Six Stringer
Recruit
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2017
- Messages
- 5
Hello from Dallas, everyone. While I'm not new to forums in general, I'm new to this iBoat forum and relatively new to boating in general. Glad to have found this forum, as I'm sure I'll find all kinds of helpful information here (and maybe one day offer up my own helpful info down the road).
I'm fairly new to boating. I've been on boats before, but owning and operating a boat is new territory. Been fishing all my life. Was fortunate enough to receive an old 12ft aluminum v-hull boat as a gift from a friend last summer. Went ahead and gave it a new paint job with Alumahawk marine paint and added some fun camo patterns to it. I've always thought camouflaged aluminum boats were cool, and I hope to do some duck hunting out of this boat in the future. I'll post pictures some time soon.
I got myself a 55lb thrust Minn Kota trolling motor (transom mount) last summer, and it's been serving me well. I don't have a trailer for the boat yet, so when I go somewhere I get to load it into the back of my pickup truck. My first priority is to get a trailer to pull the boat behind my truck so I don't have to mess with the hassle of loading and unloading it from my truck bed anymore.
After that, I want to get an outboard motor for it. That's where my initial questions come into play. So, obviously, the trolling motor isn't getting me any "speed" on the water. But it does get me from A to B within modest distances. I'm a 200-225 lb dude, and I intend to have a friend or family member accompany me on the boat for fishing fairly often. I don't plan to put more than two adults in the boat at one time. I'd like the outboard motor to have enough power to get the boat moving at a good speed for getting across the lake to a fishing spot when there are two fully-grown adults in the boat. I've heard horror stories of guys putting 20hp outboards on 12ft aluminum boats and losing control of the thing. That's the last thing I want to do. I'm not a daredevil or a speed freak. I'm not looking to haul @$$ across the water, but I want something that will get us moving at a good speed... Enough to have a little fun without merely putzing around.
Am I right in thinking a 9.9hp outboard is the way to go?
When the time comes to get a motor, I'm thinking I'll have to get a used one. The prices of brand new motors are pretty steep for me. Brand preferences aside, are there any pointers you would offer to someone looking to purchase their first (used) outboard motor? What to look for? What to avoid?
Any suggestions on where to look for quality used outboards?
Any and all help and advice is much appreciated! Looking forward to what lies ahead on this forum.
I'm fairly new to boating. I've been on boats before, but owning and operating a boat is new territory. Been fishing all my life. Was fortunate enough to receive an old 12ft aluminum v-hull boat as a gift from a friend last summer. Went ahead and gave it a new paint job with Alumahawk marine paint and added some fun camo patterns to it. I've always thought camouflaged aluminum boats were cool, and I hope to do some duck hunting out of this boat in the future. I'll post pictures some time soon.
I got myself a 55lb thrust Minn Kota trolling motor (transom mount) last summer, and it's been serving me well. I don't have a trailer for the boat yet, so when I go somewhere I get to load it into the back of my pickup truck. My first priority is to get a trailer to pull the boat behind my truck so I don't have to mess with the hassle of loading and unloading it from my truck bed anymore.
After that, I want to get an outboard motor for it. That's where my initial questions come into play. So, obviously, the trolling motor isn't getting me any "speed" on the water. But it does get me from A to B within modest distances. I'm a 200-225 lb dude, and I intend to have a friend or family member accompany me on the boat for fishing fairly often. I don't plan to put more than two adults in the boat at one time. I'd like the outboard motor to have enough power to get the boat moving at a good speed for getting across the lake to a fishing spot when there are two fully-grown adults in the boat. I've heard horror stories of guys putting 20hp outboards on 12ft aluminum boats and losing control of the thing. That's the last thing I want to do. I'm not a daredevil or a speed freak. I'm not looking to haul @$$ across the water, but I want something that will get us moving at a good speed... Enough to have a little fun without merely putzing around.
Am I right in thinking a 9.9hp outboard is the way to go?
When the time comes to get a motor, I'm thinking I'll have to get a used one. The prices of brand new motors are pretty steep for me. Brand preferences aside, are there any pointers you would offer to someone looking to purchase their first (used) outboard motor? What to look for? What to avoid?
Any suggestions on where to look for quality used outboards?
Any and all help and advice is much appreciated! Looking forward to what lies ahead on this forum.