Thoughts on boat choice

[3weight]

Im currently in the market for a used boat in the 15-17' range for crappie fishing in the fall and winter and it will double as my bream fishing boat in the spring and summer.

I currently have a 20' bay boat that I trout fish out of, but its a little much for the small creeks around here, so I want to supplement it with something smaller.

I originally had in mind a welded aluminum lowe or similar utility style boat. With duck season around the corner, these are hard to come by at a good price. Ive had an aluminum jon and it was loud, plus, the decks get HOT in even moderate heat.

Ive been looking for a little more than 60 days now and what I am finding is that there are several reasonably priced, small bassboats with up to 70 and 90 hp motors that seem to stay on the market for a while and they seem to be in really good shape.

I could probably get by with 25hp, so the 70s and 90s would be overkill but would obviously be nice to have.

I know a lot of you guys fish out of bass boats, so give me some feedback on my concerns before I waste a seller's time looking at something I have no business buying.

-Im 6'5, thats a lot of legs to cram under a bass boat console. Anybody here similarly sized?

-Carpet. Ive never had a boat with carpet. Im a clean freak when it comes to my boat. I wash my decks down after each and every use. I cant imagine carpet being easy to clean mud and fish slime off of. And how long does it last? If Im looking at a 10 yr old boat, should I plan on replacing carpet soon?

-Fiberglass vs Aluminum. Seems that I can get a newer tracker or similar aluminum boat for the same price as a fiberglass boat thats several years older. What would be a smarter purchase?

-Resale. What if I get this thing and hate it? Ive never been interested in bass boats so I dont know what the market is like. Are small bass boats in high demand or would I have a hard time selling?

To help you get an idea of what Im looking at, I have a max. $5,000 that Im willing to spend. Less would be better, but Im willing to spend that much for the right boat. I would only buy something in very good condition, no project boats or the like. Im familiar with outboards, so thats not an issue for me.

[Big H trucking]

Where are you located at? City and state

[OutdoorWilly]

if you can find a g3, that is my dream boat and what I'm going to buy when I'm older and have the money. They're not the most expensive on the market, but they're just awesome. Great for duck hunting too.

[shipahoy41]

There are some nice boats in your local estate sales and sometimes on Craig's list, however you have to be sure of whom you are dealing with. The aluminum boats that are welded as well as riiiveted will hold up better that just a riveted one. If you are just a fun weekend crappie fisherman then a 25-40 hp enging and a 40-5- lb thrust trolling motor should serve your needs well. G3 and tracker make some very good boats. I was able to find a unique Crosby Sled boat at a local estate sale. ou just have to start looking and keep an open mind. Your boat will speak to you when you find it. You will know it ...and it will know you.

[3weight]

Where are you located at? City and state

Im in the eastern part of North Carolina.

Plenty of nice boats out there right now, just dont want to get something that Im going to end up not liking and be stuck with it.

[PIGINTHEPIGPEN]

If you decide to go with Glass. You can forget about a 25hp motor working for you.

[crappielimits]

If you are 65 and have trouble getting legs under a cosole, I would reccomend a stick steering boat. You don't ever have to get up fromm the driver seat as it is the front seat where the trolling motor is.. Also you sit down in the boat and not on a raised deck. If you can afford it look at some custom ones. I have seen some nice War Eagles and Lightwirehooker has a nice custom stick steer, I can't remeber the name.

[skeetbum]

I'm 6'2" and 260 so I know about cramped. I had a 1648 stick steer jon with a 25 and it served me well. 20mph was about all it would do so planning ramps closer to your spot is a consideration. carpet in older alum boats is sometimes over wood decks and they don't do well being washed before storage unless they have time to dry first. Rots the floor. Same in older glass boats, as they are glass over wood. I bought a 17'8" bass boat with a 150 for several reasons. The motor gives me range and i don't worry how far things are. The heavier boat reacts slower when riding waves or wakes and is much easier on my bad back, much more so than my old stick boat. Storage is also much better, and was almost nil in the alum boat. As you can imagine , the glass boat is heavier and harder to tow, hull is 950 naked and dry. Carpet isn't as big a deal if your clean minded, a vacuum now and then keeps mine looking good, and it's an '88. Now through tax time is the best time to buy, with the market being oriented to clearing things out and not prime dollar. If you are considering a glass boat, know how to look for rotten wood under fiberglass. Transoms are expensive to replace, and floors aren't that much cheaper. A pocket knife or small ball peen hammer tapped around on the transom will give changing tones, from a dull thud when rotted to a solid smack with compromised layers. putting a lot of weight on the plate above the prop and bouncing will show movement in a soft transom, but not always. The sound tells the tale. Stress cracks on the outside of a transom, metal or glass, will send me away. The 16' glass boats can be skinny sometimes, be sure to sit in the boat and think as if you were fishing. You'll look goofy but what looks good from the ground might not work in reality. Good luck in the search, I looked a 9 the day I bought mine and knew it when I saw it. Ask questions here if you're undecided, and always check compression before buying any used motor. If they balk about a trip to the mechanic, that answers many questions.

[3weight]

I'm 6'2" and 260 so I know about cramped. I had a 1648 stick steer jon with a 25 and it served me well. 20mph was about all it would do so planning ramps closer to your spot is a consideration. carpet in older alum boats is sometimes over wood decks and they don't do well being washed before storage unless they have time to dry first. Rots the floor. Same in older glass boats, as they are glass over wood. I bought a 17'8" bass boat with a 150 for several reasons. The motor gives me range and i don't worry how far things are. The heavier boat reacts slower when riding waves or wakes and is much easier on my bad back, much more so than my old stick boat. Storage is also much better, and was almost nil in the alum boat. As you can imagine , the glass boat is heavier and harder to tow, hull is 950 naked and dry. Carpet isn't as big a deal if your clean minded, a vacuum now and then keeps mine looking good, and it's an '88. Now through tax time is the best time to buy, with the market being oriented to clearing things out and not prime dollar. If you are considering a glass boat, know how to look for rotten wood under fiberglass. Transoms are expensive to replace, and floors aren't that much cheaper. A pocket knife or small ball peen hammer tapped around on the transom will give changing tones, from a dull thud when rotted to a solid smack with compromised layers. putting a lot of weight on the plate above the prop and bouncing will show movement in a soft transom, but not always. The sound tells the tale. Stress cracks on the outside of a transom, metal or glass, will send me away. The 16' glass boats can be skinny sometimes, be sure to sit in the boat and think as if you were fishing. You'll look goofy but what looks good from the ground might not work in reality. Good luck in the search, I looked a 9 the day I bought mine and knew it when I saw it. Ask questions here if you're undecided, and always check compression before buying any used motor. If they balk about a trip to the mechanic, that answers many questions.

excellent advice! Thank you for taking the time to share!

[yankee doodler]

Excellent advice Skeet.