Versatile boat for both salt and fresh water fishing

[BSDenning]

Hello,

I'm looking into purchasing a boat that will be versatile enough to use in both fresh and salt water. I mostly fish in fresh water rivers and lakes, but occasionally I like to fish in the salt water. Right now, I have a 14 foot aluminum jon boat that works great in fresh water, but it is a little small for the salt water. When I try to take it in the salt water, I tend to get swamped by the wake of the bigger boats. I'm looking for a boat that I can do both in instead of buying one boat for fresh water and another boat for salt water. I talked to one guy that recommended getting a 16-18 foot aluminum polorcraft. He has a 16 foot that he has used for a long time in both fresh and salt water. So, I'm wondering if anyone here has a specific boat or type of boat that they would recommend for what I want to do. I live in southeastern NC, so I am less than an hour from salt water.

Thanks.

 

[BSDenning]

Re: Versatile boat for both salt and fresh water fishing

Oh, I forgot to say, the last time I was at the Bass Pro Shop, I saw a boat that I thought would be pretty good for what I want. It was a Mako 18 LTS (light tackle skiff). It is a fiberglass boat, made for bay fishing, but it is also self bailing, so if you take a wave over the bow, it shouldn't sink the boat. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I don't know if I would be better off with a boat like this, or an aluminum boat.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Versatile boat for both salt and fresh water fishing

get a Carolina Skiff or one of the knock-offs. It has a rolled gunwale, high sides and high floatation so it's great in choppy water.

Or a Chincoteague scow design.

If you go for a V bow get something with some flair to it to shed water (ever heard of a "Carolina flair"?)

Also if you are regularly getting swamped, work on your boat driving (I hope you aren't stern anchoring!) and where your passenger or gear is, to get your bow over the wakes.

 

[Lrider]

Re: Versatile boat for both salt and fresh water fishing

For the money I like TRACKER Pro Guide? V-16 SC

It is deeper then the mako and we have taken the tracker out into the Pacific many times under various weather conditions with a 40 hp motor

Don't know about self bailing but the bilge pump worked fine - I know that because we forgot to put the plugs in one day :redface:

 

[BSDenning]

Re: Versatile boat for both salt and fresh water fishing

get a Carolina Skiff or one of the knock-offs. It has a rolled gunwale, high sides and high floatation so it's great in choppy water.

Or a Chincoteague scow design.

If you go for a V bow get something with some flair to it to shed water (ever heard of a "Carolina flair"?)

Also if you are regularly getting swamped, work on your boat driving (I hope you aren't stern anchoring!) and where your passenger or gear is, to get your bow over the wakes.

Thanks for the info. I did a lot of googleing and a lot of learning after reading this. I learned what a rolled gunwale and carolina flare are. They seem to be the same thing. But, that's a good thing to have when you want to deflect some of the water from waves and wake.

I had also never heard of the Chincoteague scow design. I did some research into it and it sounds pretty interesting. It sounds like a very heavy boat, but one that is rugged and can go shallow. It sounds good to me, but it sounds like it might be hard to find in south eastern North Carolina. I see that there is a company VA that will build one for you, but I'm thinking that would be pretty expensive.

There are a lot of Carolina Skiffs around here and i have thought of getting one, but most of them are flat bottoms. I've heard that they are great for running shallow, but ridding in choppy water will rattle your teeth out. Do you agree with that, or am I misinformed?

I don't think my boat driving is really the problem. I never stern anchor. I actually just took a boater safety course and learned that you should never stern anchor. I think it's just that my boat is small and I have it loaded down pretty heavy. It is a lowe 14' jon boat rated for 3 people and a 15 hp motor. I've got a front deck built on it, flooring, 2 batteries, a trolling motor, and an 18 hp motor. The front deck puts a lot of weight on the bow. And both batteries are in the bow. I may do some redesigning and see if I can move my batteries to the back. I think upgrading the size of my boat will help a lot, but if I'm going to do that, I may as well get one that is well suited to what I like to do.

 

[BSDenning]

Re: Versatile boat for both salt and fresh water fishing

For the money I like TRACKER Pro Guide? V-16 SC

It is deeper then the mako and we have taken the tracker out into the Pacific many times under various weather conditions with a 40 hp motor

Don't know about self bailing but the bilge pump worked fine - I know that because we forgot to put the plugs in one day :redface:

Thanks for the info. I really like the look of tracker boats and I think I looked at that same boat at the bass pro shop. My worry with that boat was that the deep V hull would make it not run shallow enough to be really good in shallow water. What do you think about how shallow the boat is? I do like aluminum boats because they are much lighter and require little maintenance.

 

[fishcrazy50]

Re: Versatile boat for both salt and fresh water fishing

You may want to look for something like what I have, a Starcraft aluminum center console. Mine is a 21 but they made a 18 footer as well. Very economical to run due to lightness. Very stable even in rough water. It does pound in a chop if you try to run it on plane. I fish all over the Chesapeake Bay with it, trailering out of NAB Little Creek. The tank is only 19 gals but I've done 52 miles without issue.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Versatile boat for both salt and fresh water fishing

don't worry about the rough ride; man up and take it. If it was that bad, they wouldn't be sold everywhere. I have a 19' from the first year they came out and it is flat flat flat but I go everywhere in the eastern shore marshes in it.
Yo may be able to find some scow designs around Moyock or Elizabeth City. Check around with the duck hunters. Of course the polarcraft is the mainstay in your area, too. It slaps you just as much but it's louder. Real loud running ice on Currituck Sound!
BTW the Carolina Flare, also called a spoon, is the flare of the sides at the bow, Tthe rolled gunwale runs all around the boat and deflects the water down. Polarcraft has that pipe for a gunwale.
Some alum boats like the starcrafts are a modifed or shallow V instead of a deep V so that with the light weight does well in shallow water.

 

[dave11]

Re: Versatile boat for both salt and fresh water fishing

Starcraft makes a good basic boat. If you are serious about bigger water, look at Alumaweld or Hewscraft. I have a 16 ft Alumaweld I have had in short waves I couldn't see over in both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic out of Jupiter Inlet. I wasn't happy to get caught out there, but I was never in real trouble.