Tin shopping- Input/suggestions appreciated

[roper]

I'm about to be selling my 18' glass boat and save up for a new one but I won't go without a boat for the meantime.
So here I am, hopefully I'll be able to pick some stuff up from the members here and maybe even contribute a little back.

The plan is to pick up a small jon, rig it up to best suit my needs without spending loads of money and fish it like crazy until I have enough set back to get the boat I really want. After that, I'll either keep it for small lakes or give it to one of my brothers.
A few questions and I appreciate all the input, suggestions, advice or anything you can throw my way as this is a whole new world I'm looking at and have almost no knowledge of.
I will bass fish everything from hp restricted community lakes to Lake Fork, Tx. I am not concerned with speed or dealing with rough water/bad weather. I'd like to have the option to scoot across the lake if I want to though. But mainly, I want something stable that'll carry me and my gear to different creeks/coves and wherever I want to be fishing.
I weigh 160, I will mostly fish solo but need to be able to carry a partner of 200+lbs with me. I carry 5-10 rod/reels, 8 plano boxes of hard baits/terminal tackle and two small Rubbermaid boxes of soft plastics. I'll also have a 20-40qt cooler with me.
On the boat, I'll have two fish finders, a shallow water anchor system, a livewell, a good trolling motor, two batteries and all the boating necessities.
Boat/Motor
1. what length boat?
2. what beam width?
3. what size hp? and what kind of mpg should I expect?
4. Would a 9.9hp be enough?

What are some additions or upgrades or equipment that you would not want to go without? what are your "must haves"?
Anything you wish you could do differently?
Do's/don'ts?

If I buy used, is there anything other than the obvious I should look out for?

Any other
brand/type or whatever suggestions, send 'em on my way!

Thanks!

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

If you want to bring the whole fishing department from Walmart with you, the bigger the better.
I solo bass fish a lot and have found that a 14 ft boat 48" wide or better fishes quite well. Mine had a flat floor with a raised deck up front, a 25hp and a hand controlled trolling motor with one good battery. I also went with 2-3 rods and got a smaller all purpose tackle box that I changed inventory out as seasons and species and lakes demanded. Unless you're fishing tournaments, a livewell is extraneous. Any fish I intend to eat go on ice.
As for mileage, my rule of thumb is, one hour at full throttle per ten hp. For example a 9.9 will roughly run 6 hours wide open on a 6 gallon tank. A 20hp gets you 3.
20-25 hp will give you roughly 25-30 mph depending on weight of your rig. I rarely fish an hour from the boat launch at full throttle.
Must haves for me is a solid hull, dependable motor (don't be afraid of age mine is a 1983 and runs mint). And a comfy seat.
Good luck with your boat quest!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LDUBS]

Hi Roper. I have to ask. Why not just keep the existing boat until you have saved up enough for the new one?

 

[roper]

Thanks for that info Weldor!

Ldubs, it's a long story but the boat recently had a lot of work done to it and for the most part looks and acts brand new. Super clean shape and the motor runs like a beast. The thing is, the motor on it has an awful reputation and a lot of people are really skeptical of it. So while it's running great and lookin' even better, I'm going to take advantage of it and let it go as much as I hate to. The fair market price of it is where I can almost break even on it if I sell it privately (which is RARE when we're talking about a known money-pit of a depreciating asset), so I'm going to go this route instead of re-powering it. So if anyone is looking for dang good 18' Ranger Comanche, holler at me.

 

[Stumpalump]

Ranger makes very nice tin bass boats. Could you kill two birds with one stone? Most of us would not even look at a Ranger glass boat. I had a 16' tiller V all the years I owned a 20' glass boat until I saw the lite. I split the difference in an 18' tin. If your still wanting a smaller boat then go look at Alumicraft or Lowe 16' vee hulls at Cabellas or Bass pro shops for an idea of what works well. One of those with a 25hp would compliment a lager plastic boat really nice. Flat or V, new or old. Those boats do everthing well. Lite and nimble but big enough for people and gear. You will lean to laugh at those Brodozers pulling overpowered plasic and vinyl bass bling. Sorry but "bass tards"crack me up.

 

[LDUBS]

" Brodozers", "overpowered plastic", "vinyl bass bling". :LOL2:

Roper, sounds like you have a good plan. I can't really offer specifics other than the obvious "bigger & wider" as you can make it.

 

[roper]

Stumpalump, there are several places that make some really nice tins with Ranger being at the top IMO. That was the route I was planning on taking actually, but the more I looked into it and the more I think about it the less I want to purchase one. In my opinion the value just isn't there with the two I looked at (RT188 & RT198P). There's obvious pros/cons to each style and definitely an obvious gap in what you get when you buy either.. but the price gap has closed up so much, the fisherman on a budget are being kind of pushed out with the outrageous price tags that come on a new boat. But... this isn't the forum for that and isn't the purpose of my thread. Different strokes.

Ldubs, that's the plan. I'm going to try to keep it in the 14'-16' range and find the widest one I can. We'll see.

 

[el_cheapo]

I'm about to be selling my 18' glass boat and save up for a new one but I won't go without a boat for the meantime.
So here I am, hopefully I'll be able to pick some stuff up from the members here and maybe even contribute a little back.

The plan is to pick up a small jon, rig it up to best suit my needs without spending loads of money and fish it like crazy until I have enough set back to get the boat I really want. After that, I'll either keep it for small lakes or give it to one of my brothers.
A few questions and I appreciate all the input, suggestions, advice or anything you can throw my way as this is a whole new world I'm looking at and have almost no knowledge of.
I will bass fish everything from hp restricted community lakes to Lake Fork, Tx. I am not concerned with speed or dealing with rough water/bad weather. I'd like to have the option to scoot across the lake if I want to though. But mainly, I want something stable that'll carry me and my gear to different creeks/coves and wherever I want to be fishing.
I weigh 160, I will mostly fish solo but need to be able to carry a partner of 200+lbs with me. I carry 5-10 rod/reels, 8 plano boxes of hard baits/terminal tackle and two small Rubbermaid boxes of soft plastics. I'll also have a 20-40qt cooler with me.
On the boat, I'll have two fish finders, a shallow water anchor system, a livewell, a good trolling motor, two batteries and all the boating necessities.
Boat/Motor
1. what length boat?
2. what beam width?
3. what size hp? and what kind of mpg should I expect?
4. Would a 9.9hp be enough?

What are some additions or upgrades or equipment that you would not want to go without? what are your "must haves"?
Anything you wish you could do differently?
Do's/don'ts?

If I buy used, is there anything other than the obvious I should look out for?

Any other
brand/type or whatever suggestions, send 'em on my way!

Thanks!

I can't tell you about every boat/what would be perfect for you, but I have a very fishable multispecies tin boat I'm happy with for the most part. (going to get a bigger deep V for big water one day)


1.I have a 14' semi V tinny, 60 inches wide at the rails. I've bass fished 3 people out of it fine, 2 people is more comfortable. It has added weight in the form of a casting deck on the front. A semi V will cut chop and deal with weather a bit better than a flat bottom, sounds like you are not concerned about this, I wasnt either until I got in a small boat. A semi V that flattens out quite a bit at the back is also pretty stable, I can have 2, 200 pound guys stand at the very edge and not dip in the water. useful for pulling in a huge catfish.

3. I have a 9.9, it's good if it's just me and my gear in the boat, I can plane out and go upper teens, but with 2 people I can't plane and I plow water at 12 mph or below, 3 people its probably more like 8 mph, going up river it only deteriorates more. I'm looking to upgrade to an 18-25 but you said you mostly fish by yourself in lakes so I think a 9.9 would be great for you. A gallon per hour is about right at wide open throttle on a 9.9, You won't actually lose that much "MPG" with a bigger motor because even though a 25 horse would burn around 2.5 gallons per hour, you'll be going a whole lot faster.

Organization/storage is going to be critical for you in a smaller tinny, I would not be without a foot controlled bow trolling motor, I have a livewell/baitwell made of a 12v airator and a cooler with a hole drilled in the lid, works great for my purposes. Bass fishing I don't see that you need a livewell but that's up to you. Do you need 2 batteries? I just have one on the front of the boat that runs the lights, TM, and live well, weights going to add up fast in a small boat I would see how you do with 1. I would see if you can cut down on tackle as well, I seem to catch most of the fish on a few favorites anyway. I make do with 1 fish finder/gps combo, I made due without one just fine for a long time anyway. 10 rods? I can't see how the boat wouldn't be a mess. I carry 6 at the most and that's with 3 guys on the boat. By myself I carry maybe 2 or 3.

I would say the most important thing is finding a nice solid hull, no leaks or popped rivets. Put it in the water for a few hours if you can on a test run.

 

[JL8Jeff]

If you're trying to keep it 16' of less, my first thought would be a Sea Ark 1660 mod v. I have a Lowe 1652 and with the amount of gear you're talking about, I think it would be too small. It really sounds like you would need something like an 1872 for all the gear and keep the stability of the boat. G3 has the 1656 which would be a close 2nd, then Lowe has the 1652 and I think G3 does as well. But the wider the boat you get, you'll probably need more power to move it adequately. Are you looking to run a jet or prop motor?

 

[Stumpalump]

Guessing your local Craigslist is Dallas I searched all Boats then typed aluminum. Besides the usual crop of folks wanting to dump boats with old Mercury hanging on them there was not much. What craigslist do you use? I like 16' because you can run all the same creeks and pull it over logs as you can in a 14. They just don't feel much bigger in in the skinny water but feel huge once you throw a kid, cooler and dog on board. Just sayin but don't pass on either. In fact the one boat I did like on Craig's was a 14' with a 9.9. Great engine that will push a 14. Buy a Harbor freight compression tester for any used engine and ask about titles before you look.
https://dallas.craigslist.org/sdf/boa/6121553708.html
A 14 will have you barking to have the kids sit down more often. You will be constantly sliding coolers and gas tanks to balance weight compaired to a 16. Good can be said for a 14 as well. Cost and smaller and lighter motor that you can take off and toss in the shed real easy.