03-07-2009, 09:54 PM
Dang....always a day late on this kind of free stuff. 
As for this topic, I have a few opinions. The first is to determine where you are primarily going to fish. My target has always been Strawberry. My first 'bigger' (translation: bigger than my old 14' aluminum thing) boat was a 17.5' tri-hull with a 135hp OB on back. The stability if tri-hulls is great.....if you are in somewhat calm waters. They really aren't the best boat for the Berry, though. They are built to stay on top of the water instead of cut through it. That means that, when you get big waves they climb the wave then dive back down...often nose first into the next wave. When the wind is getting bad...find a cove quickly.
When I got tired of that we went out and bought a deep-v. It's a '79 19' Fiberform with a closed bow (not cuddy) and gas tank in the front and 305 V8 in the back. This thing will take on any lake I've put it on. The remote troll works wonderfully and it has a full enclosure for if the rain really kicks up.....or if we just want to camp on the boat.
The 305 also has plenty of power to pull a couple of skiers easily.
Yes, you could get a lot fancier newer boat, but for the $4k I paid for it (markets are down now, so you can really find cheaper bargains), I'm very happy. This thing was like new with only about 160 hours on it and stored indoors its entire life.
With all that said, If you are primarily on smaller, calmer waters, go with a shallower, lighter, more nimble boat. If you plan to frequent windier lakes (Strawberry, Flaming Gorge, etc) look for something that can cut through the waves and protect your biggest investment: your family.
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As for this topic, I have a few opinions. The first is to determine where you are primarily going to fish. My target has always been Strawberry. My first 'bigger' (translation: bigger than my old 14' aluminum thing) boat was a 17.5' tri-hull with a 135hp OB on back. The stability if tri-hulls is great.....if you are in somewhat calm waters. They really aren't the best boat for the Berry, though. They are built to stay on top of the water instead of cut through it. That means that, when you get big waves they climb the wave then dive back down...often nose first into the next wave. When the wind is getting bad...find a cove quickly.
When I got tired of that we went out and bought a deep-v. It's a '79 19' Fiberform with a closed bow (not cuddy) and gas tank in the front and 305 V8 in the back. This thing will take on any lake I've put it on. The remote troll works wonderfully and it has a full enclosure for if the rain really kicks up.....or if we just want to camp on the boat.
The 305 also has plenty of power to pull a couple of skiers easily.
Yes, you could get a lot fancier newer boat, but for the $4k I paid for it (markets are down now, so you can really find cheaper bargains), I'm very happy. This thing was like new with only about 160 hours on it and stored indoors its entire life.
With all that said, If you are primarily on smaller, calmer waters, go with a shallower, lighter, more nimble boat. If you plan to frequent windier lakes (Strawberry, Flaming Gorge, etc) look for something that can cut through the waves and protect your biggest investment: your family.
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