Help. 3 kids and wife seating

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Busbey

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not too sure what to do here or even where to start with this post. . .

i have always had a jonboat of sort and tried to get a bayboat but wasnt the same. i miss the fresh water. so now i am back at it trying to find ideas before i look for something to buy. i want something that we can all sit in. 2, 4 and 6 year old and wife. and me of course.

would have to be 18ft i think, so that i can make enough seating but i dont want it all to be seats and no storage room. hoping for some ideas to make it all comfortable when we all want to take a ride but fishable when its only a few of us in the boat.

contemplating a center console keywest or something, to an 18ft jon. i am all over the place! would be nice for fresh of course, thats why im getting it but also would be nice to take to the beach with the family.

HELP!!!
 
Seems a bay boat would fill your needs. Many bay boats have options for a lot of seating. They also have a bow low enough for a trolling motor (I would assume you want that for freshwater at least). Why are you shying away from a bay boat exactly?
 
cost is the main concern. jon boats are cheap, actually never bought one but was given by my dad 10 years ago. sold that 2 years ago and got a hurricane deck boat for the family. enjoyed but was not for fishing. now im stuck with only a few thousand to spend. i keep going through the G3 type with side driver console to tiller or older Ranger. heck, anything under 4k i am looking at and putting all my ideas into it and cant stick with one or the other. i am thinking the bay or flats boat would be good to take the the beach on occasion but is a little more than i have to spend. the jon boats are around 2-3k with decent motor.

ultimately this would be used for fresh water fishing most of the time and would be me and 2 of my girls and dad. again, they are small, 2 4 and 6 so not that i need a lot of room to walk around. pretty much just for storage, cooler and wide enough to be safe as we move around.
 
thanks but no. im looking for a bassboat of sort. flats, glass or big jon. just cant figure out which! my price range for glass will be pretty worn and glass boat have a shelf-life for sure. jons would be nice if i could find a nice wide one about 16-18ft long. i would not mind doing the deckwork. flats would be nice but again, spendy like the other glass for something that wont give me troubles.
 
My first boat was a brand new 1988 Bluefin Sportsman 17ft aluminum hull fish and ski. Do a google search for images. The hull was rated at 85hp, mine had a 50hp Force which made it under powered. An 85hp would have been great. Anyways there was plenty seating and it was a fun boat. Have a look see if this is the type that could work for you.
 
A creation from Dawson @ fishonfabrications from this thread https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=36070

gehIte5.jpg

Wo099GE.jpg

ODFoROI.jpg
 
I would consider getting a boat with maximum flat deck and then put some collapsible chairs where you want them... a family will want to move around and sit in different spots... there really is no good reason for chairs to be attached to the deck.
 
Shaugh said:
I would consider getting a boat with maximum flat deck and then put some collapsible chairs where you want them... a family will want to move around and sit in different spots... there really is no good reason for chairs to be attached to the deck.


great idea!
 
Honestly, if cash is limited, then buying any boat may not be best plan. They are definitely dollar-suckers, with maintenance, ins, registrations, etc.

Have you considered just renting a boat occasionally?

It might seems pricey, but you don't have to haul it, maintain it, store it.
 
Shaugh said:
there really is no good reason for chairs to be attached to the deck.
yeah there is - SAFETY !!! a rogue wave can toss a passenger into the floor
or over the side in a matter of seconds if there is nothing firm to hold on to.
if you are in protected waters away from any such things happening, then I totally agree with you!

my favorite is my office chair complete with rollers on a sheet of plywood !!
San Juan, PR Fishing.jpg
(oh to be young and dumb again)






.
 
Maybe something like a Carolina skiff would work for you? The 17 and 19 are both very wide and stable, and usually configured with a lot of open deck space. Could easily have seating for 4 or 5 people in one.
 

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