Boat advice

[nomad60]

I'll be (hopefully) buying a boat later this fall and have been doing a ton of reading and research but I thought I'd get some ideas and opinions from you guys, actual boat owners.
First of all, I'm limited in size; my garage is 20' 4" long and the width of each garage door is 9'. So I'll have to stay with one of the smaller boats with a trailer with a swing-away tongue.
Second of all, I'm sort of limited with $$$ since I have a daughter that's going college this fall http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/Smileys/modern/sweatingbullets.gif.
Most of my fishing will be on the Cumberland river and its tributaries around the Clarksville and Dover areas.
So far I've been looking at the Bass Tracker Pro 165 with the 40hp motor, the Alumacraft models (they don't give total package length though), and my wish-I-could-afford-it boat, the Nitro Z6. I was also looking at the Xpress boats but they don't come with a swing-away tongue trailer and their package length even with the 16-foot boats exceeds the length of my garage.
Oh, and I have a Ford Escape with the V6 and 4WD, complete with factory towing package which Ford claims can tow up to 3500 pounds so weight is another consideration...I don't want to go anywhere near that weight limit and since I'll be fishing alone most of the time, the less weight the better, especially when it comes to putting it back on the trailer.

In the areas I'm going to fish, I'm not that worried about rough water (although those passing barges can make it interesting for a few minutes). I don't really have a need to go zooming along at 60mph. I do want some reliability, safety, and more room than I had in the little inflatable that I had back in Korea. I also don't want a boat that's going to feel like it's going to tip every time I walk over to the side to reel in a fish or answer a call of nature http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/Smileys/modern/cheesy.gif. I'd like to get something that's more a bass boat vs a john boat, that's why I was looking at the bass tracker.

Any ideas, comments, suggestions etc are very welcome and appreciated!

[Buccaneer]

Take a look at G3 boats. Great value and Yamaha powered. It appears TAILWATER MARINE & TACKLE is a dealer in Clarksvilleand Anderson Marine is a dealer in Madison off Old Hickory. Look at the Eagle Series - http://www.g3boats.com/Eagle_Series
I bought my first boat from Anderson, a Skeeter aluminum which was actually made by G3. It had a 90 Yamaha which was bullet proof. A fantastic stable fishing platform that I used primarily in Old Hickory and on the Cumberland.

[Buccaneer]

PS - whatever you do get the engine sized to the maximum rated horsepower for the hull. It will make a difference at re-sale or trade.

[sterling21]

I have personally owned a xpress with a yamaha this has been by far the best reliable boat I haved owned it wasnt fast but had plenty of room . I did add a deck extension to it with extra storage. This was a 17'6 with a 85 yamaha engine you can also get this jet drivin so you can go way up in the creeks were no other boat can go. This boat is wide enough to keep two to three guys comfortable without the scare of tipping , and also holds there value for future sale. Hopefully this will help equip this boat with some humminbirds and you are good to go .

[nofish]

I have personally owned a xpress with a yamaha this has been by far the best reliable boat I haved owned it wasnt fast but had plenty of room . I did add a deck extension to it with extra storage. This was a 17'6 with a 85 yamaha engine you can also get this jet drivin so you can go way up in the creeks were no other boat can go. This boat is wide enough to keep two to three guys comfortable without the scare of tipping , and also holds there value for future sale. Hopefully this will help equip this boat with some humminbirds and you are good to go .

I have a 1996 17 1/2ft xpress with a 90hp mercury 2 stroke. For me it's a great boat because it's made out of 100% aluminum and it's all welded which is awesome because I'm real rough on stuff. Mine has bow storage, a rod locker, storage under the seats, and an area in the back for the batteries where you can fit a few miscellaneous items. The livewell is a decent size to. I store mine outside with a boat cover and because it's all aluminum i never have to worry about wood rot. I can fish 2 people comfortably, but in mine 3 is pushing it.

Another added bonus to aluminum is when you go to ramps with no docks and rocky shores beaching the boat isn't as worrysome.

[nofish]

I only say 3 is pushing it because of all of the extra gear not because it makes the boat tippy.

[Travis C.]

Too bad boat prices are way up from what they used to be....:rolleyes: When I bought my 16 1/2 ft Sprint in 1996 fully rigged it was less than 8,000 new.

My old river boat was a 16ft big jon and had a 50hp Merc tiller steer. Bought it hull, then trailer, then drove to MO Bass Pro to buy the motor cheaper. After that we rigged it how we wanted with storage where we wanted.

I ended up selling it because with the two it sat more. Personally, I loved the boat and miss it but also believe money was saved going that route. Plus, we had things in places we wanted.

Like everyone has said so far and what you looked at for the river... aluminum.

[Maxxpro]

I would suggest checking out Lowe Boats. They have a great website that allows you to build your package with whatever you want. Before I bought my boat I almost pulled the trigger on a new Lowe there packages are also better priced than many around and they offer a military discount.

[dannys07]

I HAVE A BUDDY REAL GOOD FRIEND THAT HAS A TRACKER 175TWX BLUE 2007 MODEL WITH A 50 HORSE ON 75 LB MOTOR GUIDE TROLLING MOTOR 24VOLT SYSTEM 2HDS SIDE IMAGING UNITS CUSTOME MADE SEATS BUT THE BEST PART ITS STILL BRAND NEW LESS THAN 20 HOURS ON IT BEEN COVERED UP SITTING IN HIS GARAGE FOR THE LAST YEAR AND ITS PRICED TO SELL IF YOU WANT MORE INFO PM ME AND I GIVE YOU THE NUMBER I HAVE THE RED. TWX 175 and love it he is highly motvaited to sell hats to see him sell it worth checking out would fit in your garage has the breakwater tounge

[MikefromMo]

If you can get into a used Tracker at a good price, that is in good shape, it really is a needle in a haystack. There are very few out there!

Good luck in your search!

[nomad60]

Thanks for all the replies, guys. I'm still in the hunt and am still trying to figure out what the best boat is for what I need, and what I'm willing to pay.

Maxxpro, I did go to the Lowe website but I must have missed it, because I didn't see the option to custom build a boat.

[countryboycansurvive]

You can get a nice used glass boat for what you'll pay for a new aluminum. Personally, I don't see how they sell new boats since they lose about half their value in the first three years. I'm glad someone buys them though. A lot of folks buy boats new and hardly use them, then sell them a few years later at a fraction of the price they paid.

[bd-]

In my opinion you can't go wrong with the bass tracker. They are great little boats for the money.

bd

[agelesssone]

Yes, you can pick up a glass boat for the price of a new aluminum, BUT you will pay more money in fuel to push a glass boat the same speed as a smaller motor will push an aluminum boat. If you don't use the boat much or travel much on the water, it's not an issue. With gas pushing $3.75 a gallon and probably having to put oil into it, thus raising the cost more per gallon, it becomes a factor in your fishing trips.

Buying used probably means a 2 stroke motor, terrible on gas consumption. Buying new you can opt for a 4 stroke motor that will cost less to operate, not smoke, and probably run smoother and get a lot better gas mileage.

Everyone has parameters they have/want to work within. Some people are "green" minded and don't want a 2 strome because of the emissions. Some people have money restrictions. So everyone should use their situations in life to make their decisions.

Some folks fish out of 12 ft jon boats while others fish the same lake in a 23 ft $60,000 bass boat.

Decide what you can afford and what your preferences are, by riding in friends boats to compare which suits you and your application better, aluminum or glass, new or used.

[nomad60]

Again, thanks for all the replies and advice.

The main reason I'm looking to buy a new one is so I won't be buying someone else's problems. There's no telling how well someone else maintained their boat/motor and I'd hate to pay for a used boat only to have the motor conk out on me within 6 months. If I buy new, I'll have a warranty on the boat and motor.

And no worries; if and when I buy one, it'll get wet more than once or twice a year ;)

[Buccaneer]

Do yourself a favor and go here and get familiar with some pricing, who know you may find something - http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boats4sale.htm

[countryboycansurvive]

I'm not knocking aluminum boats, I've owned several. However, I think the benefits of a glass boat outweigh the benefits of aluminum. I have a 200 fuel injected 2 stroke Merc, and yes, at top speed (around 65) it definitely drinks the gas. I only run wide open when the water is glass smooth and I want to have some fun. At a 40 mph cruise it's pretty reasonable on fuel consumption and from my experience probably is more economical on fuel than a 100 hp motor running wide open to attain the same speed. If you know what to look for in a motor, and know how to check compression, then you can buy used pretty confidently. In most cases you can buy a 10 year old boat, re-power it and still save a ton of money over an equivalent new boat. In 2008 I bought a 1997 Astro 2050 F/S for $7500. The boat looks virtually new. Haven't done a thing to the motor, it runs like a champ. A new boat of the same size, features and power costs from $37,000-$42,000. I can buy a heck of a lot of fuel for the price difference.