School me on boats please

[chrisb]

I'm wanting a fishing boat, but never owned one before.

Here's what I think I want/need:

12' -14' aluminum boat, used
trolling motor or small 4 stroke gas motor
Here's where I need help:

For fishing in local lakes, Potholes Reservoir, and maybe Snohomish river is a trolling motor enough? If not how Big (HP) for a gas motor?
I like the perceived stability of a Jon boat but don't know anything about them or how they compare for my purposes to a V hull boat. What are the pros and cons of each?
Anything i should look out for in brand or build style/quality?
Why do so many boats on CL not have titles? Were they not required at some point? are they still not?
What else do I need to know?

Thanks guys

[gasman]

14ft is a better choice for stability.

Flat bottom jon boats are not as stable as a V bottom (unless they have a wide beam)

V bottom boats cut through the waves better a flat bottom, so if you go areas that get decent waves, you will get beat to hell in a flat bottom.

9.9 hp motor are great motors and very common. Any boat ovre 16 ft and 10 hp and greater require annual lic. from state as well as using any boat in federal waters.

Many older boats did not have or are required to have a title unless you want to run it in federal waters and need it to be lic.
So if you stay under 16 ft and under 10 hp and stay off federal waters, you don't need to lic. the boat, there for a title is useless. (except to show owner ship)

 


On a side note, I have a 14' aluminum boat i may have for sale 

[GEARHEAD]

the problem with boats, is that you always want a bigger one. as you gain in skill etc etc, you will want to share that time with others, be sure you get a boat that can handle three people easily. another vote for V haul, and get a boat with high walls, not sitting too low. a good example, (while there are many many), of a boat that will get you most anywhere and not break your bank is a 15-16 ft Duroboat. but...the problem with a first motor is you always wish ya had one bigger,  as if you are three in the boat you will want a little more push. i vote for a four stroke, its great on gas, quiet, and you can troll with it, without fowling your plugs. the sky is the limit, just remember as a boat owner no matter what you do, you will almost never be satisfied with what you have. enjoy. 

[KFhunter]

Price range?
 
 
 

[chrisb]

Under 1k... since this is the first one I dont want to spend much until I see how often I really use it.

[coriantonk]

Found this on Craigslist.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/boa/3172975176.html

Should be an OK starter boat.

[coriantonk]

And another one.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/boa/3167153220.html

[lokidog]

Agree with the v-hull being better for most applications than a jon boat. 

I also have a 14' with a trailer that is/will be for sale, no engine.  It is a Sylvan.  I have a neighbor that is interested in selling a 15 hp Nissan (I think). PM if interested in more info.

 A 15 hp pushes this boat quite well, until you fill it with another person, a dog and a weekend's worth of camping gear for two.  Less the camping gear and it works great for fishing.  A better engine for a 14' would be a 20 or 25 Hp. 

As far as trolling with a two-stroke versus a four stroke, it depends on the motor.  I have a 4-stroke Mercury 9.9 that uses very little gas, because half the time it doesn't stay running at idle....     I have a 1991 15 hp Johnson that trolls like a dream and has never fowled a plug. 

[Glockster]

I owned a 15ft G-3 jonboat flatbottom with Yam 2 stroke 15hp for several years. 

Pro's:  great starter boat, great for shallow water duck hunting, I fished the lower Skagit, potholes, lk WA, and puget sound with it.   It caught everything with fins.   

Con's:  Flat bottom boats pound you to deathin any kind of chop on the bigger waters.  I ended up fishing out of it more than hunting so eventually sold it to buy a Smokercraft 15ft Lodge model with a v hull.  I ended up trying to ad fishing stuff (downriggers, sonar, etc.) to the jon boat and it never really was an optimal platform for fishing.  I probably would have saved money in the long run buying the boat i really liked instead of going the 'starter' route.

Alot of great deals on CL....but also a lot of shady dealings on CL.  Alot of stolen stuff gets moved on CL.  No title...take your chances and you'll have a hell of a time getting the state to register it.

Also< 4 stroke is nice and smoke free, but I don't know where you'll find a 4 stroke for the under $1,000 range you're saying.  They are also much heavier than 2's so that's a big consideration when it comes to powering jon boats.   

[Ripper]

They will cost you more than a grand but the 14' lund or smokercraft are hard to beat. Paired with a 25 hp 4 stroke and you will be set for a long time. I've seen them used for 1500-2500 depending on age. Good luck.

[gasman]

And keep in mind, many 12 ft V bottoms are not very stable. There width is normally narrower then there 14 ft brother, wich makes it unstable or less stable on the water.

All the 12 ft boats I have been in, you would not dream of standing up in, I do it all teh time is my 14' smokercraft.

[chrisb]

Thanks for all the good info guys. I'm not looking to by right away, probably this winter most likely. I really just want to make sure I know what to look for and questions to ask, things to consider, etc. Looks like I've got some research to do and I need to decide what exactly I want since I really only wanna buy once.

[oldcamper]

i have a 15' 11" v-hull with a 25e 2 stroke evinrude gets around great, takes the waves with no problem, and I can pull it with my Jeep. It will take 3 people with no problem and still have room for gear. But what others say about you never have a big enough boat is true, and get one you can resale easy.

[FC]

Thanks for all the good info guys. I'm not looking to by right away, probably this winter most likely. I really just want to make sure I know what to look for and questions to ask, things to consider, etc. Looks like I've got some research to do and I need to decide what exactly I want since I really only wanna buy once.

If you want a rowboat by all means get one but if you want a multi-purpose fishing boat with a motor I would be looking at 16' minimum and probably 40+ hp, preferably a 4 stroke. A utility type hull is a lot cheaper than a decked one and they catch fish just as well! For optimum ease of highest resale I would be looking for aluminum but if you want to get on the water cheaper you could buy an older glass boat quite cheaply.

Winter is the BEST time to buy a boat! Demand is way down and so are the prices!

[chrisb]

Thanks for all the good info guys. I'm not looking to by right away, probably this winter most likely. I really just want to make sure I know what to look for and questions to ask, things to consider, etc. Looks like I've got some research to do and I need to decide what exactly I want since I really only wanna buy once.

If you want a rowboat by all means get one but if you want a multi-purpose fishing boat with a motor I would be looking at 16' minimum and probably 40+ hp, preferably a 4 stroke. A utility type hull is a lot cheaper than a decked one and they catch fish just as well! For optimum ease of highest resale I would be looking for aluminum but if you want to get on the water cheaper you could buy an older glass boat quite cheaply.

Winter is the BEST time to buy a boat! Demand is way down and so are the prices!

Why 16' and 40 HP minimum? I'm really not looking to hit the sound or even lake Washington so 40hp seems a bit big for what I imagine i'll do with it... but again i'm here asking b/c i don't know any better