Hello everyone!
I hope everything is going well for you all today! I have a unique boating need and a pretty tight budget in the 3-5k range. I need a general purpose boat that will let me do many things.. and I want to keep the length down to no more than 17 ft. Here is my unique situation.
1) I live in Tennessee so I want to fish and play (riding mostly, some tubing) in my local waters... mostly the Dam reservoir along the Tennessee River.
2) I have family in Hudson and Springhill, Florida... we spend several weekends there a year... I'd like to have a boat to handle the brackish water there AND gig for fish off my boat along the coast.
I have ZERO plans on pushing the boat beyond the horizon or anything like that while in Florida along the gulf coast. MAYBE 1-2 miles away from shore (not offshore by any means) but mostly in the flats and in the canals in hudson gigging.
In Florida my family tends to use a 14 ft jon boat for the gigging in the canals and close to the shore with a 9.9 HP outboard and a trolling motor. It actually performs well in this circumstance. I have thought about just buying a 14-16 ft jon boat and doing the same as I know it will do what I want in both of these bodies of waters. However.. I'd like something a bit nicer and something that will stay floating in a SHTF scenario. Ever seen a Jon boat with a bilge pump?
I've found some older nicer Boston Whaler hulls in the $1500 ish range where my family lives these are 13-15 ft boats. I've considered buying them and re-powering them with a fresh water used power plant from here in Tennessee.. something in the 50-75 hp range. I know that a whaler will fish well in fresh water and handle salt/brackish water easily.
I could pick up a runabout or even a fish/ski boat here in Tennessee for a good price.. but I am not sure how well the fish/ski boat will do in the salty/brackish water in Florida... especially if the water gets choppy on me.
Anyway, suggestions anyone? Do I seem to be on the right track here?
It will mostly be me and my two boys.. so three people on the boat.
Thanks!
Jeremiah
I hope everything is going well for you all today! I have a unique boating need and a pretty tight budget in the 3-5k range. I need a general purpose boat that will let me do many things.. and I want to keep the length down to no more than 17 ft. Here is my unique situation.
1) I live in Tennessee so I want to fish and play (riding mostly, some tubing) in my local waters... mostly the Dam reservoir along the Tennessee River.
2) I have family in Hudson and Springhill, Florida... we spend several weekends there a year... I'd like to have a boat to handle the brackish water there AND gig for fish off my boat along the coast.
I have ZERO plans on pushing the boat beyond the horizon or anything like that while in Florida along the gulf coast. MAYBE 1-2 miles away from shore (not offshore by any means) but mostly in the flats and in the canals in hudson gigging.
In Florida my family tends to use a 14 ft jon boat for the gigging in the canals and close to the shore with a 9.9 HP outboard and a trolling motor. It actually performs well in this circumstance. I have thought about just buying a 14-16 ft jon boat and doing the same as I know it will do what I want in both of these bodies of waters. However.. I'd like something a bit nicer and something that will stay floating in a SHTF scenario. Ever seen a Jon boat with a bilge pump?
I've found some older nicer Boston Whaler hulls in the $1500 ish range where my family lives these are 13-15 ft boats. I've considered buying them and re-powering them with a fresh water used power plant from here in Tennessee.. something in the 50-75 hp range. I know that a whaler will fish well in fresh water and handle salt/brackish water easily.
I could pick up a runabout or even a fish/ski boat here in Tennessee for a good price.. but I am not sure how well the fish/ski boat will do in the salty/brackish water in Florida... especially if the water gets choppy on me.
Anyway, suggestions anyone? Do I seem to be on the right track here?
It will mostly be me and my two boys.. so three people on the boat.
Thanks!
Jeremiah
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