# Little fishing boat question



## fishing0422 (Sep 11, 2007)

Due to some unfortunate sounding fortune, I have received the proverbial nod to start hunting for a little fishing boat for our little family. I really don't know the first thing about aluminum vs fiberglass or length or registering or motors or fish finders or anything. All I know is that I have never been skunked while fishing in a boat and that has my wife a little more excited than shore fishing. So, that said, I am looking for any tips as far as what your collective wisdom suggests would be best for a rookie boatsman and his even rookie-er female shipmate.


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## orvis1 (Sep 7, 2007)

Go with metal, you can run it right up on shore and not worry about your fiberglass repair bill. Get a 14-16 footer they are more stable. Check KSL and the good ones go really fast so if you see one you like jump on it! If you want to get a new one you can look at cabella's or sportsmans warehouse. Good luck, I just went through this last year...


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## MarkM (Sep 7, 2007)

I bought a 16ft Alumacraft with a 18hp Nissan 4 stroke from Cabelas last year. It was a bit pricey but my family and I have had more fun fishing out of this little boat than we ever did fishing from shore. It is light weight and easy to load and unload at the boat ramps. My little 2wd Colorado pulls it no problem. We are headed to Fish Lake this week with it.

Mark


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Are you willing to flush a $100 bill down the toilet? Supposedly that is the test to know if you are actually ready to pull the trigger, on a little tin fishing boat that would of course not be very applicable, you should be able to sell it in a couple of years for about the same as what you pay now as long as you get one at least 5 years old and pay the true book value now. I would really recommend getting out in a few folk's boats to see what you really like, Orvis has an open boat party every now and then. There is no worse feeling in the world than buyer's remorse/cognitive dissonance! Know exactly what you want, I would also recommend starting small with the metal vs fiberglass as they are lower maintenance and lighter to tow and move around the yard. Any single axle trailer does not have to be licensed, any boat <16' has a much lower registration fee if I remember correctly as that has come up on here a few times, you usually have to convince the tax commission of this each year...Once you know exactly the features that you must have then be ready to buy right away so then THE boat comes up you are ready! Good luck!


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## BootWarmer (Apr 20, 2008)

If it were me, I would definitely go with the aluminum instead of fiberglass. I actually have a 14’ aluminum with a 15 HP on it. One person it will fly (about the only thing in the water is the prop), if it is not loaded down with fishing gear and ice chest. Two or three people are fine in it.

As many others mentioned the overall weigh of aluminum is just so easy to handle instead of fighting trying to move a fiberglass boat around.

Another excellent suggestion is maybe try before you buy.


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

Totally agree with the other posts "stay away from fiberglass" to much of a hassle as every little scrape is a potential leak IMHO. I personally believe a deeper "V" hull aluminum boat is much better to include safer when on water with wind and also heavy rec boater traffic. Good luck on your boat quest we all fished from shore once in our lifetimes and having a boat, well the fish'n possibilities are now endless. :wink: :wink:


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## fishing0422 (Sep 11, 2007)

As a guest, I have fished out of fiberglass and out of the aluminum and I see where you all are coming from on the convenience of the aluminum. I was leaning more towards the tin can myself. That said, what is the minimum # of horses an engine on a 14 footer should be? Can I get away with one or do I need one outboard and then a trolling motor or Minkota set up?

Thanks again in advance.


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

fishing0422 said:


> what is the minimum # of horses an engine on a 14 footer should be? Can I get away with one or do I need one outboard and then a trolling motor or Minkota set up? Thanks again in advance.


My recommendation would be a Mercury 9.9 or 10 HP...I'm sure you can find equivalent makes...Honda, Yamaha, etc. You can use it to troll so you could wait on the electric troll...put it on a wish list. Plus it will get you from point A to B. You may not go at lightening speed but enjoy the scenery. :mrgreen:

Remember, if you get the electric troll think of space and weight as you'll need room for the battery. You'll have you're gear, canoe paddle and/or ores, muchie/drink cooler, wife and required safety items that you must have (PFD, horn, fire extinguisher, some sort of bailer, and lights if fish'n at night). Just something for you to ponder... :wink: :wink:


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

I disagree with ruling out a fiberglass boat.
I bought my first ever boat 2 years ago.
It's an earily 80's fiberglass 16' trihull and I love it.
It has an open front bow with room for 2 to jig from plus room for 4 in the back.
It's very stable in the water and hauls like it's not even there.
I have a 35 horse main and a 6 horse trolling motor.
The 6 horse is almost too big to troll at 1 MPH.
No rivets to leak like aluminum and good storage compartments.
It was less than $1000.00.


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## Slipknot (Sep 16, 2007)

You may also want to consider if you are going to hunt waterfowl out of it. I don't think fiberglass will hold up to the ice. As I am also currently looking for a boat and don't own one it's just something to keep in mind. I am not discounting fiberglass just not sure of how it would hold up in a marsh. Any comments would be appreciated on my end as well ( sorry did not mean to highjack your post. ) I probably should say I intend to do both.


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## HGD (Mar 5, 2008)

I kave a 12 foot deep hull aluminum , and love it. 6 horse nissan pushes me round PV alright. All day takes a half gallon gas. But I don't run from point to poin, Makes me fish harder. But it can get hairy with rec boaters not paying attention (well to what thier supposed to anyway). Mine is a fishing boat, for duck hunting + I'd check out the falt bottoms they have at sportsman Ware house. I see them on PV all the time. Even with the nud buddy pushing them. And they call me a *******! :roll:


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## fishing0422 (Sep 11, 2007)

I am not in to hunting....yet. So it is mostly going to be for fishing. I really want to go with something deep and sturdy even if it is a little more spendy cause I will be having some youngins out on the boat and I don't trust a lot of rec boaters at all. I appreciate the opinions so far and don't worry about jackin the forum, it is all good.


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## dockrot (Apr 14, 2008)

I've been using a coleman canoe with an electric motor, and I guarantee you you do not want to do that. I've been in a better canoe (Old Town) and it was fairly stable with three people but once again very limiting with an electric motor. I used to have an old Sears gamefisher (12') that was fiberglass and about 150lbs. it fit nicely in the back of a pickup truck but really why would you want to do that when there are lots of perfectly good old boats for sale really cheap...try KSL.com classifieds...I have an 8' by 20' homemade boat (basically a big piece of styrafoam) on a flat bed utility trailer and it moves about 12mph with a tiller 25hp motor, but it is a beast to tow any great distance due to its size. I'm going to upgrade myself sometime soon, and I am looking for a used bass boat or 14' alum...good luck


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## sillyphil (Nov 26, 2007)

I am with Grandpa D on the fiberglass boats. Mine is a 1976 fiberglass trihull 15.5' and i feel way safe on strawberry, I think the heavier boat is safer than an aluminum,unless it is wide and deep,being heavier is a bit of a pain for putting back on the trailer being that most of my fishing is by myself.before I got this boat, I was looking for an aluminum but now I would not trade my fiberglas. and like grandpa D said, my old boat was cheap.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

You know, the other thing you could do is get a good sized outboard, and then put a trolling buddy on it. Its a spring loaded aluminum gizmo with a string tied to it that you mount to your outboard just above the prop. When engaged, it baffles the water allowing you to slow to the desired trolling speed. When you are ready to stop trolling and cruise back into the docks, you pull the string, and the water pushes it up out of the way so you can get your boat on plane again. Nifty little things.


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## deadicated1 (Mar 17, 2008)

my favorite is a klamath. my friend and i have similar 15' deep v aluminum, fully welded tin cans, as some like to call them. i like the klamath cuz they are fully welded, no rivets that could cause problems later on. mine has a 25 hp merc 4-stroke, and my buddy's is a 40 hp merc 2-stroke. his 40 with 3 people beat mine yesterday with 2 people, but both are adequate for what you need. his does around 25 i think down at lake powell.some people have said stuff about a 8 or 10 horse. if money is an issue, that might be the way to go, but i definitely reccommend going bigger. my boat used to have an eight, but beating a storm back to the boat ramp, or buzzing around the lake to a new fishing spot, you wont be sorry going bigger. good luck!! send me a pm and we could go for a ride one day so you can see if its something you're interested in :wink:


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## fishing0422 (Sep 11, 2007)

Hey guys, I really appreciate all the input. I have my eyes on KSL.com and a couple of other sites and I hope to land something soon. I am sure I will have more questions about it in the future but thanks for the help and I will keep yall updated!


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## Beaver-50 (Jun 6, 2008)

As someone who has owned both I will stay with Glass a tin tub is just that a tin tub. That said we all have our likes and dislikes. I got my first boat in1963 14' alum it was ok at first but did not last long as I went to a wood boat one year later then went to glass. I now own a 20' Nitro with a 200 merk and love it . you need to try a few with all your gear and people on borde to see if what you see and want is what you need. Good luck and keed your line wet.


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## fishing0422 (Sep 11, 2007)

Took the wife out to see this one http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad ... 147&lpid=1.

We like it, price is right, the guy was nice and seemed pretty honest about everything. We just don't know if it is a little bit too much boat for us rookies to control and dock. We're headed back to talk to him more tomorrow about it but every aluminum boat I have check out is just as expensive if not more and smaller than this one. Other than its size, everything else checks out.

Thoughts?


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

fishing0422 said:


> Took the wife out to see this one http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad ... 147&lpid=1.
> 
> We like it, price is right, the guy was nice and seemed pretty honest about everything. We just don't know if it is a little bit too much boat for us rookies to control and dock. We're headed back to talk to him more tomorrow about it but every aluminum boat I have check out is just as expensive if not more and smaller than this one. Other than its size, everything else checks out.
> 
> Thoughts?


Well did you get this one or are you still look'n around? I believe you'll be able to control it with no problems. My recommendation if you haven't already made the purchase plunge is meet the guy at a designated body of water and take a spin. If that isn't possible at least have him hook it up to some water muffs and run it for ya. I'd also take a good look underneath looking for potential areas of leakage. I'm not fond of figerglass...but some wouldn't touch a tin can. So my post may be for naught if you've already made the purchase. :wink:


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## rugerdogdog (Nov 18, 2007)

I'm with K2. If at all possible put it on the lake first! With gas prices.....yada yada.... the decent thing would be to offer to pay for gas. Or even better, leave him a deposit or something to make him comfortable with you towing it. Put it on the nearest lake and see if you like it.
I bought my 1st boat last year and didn't put it on the water 1st. 15' trihull, walk through windshield w/ 115 horse Johnson $1200. I LOVE it but long story short...it needed a new battery the 1st time I put it in the lake. It was reliable for 3 trips then started having problems. So now there it sits in the driveway. I don't have the money to fix it. I havent even taken the tarp off of it this year. I'm not trying to scare you off of it but if funds are at all tight then you may consider a smaller, simpler setup. A little 10-15hp outboard could be fixed by any "small engine repair" guy, including me, but a bigger motor needs the knowledge of a boat mechanic and their labor rates are scary.
I will get it fixed someday but had I gone smaller I could be a skipper this year instead of another summer on dry land.


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## fishing0422 (Sep 11, 2007)

No purchase has been made as of yet. Not sure what the plan is at this point, still waiting for something inexpensive to come along. Thanks for the comments.


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