Howdy from MS Gulf Coast

[Rick_W]

I've spent the last couple weeks scanning through the last 90 pages of posts to learn how the forum operates and see what kinds of questions have been asked. You don't know what you don't know.

My wife and I are considering buying our first boat. All we really know is that we want it to be all welded aluminum with a modified-V bow and a console. Both of us have bad shoulders so we're looking to go with a console now instead of having to upgrade in the future. While we've never owned a boat, I have experience piloting Navy RHIBS as well as some friends pleasure boats (pontoons and tiller Jons).

Our primary uses will be going to a camp up the Pascagoula River (not extremely shallow but there is usually lots of debris floating down-stream as well as submerged stumps/logs that are not always visible or in the same place) to hunt, fishing in the lakes, bayous, bays and near-shore and crabbing. The camp does not have a pier so we will have to beach the boat on a river bank (mud) with some flush-cut stumps in the area.

We're looking for a boat in the 17-18 ft length. We'll need the ability to carry things up to the camp for weekend stays and possibly carry meat back out (I'm told there's lots of hogs), The wife wants to get a recreational crab license - 4-6 crab pots and coolers looks like they will start eating up deck space fairly quick. We may have a third or even fourth adult onboard travelling to the camp occasionally.

I've looked for used but very, very little in the 17-18 ft range. And I really don't want to pick up a problem someone is trying to get rid of.

I've had no luck finding a new 17 ft boat in my immediate area. I've looked at a Lowe Roughneck 1860 SC with a Mercury 90 and today we looked at an Alumacraft MV 1860 AW CC with a Yamaha F90LA. The Alumacraft is a little less than the the Lowe. It's a little bigger than we wanted and costs a little more than we wanted to spend, but... Buy once, cry once.

Does anyone have any idea how much they draft?

My only other concern is will the trailer fit through my gate into the backyard of the house we're renting. The gate/opening is just over 100 inches.

 

[Keystone]

Welcome to TinBoats.net Rick! Always good to see another Vet on the board!

Any G3 Dealers in your area? They make several boats along the line you are looking for.

They have several Jon's that come in under the 100" package width.

https://www.g3boats.com/gator_tough_1966_sc_-_1966_cc_-_aluminum_fishing_jon_boats

 

[hankthecrank]

G3 > I agree!

 

[Rick_W]

Thanks for the welcome.

Went and looked at a G3 1756 CC and a 1860 CC after work today. Did not leave the dealer with a desire to buy a G3. The boats looked OK. The young man, admittedly not a salesman, didn't seem very knowledgeable. Unfortunately for us, he seemed to be the only person there. He did stand there and talk to us for a half-hour about his three G3's and what they do with them.

Seeing an 1860 side-by-side with the 1756 was nice. We "think" the 1756 will be big enough. We "KNOW" the 1860 will be.

He spoke very highly of G3's warranty.

I don't personally know anyone with an Alumacraft.

I have one co-worker with a Triton and he has nothing but good to say about it. I just don't like the higher price, though the fit & finish is much nicer.

Searching the web I can find pretty much the same things said (good and bad) for all the manufacturers I'm looking at concerning warranty, durability and value.

 

[bonz_d]

Hello Rick and another welcome aboard!

Up here is Wisconsin we see a lot of Alumacrafts along with a lot of Trackers. The Alumacraft are quality boats, I have one that is 27 years old and still solid as a rock. My younger brother, an old Coasty, has also been looking at the G3 for hauling crab pots for Blue Crabs and fishing for Rocks.

My experience tells me that there is no such thing as a "perfect" boat, there always seams to be a trade off somewhere. I do have faith that will a little searching you will find one that fits you and your needs! Good luck and let us know what you finally find.

 

[Rick_W]

Thank you.

Headed to Mobile, AL very shortly to see what they have in stock from Lowe, Sea Ark & Xpress.

 

[Rick_W]

Looked at a few boats today.

The Sea Arks were very nice, but I knew going in they were a little out of my price range.

The Lowe's also looked nice. Personally, I couldn't tell any aesthetic differences between the Lowe's I looked at today and the G3's I looked at yesterday. Both looked to have a slightly better fit & finish than the Alumacraft's from the day prior.

I was quite smitten by an Xpress Xplorer XP18CC, though.

It wasn't camouflage! It wasn't even green. The deck was called Gulf Sand.

Outfitted with a Yamaha F70 with stainless prop, it also comes equipped with an inexpensive Humminbird PiranhaMax 153 and a Minn Kota RipTide 46 Trolling Motor.

Would only need to invest in safety equipment and an anchor.

Will take the better half over Saturday morning to take a look and make a final decision.

 

[hankthecrank]

Rick, G3"s are a Yamaha owned company and built on an agreement with Lowes. Thats why they look so much like a Lowe. Yamaha wanted a boat company so they could offer a complete package. G3 boat , Yamaha controls and motor. I have a 1648 jon boat, welded hull with a live well in the middle bench and there is nothing I don"t like about this boat. Tough as nails, easy to keep clean and plenty of room. If I had to change anything, I would change the boat to a v-hull instead of a flat bottom. But I"ll manage, she just won"t take the rough water as well. Hank PS, I bought the welded hull at the dealer 2 model years out for the same price as a new riveted.

 

[Lowe 2070 CC]

I've been very pleased with the quality of my Lowe.

In regard to size, my 2070 is 96" at the beam and with roller guides my trailer is over 100".

Lay out all the things you normally carry to camp. Coolers, gas, gear etc, then see if you have room to maneuver in the boat with the gear. My dad and I could fill a 1756 pretty quick with just a weekends worth of gear.

 

[Rick_W]

I've been very pleased with the quality of my Lowe.

In regard to size, my 2070 is 96" at the beam and with roller guides my trailer is over 100".

Lay out all the things you normally carry to camp. Coolers, gas, gear etc, then see if you have room to maneuver in the boat with the gear. My dad and I could fill a 1756 pretty quick with just a weekends worth of gear.

Thanks. That would definitely be too wide to fit in my backyard.

We're going back to look at the above mentioned Xpress Saturday. The beam on it is 86", which is pretty close to the overall trailer width.

We'd rather buy used in order to save some money but we also would rather not inheret someone else's problem. We're also not real fond of continuing to borrow a boat to get to the camp.

What part of MS are you in if you dont mind? I was born and raised in Natchez. Joined the Navy after high school and just recently retired to the Pascagoula area. Still have lots of family in Natchez and try to make it home at least once a month to visit.

 

[Lowe 2070 CC]

Vicksburg area (Eagle Lake). I spend most of my time on the river.

 

[Rick_W]

Well, I put $500 deposit down on the Xpress Xplorer XP18CC with Yamaha 70.

If all goes according to plan, I'll take a test ride Monday morning and tow it home soon after.

 

[richg99]

Great day when you buy a boat. I've done it many times over the years.

Keep us posted.

richg99

p.s. don't be surprised if you wake up with a bit of "buyer's remorse". It is common and normal. In fact, if you didn't have any at all, I'd be surprised. RG

 

[Attwanl]

Welcome
Cool thing about getting a boat , new or old is making yours. Change this, paint that, add this and that.
It's really the fun part, besides going out in it.

 

[bonz_d]

Rick post up some pictures when you get it home!

 

[Fishfreek]

That will be an awesome boat can't wait to see the pics.

 

[Ebug]

Thought I would add my experiences with a boat of similar size just for information.

I have a Tracker/Grizzly 1754SC. SC means side console. I ended up buying this boat in a hurry because I had a vacation planned that required I have a boat. Big mistake. Always take your time with this decision.

I wish I had gone with the larger 18' or even 20'. Turns out the 1754 is great for my family right now with two boys that are 6 and 9 but there will not be enough room when they are older which will require I buy a new larger boat at a later date. Good thing is the wife is on board for that one.

My boat came with a 60HP Mercury EFI. After 3 years of use I wish I had went with the 75HP max for the hull.

The original use was fresh water lakes. After a year of that I found myself wanting to fish salt water. It performs well in that arena but I find myself needing to get into the "flats" to chase Redfish. Now I wish I had gone with a tunnel hull and a jack plate.

Edit:
I also have found that the side console is not to my liking. The Tracker version comes with a large integrate live well, which is nice, but it is huge and takes up space. All of that hardware being on the right side of the boat means I cannot fish a portion of that side of the boat. Where it hurts me is when I want to put rods in holders and there are none on that side of the boat. Also the low sitting position means I cannot see much in front of the boat like floating logs and debris.

Good thing is I am currently converting the boat over to Center Console and adding a Jack Plate. While I will not be able to go as shallow as a tunnel hull I can still reach plenty of fish.

I guess what I am trying to convey is to make sure to think about your growth plan.

I wish you much luck with your purchase. You will love whatever you decide on.

Rob