Which boat?

[Bigjay73]

If you were mainly looking to fish for walleye, small mouth and trout on lakes like aurora res, chatfileld, spinney mountain, rifle gap, both still fishing and trolling, what type of boat under 25k would you get? Something with decent electronics, trolling and kicker motor
Trying to keep a payment under $300

 

[WapitiBob]

I wouldn't own a kicker motor after using the Terrova with Advanced GPS. I have 7" and 8" screens and am going up to 12". We fish Kokanee, Crappie, and Bass.

 

[Addicting]

I just kept surfing FB market place and some of the walleye forums till I found one. For 25k on there you can get a heck of a boat.

 

[targetpanic]

I wouldn't own a kicker motor after using the Terrova with Advanced GPS. I have 7" and 8" screens and am going up to 12". We fish Kokanee, Crappie, and Bass.

I agree. Any of the new auto pilot trolling motors are great for slow trolling live baits. If I want to pick up the pace to salmon trolling speeds for pulling spoons I will start the gas motor and just kick it into gear while having enough power to the trolling motor to steer the boat.

 

[Steiny77]

I'd get an older 16' vee bottom with a good outboard, at least 40hp, then put brand new troller and electronics on it.
Can find some pretty good deals on 10-15 year old quality boats that simply have some age and wear on them.

Don't borrow money and do payments for a toy / boat.

 

[Addicting]

Don't borrow money and do payments for a toy / boat.

^^^THIS!^^^

 

[Bigjay73]

I wouldn't own a kicker motor after using the Terrova with Advanced GPS. I have 7" and 8" screens and am going up to 12". We fish Kokanee, Crappie, and Bass.

Thanks. Some of the marine electronics are ridiculous these days, kinda what got me thinking about a boat. Seems like it makes fishing even more enjoyable.

 

[Bigjay73]

I'd get an older 16' vee bottom with a good outboard, at least 40hp, then put brand new troller and electronics on it.
Can find some pretty good deals on 10-15 year old quality boats that simply have some age and wear on them.

Don't borrow money and do payments for a toy / boat.

Thanks. I am leaning towards a vee bottom, they seem to be pretty popular for the type of fishing I want to do. I've only been on skiffs and bass boats, I've never looked into any other type of vessel

 

[Addicting]

Thanks. I am leaning towards a vee bottom, they seem to be pretty popular for the type of fishing I want to do. I've only been on skiffs and bass boats, I've never looked into any other type of vessel

A semi V is good on a river but the flat back is a ball breaker when there is chop. A Deep V is great on deep water but sucks on a river and you need a deep launch.

There are several manufacturers that make a modified V. It tries to be the best of both worlds. Where it has the deep V In front but then transitions into a wide shallow v at the transom. That is where I would be looking for the area you are looking to fish.

 

[Charlie Bob]

Thanks. I am leaning towards a vee bottom, they seem to be pretty popular for the type of fishing I want to do. I've only been on skiffs and bass boats, I've never looked into any other type of vessel

I've owned boats since 79 , I tell everyone -"The worst boat I ever owned was ...marvelous !
I've owned Rangers before they were sold to Gen-Mar , and Phoenixes , both great boats .
Now Gen-Mar owns most boat companies and the quality has dropped .
When we moved to Florida to fish Okeechobee I saw a lot of flats boats and skiffs , plus Bay Boats , a cross between a offshore and inshore boat , fishing the lake . It was the best of both worlds .
I would never have a boat with carpet again , that's for sure .
But then we bought a Ameracat 27 , a catamaran hull and the difference between any Vee hul and a cat is unbelievable !
So I would be looking for a boat outside the norm , aluminum vee boats sucks IMO , the way they rock on their keel when anybody moves is infuriating .
This is just a sample of the kind of boat id buy , if I couldn't find a cat .

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[Bigjay73]

A semi V is good on a river but the flat back is a ball breaker when there is chop. A Deep V is great on deep water but sucks on a river and you need a deep launch.

There are several manufacturers that make a modified V. It try’s to be the best of both worlds. Where it has the deep V In front but then transitions into a wide shallow v at the transom. That is where I would be looking for the area you are looking to fish.

Good info, thanks!

 

[Ben Lamb]

Mod V's are slick boats. Since you're not hitting big water, that may be a great option, and less expensive than a deep V.

As others have said, the motor is the most important thing. Everything else is easier to fix. You're buying a motor, that comes with a hull. Focus on the ICE first and foremost. It's the biggest mistake I made buying a boat. Learn from my stupidity.

As far as electronics go, side imaging & down imaging with a CHIRP sonar will give tons of toys to play with, and given how fast things are developing, the livescope & forward imaging technology will be much better in a couple of years, so I'm waiting on those.

Minn Kota & Humminbird pair

Garmin and Garmin pair

Lowrance & Motorguide pair.

You can get some bad interference if you mix and match.

You don't need the top-end units for finders, but don't get the cheapest either. Get the best troller you can & spend the time to set it up correctly with appropriate power.

Enjoy wasting your money!

 

[Sask hunter]

I would like a tiller for trolling cranks as I would rather not use my electric for that. But to get by I troll with my 75 and a drift sock out to slow me down enough

 

[Wild Bill]

As others have stated, a V style hull, whether deep or modified would work well for you.
If you're going to do a lot of trolling, a kicker is a great tool. Most of them are pretty darn bullet proof, and keeping that extra wear and tear off of your big motor can help preserve the life of it. Same goes for wear and tear on your trolling motor and batteries.
Also, if you go steering wheel over tiller, don't be scared away by a tiller kicker. Turn it on and go and steer with your trolling motor as needed.
Electronic wise, if you buy a bare boat, you can grab a couple Lowrance HDS Gen 3's (7", 9", 12" take your pick) and a 3 in 1 transducer and you will have all that you need. One on the bow and one at the stern or console. I prefer Lowrance over Humminbird, personally. I like the touch screens on Lowrance as compared to the directional pad on a humminbird, but both are good. Can find deals on eBay or some other dealers for gently used or refurbs.

 

[wolfpup]

On those lakes, I am looking for a Aluminum body V-hull. When the wind hits, I don't want to worry about breakers coming over the edge or boogering up the bottom of the boat on rocks and what not. Thinking Lund, Tracker, Lowe, etc. 16 - 18' and would make sure I had 2 motors. I would love the newer electric trolling motor with spot lock. Also would love a 4 stroke motor. They are all good Johnson, Evinrude, Mercury, Honda, Yamaha.

I currently have a 18 foot aluminum with a 135 Merc 2 stroke and a 9 horse 2 stroke kicker and a aluminum troller on the front. Have needed each motor as one or the other have crapped out at some point. All motors are from 1990-1991 so a newer model would be great. Only paid $4,000 and have to work on it / repair but I see a ton of boats in that budget that are super nice. The more open area the better!

 

[vanish]

Here is my thread on the subject https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/colorado-boat-considerations.313499/

 

[Borny1]

Thinking outside the box a used Sea-do Switch would work great for what you want. Those things are awesome. https://sea-doo.brp.com/us/en/pontoons/switch-sport.html

 

[Northwoods]

My 2001 Alumacraft Lunker is plenty functional. Did a lot of work on the floor last winter. The 2009 Yamaha that pushes it around runs perfectly as I’ve kept up on the maintenance. For whatever reason I started looking at some new boats. That was a mistake cause now I want a new boat.

 

[Treeshark]

Crestliner Fishhawk, 17.5 with a Yamaha 115.

 

[WapitiBob]

Wife bought me this SmokerCraft for $3500. The 40hp runs great.




The last owner caulked around the full floor perimeter and water pooled in the back. I repaired the area, removed the back bench, rebuilt the front deck/storage, and added a front deck for the Terrova. Added a cpl Millennium seats and the electronics. Ran it for years with a transom trolling motor, what a pain that was. I got rid of the anchors too.
Graphs, Terrova, and batteries cost more than the boat; and they're worth every dollar.









crappie


Kokanee