Newbie's New Boat

Hello everyone. My name is John and I live in Galesburg, IL. I have been looking around here for a week or so and thought I would join and pick some of your brains for ideas. I have seen some great looking boats and great ideas for upgrades on this site.

Looking for suggestions for a new boat. I'm pretty set on a Lowe right now unless someone can give me an idea of another boat in the same price range. I'm leaning towards a new boat right now. Looking at the 16ft or maybe 18ft riveted jons. I will be using the boat for hunting and fishing on the Mississippi River. However, I wont actually be hunting out of the boat, just using it for transportation to and from the blind.

I have a few questions maybe some of you can answer for me. 1.) What do I gain going from the 15" transom to the 20" transom? 2.) What do I gain with the Mod V over the standard? 3.) How much more stable is a 52" over the 48"? 4.) Will I gain more control with remote steering over tiller steering? 5.) What kind of speed would you expect a 1648 with a 25 HP motor to run? Thanks

:WELCOME:


1)Taller transom allows the use of a long shaft motor which can be easier to find on bigger motors like used on the boats you are considering.

2)ModV is a good compromise between stability and and rough water ride.It a boat as big as 16 to 18 feet,you want have a problem with stability.Way better than a standard flat bottom.Most modVs are welded.

3)The wider you go the stability increases considerably.Especially with a modV.

4)You will have the best steering control with a tiller motor.You are directly controlling the motor instead of gears and cables.

5)I would think some where around 20mph if the load in the boat is kept light and the motor is trimmed properly.

I have a few questions maybe some of you can answer for me. 1.) What do I gain going from the 15" transom to the 20" transom? 2.) What do I gain with the Mod V over the standard? 3.) How much more stable is a 52" over the 48"? 4.) Will I gain more control with remote steering over tiller steering? 5.) What kind of speed would you expect a 1648 with a 25 HP motor to run? Thanks

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I agree with bengo,add a bit
(1)further away from the water with the 20",handle rougher water and bigger outboards
(2)ModV will cut through the chop better and normally there not true flat bottoms,they can have around a 5-7 degree deadrise.
(3)not real sure,normally wider the more stable.I own a 1652modV,havn't been in any 48"ers but at 170lbs I can stand on the rail,doesn't move very much.
(4)I run a tiller,sometimes I think I'd want a CC way up attached to my front deck,probably just for the more "cool" factor then anything.My boats rated for a 35hp tiller or 60hp console.
More space with the tiller and better control,thats why some walleye pros run some BIG tillers.Consoles have the cool factor,you know the shift lever,throttle steering wheel and windsheild,probably be better if going to haul someone on a tube,etc.
(5)1652modV;30 hp.myself and fishing gear;13"prop 31mph(gps)
2 people fishing gear:11"prop avg 26 mph(gps)

O ya and Welcome to the site.
Might be a good time to look at slightly used boats.

Welcome! I agree with what the other's have said. I'm familiar with the area of the miss you plan on traveling. A standard jon would be fine, as you've probably noticed, there's no shortage of them around there) A little bit more stable. Although I live in Texas, I also keep a standard 16 foot jon in Camanche Iowa for when I go home to visit. Never had any trouble navigating the river with it. It's a bit heavy in the back with a raised transom to fit a 40 horse commercial grade long shaft