Small Fishing Boats.... whatcha got?

[MossRoad]

So, I used to fish quite a bit when I was a kid and into my 20's. I still ice fish as often as I can, but haven't been boat fishing for quite a while. I have an old, tippy, narrow jon boat that I'm not safe in. And a canoe that gets a little use once in a while. But for several years, I've had my father-in-law's old V bottom aluminum boat sitting in my back yard and decided to fix it up. We used to fish in it quite a bit until I had kids, then didn't have the time. Well.... last kid is in college, so I'm going fishing again! :laughing:

The boat is a Sea Nymph model 14S. Its a shallow V bottom aluminum boat, 14' long. Three seats. Its rated for 3 people (of normal size, I suppose) at a total of 450 pounds, and persons + motor + gear is 650 pounds. So, three 150# people and 200# of gear..... NOT GONNA HAPPEN!

Anyhow, it was manufactured in 1974 and is in surprisingly good condition. No leaks. I invested in a new drain plug ($3.00) and replaced the rotted wooden engine mounting boards inside and out with pressure treated plywood scrap that I had lying around. We put some anchormates on it 20 years ago.



They were frozen up, so I popped off the cover and sprayed down the springs with PB Blaster, then greased them. Work great now. Anchors front and rear. New anchor rope, $10.

Then I got new nylon bushings for the oar locks for another $3.00.

And I bought a plastic seat for $17 and a nice adjustable mount for $28 and put the seat on the middle bench.

And off I went fishing the other day. It was windy, but I was able to propel the boat nicely with the oars. Rowed about 1/2 a mile total. Once the wind died down, I figured I was moving about 20' per oar stroke, so really easy to row.

Had a great time. Caught about 40 bluegills. Nothing to write home about. Most were small, but 4 were 8-9 inchers, so they're in the freezer now.

My plan is to put my electric trolling motor on it(that I bought used from my neighbor for $100 several years ago) with a good deep-cycle battery. I have a large cooler converted to a live-well, for warm days, but when its cool out, I just hang a fish basket over the side. They stay alive just fine.

Anyhow, I'll post pictures as the fixer-upper continues.

So, who's got small boats? :dance1:

 

[kenord]

I have the same boat you have , mine is listed as a 14 foot but actually measures 13.5 feet.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news , but get that pressure treated wood off there as fast as you can, It will eat the transom off the boat. A web site called Iboats has good info on such things.
I just replaced the wood on the transom on mine also , I used mfd but coated it with gluvit which is an epoxy , I haven't had mine in the water yet, but I am sure it will be a lot more stable than a 12 foot sears boat that I have had for a couple years, 2 people a 5hp. motor ,gas can and trolling motor ,battery , and a little gear and it seamed overloaded, this one is a foot wider and foot and a half longer , so should be a lot better.

I am just finishing up a trailer for it, so hopefully I will still go fishing yet this year. lot of lakes close to me and some open year around.

Have fun, stay safe.
Rich

 

[grnspot110]

I went through several boats over the years & this 6 x 15' (12' deck) was my ultimate fishing boat:

Powered by two electric motors, a 54# 12V on the front & 96# 24V on the back. I used it in small lakes up to 240 acres.

I sold it 7-8 years ago as I didn't get it out enough anymore!

 

[Thomas]

Fishing foe me way down on the list but high on Mrs. list,and I admit she has the knack of catching releasing darn nice bass and pickerel. :thumbsup:
Boat she setup Jon 14',electric motor,set oars,comfort reclining chairs,etc. get into marsh areas,only problem I do the oaring. :confused2:

 

[Gary Fowler]

My fishing boat is a 17.5 foot V bottom mfg. by Lund with 12 V trolling motor and 70 HP four stroke main engine that I bought in 2001 . I used it multiple times per week while in Canada and really got my money out of it there. The wife and I used it a couple times per month while on the Gulf Coast but it has mostly set taking up space in my shed up here. The wife no longer wants to fish and I have no enthusiastic fishing partner so it just sets. It is a shame that I mostly don't take the time to go especially since there are 3 beautiful clear water lakes close by, one only 4 miles from my house. I took my daughter out 2 times, and one of my neighbors 1 time. The only other time it has been used was when a Canadian friend visited for 5 days and we used it every day then but that was 2 years ago and it hasn't been back in the water since.
My fishing urge is satisfied by fishing our pond that is well stocked with catfish, bream, crappie and bass and I don't do that very often anymore. I should just sell that boat but I keep hoping the fishing bug will bite again.

 

[Bird]

No boat anymore, but when I was a teenager my Dad had a Texas Maid Falcon (14") with a 40 hp Evinrude, but after a bad scare on Lake Texoma, he traded it for a Texas Maid Fiesta (15' or 16' and much deeper) with a 35 hp Evinrude.

In 1971 I bought a Oauchita 17' aluminum canoe and one of the first 2 hp Johnson outboards, later traded the canoe for a 14' jon boat, eventually sold boat and motor and did without a number of years.

Then I bought 14' fiberglass bass boat with a 55 hp. Johnson, eventually sold that one, too.

And my last boat was an aluminum "Tracker" 15" bass boat with a 55 hp Johnson.

And now I haven't even gone fishing in several years.

 

[MossRoad]

We had some nice, wide jon boats when I was a kid. They were nice and stable, you could stand on the side and it wouldn't tip. Of course, get 2-3 of us on the side and we'd tip it on purpose, then use it for a raft in the middle of the lake. Or, we'd swim under it and pop up in the air pocket and scream real loud! :laughing: Odd thing is, its SO loud under that boat, but anyone outside can barely hear a peep.

So remember that if you get stuck under a boat.... screaming doesn't work. Pound on the metal with something hard. That works! :thumbsup:

This safety tip has been brought to you by MossRoad. Screaming under boats since 1969.

 

[wolc123]

I fish from four small boats which range from 12 - 17 ft long. My 12-footer is a Sears aluminum, shallow V-hull rowboat from the early 60's. I bought that for fishing at my in-laws place, up on a small Adirondack mountain lake which is loaded with smallmouth bass and also has a few lake trout (I finally caught my first of those thru the ice last winter after 4 years of trying - it was kind of like "Walter" from "On Golden Pond"). There is a 10 hp limit on the lake. Oddly enough, that old Sears rowboat came with a 1956, 5-1/2 hp Evinrude fisherman which is the same as what Ethel Thayer had on her little rowboat. I found it on Craigslist 5 years ago and the deal also included a 9.9 hp Chrysler outboard with electric start. Both motors and the boat cost me $250. The seller had made up a pressurized gas tank for the evinrude from a 5-gallon bucket, and the Chrysler was not in running condition.

I traded the Chrysler to a friend who collects outboards and owns a marina in exchange for a tuneup on the evinrude and an original OMC pressurized "milemaster" 4 gallon gas tank. A few years prior I picked up two, non-running, early 1950's Mercury Super-5 outboards at an auction for $5 each and that same friend fixed one up in perfect running condition in exchange for the other one. That little mercury has a built-in gravity feed gas tank and is significantly lighter than the Evinrude. Much of the weight savings is because it is direct drive with no neutral or reverse like the Evinrude has. I use that light-weight Mercury early and late in the season because it is easier to carry up and down the steep stairs to the lake when they are slippery with ice.

My in-laws also have a 14 foot Meyers rowboat up at the Lake-house which is usually what I use up there in the summer months. It came with a 9.9 hp Chrysler outboard, which tends to break every time I use it. I usually put my 5-1/2 Evinrude on it, which is much slower but far more dependable. The Meyers is a far better quality boat than my Sears 12-footer. Even though it is wider, deeper, and heavier, it is faster than the Sears with equal hp due to superior hull design. It is also a lot more stable and easier to row with oars. The only drawback compared to the little Sears rowboat is the it's heavier weight which make it tougher to haul in and out of the lake in cold weather periods. I sometimes put a 24 lb thrust electric motor on the Meyers but more often than not I just use the oars to control my drift while casting the shorelines for bass. The problem with those electric motors is that the batteries weigh more than a small gas outboard and it is no easy task hauling them up and down the steep stairs to the lake.

I always go out on the lake fishing at sunrise when we are up there and lately I have been using the oars, not the motor on those early-morning outings. Nobody else gets up real early up there, and it is unbelievable how much more wildlife you see and hear in the mornings without the noisy outboard: deer, beavers, turkeys, loons, eagles and many more.

I have a 17 foot canoe which I use for fishing on waters where outboards are not legal, or at home when the creek behind our house floods. When that happens in warm weather, our kids like to paddle up to my uncles deck behind his house down the road. I also have an aluminum, v-hull, 17 foot Sylvan pro-fisherman, powered by a 70 hp Johnson, with a 15 hp Johnson "kicker", and a bow-mount 28 lb thrust electric motor. I use that for Smallmouth bass fishing on the St Lawrence and Niagara rivers and Lake Erie, and on several other inland lakes. I also use it for Salmon fishing on Lake Ontario. It is a classic "compromise" boat that works for just about everything but doesn't do any of it the best. That said though, I cant think of any other setup that would work better for everything I do.

 

[oosik]

I have a 12' AL Lowell craft on my little lake. Just oars. Tried a small electric motor but lugging the battery around to get it charged was a PITA. Besides, most of the time, the breezes that blow will propel the boat around the lake without any assistance.

Biggest concern, for me, is not getting burned to a crisp when out on the lake. Being a fair skinned Norwegian, I burn really easily. The lake is 5 acre, sits in a "bowl", with 40' vertical lava cliffs on two sides. Between the sun shining off the cliffs & the water, it can get really hot.

 

[EddieWalker]

My dad found this old Sears ten foot, plastic row boat at a garage sale for $100 twenty years ago. He dragged it around behind his RV for awhile, on top of his tow car, but rarely used it. Then for awhile my brother used it to fish, and now I have it sitting around the edge of my pond. My wife and I use it to fish half a dozen times a year. Mostly we just fish from the shore.

I've replaced the oar locks twice. The newest ones are the heavy duty,, most expensive ones from Amazon. I found it impossible to find them at any stores in town.