"What in the Hell am I,m looking for" Topic

Help,Help
I,m going to buy a boat.My wife likes to fish,I like to eat fish.Works out fine.What do I look for????Never had a boat before and I do not know how to judge a good one.It.s going to be a 22-26 poontoon with a 50-100hp motor.Any advice will be nice.
John Parris

Can't help John, but love the fact you cross posted to the Pirates board :)

Not got a boat show near you any time soon? Normally the best places to see and ask questions?

Jeremey
minigerm.com

What scale? ;-)

A boat? Those things sink, you know.

2 masted sloop, 4 6 pound cannon a side and a swivel on the poop deck. ;-)

Boat (Noun) – A hole in the water you throw money into.

What the RAF said!

Do you intend to use it for more than the two of you? Cause 22-26' is a little large for a two person fishing boat.

Keep in mind you will likely have to tow the beast to/from the water at least once a year – do you have a suitable vehicle?

Salt water/fresh water? You haven't lived until you've had the joy of scraping the barnacles off the bottom of the boat on a hot summer day.

Ray

If you don't know much about boats, here's my advice as a former boat owner:

1) The happiest days of your life will be the first day you own your boat and the day you sell it. In between anytime you are not acutally out on the water, you will bemoan the coast and feel that you would be just as well served by standing on the dock and tossing money into the water.

2) Buy it used, just like cars it tends to be a much cheaper route. Have a mechanic look at it prior to buying it, just like a car.

3) If you do not know much about boats, find a dealer in your area (or where ever you plan on buying it) that has a good reputation amonst other boat owners. My personal opinion is that most boat dealers are about a rung below car dealers on the sliminess scale. If only because in general people buying boats know less about what they are doing than people buying cars, and boat dealers take advantage of that.

4) Once you've purchased your boat, read the friggin manual. Actually, take the boater's saftey course even before you buy your boat, and re-read it while you are reading your owners manual.

5) Remember, you and your partner are not Crockett and Tubbs. I gaurentee you that if you are old enough to have seen Miami Vice, at least once while you own your boat, you will open the throttle up and at the very minimum have the Miami Vice theme running through your head. A-holes that do that every time they get on the water are a pain in the rear for everyone else. Boats cause wakes, 100's of boats in an enclosed area cause big knarly wakes that can swamp smaller boats. There is always a boat bigger than your, that makes a bigger wake.

6) Keeping in mind the above, have fun. You can have a blast out owning a boat; best times of your life. On the flip side, it can be a frustrating and pocket book breaking adventure, if you don't know what you are doing.

P.S. – personally, I'd go for a 20-24 ft beck boat, with a live well, instead of a pontoon; unless you plan on getting one that is totally decked out with the kitchenette, chemical toilet, etc. You can fish most places off a deck boat, just like a pontoon, and they tend to be more luxurious and can double as ski boats. I don't care what anyone says, people just look dorky skiing behind a big lumbering potoon boat.

John;

If you lived in Minnesota, finding a boat and information on a boat wouldn't be that hard. There are at least two major manufacturers within 45 miles of me. Minnesota has more shore line space that the state of California.

I don't see you as a water skier, thus I would suggest a Pontoon – because it sounds more like if you are going fishing the wife wants to go along, but would like more to do on the boat than just sit in one place. A pontoon offers the ability to fish, move around as well as entertain.

If I were to get a boat, something that I have offend thought about about for just fishing, I would get a Lund. not sure about the motor size, but most used fishing Lund boats with a good motor run about $1,000 to $1,500.

Joel

finding one with a pirate flag may be difficult…

get one that comes with a crew so you dont have to do any of the work!

What ever kind of boat you buy, make sure that it has a screen door in the bottom! They work best in DEEP water.

As always at your service,

Colonel Hairy Haggis

Pontoon boats are rafts not boats. Great for a party platform or some fishing though.

John,

What kind of fishing are you thinking of? When my brother passed suddenly last December I wound up inherting his 14' aluminum boat used for fishing. Small stuff mostly perch, bluegills, bass, the occasional trout or salmon on the big lake (Michigan). This is definitely an "outdoorsman" model. No real creature comforts except a couple of swivel boat seats on the aluminum bench seats and a 10 horse motor.

If you're talking about fishing on calmer waters something like this would work fine. However if you are talking about ocean or Great Lakes fishign you'll probably want to look fro soemthing bigger and more stable. Storm fronts can and do move in fast and if you get caught too far from safe harbor more length and beam can be a welcome thing to help ride you in to safety.

Are you close to a body of water? A larger boat will require more time in the water as it is more difficult to get out. Will also require a heavier towing vehicle; as has been mentioned before, it may be time for that recovery tank you've always wanted because it was more useful than a gun tank…?
Try a cat, perhaps. More volume without having to get so big. and quite stable. If it's calm where you are fishing you could use a punt-hulled shanty or houseboat. Wouldn't try it on the sea though.

And remember you need seven people to crew a six-pounder so allow enough space for each crew…

And always use marine batteries. Nothing else is good enough when you are stuck in middle of the sea trying to start the main engine.