And check out Sea Eagle for some inflateable options.
And check out Sea Eagle for some inflateable options.
I'm surprised at the lack of support for the bass raider. Literally everything I've read about them for the past week has been positive.
I'm just not comfortable with the kayak or inflatable options.
I've only ever seen two of them in my life. Both looked like they were ready to sink (dents), and useless in any kind of waves.
But I only saw them beached. I guess I just figured that if they were that good I'd see more of them.
What about a flat back canoe or gheenoe with trolling motor.
Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote: I'm surprised at the lack of support for the bass raider. Literally everything I've read about them for the past week has been positive. I'm just not comfortable with the kayak or inflatable options.
Not all Kayaks are the same. The cheap plastic sit ons are junk, but if you look through CLC's site, you can see they sell the kits to everything from a surf kayak, through traditional Greenland boats, up to kayaks you can literally stand up in because they are so stable.
I've never looked too closely at the bass raiders because the wright limit is low for 2 big guys.
Brian wrote: I've never looked too closely at the bass raiders because the wright limit is low for 2 big guys.
Maximum weight capacity for a 14' alumicraft Jon boat is 625. For the bass raider is 600. Not much difference there.
It's not the ABS plastic bass buggies that you're probably thinking of. I've heard of them warping a little in the heat but like I said the overwhelming consensus is they are good boats.
I think it's between the Jon boat and the bass buggie now.
I had a kayak. Never again. I understand that some people like them but I don't. Zero space. Your entire lower body is stuck in a tube. Drop your pliers? Buh bye. Accidentally hook your line on the tail of the boat during a cast? Paddle to the shore and get out to unhook it.
Motion and space. Find something that will fit your small size needs but lets you physically move. Something like the Raider is a nice option. Light and small but lets you move. Find something like that and then.... (option C)
Maybe a hitch carrier of some sort for it? One of these things modified with some uprights? Stick the transom on the carrier, drop some uprights in a hole and strap it on?
I'm in favor of the canoe. I've been thinking of getting one myself, and I don't even fish, unless you count going after shrimp with a dip net. You can transport one that's big enough for a family of four on top a small car, and they're pretty stable even if hit with a powerboat wake. They don't sink if flipped over, either; I can remember a couple times growing up where the family canoeing trip included flipping the canoe upside down and sticking our heads in the upside down canoe for fun.
curtis73 wrote: I had a kayak. Never again. I understand that some people like them but I don't. Zero space. Your entire lower body is stuck in a tube. Drop your pliers? Buh bye. Accidentally hook your line on the tail of the boat during a cast? Paddle to the shore and get out to unhook it.
It depends on the Kayak. As I said, if you have the inclination to build one, look at CLCs Website. Their Mill Creek 16.5 is open, stable, and very pretty
mad_machine wrote:curtis73 wrote: I had a kayak. Never again. I understand that some people like them but I don't. Zero space. Your entire lower body is stuck in a tube. Drop your pliers? Buh bye. Accidentally hook your line on the tail of the boat during a cast? Paddle to the shore and get out to unhook it.It depends on the Kayak. As I said, if you have the inclination to build one, look at CLCs Website. Their Mill Creek 16.5 is open, stable, and very pretty
I would love to build a boat or two. Just because I love building things. Go paddling up and down the shoreline in the evening sure. I can not see myself fishing out of that thing.
Edit - sorry, looks like I responded to a canoe...
You might want to look at a Porta-Bote. They fold flat, so can be hung on a wall for storage, hauled to the lake on a roof rack, and can handle a small outboard once you get there.
Do I own one? Nope. But I have talked to several RVers who had them strapped to the side of their rigs and all have said they were great. Have also seen a couple in action and they look to handle like a normal boat.
Perhaps a canoe with outriggers would work https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/79727855875809369/
This is my preferred combination for fishing. Tow it behind anything. Stable enough to be on a lake and not have to die because of someone's wake.
NOHOME said:This is my preferred combination for fishing. Tow it behind anything. Stable enough to be on a lake and not have to die because of someone's wake.
The official boat of the Upper Midwest and Canada! Comes in various colors including Crestliner, Lund, Mirrocraft, Sears, Alumacraft, Lowe, G3, and various flavors including Yamaha, Mercury, Johnson, Evinrude, Honda, Chrysler, Force, and Nissan.
We've had a few. I recommend getting one with a floor.
Old thread.. I know.. but I didn't see the Hobie Adventure/Tandom Island mentioned... Or any of the purpose built Hobie Kayaks with the Mirage drive.
They are AWESOME perfectly silent fishing machines. Most if not all of the complaints against regular kayaks don't apply.
They assemble and disassemble VERY quickly. The downside is they are heavier than a typical kayak, and cost more.
One of the best weeks of my life was spent fishing from mine on a remote Canadian Lake.
In reply to mtn :
I want one.. soon.. I hope..
NOHOME said:This is my preferred combination for fishing. Tow it behind anything. Stable enough to be on a lake and not have to die because of someone's wake.
Before my dad got really really sick, we did a lot of fishing charters. One trip, we went out of Toronto onto Lake Erie. In one of those. It wasn't bad until we got about a half mile out, then it made for one of the longest days of our lives.
Still though, for smaller water, I agree 100%.
Fueled by Caffeine said:In reply to mtn :
I want one.. soon.. I hope..
Personally, having owned/been responsible for 3 of them (Lund, Lowe, MirroCraft), I like the Lunds the best, but most of that is irrational brand snobbery unless you're going to be going out on Mille Lacs or Superior. I'd recommend a floor above all else, then a recent Yamaha - nothing wrong with the Mercs/others, but if it is an older Merc or OMC you'll run into parts availability issues. That was what made us get a used Yamaha on our Lund Alaskan - we couldn't find some part to rebuild the '82 Merc that had been on it. Pretty much what you'll be buying is a Trailer and an Engine.
In reply to RevRico :
One trip, we went out of Toronto onto Lake Erie. In one of those. It wasn't bad until we got about a half mile out, then it made for one of the longest days of our lives.
I guess it would be! Cause if you leave Toronto and end up boating over to lake Erie, you had to boat up this damn thing!
The great lakes can be scary in a small boat especially Erie cause it is shallow and goes from calm to rough in minutes. I will be like 5 miles out, fishing for walleye on a calm day and someone will be out there in a tin can boat like I posted.Not me.
Pete
In reply to Nick (Bo) Comstock :
Move to a lake.
I promise you after a bit of overindulgence at first fishing loses.
Other than a brief session teaching my daughters to fish I haven't been fishing in more than 6 decades.
My wife who bragged about her fishing skills to me hasn't wet a worm since she moved in with me.
I never see neighbors fish. In fact a professional fisherman who was very successful and built a multi million dollar home just up the street from me finished the house and then sold it at a really steep loss. ( millions) While some say his wife's refusal to leave her old neighborhood may have played a part. I haven't been able to confirm that.
The last five years of kayak development are comparable to aircraft going from biplanes to Sabre jets.
I have a Hobie Pro Angler 12. It's super stable, has tons of room and the Mirage drive enables it to move at a good rate. It is NOT a cheap solution, and it is not light, but it's perfect for big water, intercoastal and near shore fishing.
If I'm on a local lake or one of the rivers around here, I'm probably in my solo canoe (Old Town Guide/Discovery 119 with a custom seat). In fact, if I was never going in the ocean or on really big lakes, I'd probably stick with the Discovery 119. They're the Miata of fresh water fishing, and the level of customization you can do with one is impressive. Plus, it's light enough that you don't need a ton of strength to be able to carry it a fairly long way, and getting it on top of a car or SUV to haul it around is way easier than the Hobie.
My wife and I had a 14' jon boat that we fished out of on local lakes and reservoirs. A 55-lb thrust transom-mount electric trolling motor would push it around just fine. Quite stable. Not too easy for her and me to put it into the bed of my truck and launch it, but do-able. A trailer would have been nice. Sold it 10 years later for about what we had in it.
Now I've got the 90 HP outboard on the 15' Ouachita bass boat, which fishes very nicely. Also have the canoe, which we've fished out of also. I've thought about putting a trolling motor on it, but that requires registration in VA,
My vote for cheap and easy is the canoe, as you can fish out of it and if you get tired of fishing, you can explore in a craft that is people-powered and light, maneuverable, and fun.
1988RedT2 said:My vote for cheap and easy is the canoe, as you can fish out of it and if you get tired of fishing, you can explore in a craft that is people-powered and light, maneuverable, and fun.
I am a fan of canoes, but if I was using it more than a time or two a summer I'd be looking hard at finding a Kevlar one - probably buying used from an outfitter. Also, get one as wide as you can find. Your knees will thank you.
I've owned this since about 1974. I registered it back in the 80s when I moved home for college, but only rigged with a trolling motor a couple of years ago.
After that, I took it out once on a local lake for sort of a sea trial. It worked really well, and I had plans to start fishing for redfish and seatrout in the Indian River/Mosquito lagoon.
I bought a depthfinder, mapping GPS, and a johnboat trailer so I wouldn't have to carry it in the back of my truck. I also got a deal on a 2.5 horse four stroke outboard.
Two things happened.
First, the day before my first trip to the lagoon, I quite suddenly became responsible for my elderly dad with dementia and (thanks to my brother) no home or assets. That tied up a lot of my time and money for a couple of years.
Second, I got more active on the GRM website, and decided that, at age 62, I wanted my first fun car before it wasn't ever going to happen.
So, this happened.
And then, another lifetime goal, and started autocross. The orange car wasn't competitive, so this was next. Canoe hasn't been out for 2 years but I'm really having fun. I'll get back to it eventually.
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