New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

[IHDiesel73L]

Hi everyone. I live in Hunterdon County, NJ which is in the northwest portion of the state, where most of the larger lakes are. I'm also within 20 minutes of the Delaware River. The river tends to be shallow (2-3' in spots) and rocky up here, but a bit further north and a bit further south it gets deeper and wider. The two large reservoirs near our home only allow 9.9 HP motors, so I'm guessing that the power limitation would definitely factor in to my choice of boat/hull type. Probably the most helpful way to go about this would be to tell you all what I plan on doing with it.

My wife and I like to fish but we're not entering tournaments anytime soon. More often than not we'll probably just end up taking the boat across the lake or down the river to a secluded spot where we can have a picnic and let our chocolate lab swim and run around off the leash. We ply the waters of Round Valley Reservoir in our canoe and do the same thing now, but it takes a lot of paddling to reach some of the nicer spots-and then you have to come back-often with the wind in your face. It would sure be nice to be able to just fire up an outboard and cruise back to the ramp. The plan would be the same for the river. I have some friends that own boats and wave runners who usually go out on the Delaware about 50 miles south of where we live (Bordentown) where it's much deeper and wider, so we'd probably end up trailering the boat down there as well, but not very often given the distance.

So, based on the fact that we're not looking for a specialized fishing boat, we need room for 2-3 people and an 80lb dog, we would need something that can operate in fairly shallow water, and we're limited to 9.9 HP (I do have an additional question about that though)-what is our best bet? My immediate thought was a jon boat, but I was wondering about stability issues. Would a modified vee or tri-hull be better? How would that limit us in terms of shallow areas?

Now for my last question. Let me preface this by saying that despite being a very mechanically inclined person (I do all my own work on my truck, etc...) I don't have any experience with outboards and don't really know much about engine sizing, propellers, and the like. That being said, I've heard that in terms of the outward appearance of the motor itself, that a 9.9 is the same as a 25 HP with regard to some brands-its the internals that are different. In other words, much in the way a Chevy 305 and a 350 are identical on the outside, they are different on the inside and as a result have very different power capabilities. Is this true? If so, would I be able to get a larger engine and just put 9.9 markings on it? I'm not looking for some end run around the rules so that I can run around like a maniac on the lakes-I just don't want to end up with a boat that is a total dog with a full load of people. What are my options here?

 

[The Famous Grouse]

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

Hi and welcome.

You're asking pretty broad questions, but in general I think you should look at 14-16 foot aluminum v-hull fishing boats. Especially the flat floor versions that have 2-3 seats on pedestals rather than the bench seats. This arrangement makes it easier to move around and these seats are generally a lot more comfortable and versatile.

A v-hull is a very versatile and enjoyable boat, they have a lot of space, and they generally have higher "freeboard" which means the top of the sides is farther from the surface of the water, so they will not take on water as easily. They are stable, and when properly handled they can run safely in conditions that would overcome a jonboat within seconds.

I am not a fan of jonboats. They have very hard limitations as far as running in rough water and their low freeboard means that they are prone to accidentally taking on water in a variety of situations where it would never be an issue with a v-hull. This makes them an especially bad choice for beginners, IMO. I run a lot of shallow rivers and to me the jonboats do not have a significant enough advantage in shallow water to make up for their numerous faults.

As far as horsepower, your observation about the physical size of the outboard vs internals is correct. Most makers use the same engine block and lower unit, hood, chassis, etc for a variety of models. For example, for years the 9.9 HP and 15 HP Mercury, Evenrude, and Johnson outboards were the same motor except with a different carb.

The tactic of simply removing the sticker is a common one in areas with a HP restriction, but word of warning here. The wardens and lake police in many areas with HP limits have caught on to this little gambit. In many cases, the model number or serial number of the outboard gives away its horsepower. So you could end up with a nasty surprise if you meet Mr. Warden at the landing and he decides to have a little close up lookie at your outboard.

My suggestion would be to buy the right outboard for the places where you intend to use the boat the most. If that means areas with a HP restriction, buy a 9.9.

If you're like me and only occasionally boat or fish in water with a HP restriction, then buy a bigger motor and get an electric trolling motor for use in the restricted waters. Yes it's slower, but most anglers eventually find they want and/or need an electric anyway, so it works out well. Usually areas with HP restrictions are small lakes and shorter sections of rivers and many of the ones here also have a "no wake" rule so there's no significant speed advantage to using an outboard.

Good luck and enjoy.

Grouse

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

You're asking pretty broad questions, but in general I think you should look at 14-16 foot aluminum v-hull fishing boats. Especially the flat floor versions that have 2-3 seats on pedestals rather than the bench seats. This arrangement makes it easier to move around and these seats are generally a lot more comfortable and versatile.

Thanks for all of the answers! I did a little poking around online and found this:

http://www.loweboats.com/showroom/welded-jon/roughneck-jon/rv160.php

Is that basically what I should be looking for?

As far as horsepower, your observation about the physical size of the outboard vs internals is correct. Most makers use the same engine block and lower unit, hood, chassis, etc for a variety of models. For example, for years the 9.9 HP and 15 HP Mercury, Evenrude, and Johnson outboards were the same motor except with a different carb.

The tactic of simply removing the sticker is a common one in areas with a HP restriction, but word of warning here. The wardens and lake police in many areas with HP limits have caught on to this little gambit. In many cases, the model number or serial number of the outboard gives away its horsepower. So you could end up with a nasty surprise if you meet Mr. Warden at the landing and he decides to have a little close up lookie at your outboard.

My suggestion would be to buy the right outboard for the places where you intend to use the boat the most. If that means areas with a HP restriction, buy a 9.9.

If you're like me and only occasionally boat or fish in water with a HP restriction, then buy a bigger motor and get an electric trolling motor for use in the restricted waters. Yes it's slower, but most anglers eventually find they want and/or need an electric anyway, so it works out well. Usually areas with HP restrictions are small lakes and shorter sections of rivers and many of the ones here also have a "no wake" rule so there's no significant speed advantage to using an outboard.

All good points-thanks!

 

[spikeitaudi]

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

IHDiesel73L,

How's it going. I am in the same county as you in Clinton Township. I literaly live right in back of Round Valley. That being said my brother-in-law who owns a boat as well has a 16ft Scout CC with a 9.9 HP motor. This is strictly for Round Valley and it's plenty good for there. Now my Neighbor across the street also has a boat for round valley, but is a Tahoe Q4s, and he has a custom rigged 9.9 HP ourboard on it as well. To say the least that thing doesn't move all that well considering the Q4 is an 18 footer.

When I was buying my boat I was trying to get a boat that I could use in the 9.9hp limitation lakes and something like the Raritan bay. It can be done but it will cost some money to do. I ended up getting a Bayliner up at Lake Hopatcong that is in my sig below. The 9.9hp boat is nice for doddling around in Round Valley but I wanted something I could take out in the bigger lakes and Raritan Bay. I ended up trailering my boat up to Lake George last week for the entire week. I won't even thing of it with a 9.9hp motor. Honestly, if you are thinking you will do most of your boating on the delaware of something with no 9.9hp limitation then go for a nice Bowrider or Poonton or whatever floats your boat. No pun intended. If you are going to use it strictly at Round Valley of the 9.9 hp motors get something smaller.

A couple places to try is Lebanon Bait and Tackle as they sell Tracker boats and Pontoon boats there. I suggested another member on here go over to them and he got their 16ft pontoon boat. Another place to try would be Bass Masters in PA. That is where the guy got his Tahoe from with the custom 9.9 mount made out of 2x4 wood.

If you have additional question let me know as I am local to the area and might be able to help more. Good luck in whatever you decide. There are a couple of us in the area on this board.

Just FYI as for my brother-in-law he wants a bigger boat for the Bay also so he is keeping his scout for Round Valley but is now also getting a 09 Searay 250 Sundancer. He's got the best of both worlds.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

IHDiesel73L,How's it going. I am in the same county as you in Clinton Township. I literaly live right in back of Round Valley. That being said my brother-in-law who owns a boat as well has a 16ft Scout CC with a 9.9 HP motor. This is strictly for Round Valley and it's plenty good for there. Now my Neighbor across the street also has a boat for round valley, but is a Tahoe Q4s, and he has a custom rigged 9.9 HP ourboard on it as well. To say the least that thing doesn't move all that well considering the Q4 is an 18 footer.

When I was buying my boat I was trying to get a boat that I could use in the 9.9hp limitation lakes and something like the Raritan bay. It can be done but it will cost some money to do. I ended up getting a Bayliner up at Lake Hopatcong that is in my sig below. The 9.9hp boat is nice for doddling around in Round Valley but I wanted something I could take out in the bigger lakes and Raritan Bay. I ended up trailering my boat up to Lake George last week for the entire week. I won't even thing of it with a 9.9hp motor. Honestly, if you are thinking you will do most of your boating on the delaware of something with no 9.9hp limitation then go for a nice Bowrider or Poonton or whatever floats your boat. No pun intended. If you are going to use it strictly at Round Valley of the 9.9 hp motors get something smaller.

Hey neighbor! That's my dilemma-even though the Delaware is close, I'll probably end up at Round Valley or Spruce Run 80% of the time just because either one is literally 10 minutes away (I live in High Bridge)

A couple places to try is Lebanon Bait and Tackle as they sell Tracker boats and Pontoon boats there. I suggested another member on here go over to them and he got their 16ft pontoon boat. Another place to try would be Bass Masters in PA. That is where the guy got his Tahoe from with the custom 9.9 mount made out of 2x4 wood.

I'll check it out-part of what I need to do right now is just look at a lot of stuff to see what I would want I guess. I never really gave much thought to a pontoon though. I always kind of thought of them as really heavy and full of drag-would a 9.9 power a 16' pontoon boat ok? Also, do you go out on the Delaware much? I grew up 10 minutes from the Bordentown boat ramp so I used to go out there with friends a lot but the river is wide and deep there. I never really had much experience with the river up this way, except two weeks ago my wife and I went tubing out of Frenchtown with her sister and her boyfriend. I was surprised to see how shallow the river got in some spots-in fact the only boats I saw were the support boats for the tubing company and they were flat bottom jons. When we got further south just as we were getting out (still north of the wing dam near Bulls Island) there were some waverunners, but still no powerboats. Does anybody really boat much in that area?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

get something like that Lowe, a 9.9 and also a 25. They aren't hard to switch back and forth. You have good versatility that way.
An underpowered boat on big water with 2 adults and a dog can be dangerous.

Otherwise get 2 boats: a 14 with a 9.9 and a 16+. You can't have too many boats!

 

[spikeitaudi]

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

Hey neighbor! That's my dilemma-even though the Delaware is close, I'll probably end up at Round Valley or Spruce Run 80% of the time just because either one is literally 10 minutes away (I live in High Bridge)



I'll check it out-part of what I need to do right now is just look at a lot of stuff to see what I would want I guess. I never really gave much thought to a pontoon though. I always kind of thought of them as really heavy and full of drag-would a 9.9 power a 16' pontoon boat ok? Also, do you go out on the Delaware much? I grew up 10 minutes from the Bordentown boat ramp so I used to go out there with friends a lot but the river is wide and deep there. I never really had much experience with the river up this way, except two weeks ago my wife and I went tubing out of Frenchtown with her sister and her boyfriend. I was surprised to see how shallow the river got in some spots-in fact the only boats I saw were the support boats for the tubing company and they were flat bottom jons. When we got further south just as we were getting out (still north of the wing dam near Bulls Island) there were some waverunners, but still no powerboats. Does anybody really boat much in that area?

A 16 footer pontoon with a 9.9Hp motor should be fine. I don't fancy them either which is why I went with a Bowrider. Honestly I grew up in South Jersey in the Cherry Hill area and didn't boat much at all but loved the water. Parents were by no mean adventurous nor did we have much extra spending cash when younger.

My boat is strictly at Lake Hopatcong this year as I have a slip. Since I have had it for almost 2 months I have had it out every weekend plus everyday when I was up at Lake George. Now that I have had it I would never get a 9.9hp boat for Round Valley if I had to choose between the 2. And Round Valley launch ramp is a 2 minute ride for me. Again maybe also because my brother-in-law has his scout for RV as well. But I don't think I would miss much if I couldn't use Round Valley. RV is nice but it gets old quick. Shoot after being at Lake George, Lake Hopatcong feels small.

You near the High Bridge Golf Course? Or more east of that? Seriously, check out all the website for boats like Lowe, Tracker, etc... A good place to look at video reviews is boattest.com. That is what helped me alot when I was picking 2 months ago.

Send me an email if you like at spikeitaudi@yahoo.com if you got more questions as you go through your process. Its exciting and stressful, but once you are out on the water it's incredible.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

get something like that Lowe, a 9.9 and also a 25. They aren't hard to switch back and forth. You have good versatility that way.

That was something I assumed would probably be difficult-I would assume you would need two people due to the weight though. How long should it take to swap motors? 15-20 minutes?

An underpowered boat on big water with 2 adults and a dog can be dangerous.

How so? Is it because we might not be able to get out of the way fast enough if necessary (or back to shore quickly if bad weather was coming)?

Otherwise get 2 boats: a 14 with a 9.9 and a 16+. You can't have too many boats!

Ha! I wish

 

[spikeitaudi]

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

I guess what also might help is knowing what your limit is you willing to spend and if you are looking new or used?

Another thing to consider is if you are only going Round Valley and have a 12footer or bigger with a 9.9hp motor all you need a Safety Certificate to run your boat and of course your registration for the boat. If you get something bigger then those requirement you will also have to have a NJ boating license.

If you haven't taken a safety course you must do so to run your boat legally in NJ.

 

[spikeitaudi]

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

That was something I assumed would probably be difficult-I would assume you would need two people due to the weight though. How long should it take to swap motors? 15-20 minutes?



How so? Is it because we might not be able to get out of the way fast enough if necessary (or back to shore quickly if bad weather was coming)?



Ha! I wish

Underpowered and you can get swamped or worse yet like you said you can't move fast enough to get out of the way if needed.

 

[The Famous Grouse]

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

Thanks for all of the answers! I did a little poking around online and found this:

http://www.loweboats.com/showroom/welded-jon/roughneck-jon/rv160.php

Is that basically what I should be looking for?

Not really. That's a modified jonboat. I'd suggest a conventional deep v hull like this:

http://www.lundboats.com/boats/2010-lineup/rebel-boats/1475-rebel-boat

You give up very little in terms of space, but what you gain is a far greater versatility in terms of operating safety. This style of boat is widely available in Sylvan, Lund, Alumacraft, Crestliner, etc, etc, every maker of aluminum boats has one.

Jonboats, IMO, fit a very narrow range of conditions and uses. They're very good at providing a lot of usable space when operating in shallow, smooth water and only then in bodies of water that do not experience lots of boat traffic or changeable conditions. All of these limitations mean that for a first time boater there are better choices out there.

Grouse

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

I guess what also might help is knowing what your limit is you willing to spend and if you are looking new or used?

I'll definitely be looking for a used boat-fixer uppers would be fine. I don't really have an idea of what I want to spend because I'm very early in the planning stages here. If I end up buying something before the start of next summer I'll be surprised Like anything else however, I figure the more research I do, the better off I'll be in the end. All that said, I don't see us spending more than $3K total on the boat, motor, and trailer.

Another thing to consider is if you are only going Round Valley and have a 12footer or bigger with a 9.9hp motor all you need a Safety Certificate to run your boat and of course your registration for the boat. If you get something bigger then those requirement you will also have to have a NJ boating license.

Definitely-so I'll definitely need a license because the boat will be over 12 feet and who knows-I may end up getting a larger motor for river use as well. I'll need a safety certificate in addition to the license right?

If you haven't taken a safety course you must do so to run your boat legally in NJ.[/QUOTE]

 

[spikeitaudi]

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

I'll definitely be looking for a used boat-fixer uppers would be fine. I don't really have an idea of what I want to spend because I'm very early in the planning stages here. If I end up buying something before the start of next summer I'll be surprised Like anything else however, I figure the more research I do, the better off I'll be in the end. All that said, I don't see us spending more than $3K total on the boat, motor, and trailer.



Definitely-so I'll definitely need a license because the boat will be over 12 feet and who knows-I may end up getting a larger motor for river use as well. I'll need a safety certificate in addition to the license right?

If you haven't taken a safety course you must do so to run your boat legally in NJ.

[/QUOTE]

Correct in NJ you need your boater safety certificate at a minumum then your NJ boaters license others. Just get both and you will be good to go anywhere.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: New to boating-what type of boat do I want/need?

I disagree about the jon boat--a flat bottom boat requires less engine to push it. If this guy restricts himself to a 9.9 and wants a 16, he needs the help. The most boat for the money is the Carolina Skiff J-16.

You keep your 25 or 9.9 on a stand in the garage. If you don't have remote steering, 5 minutes to swap motors. One person can lift a 25. You migth also run across an old 18. A 20 would be OK.

You may be out boating and have a storm come up and have to beat home against the wind, chop and current. Your 16' boat is like a sail against the wind and your V hull is digging into the waves--or you need the push to get the flat bottom over the waves. PLus the factor mentioned above about being able to manuever quickly when needed.

Obviously you wouldn't go out in a 9.9 except in the best conditions. conditions change and you have to plan on it; don't say "Well I always check the weather." That's what people who have just been fished out of the river always say. Or if you are like me, you intentionally go out in adverse conditions, because the ducks do, too.