I Have No Clue

I'm looking for a boat right now. Basically I wan't anything that I can put a deck on. My friend told me that he knows of a 12 ft.Vee bottom with a 9.9 Johnson that runs good. Would this boat be worth even trying to put a deck on? He said I could get it for a good price. How stable would the boat be? Can you fish 2 people comfortably in a boat that is 12". Should I just wait out for a 14 ft.?

Hi Bass n Bows,
Welcome aboard and thanks for joining. How big are the waters you plan on fishing? I personally would try to find a wide 14. It will be more stable In my opinion and allot more space for 2 people.

Jim

Well the lakes around me aren't very big and some only allow trolling motors. I really would like to get a bigger boat, but I just wonder if I should start out with a little junker until I get more familiar with boating.
Thanks so much for the advice, any more would be appreciated.

It depends really on where you are located and what type of water you want to fish. If you are planning on bulding a deck on it, I would go with a mod v or a flat bottom. I'd say no less than 14 ft. I am a big fan of the lowe 16 ft mod v. However, flat bottoms are pretty good stability wise. I've fished out of some pretty good 14 ft v's but I can't pitch my jigs like I like to. Anyway, just my thoughts, but if you get the opportunity to, fish out of as many boats as you can. Heck, join a bass club as a co-angler so you can have that opportunity. i did that and found exactly what I was looking for. Good luck!

Pont

Great advice Pont - I second that, the best way to find out what is good is to take a few boat rides. Try to get in the same style boat in several different conditions, winds, chop and the like. What feels great on a calm day can suck (and be wet) with a little wind over the bow.

Heck I bet there are even a few Tinboaters who would take you out

Don't know where you are located but if you ever make it out to indy I'll give you a ride in my flat bottom jet.

Welcome Aboard, Bass n Bows !

Welcome aboard. I just sold my 12 footer, as it was just to small to put a deck in, even just for one person, let alone 2. And, I am not fully grown yet, so I am probably a little lighter than average.

I dont feel comfortable standing in my 1436 flat bottom. I can do it but if some else shifts weight it gets shaky. Catchs me off gaurd everytime. Even worse if Im useing the tm footcontrol. We just sit while fishin.

Havent done alot of standing/fishing since my floor mods. Might be a little better.

So are you guys thinkin a no go on a 14 footer, especially for to build a deck on and have 2 people?
I don't know if anyone has been on Hudleston swimbaits website and watched the vids of Butch Brown but his boat looks ideal.

What do you guys think about a Tracker Grizzly 1448? How can I find out the prices on these boats? I like this boat because it has a casting deck. Do you think the price is decent with a trailer?

Go here and click on Grizzly boats.

https://www.trackerboats.com/index.cfm?

A 1442, or a 1448 should be big enough. Personally speaking, I don't like the Tracker Grizzleys. They are a bit heavy for their size. About a year and a half ago, I researched most of the aluminum boat brands, to find the best for a conversion, and if memory serves, I believe Alumacraft won out. I believe Lowe was pretty far up there too.

The Tracker Grizzly's are well built, and I looked at them before buying the Lowe I now have. I looked at Tracker first due to previously owning a Tracker PT175, which was a great boat. As stated, the Grizzly's tend to be a little heavy, but I warrant that to their rugged construction. If you're going to have a main motor on the back it should be no problem, but I personally wouldn't want to use a trolling motor all day getting the Grizzly around a large body of water. When you look at the prices on their website, the price shown is for the boat only, and you'll of course need a trailer. Checkout the Alumacraft & Lowe sites. Great boats at decent prices, and you may find a package deal (boat & trailer). The price will also depend on any accessories you have added-on at the dealership. Also, a lot of dealers have good used boats on their lots sometimes.

Would a 1988 16ft. Starcraft v bottom be a good boat? Is the 16 ft. size to big for a new boater like me? Would this boat be stable and good for doing a bass boat conversion?

The 16 foot size is not too big. That is a real nice boat. Where do you intend to use the boat, what type of water?

I plan on using the boat mainly in the small lakes here in Illinois, but I also may use it on the Rock River a little. I was just looking at the Lowe Roughneck boats and they look pretty sweet!
What should I look for in a bass boat?
I want a casting deck and a livewell incase I ever get into to tournaments.
Would it be a bad idea to buy a new mod v with these features, or are both of these features easy to build on a used boat?

The Lowe Roughneck 1652VT I have was purchased this past summer strictly for electric-only lakes around here. It has no livewell and I intentionally wanted a boat w/o one. We only do C & R. I have a 54# foot-control trolling motor on the front, and a 40# tiller-type trolling motor on the back. The wind and waves have picked-up on us while out a few times and it handled well while headed to the ramp, lol. I believe the 1652 is rated for a 35hp tiller-type motor. There are a couple of pics of the 1652VT in my gallery.

You might also look at the Lowe Jon series (riveted hulls) for built-in livewell feaatures.

Building a casting deck is highly possible, and if a boat has no means of adding a livewell into the structure of the boat itself, there are a few portable livewell alternatives. I know Bass Pro carries a coule different models, so you might check them out.

i have a 12' almuninum with casting decks, its hard to fish 2 people comfortably but i have done it for a few years, hell ive even fished 3 out of it, witha small 12'er dont expect stability or comfort, i have spent over 12 hours on the boat and it is tough, but when you are catching 3 and 4 pound smallies all day who cares about comfort, you will be in areas you could never get to from shore, also i have a 5hp merc and 46# trolling motor, they both moved the boat well, and were well suited to the boat

Bass n Bows said:

Would a 1988 16ft. Starcraft v bottom be a good boat? Is the 16 ft. size to big for a new boater like me? Would this boat be stable and good for doing a bass boat conversion?

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If there were anything I could have done differently it would have been to get a 16' instead of a 14'. The one I have is wider and more stable than most 14's I have seen and has higher weight capacities so it does the job. I would love to have a little more elbow room though. Not to mention you cannot enter any tourneys that I have seen in a boat under 16' ! :x