Boats

[elkyinzer]

If you can bide your time 1-3 years there should be some fantastic buying opportunities popping up. Prices are insane for private party used sales right now. A lot of corona impulse purchases will start liquidating these newfound hobbies when the upkeep gets too much when they go back to doing inside stuff again.

I'm a big fan of deep V aluminum boats. Reliable, simple, easy to trailer. 18-20' with a walkthrough windshield, lot of deck space, 90-150 hp you can fish for just about anything in North America, and still have a good family boat. Only benefit of bumping up to something bigger is the cabin bathroom for the ladies but that is a big jump up in size.

A lot of moaning about boat maintenance but mine has never been too bad. I have a '96 Sylvan that was passed down to me, always been trailered, covered/garage stored, and well maintained. We did a repower to upgrade to a 4 stroke in 2011. Other than that, it's been nothing but routine engine and trailer maintenance. Transom is fine, floor is maybe just starting to go but still fine.

 

[Flatgo]

the used and new boat market right now is crazy... there are deals out there but are hard to find and you have to be patient. i would ask if you are handy or mechanically inclined at all. boats take a lot of work and are expensive if you have to have someone do all the work on it. kinda like a snowmobile.

i bought one last year, and am excited to have something i can enjoy with my 2 year old. its a little hard going shed hunting and hiking with him, but easy to go fishing.

 

[KurtR]

Pontoons are floating bricks, they are not fishing boats, and handle like a pig, especially when its windy. If your not an experienced pilot, avoid the heated arguments with family when trying to load in 20 mph cross winds on a busy weekend...

Hours on the engine for a water vehicle is equal to mileage on a road vehicle, let that be a guiding principle.

The type of fishing you do will govern the type of boat you have. You won't get a walleye boat if you chase bass.

If you plan on water tow activity as well, then you need to keep it narrowed to fish and ski options. The torque ratio is needed to pull a tube or skier up out of the water which those engine options are made to do, a bass boat with a 250 HP won't do it (very easily anyway). It's job is to get you on plane ASAP.

Outboards are by far the easiest to maintain and store, and depending on the use, may not necessarily require changing lower unit gear oil every year. The newer 4 strokes are the way to go, only because you don't have the separate oil reservoir that needs to be injected under high pressure for the fuel mix.

Half the price of any boat, new or used, is the engine. A $60,000 bass boat with a 250 on the back is 30 for the vessel, and 30 for the engine. Roughly.

An Aluminum deep modified V-hull with a minimum of a 175 4 stroke with less than 150 hours, 20' bow to stern is probably where you want to keep your focus. This boat is more in line with the fish and ski option, make sure the OB has the lower gear ratio for towing, and the 20' is night and day in rough water as opposed to an 18', and should fit in your price range.

As a side note, "Break Out Another Thousand" also applies to shoulder mounts and out of state elk hunts...

The pontoons of old. the newer ones designed to fish are great for that. The tritoons even better. I have fished in well over 20 mph winds when i had mine. I have helped guide for my friend who has a lodge and has a new lund 219 gl with a 400 on the back in the garage. When not fishing tournaments the pontoon is his choice every time. The clients also appreciate the smooth dry ride and room that the toon provides. Plenty of skiers are getting pulled by toons every weekend with a 150 on the back with no problem. The bass boys got educated on lake oahe a few years ago trying to make 80 mile runs and the wind came up it was fun watching those low sided boats pinball around and they looked like a drenched cat when getting back to the dock. Now if we are talking lake erie in 8ft rollers the boat wins every day but how many families are going to be out in conditions like that?

 

[Shraggs]

I love fiberglass for open water and metal for rivers.

Pics always help a thread, my mistress...



salmon tournament in Lake Michigan



re powered it last year. Cost nearly what the whole rig cost back then. But this is all I need for any open water anywhere for my lifetime.

Everyone is right about cost. This brand, is currently worth what or more than I paid originally on used market. New motor now idk, again for me it’s a joy to boat, tube and fish.

 

[Rich M]

I couldn't see myself not owning a boat. The flip side is how much boat and what's it cost to buy and run. Other concerns are towing and storage. Local marina slip is nice but pricey. Don't forget winterizing them if you live where that is necessary - the motors will stop working from lack of use as much as from mis-use too.

I like the aluminum tiller boats - have an SSV-18 w 60 hp right now - we use it flats, bay, and even offshore on calm days. Fish 2 guys offshore and 3 inshore.

So anyway, I buy this boat, put a raised floor in part of it, install a gas tank inside a bench seat, buy comfy boat seats, rod holders, etc... It wasn't just buy it and use it - you gotta rig em sometimes.

IMO - start off by renting a boat a few times and see if you guys still want to walk that road. I'm committed but most folks I see buying boats lose interest a year or two into owning one.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

id Like to keep it $10,000, maybe double that max if we decide to get serious. A lot to consider. Thanks for the advice.

Good engines seem to start at $10,000...

 

[roadrunner]

The pontoons of old. the newer ones designed to fish are great for that. The tritoons even better. I have fished in well over 20 mph winds when i had mine. I have helped guide for my friend who has a lodge and has a new lund 219 gl with a 400 on the back in the garage. When not fishing tournaments the pontoon is his choice every time. The clients also appreciate the smooth dry ride and room that the toon provides. Plenty of skiers are getting pulled by toons every weekend with a 150 on the back with no problem. The bass boys got educated on lake oahe a few years ago trying to make 80 mile runs and the wind came up it was fun watching those low sided boats pinball around and they looked like a drenched cat when getting back to the dock. Now if we are talking lake erie in 8ft rollers the boat wins every day but how many families are going to be out in conditions like that?

HP alone is not what pulls skiers up out of the water, it's the gearing in the lower unit. A "toon" does not have the maneuverability a bassboat has. The larger surface area overall produces a "sail effect" when it's windy.

Again, it's what the application is for. A good bassboat will handle rough water just fine, and an experienced pilot is what is truly needed. If the "bass boys" were drenched, it was how they were riding the crests, the way they were trimmed out, the way they worked the Hot Foot, and whether or not they were spiking down on waves and how they timed them, etc. etc. etc. . An underpowered "toon" is terrible in rough water because you can't power through when needed.

A lazy day on the water, or trolling for stripers, salmon, etc is perfect for a "toon".

Have both, so I stand by my post...

 

[KurtR]

HP alone is not what pulls skiers up out of the water, it's the gearing in the lower unit. A "toon" does not have the maneuverability a bassboat has. The larger surface area overall produces a "sail effect" when it's windy.

Again, it's what the application is for. A good bassboat will handle rough water just fine, and an experienced pilot is what is truly needed. If the "bass boys" were drenched, it was how they were riding the crests, the way they were trimmed out, the way they worked the Hot Foot, and whether or not they were spiking down on waves and how they timed them, etc. etc. etc. . An underpowered "toon" is terrible in rough water because you can't power through when needed.

A lazy day on the water, or trolling for stripers, salmon, etc is perfect for a "toon".

Have both, so I stand by my post...

It was the bass master elite series so i was guessing the likes of Kevin V and the other guys know how to run boats fairly decent. When the water is the way that a toon wont be able to power through very few people are going to be on the water so kind of a mute point. Even at that i havent found any thing here yet that a 250 on the toon would not power through. This is just experience on the fourth largest reservoir in the US. I am guessing this is a regional difference because bass boats are viewed as pretty much worthless up here. If its not a walleye most are not interested.

 

[Fatcamp]

We stopped a Cabela's in Mitchell a couple weeks ago and they had a beautiful bass boat inside the front door. A boat like that has no business venturing out on Oahe. Play around in the bays like we do or run a few miles upstream, but if you start making long runs or crossings you will get bit eventually. That place can get really big, really fast.

Fun for sure, but holy cats do those waves come up.

 

[Bowhunter1287]

I live in Wyoming and it gets windy even though we don’t have that many lakes around the waves do get big with strong winds and a toon in the wind is the only way to go imo and not any worse to load in the wind if you have some common sense loading a boat. And the guys saying toons are bricks then well they haven’t been on a good toon. The day you and a buddy or wife just go out the toon is gonna perform and then all your kids and there friends show up and you pile 12 people on that toon hey guess what it’s still gonna pull that skier out of water or that tube and not have to leave those extra people on shore that got invited you will have the room and a ton of memories to make.

 

[nrh6.7]

Half the price of any boat, new or used, is the engine. A $60,000 bass boat with a 250 on the back is 30 for the vessel, and 30 for the engine. Roughly.

I get that the engines on boats are expensive, but explain to me how a boat engine can be $30K. We had a couple boats growing up but the was a long time ago and they were sold prior to any major repairs.

This is probably not apples to apples but I can put a brand new 6.7L power stroke diesel in my F250 for around $15K.

 

[cjdewese]

It's crazy but it's true. Wanted to repower my little 12' and for a 10HP I was looking at like $3K just for the motor. Here are some prices on engines that would be on a bass boat. To the OP, are 2 stroke engines allowed on all your local lakes? Here in So Cal we need a 4 stroke to get on most of the water. If 2 strokes are allowed I would look for a well maintained older 2 stroke from the 90's.

 

[unclericco]

I have a 40 year old, 14' aluminum boat that we recently gave a makeover and actually looks nice now. I know the amount of fish that have been reeled into that boat are well into the thousands at this point. I can launch it almost anywhere, and I love it so much that I bit the bullet and purchased a brand new fuel injected 4 stroke 20 HP Suzuki outboard for it a couple years ago. I plan to buy a bigger fish and ski boat in the near future but will hang onto both boats

 

[gburk]

The new four strokes are remarkably expensive but dang quiet and smooth compared to a two stroke. A friend of ours repowered with a four stroke rather than rebuild his old Yamaha and we thought he was nuts, then we heard it run. We still think he’s nuts but the engine is sweet

 

[unclericco]

Heck yeah. Mine is quiet click click click, and no smoke, starts always on the first pull. Really expensive but I enjoy a trouble free fishing experience every time out. Can't tell you the time I've wasted trying to start older shitty outboards in the past. Terrible experiences lol

 

[gburk]

I think pontoon boats make a pretty decent fishing platform in a lot of cases and can transition pretty seamlessly to a cocktail cruiser. Skiing and wakeboarding not so great though.. depends on what wife and kids want to do I guess.

 

[mtnbiker208]

my style boat!

 

[Shraggs]

oh fyi, my whaler orginally came with 2- stroke 115, i didn't up price for the 150 upgrade 2 stroke. i repowered with a 4 stroke, glad i did!!!!

not any faster, but with the weight i carry fishing with 20+ rods, 4 tackle for salmon trolling, food cooler full of fish, 2-4 guys... looking at 8 - 10 seconds to be on plan. less empty. with this new motor its less than 2 seconds...

if heavy loads, or towing skiers, 4 strokes have torque...

 

[KurtR]

After being in most of all the walleye boats the nitro zv21 with the 400 on it would probably be my choice. Jack plate and lowrance hds 12's on the dash and one in front and in back and the a 9.9 pro kicker with the troll master 2 and the new lowrance trolling motor up front. im only a $110,000.00 from getting it.

 

[gburk]

Heck yeah. Mine is quiet click click click, and no smoke, starts always on the first pull. Really expensive but I enjoy a trouble free fishing experience every time out. Can't tell you the time I've wasted trying to start older shitty outboards in the past. Terrible experiences lol

Nice. I’ve got a 200hp 2 stroke Yamaha with only 250 hours so hopefully a little while before I get a chance to upgrade. Responsive (and reliable) as hell but it’ll smoke on restarting and not smooth.