Stable Fishing Boat for a Big Man

[MinerJohn]

Hi Folks, I’m in the market for my first fishing boat for me an my 11 year old son. I’m a big man at 6’5” 350lbs. A year ago I got really I’ll with Covid and since that time my balance is a big problem. We fish mostly smaller lakes in the Middle TN area and the local rivers. One of my biggest problems I’ve noticed is at the pier. I’ve tried stepping down onto some of the Stratos, Nitro style boats and the front ends seemed to push down very easily with my weight and I was really wobbly. I’ve been looking at the Lund, Bass Tracker, Crestline aluminum boats. I’d like a console style. Trying to figure out the right beam and what would be the most stable. I’m on a budget so it may very well be a used boat first time. I’m not interested in high speeds etc… just stability. Would love any advice. Thank you.

 

[Texasmark]

Flat bottom, probably aluminum, 20' John boat as wide as they make. Put a 40-50 hp engine on it, power trim preferred and worth the money, with a side console and you have your boat.

 

[roscoe]

Flat bottom, probably aluminum, 20' John boat as wide as they make. Put a 40-50 hp engine on it, power trim preferred and worth the money, with a side console and you have your boat.

Exactly what I was going to suggest.
Others will suggest a pontoon.

I've had ear/balance issues for 40 years.
A few years ago it got worse. I actually fell down my steps, and fell against the wall a few times, etc..

Dehydration makes it much worse so stay hydrated.

Real sudafed, the kind behind the counter that you have to sign for, really helps me. Shrinks the membrane, opening up the canal and allows the ear and sinus's to drain properly.
Now I pop a couple sudafed before getting near the boat or motorcycle.
Worth a try.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the more pointy the front end, the less load it will carry up there.

I recommend not stepping on the bow, however stepping into the mid section or the stern.

a stratos or nitro or similar go-fast bass boat is intended to go from fishing hole to fishing hole at 70mph.

Since it is just you and your son. I would suggest any of the larger aluminum boats like you are thinking. if you want to stand up front and fish, i agree with a large jon boat. basically more brick shapped the better. your not looking for a pointy nosed boat, you are looking for a flat fishing barge.

Best fishing platform is still a 18' pontoon with all the deck seating stripped off.

 

[Buzzsaw420]

Hi, I have a buddy up north who is also a a very big man and avid fisherman. He runs a 24’pontoon boat with around a 60 to 70 hp on it. We’ve made it out of Killarney Chanel into Georgian Bay down Collins Inlet and back numerous times without spilling a drop. Very stable boat. Cheers.

 

[flashback]

I know a few folks here on the river that use pontoons to fish from. You can strip some of the furniture off them and they do very well.

 

[southkogs]

I'll chime in on the pontoon as well; and I'm like Scott D ... I like a stripped down toon'. You can rearrange the deck to suit your trip and the people on board that way. I see them all over Middle Tennessee. The nice thing about smaller pontoons is that some of them can get in some pretty shallow places when you need to.

 

[ahicks]

6'2"/315/71 years old. Climbing in and out of small boats is tough, especially if there's nothing sturdy you can grab on to to help steady yourself. That would be key to any bass or fishing boat I was planning on keeping for a while. Sturdy grab rails on a center console work great in that regard.

Pontoons work awesome for fishing, but as a rule they're pretty darn slow. That means if you need to cover some ground to get to the area you want to fish, you're going to be a while. Absolutely DELUXE if that's not an issue... I would not be interested in anything less than 19-20' with 24' being the gold standard.

Other than that, agree with what's been said. The wider the better. Absolutely avoid 60" or narrower. They feel just like a canoe.....

 

[aspeck]

I agree with a wide beam jonboat type or a pontoon. I would also add that I am a big guy also. My wife was not a boater and didn't like my go-fast bass boat at all. I asked her to be patient, that I would find the right boat for our family that would allow me to fish, be stable. and be fun for the kids as they got older. I scored a dual console 18-footer Seamaster. It fits all the criteria and has been a great addition to our family (for the last 10 plus years now, I think). I would think that if you could find a decent center or dual console boat, they are stable, handle rough chop well, and can be used for anything you throw at them. So you can add that to the mix as you are looking.

FYI, I go out with a buddy who had a 20ft aluminum "barge" that is decent to fish out of and my brother has a 24 ft pontoon that is nice and stable in a lake situation.

 

[racerone]

I vote for pontoon style boat.-----Safety is rule #1.

 

[MRS]

Pontoon is level with most docks step right in and go fishing. If you want to beach it no climbing over the bow step down you on the beach.

 

[Texasmark]

Well I guess its time to flip the coin. Seems there's 2 sides to this story.

 

[Silvertip]

As I got up in years and my wife developed bad knees we sold our prized Alumacraft side console and bought a 20 foot pontoon configured for fishing. Had fishing chairs at each of the four corners. Mounted a troller on the bow and it worked out great for us. Very stable, comfortable and no more dealing with rising and falling river levels at the dock. Easy step onto the 'toon. They are no more difficult to launch and retrieve than a boat.

 

[MRS]

As I got up in years and my wife developed bad knees we sold our prized Alumacraft side console and bought a 20 foot pontoon configured for fishing. Had fishing chairs at each of the four corners. Mounted a troller on the bow and it worked out great for us. Very stable, comfortable and no more dealing with rising and falling river levels at the dock. Easy step onto the 'toon. They are no more difficult to launch and retrieve than a boat.

Yup agree with you I have the bad knees plus I did add the trolling motor with spot lock so no need to anchor at every fishing spot.
Here is ours we got it four years ago still love it.

 

[ahicks]

My ONLY tiff with the pontoons comes up when you need to cover some ground on a regular basis and you don't want to invest in a tri-toon with big power.....

 

[RMClark]

I have a Lund 14' V-hull. I don't think it would meet your needs. The beam is only about 48 inches or so, and so it's not real stable laterally.

Over the past five years, I've used 17'-18' Lunds at fishing resorts I've visited. In the group of guys that I fish with, we have a couple of older guys who are large; they have issues with stability in those boats, and we're careful about who they're paired with in the boats.

I think you'd have to go up to at least an 18-footer in a V-hull to be really comfortable. There's just no substitute for boat mass when it comes to stability.

Like some others, I think the pontoons might be a much better fit for your needs.

 

[velociraptorfarmer]

Might be older and tough to find, but I know Stratos made some deeper V walleye boats back in the 90's. My family's got a 92 219F that we take out on some larger lakes that's way more stable than the bass boats, but still moves quick and is set up perfect for fishing.

Won't quite hit the speeds of a dedicated bass racer, but it'll still do 55-60mph.