I'm hoping to buy my first fishing boat sometime this spring [
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Nothing fancy, just a nice starter boat, slightly used, 12-14' aluminum with a motor just big enough to get me around the lake. I'm hoping some of you seasoned boat owners can give me some excellent advice, things I should watch out for, must haves, can do withouts, etc.
I can't decide whether I should piece together the boat, trailer and motor myself, or just buy a nice set-up from someone who needs to sell it. I found one package that fits what I'm looking for, could you guys tell me if it sounds like a good price.
15.5' Lowe Aluminum
EZ Load Trailer
8.5HP Johnson
Electric Trolling Motor
(All purchased new in 2002)
$3,000
It will mostly be used at the berry, the gorge, scofield, and the occasional powell trip.
All your comments, thoughts & insights greatly appreciated. In fact, if any BFTers happen to know of a good deal on a trailer, boat or motor, please let me know.
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I bought a deep V starcraft 14' aluminum with a 9.9 HP a couple of years ago and have had alot of fun with it I have fishfinder, downriggers, I have used it at strawberry, jordanelle, deer creek, current creek & the gorge I have had a couple of scary experiences at the gorge the wind comes up and I've spent the night in the boat on the shore before, the good thing was I was the first one out in the morning. I am looking for a 20 HP to get me off the lake a little quicker when the weather turns bad.
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DON'T get a 12 footer. Get at least 14 feet. You'll never be sorry when the wind blows! Also some are deeper than others which is a plus. Welded is better than rivited. Stick with good welded brands like Gregor. Get as much motor as you can afford.
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I would strongly suggest something bigger than 14' for those waters you want to fish. At least a 16' deep-v. I started with a 14' Smokercraft with a 20 hp ob. It was a good setup for basic fishing. But there were more times than one that I got the poop scared out of me when a stiff wind suddenly came up and caught me in the middle of the lake. The 14 footer just didn't cut it for safety. You don't necessarily have to spend more money to get a bigger boat. I sold the 14' setup for $3500 and bought an old 1968 Starcraft 16' open bow with a 65hp Merc ob for $500. It had a full console/windshield, and railing around the bow. It was much deeper, wider, and more stable than the 14', and I felt much more comfortable on the water. I spent another $1000 restoring it with an external paint job, all new interior carpet, new back to back seats, etc. It looked great and was very functional. The console was great for swivel mounting my fish finder. I have since sold that and got a 1996 Smokercraft 175 Ultima, 17' with a 125hp Mariner ob. It's great, but I still miss that old classic Starcraft once in a while. It was a good boat, and could handle just about any situation you might find yourself in.
The Lowe package you are looking at sounds ok, but an 8.5 hp motor isn't enough. It will putt putt slowly around the lake, but forget trying to make a quick run to shore in advance of a storm. You need at least 20 hp on a boat that size, and I would suggest even more. I also wouldn't be without a full windshield and console with steering wheel. it makes all the difference when the wind is blowing and you are bucking the waves to get back to shore. Without the windshield to duck behind you get totally soaked from the bow splash/spray. Just my opinion, but go for at least a 16' deep-v with windshield and a 40 hp or bigger motor. Rig it with several rod holder bases in various places around the hull, and a good fish finder. You will love it, and won't outgrow it for many years. If your budget can't afford a newer model then find a well kept older one.
Good luck!
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I would make a suggestion about the package you are looking at. It isn't the getting out on the lake that is the problem. It is getting off the lake that is important. I would take another look at that package and see if it won't handle a motor with alot more horse power. I have a 14 foot smokercraft with a 30 horse and I have been to the gorge when I wished I had something that would get me back to the launching area alot faster. I use a five horse for a kicker and a back up to get in if I ever have problems with my main motor. On some of the smaller bodies of water you mentioned that small motor would work okay. G shorthair
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Thanks guys for your comments, please everyone, keep them coming. It's always good to learn from others so you don't have to trudge the way yourself.
I'd like to know more about the safety issues. What am I going to face in a 14' boat? Is it going to be unsafe only if I get caught in a storm, or is it going to want to flip on me when a big gust of wind comes up? Will the 15.5' Lowe be noticeably safer than a 14'.
The Lowe I'm looking at is a "SeaNymph" if anyone is familiar with that model. (pic attached) It is fairly shallow with a deeper bow and I'm pretty sure it is wider than the others I've looked at. There's also a crestline that is only 14' but has a deeper bow. Is one of these going to be safer than the other?
Engines.
This may be my limiting factor as that seems to where most my money will go. Unfortunately, my budget has to be tight for now. How bad is a little 10hp going to be? I think I could deal with not being able to go very fast, as long as it wasn't a big safety concern. How big of a motor can you put on a little 14'?
Lots of questions, I know . . . but thanks so much for your help.
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Oops. Forgot the pics.
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well i think one of the first things to ask yourself is where do you want to fish.I think either of these boats would work,if you planned to fish small bodies of water.When the wind starts to blow and your far away from shore, on a big body of water it's not the time to find out ,you got the wrong boat.I see lots of boats this size at the gorge, most of the time their are close to shore,but every once in awhile i see someone in the middle of the lake and they are wet,and trying to steer a undersized boat&motor into a head wind and going no where.
Remember that after you have your gear ,life jackets motor,(etc) on the boat it all adds up to weight.Get the biggest motor you can afford up to 20 hp .
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just a note i fish the gorge alot and its nothing to have a squall come through and have 4 fters coming over your bow mines a 22 cutty and ive had them coming over the wind sheild the same thing can happen at strawberry dont be in a hurry and look around the boats are just stating to come in the paper a freind of mine just traded his for a air boat but he only wanted 3000 it had deep v 350 motor 2 electric down riggers and a lowarance fish finder then he made the trade and had to put a new motor in the air boat priceless good luck and ill keep my i out for you
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The 14 footer lowe that you mentioned is ok for smaller lakes, but I would keep it off the bigger lakes especially when the winds blows. The waves can flip it over.
You need something like a 16 foot tracker or a 16 foot Lund with deep v. The deep V is very important in keeping the boat balanced and staying in with the waves.
Motor like 10 horse, that I would use for a kicker motor, but I wouldn't use it as a main motor because it takes forever to get off the lake. Get at least 40 horse, which is plenty power to get your hide off the whitecaps and safely into harbor or docks.
If I were you and the budget and safety is concerned, I would save up more $$ and wait for the ideal deal to come around. Good things comes to those who wait. (Patience is a virtue.)
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I might have a boat for you if your intrested it's a 96 alumacraft with a 40horse outboard mid V it has a toling motore mounted on the front that run of the 24 volts system an onboard batery charger two fish finders and two downrigers also four swivel seats and a live well for 6,300.00 its in great shape it dosent have the windshield though. also an easy load trailer. let me know if interested i would have to start beging my wife now to sell it.
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Take your time, there are and will be lots of bargains out there. Also, never fall in love with anything that can't love you back. I have been known to forget that one and paid the price because of it.
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I will tell you my experiences with a 16ft deep v and 90hp merc. I have had to help people of the lake when the wind got bad before.And if you plan on hitting utah lake you better have a big engine that can get your butt to shore in a hurry!I have taken lake powells and utah lakes waves and without a big engine i wouldnt be typing this right now.So for me a deep v boat with a strong engine is a must unless you like palying with your life
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I have my experiences with the smaller boats and have learned through the years,If you buy a small boat have life jacket on the boat with oars or paddles,a light is nice to.You have to,its the law.[
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On the boats though,that starcraft looks to be a decent boat because it has the deeper v up front,the power is the key on staying safe,You have to be able to head into the wind and try to keep bow above the white caps,25HP or better is what I would go with on the starcraft.It will get you up on top and get you off the water.
And stay close to shore,alot of the fishing places you described are better closer in anyway.Find a place close to where you want to fish,to launch your boat,if a storm rolls in you want to get off before it gets to bad,I have seen willard go from calm to 3 ft white caps in a half hour.and one of them little boat your looking at would not be to fun in them.
There's been a few guys on here that have had to beach there boats at willard on the east shorline its about the only place I would fish with a small boat,there and the south dike(SW CORNER).
Like every one said there are going to be alot of fishing boats being sold in the next few months,take your time find the right boat with the power you need to get off the lake fast.
Be safe,will see ya on the water.
FNF
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Yes,that is a sweet boat.
and you only wanted $3900.00,right.
FNF
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Hey FH,
A couple of things you need to ask yourself.
Are you a fair weather fisherman? If so any of the boats you have mentioned will work just fine. You may find yourself limited to certain waters or only fishing in ideal weather conditions.
What kind of fishing do you mostly do or want to to do? Bass?? Look at fast get it there and back in a hurry boat. Here's my 2 cents. I have a boat, but prefer to float most of the time. I have had the little tin lizzies. Great little boats for quite waters, small lakes, ponds, lazy rivers, even not so lazy like the Sacramento or American Rivers. Scary in adverse weather conditions. If you choose the smaller boat always wear your life jacket. What I own now is a 19.5 sea ray. Nope not a real fishin boat, but it keeps the wife happy and easily doubles for fishin. Plus if I'm way late I can just sleep on it. Buy as much boat as you can afford, if you can squeeze a bit more than that do so. You will not reget it. If you go by yourself mostly buy one that YOU can launch and trailer by YOURSELF! Nothing will suck more than to have a boat and not be able to use it. Also ask for a test run, I tried a lot of boats before I bought the one I have. A few folks acted like I was crazy but most didn't have a problem with it. Hope this helps ya out.
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I have a fourteen foot aluminum boat, but it is narrow and not very stable. I have to be careful when standing in it or I feel like it will tip over. I usually stay on the small lakes with it, but have been to Willard in it several times. The ten horse Johnson is not very fast if I want to get off in a hurry and the small 4.5 Mercury even worse. I would like to upgrade to a twenty horse motor or bigger. Bucking the waves in a small boat scares the heck out of me and I try to be very careful about the wind and waves. Acey
Life is fishing...the rest is just details.
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THANKS SO MUCH EVERYONE. Please keep the info coming. I am a very CAUTIOUS buyer and will take a while to make my decision.
Based on your input & the fact that I really do want to use this on the berry and the gorge, I've decided a 16' will be my minimum and nothing less than a 30HP, hopefully more.
So, my dilemma is this: Do I go for "more boat" in a used, older model? or do I go for "less of a boat" that is only 1-3 yrs. old? My main concern is reliability, particularly the motor. Some of these bigger boats in my price range are 10+ years old and I"m afraid the motors are bound to have major problems. I've had quite a few friends have their motors just blow-up after this amount of time. That would not be fun. I am going to medical school next year and money will be a lot more tight for the next 4 years than it is now. I may be beached if I have any expensive repairs.
My budget is about $3.5-4K. (all my wife will let me spend[
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OPTION 1: If I go with the older boat (1985-1995 range) I can find a 16'+ boat with a very large motor (80HP and up) and usually several goodies I wouldn't otherwise have (seating, console steering, fiberglass vs. alum., sometimes even fish finders & trolling motors).
OPTION 2: If I go with the newer but cheaper boat I will probably be able to get a slightly used 16' alum deep V and put a 30-40HP motor on it. I'd go ahead and buy fishfinder/trolling motor anyway. The main benefit would be a 1-2 year old motor versus a 10+ year-old motor.
What think ye wise fellows?
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Hey guys, what would you think of this boat?
2002 Alumicraft 16' deep-V
30HP Yamaha
Trailer
Trolling Motor
$3600
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