First Fishing Boat

[jlw82]

Hoping to buy my first fishing boat soon from craigslist. Not looking to go over $350.00 for boat only but I need some insight as to which way to go. I see alot of Livingstons, Regular aluminums and flat bottoms but am unsure which is best for me. Here are the lakes I plan on fishing in. Lake Wilderness, Beaver, Angle, Meridian, Sammamish and Washington. I've "fished" off and on my whole life but am really getting serious about it now!! Any input is greatly appreciate from you experienced folks! Thank you

[fishingmachine]

well to fish sammamish and washington u are going to need a normal aluminium

[HillbillyGeek]

Flat-bottom aluminum boats (AKA jon boats) and Livingstons both have advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage of aluminum boats is weight -- or lack thereof. This can be a big factor when you have to load and unload by yourself. I've got a 10 foot jon boat and it fits in my toyota tacoma truck bed no problem-o. On the down-side, my boat is not very stable and can flip easily. For this reason, I never stand up in my boat while fishing. Larger 12-foot and 14-foot jon boats are more stable, but they are also more difficult to handle by yourself and usually require a trailer.

The Livingston-style boats are VERY stable, but they are also relatively heavy. I like the way the channel in the center allows you to put seats in the best position for even weight distribution. The maximum weight capacity for the short 10-foot Livingston is also about double the max capacity of my jon boat.

If you will be navigating in very shallow water, jon boats have the shallowest draft of any other boat.

Hope that helps!

[A9]

It will be very time consuming to find the right boat on CL...check as OFTEN as possible and sometimes you will find a good deal. JUMP on it. There are a LOT of trashy boats on CL and they are usually overpriced..But sometimes there are some great deals and believe me, they go FAST...

I'd suggest a VHULL aluminum or Jon boat...Livingstons are good too, a little heavier and I don't like the layout of them, but they are often on CL...

What kinda motor you planning to use?

[jlw82]

It will be very time consuming to find the right boat on CL...check as OFTEN as possible and sometimes you will find a good deal. JUMP on it. There are a LOT of trashy boats on CL and they are usually overpriced..But sometimes there are some great deals and believe me, they go FAST...

I'd suggest a VHULL aluminum or Jon boat...Livingstons are good too, a little heavier and I don't like the layout of them, but they are often on CL...

What kinda motor you planning to use?

I plan on using a Minn Kota electric where applicable and a friend of mine has an 8.9 outboard in great shape that he will give me.

[Gisteppo]

Ive got a set of plans for a plywood jonboat if you are interested.

E

[gpc]

Any one of those boats will work on those lakes. Livinstons seem very popular but I have never fished out of one. I have had a couple alluminums. The 1st one had a trailer and was 14' and the 2nd one had no trailer and is 10.5'. It might be hard to find a boat and trailer for $350.00, but do yourself a favor and get a trailor. This is my 2nd year with my 10.5'er and I am allready sick of it. Also you would be looking at a 14' boat and larger to hold a motor that big. On my 10.5'er I run a 4hp from time to time and wouldnt go much bigger

[kzoo]

I wouldn't be on Lake Washington or Samamish with a jon boat, it'd have to be 14'. You'd probably would want to some sort of v-hull. I do enjoy jon boats for smaller bodies of water, they're just easier to handle.

What type of fishing are you planning on doing?

[A9]

You could get away with flat bottoms on big lakes, but only on flat spring/fall days when the weather is fair and the boat traffic is inexistent. Plus, if you are running a Minn kota for the most part, you are limited in your range.

First you need to identify if you will be wanting/needing a trailer...If there is room around the house or garage for a trailer to be parked, then it is definitely a big help. If you have a boat sitting the back of your pickup, you usually have to empty its contents to hoist it up into your flatbed. A trailer is just easy on/off and you don't needa worry about taking everything outta the boat when loading...Just make sure to take out light things like seat cushions, life jackets and anything else that could fly outta the boat when on the road...Don't make that mistake...Don't wanna arrive at the lake or back at home and not have the stuff in the boat cause it took off with the wind...

If you have a trailer, then it won't matter as much what you purchase. Livingstons are usually heavier and their layout is not something I favor. Jon Boats are very popular and you can get a new Lowe or Tracker base model 10' jon boat for just over $550...A brand new EZ loader trailer for a boat of similar size will run you somewhere around $650-$700...Depending on where your buying it from...

If you are going to be hoisting a boat in your pickup truck every time, I'd go with an aluminum jon boat. But a V hull would help you out if you were considering going out to Lake WA and Sammamish...If the majority of your fishing is done in small protected lakes, get a jon boat. More stability so you can stand easier and cast standing up...

If you go with a trailer, the package will obviously cost you more. I have seen some killer deals on aluminums that are pretty good looking boats (Jon and v-hull) and are on a pretty good looking trailer and come with the electric motor setup. These boats usually go on sale in the fall though from what I've seen searching CL (I enjoy searching through boats on it and seeing what is sold and at what price)

If you can, wait as much as you can for the best deal to present itself. There are a few people who just want the boat outta their yard and either have no idea of the value or just want it out and price it low. These boats usually get sold within a few hours, so I can't express it enough...Look on craigslist multiple times per day and see what pops up.

If I were you, I'd look for a 12' Jon boat on a good trailer...12' so you can comfortably fish 2 guys and fish 3 if you need to do so...

[jlw82]

THanks all, I think I'm gonna try and find a 12' aluminum with a slight Vhull although a guy that I work with is offering me his 10' fiberglass pram for only $100.00... How decent are those?.. Thanks again

[kuttkilla]

THanks all, I think I'm gonna try and find a 12' aluminum with a slight Vhull although a guy that I work with is offering me his 10' fiberglass pram for only $100.00... How decent are those?.. Thanks again

I'd go with the aluminum v-hull boat. Most, and notice I mentioned *most* aluminum boats are very sweet...easy of use, easy to maneuver, maintain, etc., etc., and their quality is bar-none.

[Gisteppo]

Prams are nice compact little hulls.....

E

[clam man]

I fished an 7.5 foot livingston with my 200lb buddy for about two years. It was pretty damn cramped, and pretty embarassing when people saw two grown men fishing in that tiny boat! However, I did like the stability of it, and it is almost impossible to tip.

I have a 10 foot jon boat now, and a 14 foot aluminum on a trailer, that I run an 8hp and 40lb thrust minn kota. It gets up and scoots with the 8hp pretty decent, and the 40lbs will move it around on a non windy day. I take it out on the sound several times a year, and the local lakes a lot, very stable.

The 10 foot jon is ok for just me, a pole or two, a small battery, and the trolling motor. After that, it gets down right tipsy and scary.

I would get a 10-14 foot v-hull for your all around fishing needs. There is a reason these are so popular, they are safe, efficient, and fairly stable. When the waves pick up on washington or sammamish you will be safe and fairly dry, plus they can handle up to 20-25hp engines sometimes (way too much for small boat).

Good luck...
I am looking to upgrade my 14ft to a 16 foot.

Clam Man

[Bill G]

Get as much boat as you can afford. You will always have twofootidus. In my case I started in a 4x8 plywood thing. the next was an old 10 foot fiberglass bohemas. the next 12 foot alum vhull. the next 14 foot jon the next 15 foot deep v next a 17 foot Lund which I still have. Now I own the Lund a 15 foot smokercraft alaskan, 12 foot sears fiberglass and my wife has a 9 foot plastic bass tracker. I have 3 different boat trailers to keep up 4 out board motors to maintain and 4 electric motors 5 deep cycle batteries to keep charged. I just realized why I fish, to get away from working on the boats and gear.
You know it doesn't mater what you have as long as you just keep fishing.
Do what you love and love what you do.
Bill

[kuttkilla]

You know it doesn't mater what you have as long as you just keep fishing.
Do what you love and love what you do.
Bill

I couldn't agree more. I fish out of a tiny boat and people would probably laugh if they saw me fishing in it - a fiberglass 8' boat. The fish don't give one hoot and you become more stealthy in your pursuit of that giant trout or bass. Choose the boat you feel most comfortable in, and that fits your needs (what you intended to use it for, budget, etc). Right now, having a boat that uses minimal amounts of fuel is top priority, because fuel is now near $3.80 per gallon where I live. My father owns a diesel boat and this thing holds 120 gallons of fuel at $4.45 per gallon on the water and you're talking $535 to fuel the boat up...staggering just to fathom those numbers. I know the Grady White Sailfish is no better, even worse infact as far as fuel economy goes (GPM) - gallons per mile. The SeaSport gets 2.5 miles on 1 gallon of diesel whereas a grady get 1.2-1.5 gallons on a mile of gasoline. Staggering.

[kzoo]

You know it doesn't mater what you have as long as you just keep fishing.
Do what you love and love what you do.
Bill

I couldn't agree more. I fish out of a tiny boat and people would probably laugh if they saw me fishing in it - a fiberglass 8' boat. The fish don't give one hoot and you become more stealthy in your pursuit of that giant trout or bass. Choose the boat you feel most comfortable in, and that fits your needs (what you intended to use it for, budget, etc). Right now, having a boat that uses minimal amounts of fuel is top priority, because fuel is now near $3.80 per gallon where I live. My father owns a diesel boat and this thing holds 120 gallons of fuel at $4.45 per gallon on the water and you're talking $535 to fuel the boat up...staggering just to fathom those numbers. I know the Grady White Sailfish is no better, even worse infact as far as fuel economy goes (GPM) - gallons per mile. The SeaSport gets 2.5 miles on 1 gallon of diesel whereas a grady get 1.2-1.5 gallons on a mile of gasoline. Staggering.

If you're really tight on the budget you can make one of these! Hey if it floats you can fish out of it!

[HillbillyGeek]

I agree with kuttkilla when it comes to fuel. My 10' jon boat is powered by a 40lb thrust minn kota maxxum and it gets along just fine. I usually prep my gear during the 15 minutes or so that it takes to get from a launch to a fishing spot. Then again, Lake Stevens is the biggest lake I fish, so I'm not covering huge distances. Next time I take the boat out I'm going to clock it with a GPS to see how fast it can go.
The maxxum is nice because it is very efficient and one charge on a deep cycle battery is plenty for a weekend of fishing. It's a good thing too because it takes over 48 hours to charge that massive battery on the 2 amp setting...

From the minn kota web site:
"Digital Maximizer™. Up to five times longer run time on a single charge.

Conventional speed coil technology wastes energy by delivering a constant, steady flow of power to the motor – regardless of the speed setting – resulting in wasted energy.

Pioneered in 1985, Minn Kota®’s innovative Maximizer™ technology delivers the precise amount of power needed at any setting, along with variable speed control. Now, our advanced, digital microprocessing optimizes draw to extend battery life and reduce damaging heat. Get up to five times longer run time on a single charge."

[HillbillyGeek]

If you're really tight on the budget you can make one of these! Just sneak up on the fish.

I think you need to be an 80lb crackhead to use one of those "redneck specials". :shaking2:

[2000subaru]

Go Crimson Tide! I heard that the "boat" was a from a U of A masters thesis in Fluid Dymanics!

[kevinb]

If you're really tight on the budget you can make one of these! Just sneak up on the fish.

I think you need to be an 80lb crackhead to use one of those "redneck specials". :shaking2:

Thats funny. I think I saw this guy at wal-mart.