Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire General Boat Discussion

I'm sure there are some professional fishermen in your area. Look at what they use and why. I'm not talking about tournament fishermen...those guys are just emulating the sponsored guys. Look at what the guides and commercial fishermen are using. There is a reason they are using it.

That was a 2002 model owned by an old guy who was in love with it. His son sold it to me out of his estate a year ago. It was just a little smaller than I like anymore at 18'. It had full enclosure canvas that had never been installed and was still in the packages in his garage, two Scotty electrics, 115 Evenrude injected system, 9.9 Evenrude 4-stroke electric start and power tilt with full helm controls and start key, Cannon remote steering, underwater TV, decent electronics, life vests, boarding pike, 2 good quality rubber mesh nets...etc. I replaced the old original tires on the trailer. I was into it a whopping $7.2 K.

It was uncomfortable for me, and a 20' walk around had spoiled me, so I Craigslisted it for $13,200.00. It sold in an hour, and I used the money to get the 22 1/2' Pro Line and had $4K left to use on the Pro Line if needed. This was about the only time in my lotsa years that I bought low and sold high. I came out good on the Pro Line too.

The Lund was a great boat, but It was just not for me anymore. The guy who bought it takes it over the hill to CA a lot and uses it on the Sacramento Delta. He's thrilled with it. He's also about 2/3 my size and fits in it much better.

OK Roger

What kind of fish are those?

I suspect the chunky one is a tuna?

There are guys that are into cars or motorcycles or planes or a myriad of other toys for fun but I’m a boat guy. I love boats, fishing and the general solitude of exploring hidden bays, cruising inlets and throwing the hook out in a place that makes you feel as if you’re the first person to lay eyes on such unblemished beauty. Southeast Alaska is a boaters playground unlike anything else I’ve ever seen. Despite my love of fishing I hate crowds and I detest “combat fishing” which means that a boat is a necessity.

The “right” boat for one type of fishing is the wrong boat for other types of fishing. Saltwater fishing in the PNW and Alaska sees all types of materials used in boat building but Aluminum boats are the most popular around here. They’re generally lighter than a glass boat of the same size and “style” and don’t require as much horsepower to get up on step thereby saving money in the initial cost of the motor (outboards) and over time you’ll see a significant savings in fuel costs. Aluminum boats are lighter than their glass counterparts making towing, launching and recovering easier for an older couple to do by themselves.

As for the tiller versus a ‘console” dilemma, that’s a choice of personal preference, the type of fishing, the water you plan on fishing (river, bay, ocean, etc) boat size and motor size. I’ve got buddies that are running 24’ Alumawelds and Duckworths with 200hp outboards and jet lowers. For fishing rivers in a sled the tiller is the preferred method. Personally I prefer a console and really don’t like tiller steering on anything larger than a skiff. I like having a warm and weatherproof cabin, hot coffee and a place to take a nap while waiting for the weather to pass or the tide to change. Making breakfast while trolling is a nice perk as is BBQ’ing freshly caught salmon, halibut, lingcod, spot prawns, etc all the while continuing to fish. Having to set your plate down so you can fight and land a nice King Salmon makes those kinds of days unforgettable. Having some of the basic comforts available onboard also makes it more pleasant for the less intense fisher-people in your life. I want my boat to be as comfortable as possible because I want my wife to enjoy our time rather than to merely endure it for my sake.

If you’re in the market for a boat determine what you’ll be primarily using the boat for, what conveniences you want for yourself and your fishing companions and then narrow it down from there. Once you’ve narrowed your choices down you should arrange some “test drives” in both glass and aluminum as well as with tillers and consoles. Buy what you’re most comfortable in and what you’re most comfortable operating.

Good luck and I hope you post pictures with whatever you decide to go with. 👍

I promised some dumb-ass questions and here's another.

When exploring areas by boat, are there rules or guidelines for knowing where to run a boat and where to stay away from?

For instance, the Mississippi river near me is notorious for it's wing dams, used to maintain channel depth. At certain water levels they are basically invisible but will still wreck your day and your lower unit.

Is this mostly an experience type of thing? Do most coastal areas have charts for small boaters?

Is there a hard core cadre that waits with video cameras for morons to show themselves? (Around here most guys will try to wave you away from a wing dam. Lots of stories of idiots cheerfully waving back right up til they rip the motor clean off their boat.)

...What kind of boat do I need? I'll fish mostly on the Mississippi, the Rock, and Wisconsin rivers...
I weigh 375 pounds...
I'd love to have a 19 or 20 ft glass center console...

Did I say I liked boats............

Me in Zambia, the PH was not as confident in a boat as he was on land. Interesting to see hippos and crocodiles from a small boat, especially when the boat had holes near the bow made by a hippo.







Fishing in Gulf of Mexico with friends




We try to encourage young people to go fishing




Me fishing out of Nosara Costa Rico