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

[12poundbass]

Mine was a Tracker 1448 with a 15hp Mariner. It was a birthday present to myself when I turned 19. I had that thing up until 10 years ago and my friend still has it. Had a lot of great memories in it.

[Dwight Hottle]

I didn't get my first boat until I was in my 50's. It was a new Lund Mr Pike , a 18' with twin bubble wind shields & a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke with a T-8 kicker for trolling. My first trip out with it & a buddy netted me my first ever 5lb smallie & a 6lber to boot. Before it ever hit the water my friend had me practicing backing up with it in an empty parking lot. When I traded it in for a bigger boat it had acquired some dock rash from my inexperience but sold quickly. 

[volzfan59]

My first boat was a 12’ Coleman Crawdad. Bought a used $25.00 trailer  and replaced everything on it. Brother in law gave me a 1969 Johnson 9.9 and I got a used Minn Kota t/m at a yard sale. Great boat and I would give most anything to have it back.

[gim]

I bought my own first boat in 2015.  Growing up, we always had various fishing boats in the family that I could use, or relative's boats I went with in, but I never owned any of them.  I often dreamed of owning, maintaining, and using my own boat as an adult.  I was able to make that financially possible nearly 10 years ago now.  I get compliments every season from strangers on this thing wondering if its brand new.

 

 

[jbmaine]

First water craft I ever used was a home made kayak my dad built out of a kit. I was about five at the time so figure around 1959.

[WCWV]

OH Yes, my first boat was a 1974 Starcraft Tri-Hual with a Mercruiser.

I made a fishing boat out of it.

I swore that I wouldn't put it into the water until I had everything the way that I wanted it.

After a couple months working on it on the weekends, I almost had it the way I wanted it. Then on a Saturday morning I headed out to work on it and there was my daughter 7 and my son 3, standing in the boat trying to cast out into the yard. I looked at my wife and said it's time to put it in the water. So I put away my tools and we headed to the lake for our maiden voyage. I never did finish everything that I wanted. It was a good boat.

That's been over 30 years ago. 

 

[LuckyLittleFisher]

13 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

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!

Thank you !!

The beauty of community is that it brings people together. Common interests connect people. For me, life is about making memories, sharing memories, and transcending memories.Thank you guys kindly replies, with your own good story.🥰

[Swamp Girl]

21 hours ago, jbmaine said:

First water craft I ever used was a home made kayak my dad built out of a kit. I was about five at the time so figure around 1959.

 

No lie: My dad and I also built my first kayak from a kit. It was Phoenix. 14'  9" long. Red!

[Cuivre]

I guess the one that would classify was a Coleman Ram-X 15' canoe back in the early 1990's.  I was riding with my brother and saw it for sale in somebody's front yard.  I bought it for $200 and started rigging it out with a depthfinder and transducer epoxied to the inside to shoot through the floor, then a deep cycle battery positioned under the forward seat for weight distribution and ran heavy gauge wire next to the gunnel lip back to the trolling motor I clamped on the gunnel next to my seat.  I used a mushroom anchor when needed and usually took 3-4 rods with me.   It was a great rig and I got a lot of comments from folks on the lakes I put it in at.  I could tilt the TM up and operate with just a paddle to get into the shallow eddy areas.  I eventually started buying aluminum rigs bass boats (TrackerIII (50 hp Merc), Aluma-Weld H56 (100 Hp Merc) and now a G3 HP150 (Yamaha) but I did get back into the plastic boat scene with a couple kayaks (a throw and go and a tournament rigged Coose FD/Torqeedo).  I'm looking to buy another one soon-probably a Jackson BigRig. 

[fishingram24]

First boat was a 14' 1977 Randal Craft fiberglass with a 35 Evinrude and Motor Guide 3 trolling motor that I bought new for about 3000$. Had a steering wheel and live well which was under the pad you sat on behind the wheel. No raised deck just seats on a pedestal bolted to the floor. I later sold the 35 and put a 40 Mariner on it before buying an 15' Eldocraft hull and putting the 40 on it. Learned to fish out of the Randal craft and hauled it all over the South including Toledo and Seminole when I was young and stupid and didn't know a 14' boat was to small for big water.

[pdxfisher]

Two man rubber raft. I built a floor and electric motor mount out of plywood. Second was one I built out of plywood.  Looked like a 1/2 canoe. Only 7'3" but I fished out of it with my friend in NC for many years.