What is important when buying a crappie boat

[catchafew]

I will be buying a boat for myself very soon. I have a list of options which I want/need, tell me your ideas of options which you have or wish you had.

[CrappieHead]

I will be buying a boat for myself very soon. I have a list of options which I want/need, tell me your ideas of options which you have or wish you had.

I like the lower front casting decks and wide enough for 2 people to sit there.
I think I would look at a 24 volt trolling motor.
Daul Live wells.
Plenty of storage space.
I would not get to smallest motor listed for the boat but go with the nid range to max hp motor listed

[Wiskers]

Well it really depends on where and how you are gonna use your boat. How many people do you plan to have in it max. What kinda other fish'n are you gonna do? How much do you want to spend?

Probably the #1 thing I would want is width! I like a wide boat with lots of room. You can't ever have enough storage room.

I would also go with a 4 stroke if the money's there. You don't have to worry about fouling plugs while you're slow trolling.

Quality fish finders front and back!

Don't skimp on the trolling motor. Try to get a variable speed if possible, with more thrust than you think you'll ever need!

Quality batteries are a must!

[gabowman]

PLENTY OF ROOM!! I dont know if you're interested in fishing at night or not but if so you'll want plenty of room for 2 or 3 or more to fish and you'll be carrying alot of accessories. Right now I wished my 16' Skiff was a 19 footer. :rolleyes:

[tarheel]

I am in the processing of turning in my 18 1/2 foot deep V because it just doesn't have enough room for night fishing or carrying more than 2 people while fishing.

Crappie fishing is a social event for me as well so I am switching to a comfortable spacious pontoon boat that is on order.

Seconds on the motor advice. Don't skimp and save a couple bucks, its not worth it over the long haul. If you are going to fish cooler weather go for the 4 stroke. I have a mercury 150 HP 2 stroke on my deep V and it is a royal pain in the A&*& to get started if it is 60 degrees or less outside. The 4 stroke also runs a whole lot quieter (better gas mileage doesn't hurt either).

[Mrs. Crappie Stalker]

Go for width, for sure! Unless you fish by yourself all of the time, you want to be able to fish side by side up front. It really bites to be at opposite ends of the boat when you're zeroing in on specific spots. 24V trolling motor with var. speed and an onboard charger is great too. Hope you find what you want!

[Mo'nBack]

1) ROOM--I've got alot of room in the bottom of my boat between the front and back decks. Besides hauling a bunch of STUFF, it's also a playground for the kids when they get tired of fishing (the carpet's quiet too!).
2) Livewells--I think you need 2 unless you can reach one from front and back, like in a stick steering boat.
3) Motor--Get the biggest quality motor you can afford on your boat.
4) Quailty--Look for quality in the boat. You can get alot of boats out there-cheap, but look it over real good and make sure it's not cheap made. If it is, then you will spend more time fixing little things than you do catching BIG things.

Had to edit cause I guess I had a brain fart. #'s 5-100) STORAGE!!!!!

[JIGJERKER]

Lets Hear It For The Room And Storage Space ,there Is Never Too Much.the Ideal Setup Is Two Boats,one For Just Yourself And Another Person.the Other A Pontoon Boat That Will Carry A Number Of People And Is Great For The Night Stalking.bought A Older Pontoon With No Furniture On The Deck Am Now Building Deck With Fewer Seats, Chairs To Sit In And Storage,storage,storage Boxes.

[Slabberknocka]

To add my .02

I have a 22ft G3 pontoon with a 115hp 4stroke. Good trolling boat,awesome night fishing boat. I troll 2 people from the back of the boat u can comfortably run 14 rods out the back. Thats covering some serious water area, 2-16's , 2-14's , 2-11's , 2-8's , and 6-6' rods. Pleanty of room and shade.

Problems with the pontoon troller....
Travel, pulling this thing from lake to lake is a major hassel.Thats one problem, I usually leave up at the lake and then Im not far from several lakes compared to the house.

WIND, wind and a pontoon dont go together at all. Can ruin your day and tight coves forget it.

Thinking seriously about buying me a boat just for trolling and keeping the pontoon for the family and for night fishing. It's great as long as the wind isnt terrible, have caught several good messes off the pontoon, even grilled steaks a few times when we had a few extra on board...lol

GOOD FISHING TO YA!

[crappie fisher]

You have been givin alot of good info all I can do is agree with everyones post.You hav got to find a boat that is comfortable and plenty of storage.I am like a few of the others I want 2 boats I have a 14 foot alum boat now I want a pontoon or center consol for night fishing.Good luck with what every you get.