That guy at the ramp.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

One other minor point about boats running rivers way up northwest.... and that is just about all of those waters have very serious shallow rock bottoms....  Not a friendly place for propellers at all.... That's just one of the reasons you see quite a few with jets for propulsion (and why aluminum is the choice of hulls...).

At the far southeastern end of the country (way down in south Florida...) we only occasionally see jets - not because you can't run one - you just can't run one for long since they need clean water (those rock bottomed rivers in the far northwest have very clean water...) while down my way shallow waters always have sand and silt, not to mention things that can grow up inside your drive... - very bad for the internals on a jet drive....

 

"Aren't boats fun?"

[Poopdeck 0]

Sand and silt ain't bad because it blows right through the impeller. A little extra wear and tear on the impeller liner but not a big deal. Weeds, grass and leaves are a nightmare as they will clog your intake foot where you will get nothing out of your motor except noise. Most times just shutting down the motor will cause the debri to drop off but other times you have to lift the motor and clean the junk off the grate. With inboard motors most people put a stomp grate on that hammers the junk off the grate. Weeds and such are not a big issue in my parts except in the fall when the leaves drop or during drought conditions when the goopy weeds flourish. I have been in airboats in Florida where the vegatation was matted all over the surface and pretty much through out the water column. Forget a jet in those conditions. 

With my hull, unlike Marks hull, I get beat to death when there's a chop in the water. It has the wave cutting ability of a cinder block. I try to keep it out of big water but I love right where the tide ends on the river which make for two very diverse fishing environments on the same river. The tidal river can whip itself up into a frenzy where you lose your fillings during the ride. It can also be a real pain to anchor in swift water and at times during the spring there is nothing I can do to hold anchor which is why I'm constantly searching for a better anchor.

Each hull and propulsion system has its trade offs. Unfortunately you have to pick your poison or buy multiple boats. I had three at one time, I am down to two now and will be going to down to one and just keeping my river boat. I have friends with other style boats so after determining the type of fishing we are going to do we then pick the best boat for the job.

[Mark Knapp 0]

4 hours ago, Poopdeck said:

Sand and silt ain't bad because it blows right through the impeller. A little extra wear and tear on the impeller liner but not a big deal. Weeds, grass and leaves are a nightmare as they will clog your intake foot where you will get nothing out of your motor except noise. Most times just shutting down the motor will cause the debri to drop off but other times you have to lift the motor and clean the junk off the grate. With inboard motors most people put a stomp grate on that hammers the junk off the grate. Weeds and such are not a big issue in my parts except in the fall when the leaves drop or during drought conditions when the goopy weeds flourish. I have been in airboats in Florida where the vegatation was matted all over the surface and pretty much through out the water column. Forget a jet in those conditions. 

With my hull, unlike Marks hull, I get beat to death when there's a chop in the water. It has the wave cutting ability of a cinder block. I try to keep it out of big water but I love right where the tide ends on the river which make for two very diverse fishing environments on the same river. The tidal river can whip itself up into a frenzy where you lose your fillings during the ride. It can also be a real pain to anchor in swift water and at times during the spring there is nothing I can do to hold anchor which is why I'm constantly searching for a better anchor.

Each hull and propulsion system has its trade offs. Unfortunately you have to pick your poison or buy multiple boats. I had three at one time, I am down to two now and will be going to down to one and just keeping my river boat. I have friends with other style boats so after determining the type of fishing we are going to do we then pick the best boat for the job.

I vote for more boats. I have seven, my river boat (that I use in rivers, lake and small ocean), three rafts, (a round boat and two cats), two Ally pack canoes and a folding kayak. I only wish I had a little bigger ocean boat for a little bit bigger ocean. Maybe some day.

[Poopdeck 0]

4 hours ago, Mark Knapp said:

I vote for more boats. I have seven, my river boat (that I use in rivers, lake and small ocean), three rafts, (a round boat and two cats), two Ally pack canoes and a folding kayak. I only wish I had a little bigger ocean boat for a little bit bigger ocean. Maybe some day.

Ha! That's was my vote. I just got tired of servicing all three. I also had 6 cars at one time but I'm down to 4 for the same reason. I'm just tired of working on everything or paying to have work done. 

[Mark Knapp 0]

33 minutes ago, Poopdeck said:

Ha! That's was my vote. I just got tired of servicing all three. I also had 6 cars at one time but I'm down to 4 for the same reason. I'm just tired of working on everything or paying to have work done. 

I know, I'm tired of the maintenance too. I keep thinking when my ship comes in, so to speak, I'll be able to hire it done. But, then will they do it right?

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Just keeping my one skiff running day after day - and on the road when I'm towing 20,000+ miles a year commuting to one ramp or another is plenty enough for me....

[Poopdeck 0]

Exactly. There were times I wanted to go fishing but opted to repair or maintain something on another boat. Three boats and three trailers as well. My marine shop is an hour and 20 minute drive from my house because as Mark noted, it's damn hard finding a good boat repair shop. 

[Flat Rock native 0]

3 hours ago, Poopdeck said:

 Three boats and three trailers as well. My marine shop is an hour and 20 minute drive from my house because as Mark noted, it's damn hard finding a *good boat repair shop. 

Yes, *  two states over for me, pedal drive kayak, is now my “big  rig”  just need to keep legs in shape...

Family and friends now have the deep vee Walleye boats,  Bass Platforms, and Pontoon monsters, much less stressful to fork over gas and lunch money and Enjoy the cruise....