Boat Advice for Local Waters

[JAWallace]

I'm obsessed with Boston Whalers and have had three, but now I'm thinking of going back to aluminum so I can fish the American and Feather along with my usual waters of the local lakes and the Delta. I'm looking for some advice from the experienced.

I've had two tin boats. One was a standard 14' Gregor style with the upswept bow and that's out. You can't sit in the bow on a chair and cast due to lack of lateral stability. The other was a beautiful Metalhead 12' sled which was a work of art but with zero deadrise it was just too rough at any speed on flatwater with any chop and a little small for two.

I fish with one other half the time and by myself the the other half. I'm thinking 14' -16' is the ideal size, and the smaller the outboard needed the better. Console steering is nice for runs, but the tiller is good for control in tight spots. Undecided there.

The Lowe Roughneck 1455 or 1655 looks like a good setup to me. Lateral stability is my biggest concern. People seem to like the smaller Tracker 1448 too. I've never been in either.

Fishing the Delta on occasion is important too, so I need something that will at least survive out there in a little chop. Lakes are the #1 priority though.

Thanks for your opinions and advice!

John

[Shawn M.]

I have a 16x54 mod v tracker. I use it mostly in the delta so can't say much for american or feather. Works good in flat to just barley white caps anything more is doable but questionable. Plenty of room for 2 but 3 is a challenge. I have a 40 horse motor on the back and runs about 27mph with just me 3 batteries and 12 gallons of gas. For the delta I wouldn't go lite on hp so you can make decent runs. My 40 went down for a bit so stole the 15hp off father in laws boat and didn't go to far to fast. Also the width is good, definatly wouldn't go narrower there. I went tiller to save room for duck hunting otherwise probably would have went center console. I like being up high for visibilty but uses room for hunting?? Good luck finding the perfect all around boat as I to have tried a few different options myself. My 2 cents!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

"The Lowe Roughneck 1455 or 1655 looks like a good setup to me. Lateral stability is my biggest concern. People seem to like the smaller Tracker 1448 too. I've never been in either."

I have owned a Roughneck 1652 and loved it. I have a 1448 now too. Good small boat.

They have the Lowe Roughneck 1455 and 1655 at Sutter Marine right now. They are all finished inside with flat floor and decks front and back.They have a bilge pump and running lights.

I believe they come in a 3 degree bottom and a 6 degree bottom.

www.suttermarine.com

I like the tiller so you can have more room and use some large drift boat oars to control it at times.

Put a Minn Kota autopilot on the front. 12 volt/55# thrust.

Jet or prop? big decision......

[Frank Roepke]

G3 CC Jet, it Rocks!!!!!

[trinity]

I have a roughneck 1652, 50hp tiller, jet, awesome! Can't say anything bad about it.

[andanb]

It really depends how much you want to fish the delta.

Jets are nice in the rivers, but they suck literally(all the loose debris and weeds) and figuratively in the delta and have no bite for control in rough wind/water.

I have a tracker tx175 60 hp. It is a nice boat for the delta. Modified v, 65 wide, 38mph, great lateral stability (for an Al boat), good on gas, great storage. I do fish the rivers some, but its not as good for that--always having to watch my butt.

Just my 2 cents.

[Icastnblast]

http://www.stratosboats.com/models.cfm?name=176xt

comparable pricing to aluminum, I will be ordering mine this december! :unibrow:

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I love boats......

They will change your fishing experience more than almost anything else.

For the delta and valley reservoirs that Statos looks fantastic....probably gets fantastic gas mileage.

In a perfect world (we hit the loto!!) you would have many boats.

jet boat

bass boat

drift boat

small pram

float tube


Even a V-boat float tube or pontoon boat will get you on the water then you will start to see the advantage of a boat.

**A 14' Jon boat, with any little outboard, on a trailer with some long oars is a nice way to go. Great for one or two people.....

[JAWallace]

I love boats too, and I think I'm as bad as Kiene. I get all worked up and get one (I've had 17), and use it 3x year. I still prefer my motorized Hobie Float Cat to anything, but it's no good for big or moving water. I've towed it with my Whalers and used it, then moved on. A pain, but you can't beat the intimacy with the water from a float tube or small cat.

That Stratos is interesting. It's a low HP boat and should be OK with a 60. The 20 that comes with it is ridiculous. Those are good boats to buy used, as are most, now that there are some 4S motors out there with a few hours on them. Bass boats take a huge hit in value. Too many people like me and Bill that get the "boatsies" early on and sell low hour rigs.