Home Forums Fishing Freshwater Boat choice narrowed down, help me decide.

This will be my river fishing boat for below the dams on the Tennessee and possibly the larger lakes. It's mostly a catfish boat but at the same time the reason I'm wrestling with size decisions is because I don't want it to be too large for a quick trip to local lakes after crappie or bass.

I'm fairly sure I want a Sea Ark. I want a tiller handle motor. I've ran one for the last 15 years and love the room the tiller makes and I don't mind steering it. I'm going to get a Honda because I've had one since 2002 with zero problems.

My choices are all super john boats with tread plate floors. I will likely add a big live well to the front but that's about it.

I'm looking at
2060, indicates 20' long with 60" floor 24"sides. It's .100 aluminum and will have a 60hp Honda.

1860 same boat and motor just 18' long.

1872. This boat moves up to a 72" floor with 125 thick aluminum with 28" sides and a 75 hp Honda tiller.

The price is $500 more for the 2060 and $1000 more for the 1872. The price doesn't concern me but the size on smaller lakes does. It might be fine but it seems like a barge compared to the 1648 I've been fishing out of. I would likely sell my boat so that's why I need opinions on such a large boat on smaller lakes.

Basically I want the 1872 for the room and hull thickness. It just seems huge with a 95" beam. I'm also concerned if such a wide boat at 18" feet will perform as well as the 2060.

My 1648 only has a 15" transom and 18" sides which is why I can't fish any big water with it.

Just for a power estimate, here's a test of the 1872 which is the heaviest boat with the 60hp Honda. I would have a 75 hp Honda on mine.
http://www.honda.com/newsandviews/article.aspx?id=5141-en

RH I've run modified jons off and on all of my life. In my opinion the 1872 is the way to go. The 28in sides will come in handy on large lakes and the swift water below dams. The extra width on the bottom(floor)space will be welcome as well. You know how it is when you get a boat loaded how cumbersome getting around can be. The live well is also a must in my opinion. Nothing like being able to put a freshly caught fish in a live well and getting your bait back in the water. I would not go less than a 50gallon from the factory. With the wide floor plan you can put one along the sides about 4ft long to accomodate larger fish of 20lbs or more. You can still stick w/the 60hp motor and the Honda is an excellent choice. You will lose some mph's but not enough to matter on a fishing boat. I figure it should run between 32-35mph. Lastly, I would not have a fishing boat w/o a trolling motor on it and good depth finder. Hope you get what you want and thoroughly enjoy it. powdr

Thanks Powdr, I plan to limp along with my current 43 lb thrust trolling motor until I can upgrade. Depth finder can come later also. I'll even use my current boat's seats. Basically, I'm just trying to outfit with a basic package to start for as little money as I can.

The .125 hull of the 1872 is a major selling point. Not that I will likely need it but it's one of those things I would wish I would have got if I don't now. That thing is a beast though. Do you think it will be too much for my local smaller lakes? People fish pontoons there all the time but I guess I'm just use to my 1648. I had thoughts to sell the 1648 to help on the upgrades.

I know you say the 60hp is fine but will the 75 be a considerable upgrade for only $700 more? I have a dealer who isn't trying to skin me on every upgrade. I priced same motor at another dealer and he wanted $2000 more than the guy I'm working with.

Would you put the live well on the side or as an add on to the front deck making it larger?

I would pay the 700 bucks and get the 75 for sure. A 18 foot boat in my opinion is kinda the best of both worlds. Isnt to big for smaller waters but not to small for bigger waters. Sea Ark make solid boats I have thought about a 1660 rescue for a few years now, its a tiller model with a prop tunnel.

Many of their jons are available with a tunnel hull. Thats is a good option to add if your gonna fish rivers. I'm currently running a alumacraft 1546 tunnel hull and love it but its for small rivers with no boat ramps, the tunnel is great for skinny water.

I've very little knowledge of the tunnel hulls. Do they reduce the effectiveness of a motor? I think I read that they are a little harder to get on plane because of the reduced surface area. That might not matter so much on a boat with a 95" beam.

Mine planes fine and it only has a 15 hp and my boat is rated for a 25 hp. The jet tunnels are more problematic than prop tunnels. Thats mainly because jets are more problematic than props. jets are very picky about mounting height on the transom, props not so much.

Just do yourself a favor before you buy and do a little net searching tunnel hull jon boats before you buy. You may have no need of one but you may be sorry to find out about them after you bought a new boat. Just food for thought.

How big is your boat? I'll do some research on the tunnel hull. Do you know what the drawbacks are?

I would not be concerned that the 20-footer would be too big.

Rh for your kind of fishing you don't need a tunnel. The thought on the live well came from the Ranger Fisherman series of boats. When I fished out of one the livewell was built into the side opposite the rod box and it was impressive, It's about 4-5 ft long and deep enough to keep the inside of your minnow bucket in while riding. It would also hold a 20lb striper or 40lb yellow cat. I told myself right then...if I ever build another jon it's going to have a live well just like that. RH as far as fishing smaller lakes your troll motor should be fine and you won't notice that much difference in it and the one you have now. The higher sides and the bottom width will make it look behemouth but after you load it down it's still a jon boat. It will fish fine in 18inches of water and not be that hard to turn around. I fished tournaments for years in an 18ft Ranger and fished just about anywhere I wanted. Now for the motor. The 75 will yes give you a better top end speed but a motor that big is a hoss to steer and control in rough water. The 50-60hp motors are a piece of cake and are a good cutoff point for tiller boats. Now, if you can move up to the 75hp for only another $700 it's something to think about. Also remember that a stainless prop is going to give you another 3mph on top end. I don't even consider aluminum props any more. You're going in the right direction and I envy you. PM me if you have any specific questions. powdr

Below our dams it is shallow and full of things that like to eat props. I don't know what its like below the dams where you fish. Like I said food for thought.

You asked about my boat, its 15' long and 46" wide. Its a small boat that is a thin welded hull and is very light. Its made for small rivers. No way I would put it in the mississippi or a large lake in the wind. Its not what your looking for at all but its perfect for the thing I do. no draw backs that I have found. It handles better than my old 1648 flat bottom and rides way better, gets on plane easily and corners just as well.

It's big water you can look down river and barely see the other side below Wheeler and it's still several hundred yards wide below Wilson on the Tennessee river. I seriously doubt I will be in any water less than 4 feet deep even in little inlets. It's a big wide river where wind can whip up 2-3 foot waves pretty quick.

I have fished it several times in my 1648 but with 18" sides and only a 15' transom, I've had to make a scary run back to the dock when the waves got up.

My boat is a G3 1860 CCT Deluxe with a 90 HP Yamaha 4 stroke. It is the ultimate river and lake fishing boat IMO. It has a tunnel prop hull that really has no negative side effects. I also fish bass tournaments on Loudon, Tellico, Melton Hill, Watts Bar, and other lakes. Running wide open with the Cleaver style prop, this boat will run 40 mph in 8 inches of water. For lakes, I switch the prop to a Powertech PTR3 for more control and bow lift in the rougher water. It gets on plane in about 5 seconds from a dead stop and jumps on plane when moving 6 mph. The only real negatives are the ride can get rough with a flat bottom jon boat on a lake running wide open and the wind can push the boat very easily. My boat is setup with a Humminbird 859 HD DI on the bow and Humminbird 899 on the console and it fishes just like a glass boat when bass fishing. I can get to the shallow spawning beds in 1-2 ft of water that the glass boats wouldn't dare attempt to go. River fishing is a breeze. I have no worries about hitting my prop on anything. I fish just below Loudon and Melton Hill with all generators running with no fear of capsizing or water spilling into my boat. I also take my boat deer hunting and get to public hunting areas that very few have stepped foot on. As an all around, do all boat, I couldn't be happier.

^that is badazz^