Boat size

that place looks familar, reminds me of Spring Garden Marina.

NJ,
Get the biggest boat you can afford/handle. The more room the better IMO.

Jim said:

NJ,
Get the biggest boat you can find. The more room the better IMO.

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How about this - it is for sale and will handle big seas

esquired said:

Jim said:

NJ,
Get the biggest boat you can find. The more room the better IMO.

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How about this - it is for sale and will handle big seas

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and its a tin boat!!! but what size shaft will your trolling motor need?

A friend of mine has the Lowe Roughneck 1542 (3rd pic down that you posted). Nice boat and handles well! He has a tm on the front and one on the back, running two batts (1 for fwd tm, 1 for rear tm and depth finder. Comfortable boat for two people to fish from.

Or you can go up in size a foot in length and width. Take a look at the 1652VT Roughneck (floored model) like mine. Decent floor space, even after I had the dealer install the 60" long storage box on the port side.

Whatever choice you make in size and brand, do as suggested and go as big as you can, as room does make a difference in the long run.

I would stick with 1 of the first three you posted. The console is nice, but it is extra weight, and that is exactly what you don't need with a 9.9, or trolling motor. The vee hull is nice for rough water, but again, just an impediment for small propulsion. Stick with tiller. Now, when you say you have a bad ramp, how bad are we talking? Do you mean it is just small, but you can back a trailer in, or will you have to hand carry the boat? Even on ramps that I can get the trailer in all the way, I sometimes have trouble getting my 12 footer off, and on the trailer. If you plan on using rough ramps, with any frequency, stick with the 14. If what you have is a bunch of nice concrete ramps, go ahead with the 16.
Now, keep in mind, you will need to be able to access the tiller. It isn't always fun to have to reach down from a high seat to reach it, so you may want to steer clear of boats like the first one, where the rear deck is so long, you can't reach the tiller.

bassboy1 said:

I would stick with 1 of the first three you posted. The console is nice, but it is extra weight, and that is exactly what you don't need with a 9.9, or trolling motor. The vee hull is nice for rough water, but again, just an impediment for small propulsion. Stick with tiller. Now, when you say you have a bad ramp, how bad are we talking? Do you mean it is just small, but you can back a trailer in, or will you have to hand carry the boat? Even on ramps that I can get the trailer in all the way, I sometimes have trouble getting my 12 footer off, and on the trailer. If you plan on using rough ramps, with any frequency, stick with the 14. If what you have is a bunch of nice concrete ramps, go ahead with the 16.
Now, keep in mind, you will need to be able to access the tiller. It isn't always fun to have to reach down from a high seat to reach it, so you may want to steer clear of boats like the first one, where the rear deck is so long, you can't reach the tiller.

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Thats covering angles I didn't even think about. Nice one bassboy1!

Nice boats they all make me jealous. :shock:

I have a Semi-Vee boat and my boat moves very well. My brother has a flat bottom boat with the same TM that I have and my boat is faster than his. I would get a Semi-Vee hull.

ACarbone624 said:

I have a Vee boat and my boat moves very well. My brother has a flat bottom boat with the same TM that I have and my boat is faster than his. I would get a Vee hull.

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Now we get into the mechanics of this. A skinny boat is going to be faster no matter what. Even if it was longer, and weighed the same, it will be faster. His flat bottom is probably wider.
Now, that lowe you show is a deep vee, which is really going to eat your speed. It handles rough water great, at high speeds, but loses a little stability at low speeds, and at rest.

I just notice that fishin NJ posted, after I had hit reply. There are four main types of boats, that you will encounter in your search. I have one of 3 of those types. The first is a jon. You know what that is.
The second is a mod vee. That is a jon, but with a vee on the nose. It is all straight lines.
Acarbones boat, like my Grumman, is what is called a semi-vee. Then, there is a deep vee. A semi vee is a boat that isn't a jon, or mod v, that has less than 20 degrees deadrise at the transom.
A deep vee has more than 20 degrees at the transom.

Now, I have been in some insanely rough water in my semi vee. But, it isn't very good as far as stability at rest. No casting decks for sure. Sure, a 14 foot vee will be a lot better, but a flat bottom will give you the best stability. But, then, you lose your ability to handle chop. A mod vee is the best all around substitute.
Hope this helps.

As for picture number 1, that rear deck hatch is an extra on the boat and will not come stock, so with out the hatch it would be like #3 but with a seat post setup in the rear bench. Thats what i would go for, no hatch. Easier to steer a tiller without it. like you stated earlier in this post.

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Are you talking about a tiller outboard or a hand-operated tm? Yes, the rear deck hatch is extra, but I did order it on my Lowe, and am glad I did. It added much more standing area for fishing, and provides some more storage area under it. I steer a rear tm from the pedastal seat on mine, and the rear hatch doesn't interfere at all. Having the rear area open (imho) detracts drastically from additional casting space. Here's a pic showing mine (1652VT Roughneck) with the rear hatch (aka: rear casting deck):

Waterwings said:

As for picture number 1, that rear deck hatch is an extra on the boat and will not come stock, so with out the hatch it would be like #3 but with a seat post setup in the rear bench. Thats what i would go for, no hatch. Easier to steer a tiller without it. like you stated earlier in this post.

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Are you talking about a tiller outboard or a hand-operated tm? Yes, the rear deck hatch is extra, but I did order it on my Lowe, and am glad I did. It added much more standing area for fishing, and provides some more storage area under it. I steer a rear tm from the pedastal seat on mine, and the rear hatch doesn't interfere at all. Having the rear area open (imho) detracts drastically from additional casting space. Here's a pic showing mine (1652VT Roughneck) with the rear hatch (aka: rear casting deck):

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That maybe something you want to give some thought to. I don't have any experience with driving from on a pedestal seat. Hence why I didn't really lean to much one way or the other in my original post (least I didn't try to. I have learned how vague some of my speaking/writing is, since I have become a member of forums, with many different people on it, who don't necessarily speak my lingo).
For all I know, a high seat, and a tiller extension could be the ticket. Or, an adjustable height seat. Let someone speak from experience regarding that.
I hear ya on the pipe dream with the deep vee. I have a lot of them (pipe dreams) right now. I think I need a job.....

Thanks. As bassboy mentioned, there are also extensions for tillers (tm's and outboards) that are angled and straight:

Helmsmate Extension Handle

Extension Handle for Electric Trolling Motors

Ironwood Pacific HelmsMate 18'' Fixed Trolling Motor Handle

I thought so Mr. fishin NJ, Thats where I got my boat, they treated me ok and still do to this day, They get bad mouthed on the BB, who you deal with John or Ken?, just courious. Good luck with your purchase