With so many good fishing boats on the market today, a fisherman looking for a new boat can find the experience frustrating to say the least. Just trying to de- cide which boat best fits your needs is a real headache in itself not to mention the way some sales people attack prospective buyers and overwelm them with meaningless facts and trivia.
Boat shows are a great place to get a sampling of what’s available on the market but when you arrive at a boat show, you should already have a fair idea of what you’re looking for in a boat. If you’re a first time buyer, talk to as many fellow fishermen as you can to find out what they like and dislike about their boats. Make a checklist of the features that are most important to you and those that are least important. First and foremost, maintain a good perspective of where and how you intend to use your boat. You don’t need a 20’ Deep V if you’re only using the boat on inland lakes, nor do you need a 16’ shallow draft boat if you fish on the big water.
When you arrive at the boat show, take a little time to walk down the isles and look over the different displays from afar. A dealer with a tiny display area has probably got a very small sales facility and why is this important ? Put simply, you may get the lowest price from a small dealer but what do you think that same dealer can do for you when you have service problems. Don’t fall for the line that you’ll never need service. Boats are no different than automobiles--they all have some kind of problem at one time or another. That’s why manufacturers warranties exist. The important thing to keep in mind is how well can your dealer address your needs. Pay close attention to how potential buyers are approached by salespeople. If you hear something like “This is the best deal in the show” or “we have the lowest prices you can find”, find another display to look through. If all a dealer has to offer is a cheap price, you probably can’t afford the headaches you’ll experience later. In reality, price is important but it should be one of your final determinents and not your first. A fair price is quite differant than a cheap price.
Avoid dealers who place too much emphasis on the experience and not provide you with specific reasons why a particular boat is right for you. When you find a dealer who’ll take the time to understand your needs and explain why a particular boat satisfies those needs, chances are that you’ve found a dealer who’ll be there to listen when you need help and solve your problems quickly.
Take some time to read a companion article entitled Five Things Your Salesperson Won't Tell You for some additional insight into the buying process.
The first decision to make when looking for a new fishing boat is whether to purchase a fiber- glass or aluminum boat. If speed is high on your priority list and money is no object, knock yourself out and buy a fiberglass boat. Besides, most fiberglass boats look nicer than aluminum boats. There are tradeoffs however.
Fiberglass boats can weigh from 400 to 500 pounds more than an aluminum counterpart and interior depth tends to run shallower than Deep V aluminum boats. Secondly, most fiberglass fishing boats cannot serve as both a fishing and family machine. Fiberglass boats are great for tournament fishermen but in my book, its hard to beat a well built aluminum boat. Once you’ve decided whether to purchase an aluminum or a fiberglass boat, its time to analyze where you’ll be using the boat. Smaller, shallower draft boats work well in smaller inland lakes but if you plan on spending a lot of time on big inland lakes or near-shore areas of the great lakes, its best to go with a 17 to 18 foot Deep V. If you’re planning on fishing the big waters like Lake Erie or Saginaw Bay a lot, 18 to 19 feet is even better. Most first time buyers make the mistake of trying to “force-fit” themselves into too small a boat. Remember, if you’re going to make a mistake, its better to err on the larger size. Once you’ve purchased the boat and find that its too small, its too late. Boats are much like automobiles in that you take the biggest depre- ciation his during the first year or two so buying too small a boat can prove to be a costly mis- take.
After you’ve determined a size range that will satisfy your needs, determine which config- uration will work best for you. If your new boat will only be used for fishing, a single-side console may be fine but if you purchase a dual console, your fishing buddies will be a lot more comfortable and you’ll be happier as well.
Many fishermen overlook the viability of a full, walk thru winshield but get out in cold wind and rain during late March and April and you’ll wish you had a full windshield. You loose a little bit of space with a walk-thru windshield but what you gain in terms of dryness and comfort is a pretty fair trade off. Secondly, if your new boat is to double as a family boat, a walk-thru windshield is an absolute necessity. Add to this the fact that a walk-thru allows you to have a stand-up top and side curtains and you’ll find that your family/fishing enjoyment has been lengthened by a full month or more at the beginning and end of the season.
There is a long running feude between the manufacturers of rivited and welded fishing boats but the simple fact is that both, when constructed properly, are good boats capable of providing years of trouble free use. It really boils down to a matter of personal preference although welded hull boats look a little nicer and run a little faster. Try not to dwell on welded versus rivited hulls to much and pay more attention to how the boat is put together. Again, if a particular boat is the cheapest boat on the market, something had to be sacrificed. Have your salesman explain what kind of frame structure is used and how its put together and you’ll be money ahead. Don’t fall for buzz words and gimics but understand what’s really important in hull construction.
One company that manufactures a fine fishing machine does an excellant job of marketing their “double hull” as a superior feature when the fact is that they had to go to a double hull because the frame structure didn’t provide enough support in the bow of the boat.
The single, biggest mistake you can make as a boat buyer is to underpower your fishing machine. Its all too common to assume that you don’t need as much horsepower as what a particular boat is packaged with. In some respects, boats like people, have certain things that they “like and dislike”. A given boat will always (LIKE) perform best with a particular engine size. Drop to a lesser horsepower outboard and performance decreases dramically. Increase horsepower and the benefits are negligible not to mention that cost increases greatly.
Generally speaking, most manufacturers package their boats with an outboard that will perform satisfactorily within a fairly wide range of conditions. You may feel that you don’t need all that speed but there’s a big difference between having it and having to use it. Outboard engines provide optimum performance and economy at some point below their maximum rpms so keep this in mind before you decide to downsize an outboard. Likewise, underpowering a boat can place a lot of stress on an outboard that’s run continuously at maximum speed not to mention that fuel economy drops off as well. One way or another, you’ll pay for it in the long run. You’ll rarely hear of a fisherman regretting that he had too much power but I’ll bet you’ve heard of many who wished they had a little more speed at one time or another.
Generally speaking, most boats come prepackeged with outboards that are in the neighborhood of 60 to 70 percent of the maximum horsepower rating. This provides good performance under a wide range of conditions and is what you should opt for since you’ll be much happier in the long run with your boats performance.
Many fishermen spend a lot of unnecessary time and money trying out different props on their new boat but in most cases, the prop that your dealer installs on your outboard is the correct one for that model of engine. If there’s any doubt in your mind, ask to see the manufacturers test specifications for that particular boat and motor combination.
Stainless steel props are great in big, rough water conditions since there is less flex in stainless steel and therefor more torque generated. However, aluminum props are much cheaper to replace when damaged beyond repair. The downside to a stainless steel prop is that should you hit a very hard object, you may damage the prop shaft as well whereas a aluminum prop would absorb most of the impact.
Whether or not you purchase an auxilliary outboard or kicker is usually predicated by how much trolling you’ll be doing. Your occasional trolling needs may be satisfied by adding a trolling plate to your main outboard which is an inexpensive way to slow your engine down. Many anglers who fish the big water prefer adding a kicker since a large percentage of their fishing time is spent trolling. A kicker has the advantage of better fuel economy plus its easier to maintain slow trolling speeds. Depending on the size of boat you intend to purchase an 8 to a 9.9 hp kicker will suffice.
Some fishermen prefer a 4 stroke kicker over the traditional 2 stroke because they can run both the main outboard and kicker off the same fuel tank. The 4 stroke offers the advantages of being smoother and cleaner running than a 2 cycle but cost a little more and weigh more than a 2 cycle. The 2 cycle on the other hand neccessitates the use of a separate fuel tank and mixing oil in with the fuel, is lighter in weight and costs less. For the average fisherman, a 2 cycle kicker works just fine.
The only drawback to kickers is that outboards tend to torque in one direction or the other when the throttle grip is released. This can be easily overcome by adding a steering link between the main outboard and the kicker which allows you to steer the kicker with you steering wheel. Firthermore, the main engine acts like a rudder and its shear bulk prevents the kicker from torquing to the left or right .If you really want to get fancy, you can have a remote controlled autopilot attached to your kicker for hands-free operation but this is not an inexpensive option..
Bow mounted trolling motors are another common addition to a good walleye boat. However, if you do nothing but trolling on the big water, a bow mounted electric is of little use. On the other hand, an electric trolling motor installed on the bow comes into its own if you do a lot of river fishing or finese fishing over structure on northern lakes. A good bow mounted electric is hard to beat for slipping the current when jig fishing in rivers. A couple of words of caution are in order at this point however. Make sure that the electric you choose has enough thrust to hold your boat in strong river currents and above all, avoid purchasing an electric trolling motor with a breakaway mount for use in rough water or strong river currents. Breakaway mounts are made with the purpose of absorbing shock when an underwater obstacle is hit but when used in rough water or strong river currents, they tend to breakaway or fold under from the torque of the motor holding the boat in the current. If you intend to fish rough water or in strong river currents and a dealer tries to sell you an electric with a breakaway mount, tell him to take a hike.
When choosing electronics for your boat, keep in mind that this is one area thaat we don’t want to skimp on. A good, dependable marine radio is an absolute neccessity for anyone who ventures onto the big water. Likewise, a dependable GPS (Global Positioning System) can be the most useful peice of equipment that you can add to your fishing boat. If you’ve ever been out on the big water miles from shore and have a fog bank come in, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. By setting waypoints at the bouys marking your harbor entrance, you’ll get back in without a moments concern and be amazed at how accurate they are. A good GPS unit is also a valuable tool when fishing open water. By punching waypoints when fish are caught, you can duplicate your precise trolling path and stay on the fish. Likewise, a GPS unit cannot be beat for locating structure. If nothing else, purchase a hand-held unit that you can carry in your boat and use for other outdoor activities as well.
Rod holders and downriggers along with planer board masts are strictly a matter of personal preference. You can get as fancy or as simple as you want. The most important yet most often overlooked part of adding accessories such as these along with GPS units and fishfinders is location.
Beware of the dealer who say that they’ll install the equipment where it works best. That person will not be using your boat, you will ! If you do not specify where equipment is to be installed, most dealers will install it where its easiest. That’s not neccessarily where its best for you. Get into your boat and position yourself where you’ll be sitting when fishing and have the rod holders installed where they’re within arms reach. Have the GPS and fishfinder installed where they’re visible from both the drivers seat and your fishing position.
Last but not least, select the best dealer to make your investment with. Boats are an investment and choosing the best dealer to purchase from insures a good return on that investment. Ask the dealer to show you his service department and make inquiries regarding its reputation. Take a look around and pay particular attention to the brands of boats in for service. If you see a number of boats being serviced that were not sold by the dealer along with his own product lines, you can be pretty certain that his service department has a good reputation. Inquire as to whether or not his customers are given preferential service over the general public. Check out the parts and accessories department. This can give you an indication of the availability of replacement parts. Be sure to pay close attention to cleanliness and organization in the different departments. A clean and organized facility is indicative of a professionaly run operation.
Follow these tips and you’ll find your buying experience to be almost as much fun as fishing !
