4’s and C clamped them together around 3’ apart and would drift down the Juniata river with a cooler tied down on the 2x4’s with our food and drinks. We thought we were big shots like our homemade pontoon. Thing was stable as all heck.

[Catt]

14' Ouachita flat bottom jon with a 7 1/2 Evinrude Fleetwin. Trolling motor was a 2 1/2' wooden paddle & a 14' pushpole. 

[steve carpenter]

sears 12 foot semi vee with 7.5 hp engine. Put a motorguide bow TM on it. Also a green box lowrance flasher. Fished for several years over north and east Texas. Lots of fish caught in that boat. Car topped .

[GRiver]

I used my grandparents canoe and fished any where I could drag that thing.

[Swamp Girl]

48 minutes ago, steve carpenter said:

sears 12 foot semi vee with 7.5 hp engine. Put a motorguide bow TM on it. Also a green box lowrance flasher. Fished for several years over north and east Texas. Lots of fish caught in that boat. Car topped .

 

Ours was car-topped too. We actually had two Sears boats, one with a Sears 3 HP and the other with a Sears 7.5 HP. We had the flasher too, but rarely used it. 

 

10 minutes ago, GRiver said:

I used my grandparents canoe and fished any where I could drag that thing.

 

Hey, I'm living your childhood!

[Tackleholic]

In the early 1950's I had only my Dad's small wooden jon boat, with oars.  I would stalk the sloughs and strip mines with a cane pole and night crawlers, also a 20 gauge for ducks and squirrels.  Fast forward to real life and I wade fished for smallmouth until retirement.  Immediately upon retirement and a 600 mile move, I bought an upscale river boat for trout fishing and a Triton 18' bass boat with a 150hp for the lake.  I still have the river boat, but the Triton has been replaced with a Vexus VX21 equipped with all the extras.  I still miss the old wooden jon boat, wade fishing, and the memories.

[WRB]

1st fishing boat was our family 14’ wooden row boat with 7 1/2 hp Martin OB at Big Bear lake in the 50’s.

My 1st glass bass boat was Astroglass w/65 hp Mercury in 1968. My 14’ Lund aluminum boat was the 1st bass boat w/ 9 hp Evinrude, added swivel seats, Shakespeare TM in the bow and Lowrance Fish Lo K Tor flasher and 55 Coleman cooler w/ aeration livewell in 1960.

Tom

 

[padlin]

A Ranger canoe out of NH, early 90’s, they only make 1 model so selection was easy.

[papajoe222]

I purchased my first boat from a friend that was OCD about his stuff. My girls were about 11 and 6 at the time and I'd set folding chairs over the center bench seat so the whole family could go fishing.  I had that boat for 25yrs. until I began fishing tournaments. With no kill switch, I couldn't use it for that. I ended up buying a used bass boat that had more wrong with it that what actually worked.  I ended up trading it in for a Tracker in '04. I've taken it from Minnesota to as far south as Georgia on some beautiful lakes and on some lakes I had no business being on in a small aluminum boat. As long as she floats, I'll never buy another.

[Columbia Craw]

1972 Terry Basser with an Evenrude 60 hp and a Shakespeare 17 lb thrust hand control trolling motor.  I did a rebuild of the front deck and gunnels. I reinforced it to accommodate a 45 lb MinnKota, repainted the top cap, new seats and carpet.  That has been the starter boat for more guys than I recall.  Sadly it sits in the middle of an acre of blackberry briars.  I have many wonderful memories in that boat.  

[GreenPig]

  In 1990 at 15 years old I bought an extremely used 13' Gheenoe for $20. The first thing I did was fiberglass repair the entire keel, as it leak from being drug across a billion rocks. I powered it with a 15 year old 165lb one stroke one blade prop, Me and a paddle.

[Susky River Rat]

I had a Coleman scanoe with a trolling motor for about 3 years. Than in 2019 I bought a tracker 160. In October of 23 I bought my current boat.

 

other than ice fishing I don’t enjoy fishing from the bank. I hate not having the freedom. I hate not being able to have all the gear I want. I also can’t take my first mate Doggie.

[Lottabass]

It's heartwarming to read these posts.  Simple, cheap, uncomplicated ways of getting on the water.  My first boat was a 15' Alumacraft canoe that I cartopped on my 66 Mustang.  I've been through many boats since then, Terry, Hydrasports, Ranger, Triton, etc.  At age 70 I went back to simple, cheap, and uncomplicated and couldn't be happier.

[DaubsNU1]

These are great stories!

 

Picked up this 1960 Rich Line and 1972 Mercury 20hp two stroke in 2000. Paid $600 for boat, motor, and trailer from a local guy when we were living in Kirksville, Missouri. Boat and motor were his Dad's...trailer was virtually brand new. 

 

 

I installed plywood casting decks, seats, bilge pump, and the front Minn Kota cable steer 40lb trolling motor. Found a Bottomline Fishin Buddy. Great first boat!

 

Did some major work in 2021 with framing, decking, storage, fuse box, lights, Garmin Echomap up front, and a Garmin striker in the back. Also replaced the transom that was original to the boat(!). Fun project!!

 

The old Merc could push me in that boat to 20 MPH on a good, calm day : ) 

 

Fun boat, caught lots of fish. Sold it in 2023 when I upgraded to the Lund. 

 

[DogBone_384]

I purchased my first boat during COVID.  I found it on CL in 2020.  The original owner bought it when his father retired so they could fish together.  The old man moved to the Carolinas within two years of retiring.

 

It was in as new condition.  I drove to CT with cash in hand and took it home.

[Swamp Girl]

8 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

As long as she floats, I'll never buy another.

 

48 minutes ago, Lottabass said:

It's heartwarming to read these posts.  Simple, cheap, uncomplicated ways of getting on the water.

 

48 minutes ago, Lottabass said:

At age 70 I went back to simple, cheap, and uncomplicated and couldn't be happier.

 

Heck, yeah! I once owned a 14' Lund with a casting deck, a trolling motor, and a 10 hp Johnson and about five other aluminum V-hulls, but I too enjoy my current, simple boats. No one will ever have to keep up with me. Rather, if they wanted to follow in my footsteps through the woods, they'd have to simplify, simplify, simplify. The only reason I'd want a bigger, motorized boat on my pond is to be free to fish on windy days. If I didn't have to wait for the wind to die I might finally be able to catch a few bass!!!!

 

P. S. - I like @DaubsNU1 reno boat!

 

P. P. S. - Thanks to @LuckyLittleFisher for starting this cool thread!

[DinkDonkey30]

Some of you really lived through the hayday of boats. I can only imagine what that was like seeing the styles change when boats weren’t just cookie cutter assembly line big brand stuff. I haul my stuff around with an unrestored barn find 79 Chevy K10. I always wonder about what it would be like to live through that time period when what we look at as classics now were just regular new equipment.