Boat size

[blownf150]

Well I am on the fence here. I have three different boats. They all have a place true the smaller boat is more easy to manuver around stuff. But the bigger the boat you can get will in the long run be better I think. You will indefitly add more rods and tackle and junk and a 17ft just doesnt have the storrage. However the fuel mileage is much better in the smaller boat depending on the motor of course. I would reccomend somthing with a few scratches here and there so you are not crying at the dock when one appers from no where.The smaller boat will get into some skinny water but may be a little scary on the lower end of the chick on a windy sunny weekend with all the plesure boaters out. Really for a first boat I would do it all over again and get me a bass tracker.No need to frett scuffs or fiberglass damage transom problems and sutch.I duck hunt from a 16ft flat bottom and with three people a dog and gear it is really stable for its size. However it sits a little low in the water windy days you get wet.My 21ft bass boat is much more stable though but sucks fuel and I worry when i put it in the water about stuff hitting it.We also run a 24ft skiff in La for redfish I love this boat drafts no water easy on gas but does not tow well. In my opion a 19ft skiff would also bee a good choice walk all the way around the console.Run your trolling motor tow a tube for the kids.Then drag it to the coast on vaction and do some back bay fishing.You also have the entire boat to store stuff in insted of compartments.But whatever you choose make surre to drive it on the lake before you pay.And make sure you like it nothing worse than a month down the road and wanting to sell it.But most importantly get on the water and have fun.

 

[TightlineT]

I've fished from my 17' 1/2" Procraft for 14 years now with no problems (She was old then). Would I like to have a 20+ footer? Sure, but mine floats and she's paid for which allows me to stop and buy a lure or two if I want without the worry of paying for it and put gas in it when I need to. I'm sure a newer 17 1/2 footer would be much better than even what I have now, but I'm satisfied.... emoSmile

 

[gpreeves37]

IMHO I think 17ft is plenty big enough for the money. the thing you have to worry about is the engine and how ell maintained it was. My first boat was a 20ft stratos with a 200hp engine that i bought from a friend. I didn't know anything about owning a boat and nothing about outboard engines. I didn't know that if a 2 stroke engine sits for a couple years that the seals and other stuff go bad. That boat sure had enough room for all my stuff but it stayed in the shop all the time and i couldn't fish cause i had to get another job to pay for the repairs. I finally traded that boat in for a 19ft ranger with a good 150hp engine and have been very happy with the quality of the boat. Get a quality boat and get it checked out, don't worry about offended the seller, you will be better off and if the seller is honest he shouldn't care if you get it checked out.

 

[stratos21xl]

I definately agree with staying within your budget. My first boat was a 18 1/2 venture and I kept it for seven years. The newer boats are set up better, wider, and a lot more stable for fishing and handling rougher water (which we have plenty of on the Chick Ocean..Oops I meant river). The biggest thing is the motor. If it goes its what will put a huge dent in the bank account. Get your hands on a good compression tester and test all the cylinders on the motor with it and make sure they are within 10 to 15 lbs of each other. You dont even have to take it to the lake to do that, just unplug all the plug wires and remove the plugs one at a time to test the cylinders. What you have to watch out for is someone may lose a cylinder and just replace it and leave the rest as is if running, that will show up with a compression test. Since you have to take the plugs out to do that you might also take a small flash light and shine it inside the cylinder head and look at the top of the pistons, if you have 5 that are dark and one that looks brand new then I'd steer clear.The other thing is the impeller and gear oil. Ask how often its been changed, you'd be surprised how many people dont change them enough.

Hope you find a boat, theres nothing better than a loooong day of fishing!!!!