Thinking about going to Smith Mountain Lake, VA

[vicente 0]

Personally I want more of a skiff type boat like a Boston whaler or odd of thre mako skiffs, better load capacity as far as weight goes, they don't need as deep of water as a v style hull but still have great stability so it could be used as a bay boat or for inshore fishing.

[DarrellP 0]

I would upgrade the trailer.

[Bill_729 0]

Thank you for the feedback regarding the boat and the trailer. The capacity I need, the capacity of my towing vehicle, and my budget, all limit my choices. Compared to most boat offerings, the item I am looking at almost doesn't quality as a "modern day boat" at all! Almost like trying to access the Internet with punch cards! : )

 

I expect that if I buy a boat, trailer and motor from the same boat dealer, that I would be entitled to some discount. Does anyone have experience with this that they are willing to share? Do sales below "nationally advertised prices" occur frequently? So far I have never been to a boat dealer at all--I was going to go one day last week, then google pointed out that it was almost a 2-hour drive each way--53 miles of it down a road having street lights! ; ) I'll probably get there eventually--it's still February, and I would need to clear out half of a garage to make room for it!

 

One other question: I noticed that the boat dealer sells a boat cover for about $600, and that boat covers are available on amazon for roughly 10% of that. Also, they have "motor covers". What does the "voice of experience" say?

 

Thanks!

Bill_729

[mikechell 0]

Almost all dealerships offer package boats. Built by a boat builder, sold by the dealership, what you see on the sales floor is what you get. If you want a specific motor other than the one on the boat ... it's called "A repower" and will cost you, the difference between engine prices and labor. You might be able to save a little, if you're wanting a SMALLER motor on the boat ... but the dealership might also refuse to downsize.

 

So, you don't get a discount by buying boat, motor and trailer from one dealer ... since that's the "standard" offering, not the exception.

 

Be careful with boat covers. Plastic ones will condense evaporation and can make everything wetter under the cover than on top. Even evaporation from the ground will be collected under the plastic cover. However, any cover, if properly used, is better than none. If you get a cheap one, plan on building a frame with PVC pipe to get it off the boat accessories as much as possible, and to keep from forming a dip in the middle. The dip is where all the condensation drips onto the boat. Handy, if you're in a survival situation, for drinkable water. Not so good for the boat.

 

Last ... don't worry about getting a top of the line boat. I've been fishing out of the same 14 foot jon boat (with a 15 Hp engine) since 2002. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

[Bill_729 0]

Be careful with boat covers. Plastic ones will condense evaporation and can make everything wetter under the cover than on top. Even evaporation from the ground will be collected under the plastic cover. However, any cover, if properly used, is better than none. If you get a cheap one, plan on building a frame with PVC pipe to get it off the boat accessories as much as possible, and to keep from forming a dip in the middle. The dip is where all the condensation drips onto the boat. Handy, if you're in a survival situation, for drinkable water. Not so good for the boat.

 

Last ... don't worry about getting a top of the line boat. I've been fishing out of the same 14 foot jon boat (with a 15 Hp engine) since 2002. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

Thanks for the tips Mike. There aren't many aluminum boats that are rated for 600# worth of passengers (for the 3 of us). The 16-foot aluminum boat I provided a link to (Lowe 1668W), which has a "utility-vee" shaped hull, is 375#. The boat is in the category of "utility boat", so it's not "top of the line". Motor is roughly 200# say. Add fuel, battery, plus possible trolling motor and battery and we are easily over 1200#. Max HP for boat is 30. What would you put on it (and what would you expect)?

 

The "Yacht Club" trailer it is paired with (model 1612F), is $899 and is 48" between fenders. I noticed Yacht Club has a model 1612B which is 62" between fenders. The "beam" of the boat is 68", so, "knowing virtually nothing at all about this", the latter trailer makes more sense to me for "more-confident" towing (though I did not see it on my nearest dealer's website). Neither appeared to offer much in the way of "suspension" (seems to me it can't be that good for them to vibrate a boat or motor for hundreds of miles).

 

At this point, any decision is possible. I've learned that boat maintenance is not trivial (if you are doing it yourself), but I'm sure it's not to bad after the first time around. I remind myself that I enjoy wading, and would probably have fun in my local ponds with a small jon boat or even a simpler flotation mechanism. The truth is that one probably needs several boats to cover all of the bases-ha. The boat offers the advantage of being able to accommodate my wife and her service dog (who goes everywhere with us). I think I will l will look harder to rent a boat first to see how much she really likes it... (she wants to "bird" from the boat). When I wade, I leave her and the dog in a chair back on the shore.

 

I saw from one of your videos that your boat was working out for you! (that's the same style of fishing I would like to do). Using a trolling motor to move along the shoreline sounds really cool. I've learned a lot about boats in a month or so, and am sure I will continue to learn more. Boat electronics seem to have really evolved too (and I haven't even looked into that--I just noticed their presence in some YouTube videos). It would be nice to see the "depth" at a glance.

 

By the way, the boat covers on Amazon where made of polyester. Your idea of adding a "frame" makes sense. They actually sell a "post" for the same purpose. Maybe I could add a "bimini" boat top? : )

 

Cheers,

Bill