Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

Hi folks;
I'm relocating to the shores of NC but will be sticking to the intercostal. I'm under the impression, from other posts, that the boat should be aluminum with a floor and that the length should be about 16'. I would like to do some fishing and shrimping with only 1 or 2 other people - adults. With that criteria, what would you folks recommend?? Oh, and this landlubber would NOT be going out to the big water!

Re: Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

A 16' aluminum? There is no other but a Starcraft

Actually there really aren't any bad choices in tin boats (though I'm not a fan of Trackers)

Re: Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

Agree with EZ, Starcraft Tinny all the way.

Re: Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

Going to come down to whatever you can find in your area within your budget. Agreed though that aluminum is easier to maintain than glass. Biggest think to look for are leaky rivets and even that isn't a hard fix.

Re: Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

Lund, Crestliner, Sylvan, Alumacraft, and Starcraft all make good aluminum boats. I agree with Bond_Z, some brands are more common in a given area so your choices may be limited to one or two brands.

Personally, I'd say look at a wide variety of boats and think carefully about your present and future needs. My personal view when it comes to aluminum fishing boats is that no one has ever regretted buying a boat that was longer or deeper than they thought they strictly needed at the time they bought it. But you see lots of "for sale" ads that mention the owner is selling the boat to upgrade to a larger/deeper model.

I own a Lund 14 foot Rebel and I regret not going for at least a 16, plus a wider and deeper model like the Alaskan. The boat was fine for when I mostly fished alone or with 1 other guy, but now that I have kids. . . . you get the picture.

Grouse

Re: Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

the infamous "two footitis". I think I've caught it also!

Re: Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

bonz_d said:

the infamous "two footitis". I think I've caught it also!

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Yes, my case of Two Footitis became acute last year when I found myself having to run a long and very wide river in Canada to get back to camp. The day started sunny and calm, but suddenly the wind kicked up at about 4 and the horizon turned black. Time to run.

As bad luck would have it, the wind was blowning exactly straight downriver. 20 degree shift either way would have made enough of a crosswind that it would hardly have been an issue.

So there I was in my 14 foot Rebel and about the time I crested the tenth roller of 2 feet or more, I was saying to myself, "Self, it'd be really nice to have a bigger and deeper boat about now."

Grouse

Re: Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

Get a fiberglass center console with an outboard. A 17' whaler is perfect for those waters, or a flats boat. You have a lot of wide open but shallow bays (called "sounds") that can get choppy fast, so even if now you think you won't go out in open water, trust me you will. But don't let the comments that will follow about a rough ride dissuade you; you want something primarily for flat water that will get you across rough water safely.
Avoid anything with carpet, and skip the bass boat design.
If you must get aluminum, look at the large "jon boat" such as a Polar craft or Lowe, square bow, wide body. Look for high sides.
Once you move down there, look around at what the active boaters are using; talk to locals rather than vacationers.
There is a whole lot you can do in boats there, so get something versatile so you won't get stuck by limitations.
Are you going to be over on the Outer Banks, or on the western shore?

Re: Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

Home Cookin' said:

Get a fiberglass center console with an outboard. A 17' whaler is perfect for those waters, or a flats boat. You have a lot of wide open but shallow bays (called "sounds") that can get choppy fast, so even if now you think you won't go out in open water, trust me you will. But don't let the comments that will follow about a rough ride dissuade you; you want something primarily for flat water that will get you across rough water safely.
Avoid anything with carpet, and skip the bass boat design.
If you must get aluminum, look at the large "jon boat" such as a Polar craft or Lowe, square bow, wide body. Look for high sides.
Once you move down there, look around at what the active boaters are using; talk to locals rather than vacationers.
There is a whole lot you can do in boats there, so get something versatile so you won't get stuck by limitations.
Are you going to be over on the Outer Banks, or on the western shore?

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First thanks all for your help. I will be around Holden Beach (I'm only about 3 miles from there) doing the intercoastal - fishing and shrimping. I was thinking of aluminum because of the ease of maintenance although aluminum does oxidize and that bothers me. I would like to stick to about a 16' for ease of handling and would prefer a center console, I think What do you say now??

Re: Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

The Famous Grouse said:

Yes, my case of Two Footitis became acute last year when I found myself having to run a long and very wide river in Canada to get back to camp. The day started sunny and calm, but suddenly the wind kicked up at about 4 and the horizon turned black. Time to run.

As bad luck would have it, the wind was blowning exactly straight downriver. 20 degree shift either way would have made enough of a crosswind that it would hardly have been an issue.

So there I was in my 14 foot Rebel and about the time I crested the tenth roller of 2 feet or more, I was saying to myself, "Self, it'd be really nice to have a bigger and deeper boat about now."

Grouse

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I know exactly what you are saying. I was in northern Quebec, alone, and fighting white caps all the way back to my base camp. I used my 1-1/2 motor that quit on me as weight in the bow of my 16' canoe. Slept very well that night!!

Re: Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

there's a reason why most of the people in Holden prefer fiberglass to aluminum, the exception being the polarcraft-type jon's.

Re: Looking for my first boat - HELP!!

Home Cookin' said:

there's a reason why most of the people in Holden prefer fiberglass to aluminum, the exception being the polarcraft-type jon's.

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You're probably right there about the fiberglass-there's not many aluminum there.