Looking for a small, used, AL, fishing boat. 12-16 foot. Since this is my entry into boating (small fishing lakes in WI), I am going used/affordable. Any advice? I'm starting from zero.
First decide how fancy you want to get and how many people will typically be in the boat. A 14' boat is good for two people, but if you will typically have three people in the boat you'll be more comfortable with a 16' boat. Four stroke motors are more money, but they are quieter and you don't have to mix gas. Live wells and front mount trolling motors can add quite a bit of cost, but if you plan on fishing a lot they are really nice to have. Roller trailers will make loading/unloading the boat easier, especially at shallow landings. Electronics are where the big money is spent, fishing graphs can easily exceed $1000 if you want all the different types of scanning and gps. Answer all those questions then start scanning your local craigslist/marketplace listings.
As an owner of a boat. " Don't do it " With that said it can be fun but it has it down sides. You are eliminating a lot of problems by staying small and aluminum no out drive or bellows and cables , Good Luck!
I concur! As a previous owner of 3 boats, 17’ then 24’ then 27’ the last one was docked, first two were trailered ( by my Buicks) Rent or go with a friend that has a boat for fishing Trailering, you have to learn to back it up quite the distance and line it up properly on the ramp for launching, same for loading, otherwise you get a lot of pissed off boaters. Docking, that’s a whole different game there. How bad does the lake get as far as rough water? Safety equipment. Fishing gear. Storage for boat/trailer Insurance, fuel costs? Maintenance! Outboard motors are CRAZY expensive! Last I saw years ago, a 15 hp Mercury was like 10 grand. I had a blast in my 40 or so years of boating, but when I sold my last one, it was relieving, no more monthly payments, dockage, winter storage, fuel, maintenance PLUS about 300 bucks every weekend for dining, drinking, and drinking, oh and girls “oh you got a boat? You must have money!” No im poor BECAUSE I have a boat!
All kinds of bargains in used boat and outboard motor market....as long as you can work on them yourself. Same deal as classic cars.....
I bought my 18ft I/O Fiberglass bowrider in 1996 brand new and still have it. It is always trailered and stored inside and still looks new with many hours of use. Standard Maintenace and basic care is the key. Buying used is a lot more inexpensive but you don't know the history and it could be a money pit. The size/type of boat is determined on where you are going to use it. For fishing small lakes a deep V aluminum with high sides should be good. Make sure you keep your trailer bearings lubricated and check them for overheating at every stop when traveling distances. A dependable outboard is key since the last thing you want to happen is get stranded in the middle of the lake when a storm is coming. Don't skimp on safety equipment, life vests, flares, a bucket for bailing, help flag, whistle, fire extinguisher, etc, Even if the smaller boat does not require it, get them anyway. Use common sense when boating, watch the weather, don't drink alcohol (I never even take a sip when boating, not worth it), pay attention, there are tons of idiots on the water. Enjoy the launch ramps, they are always entertaining.
I have a G3 with a 150 hp that mostly just sits around, sometimes for a year or two without use. Then when I go to use it, I dish out hundreds of dollars for dead batteries, gages that quit working, carbs that are gummed, etc. I get it running good, take it out a few times, then park it and start the whole process all over again. As the old saying goes, a boat is just a big tub to throw money into. Then again, if you fish a lot, it might be worth it. Now that I'm retired, I plan on doing more fishing, but been dealing with house remodeling; however, when that is all done... Don't get a 24 volt trolly, stick with the 12. Batteries are expensive.
@Stagedcoach71 Don’t let the naysayers detour you. You can find some good boat motor trailer combos for $1000-$3000. It’s a lot of fun to fish smaller lakes. I have a 2003 Lund 14’ with a Yamaha 25hp 4 stroke with a roller trailer that I found for $1700. There are good buys out there, you just need to be patient.
We’re in the same state. Do you plan on getting on the big lake? Or staying inland? Winnebago and the bay of Green Bay can get just as ruff as Michigan. I’ve been on both with 7mph winds and it’s just getting started. 10+ stay home. I’ve had several boats. I really like aluminum boats if your lake hoping and don’t know the structure. They’re a little more forgiving. Again fishing straight outboard. Inboards are for cruising or recreational. My first boat was a 14ft Lund. I had a 9.9 short shaft Johnson. (Haha) with the boat loaded, 2 people, gas, I could get about 15mph on plane. It was wide enough to stand and cast as well to take a leak and not flip out the boat. I did a lot of upgrades to flooring, seats, rebuilding the transom, adding lights as well as painting it. It worked perfectly for me and my dad to do the small lakes. Next boat was a 16ft Alumacraft classic with a wheel. 35hp merc. Fully carpeted, bow mount trolling motor, lights, roller trailer so I could drop the boat in shallow water. Rollers can be great for good drivers or be the worse pain in your rump. It felt like a huge upgrade to my previous Lund with standing and my options of different lakes were broader. Sold that. Bought a brand new Lund 1875. Family got bigger. I wanted to fish the big lake as well as do tournaments. It’s great being able to bring out more family and friends but I spent so many years learning some small lakes that I couldn’t get the big boat on. So I bought another. I run 3 boats. A dedicated recreational boat. My Lund which is my baby. And I bought a 14ft sea nymph with a 20 horse mariner (merc). I love the boat. It’s wide enough to be stable to stand. I have the bare minimum in the boat. I have 3 gallon tank. 3 seats with clamps that I ratched around the bench. I think I spent about $80 on a depth finder that gives me the bare minimum of water temp, depth, speed, and gps. I made it an all in one unit using a Plano ammo case. The battery is an agm motor cycle battery wired to the unit which is mounted on the flip lid and the transducer is secured tightly with 3m marine caulk to the back of the boat. I use a Minn kota traxxis 55lb 44” shaft which pushes the boat around really good. The boat will go 25mph loaded. 32 on a calm day. It moves for a little tin boat. Any who. When buying. Title, legible boat numbers. Vin should be present otherwise you could find problems down the way. Rivets right. Transom is huge. They will break. A lot were made with wood and they just hold moister, oil, and fumes which rots them out. Inspect the bottom for any tears, cracks. Lighting you can get away with portable battery operated lights found at Walmart. Green/red for front when sun set. And back has to be a normal light. Need a throw cushion. Life jackets. Your registration with current up to date stickers. A 14 ft will fish 2 just fine. 3 gets tight if your casting. Motors are completely up to you. Our first boat was a 16ft bayliner with a 85 force. And that motor never failed. In the boat world that would have been considered the bottom of the barrel set up. I can’t tell you how many hours were on the motor and boat. I actually wish I knew because I may have some bragging rights to all the people that said force engines were junk. Trailer I just switched from 8” 4ply to 12” 4ply. Big difference on travel and the bearings. Lights are pretty easily replaceable but they do need to work. If there’s a short or issue it’s easier just rewiring and mounting new lights then chasing a short. Bunks are easier to guide the boat up and down but you need to have them fully submerged or wet to get the boat off. Rollers are great for shallow drops but they get squirrelly. Bunks can be easily replaced and re carpeted. Rollers not so much. Axle weight for the boat. Did I mention having a trailer ID or vin. If you plain to go to Canada with it there not letting you in with out a vin on the trailer. Bearing maintenance will be big. I’ve had grease and oil. Both get warm and when you drop your boat in will cook a bit. Nothing you can do. Tilt on a small Boat trailer is a nice feature too for really shallow drops. I went in buying my little sea nymph with the trust the motor ran. But I also negotiated the price as if it didn’t. I know typically a 14ft solid boat on a decent trailer is going for $1200 that’s what I offered. The motor was a bonus but it did cost me about $500 for a carb rebuild, 2 coils, plugs were completely wrong, wires, switch board, timing. Well worth it though. Any questions let me know. Tight lines!
I have 2 boats myself, a 27ft bow rider for a family boat then a 30ft hardtop I use to run walleye and perch charters from. If you let a boat sit of course your going to have deal with dead batteries and dirty and gummed up fuel systems. Treat it right for storage.......run it out of gas in the carbs means they can't gum up.......stabilize the fuel, keep the tanks low at the end of year so when you fill it next year you dont start with a tank of bad gas....... Treat the batteries with a cheap tender and they won't be dead. Alot ofbthe basic work you can do on your own It's no different than how you treat your car......if you let it sit for years you will have issues when u want to use it. I run antifreeze through my outboard when I had ir and through my jetskis......even though alot of ppl dont....few gallons or good rv antifreeze is 10 bucks, much cheaper than anything frozen, I always use the better -75 or -100 again cheap insurance compared to elcheapo stuff......even though alot ppl have no issue with basic -50. But I would always be that 1 that 1 that does. Even in my camper and rv I pay up for the better stuff. If your not familiar with boats you can get really really burnt so see if you don't know if someone who does know can come with or get a survey done........I know its not common on smaller boats as much as bigger boats........but if you don't know what to look for, you can get really get taken. Boats are like garages.....you will always need more space than you like you would. And if heading to big water more is your friend. I had a 19fter to fish with years ago and it was great but I was so limited on days I could and be safe, especially fishing alone. But lake erie can go from flat to 6 footer in s blink. I've even had storms roll in so fast and get rough enough it pushed my 30 after around in circles. But do plan on its going to cost some monet each year for maintenance some more than others, but they provided hours of enjoyment, fun, and memories.......but I've been one since in diapers so I won't be without
Go vintage. There are some nice old school aluminum boats out there. I've been using a 1956 Crestliner 14' for 25+ years.
I still have my 1991 16' Aluminum utility boat, rated for 40HP, with a 1996 Johnson 25 hp long shaft tiller motor. Bought the boat new, a Spectrum made by Brunswick marine, I have been thru a couple of galvanized trailers(salt water use only) and first put a 40hp used Evinrude on it and ran it for 4 years, got it for a $100, sold it for $200, and got the new Johnson. Best boat I ever had, small boats are a blast. Mine has a 20" transom and I have been to the Eastern shore, to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel(main spot) more time than I can remember, and off Va Beach nearshore in the ocean. Crabbing, trout in the river to flounder in the Bay. Don't need a big truck to trailer, can launch anywhere because it's lightweight. Great on Gas, never needed more than 6 gal. Use a lawn mower Battery for depth finder and lights if needed. Once you get into larger boats there is just so much more to maintain it takes the fun out of it. Keep it simple....
I like a pontoon boat. I have a Avalon 22' CT RE BOW FISH with a Yamaha outboard. Lot of fun with friends and you have fishing chairs on the front.
1987 16ft Winner bass boat, 115 Yamaha 2 stroke, boat, motor, trailer...60mph.....paid $1500 not running. Cleaned carbs and had running same day I bought it.
We have a 1987 Sea Nymph fish n ski, they are pretty good boats and usually not a lot of money. Good support from an FB community group too. Ours has a 90 HP Evinrude and is used on small lakes here in MN.
14 foot Lund with a 30hp yamaha 3 cylinder 2 stroke. They idle down for trolling and its fast. That's my small boat roomy enough for me, wife and of course the dog... Like the song says Money can't buy you happiness but it can buy you a boat.
