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re: First boat recommendations?
Posted on 8/27/25 at 8:49 am to Major Dutch Schaefer
Posted on 8/27/25 at 8:49 am to Major Dutch Schaefer
quote:
No one said I wish my boat was smaller.
I know a lot of people who've downsized. They wanted a boat that could go offshore but the reality is that they rarely used that capability and inshore it was very limited.
Get a boat that does what you need it to do, don't go too much above and don't go any below that. You can go bigger, but it can reach a point where it's like buying an F-250 as a commuter vehicle.
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Posted on 8/27/25 at 9:01 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:
Screw that. Get what you can afford now and start fishing. Nobody starting out has any idea what they want anyway.
Amen. There ain't no perfect boat that will do everything one can imagine or conjure up doing in a boat.
16 foot with more than 2 people fishing will be tight...4 will be very tight and 5 will be a mess.
Posted on 8/27/25 at 9:07 am to el duderino III
quote:
Isn't the downside of getting into the 21+ range that can't target reds in shallower water? Or is that really not much of an issue?
I've also heard that trailering 21+ is significantly harder than learning to trailer something 16-18ft?
I have a 2072 duck boat on a tandem axle trailer, a 14 foot job boat on a single axle trailer and a 13 foot gheenoe on a single axle trailer currently. There is not much difference in trailering any of them....boat trailers are particularly easy to maneuver because the turning point is normally toward the end of the load and they have relatively long tongues compared to a utility trailer or camper (this is a visual thing really. the bow of the boat will be about the same as the wall of the trailer but it looks like more room). I used to have a 26 foot CC with a 3 foot bracket and twins on a triple axle trailer. It wasn't considerably more difficult to manuever than the smaller boat trailers I have owned over the years...multiple axles make backing slighty more difficult as they don't pivot like a single axle but its not a night and day difference, more like 9 am and noon.
Posted on 8/27/25 at 9:35 am to el duderino III
quote:
Isn't the downside of getting into the 21+ range that can't target reds in shallower water? Or is that really not much of an issue?
It's not an issue. I slaughter redfish in a 24' boat with a 17* deadrise. You cant go bank waking in the marsh like an a-hole in a tunnel hull boat with a 300 and a 14" jackplate but you dont need to do that dumb shite to catch redfish.
quote:
heard that trailering 21+ is significantly harder than learning to trailer something 16-18ft?
Depends on the boat. Mine was a pain in the arse to load and unload myself until I got an automatic bow latch and set the trailer up correctly. Pretty much any single engine boat is going to be a little bit of a pain to deal with yourself but with everything set up right its not bad. The smaller the boat and the less you care about scuffing it up the easier it gets.
The advice earlier about getting a small aluminum boat is good. Drop the offshore hopes and dreams for now. Just charter a trip once a year to scratch the itch, get yourself a good solid reliable boat that you can afford, and go catch fish.
We used to kill the specs in grand isle in a 16' bass boat with 4 people in it. You dont need a big boat to catch fish, you need a big boat to go offshore and flex on the poors at the marina. The old guy with the clapped out tin can who fishes every day is who's usually smoking the fish.
This post was edited on 8/27/25 at 9:46 am
Posted on 8/27/25 at 1:34 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
Totally agree with the above…if it’s your first boat. Aluminum center console in the 20’ (+/- 2’) would be ideal.
Posted on 8/27/25 at 2:46 pm to el duderino III
Get an older 22’ boat with a newer motor. A good motor to me is the key to enjoying boating and fishing.
Posted on 8/27/25 at 10:08 pm to deltafarmer
Get a low hours 18-20' aluminum rig. Will do anything you want, be very forgiving, and hold value if you don't like boating long term.
Buyers market right now!
Buyers market right now!
Posted on 8/28/25 at 7:21 am to el duderino III
How much experience do you have operating a boat and or fishing?
Your experience level is probably going to dictate how much boat we would recommend.
Your experience level is probably going to dictate how much boat we would recommend.
Posted on 8/28/25 at 8:41 am to KemoSabe65
quote:
Your experience level is probably going to dictate how much boat we would recommend.
I'd recommend being born rich and getting daddy to buy a 35' center console tricked out and drive it like you own the world. Everybody else at the marina can get the hell outta the way. Tie that big bastard up cross ways in the ramp and turn boosie on loud af and start loading them trashy skanks up to go out and potlick some decent people's hard found bottom structure.
Posted on 8/28/25 at 4:47 pm to KemoSabe65
I have plenty of experience fishing, but I'm always on someone else's boat. Pulled trailers maybe 40 times, but never a boat.
The whole appeal of the aluminum boat is that you don't have to worry about beating it up? Aren't they more likely to sink or do they put foam in those as well? Putting kids on a boat that doesn't float when swamped makes me a bit nervous. If I beat up a glass boat it's not the end of the world financially. I was more looking to keep the budget low just so I can learn on a cheaper boat.
The whole appeal of the aluminum boat is that you don't have to worry about beating it up? Aren't they more likely to sink or do they put foam in those as well? Putting kids on a boat that doesn't float when swamped makes me a bit nervous. If I beat up a glass boat it's not the end of the world financially. I was more looking to keep the budget low just so I can learn on a cheaper boat.
Posted on 8/28/25 at 5:25 pm to el duderino III
You are kinda of all over the place with what you are asking and thinking.
3-4 people on a 16 or less foot boat is just silly to me and you are mentioning wanting to go offshore a couple times a year. But you are worried about the safety of an aluminum boat. I guess aluminum rigs aren’t as popular in Texas, there are thousands and thousands of them on the water in south Louisiana for a reason. I think your concerns about safety are ill placed.
Yes, aluminum boats are more forgiving as most new boaters are gonna kiss the dock or whatever else is in the water while they are learning the boat.
They are less expensive than a comparably sized fiberglass boats and usually can be powered with less horsepower which also makes them easier to afford and operate.
Of course a 22 ft fiberglass bay boat is gonna be safer and ride better than most metal boats. However I wouldn’t say a 13 ft skiff is safer than a 20 ft aluminum boat.
And as previous stated fiberglass requires more upkeep which new boat owners often take for granted.
Having said that get whatever you want and feel comfortable with. If you don’t want aluminum no worries. I run a fiberglass bay boat myself.
3-4 people on a 16 or less foot boat is just silly to me and you are mentioning wanting to go offshore a couple times a year. But you are worried about the safety of an aluminum boat. I guess aluminum rigs aren’t as popular in Texas, there are thousands and thousands of them on the water in south Louisiana for a reason. I think your concerns about safety are ill placed.
Yes, aluminum boats are more forgiving as most new boaters are gonna kiss the dock or whatever else is in the water while they are learning the boat.
They are less expensive than a comparably sized fiberglass boats and usually can be powered with less horsepower which also makes them easier to afford and operate.
Of course a 22 ft fiberglass bay boat is gonna be safer and ride better than most metal boats. However I wouldn’t say a 13 ft skiff is safer than a 20 ft aluminum boat.
And as previous stated fiberglass requires more upkeep which new boat owners often take for granted.
Having said that get whatever you want and feel comfortable with. If you don’t want aluminum no worries. I run a fiberglass bay boat myself.
Posted on 8/28/25 at 5:48 pm to Mister Bigfish
The next aluminum boat I see on baffin will probably be the first, but what do I know. I've only fish the bays he mentioned a thousand plus times in the last 40 years.
Posted on 8/28/25 at 7:36 pm to TxWadingFool
Why are Texas people so dickhard for Haynie boats?
Posted on 8/28/25 at 7:51 pm to el duderino III
My 21ft bay boat has a modified tunnel hull and hydraulic jack plate and it gets in plenty skinny water for me.
It also handles pretty well but I am not taking it off shore, near shore has been fine.
It also handles pretty well but I am not taking it off shore, near shore has been fine.
Posted on 8/28/25 at 7:56 pm to el duderino III
quote:
I've also heard that trailering 21+ is significantly harder than learning to trailer something 16-18ft?
A 21ft bay boat on a double axle is probably the easiest boat to handle, smaller boats and single axles get squirely, bigger boats get unruly.
Posted on 8/28/25 at 7:59 pm to armsdealer
your kids interested in fishing will be interested in water skiing in 3-4 years. get a big enough motor.
Posted on 8/28/25 at 8:34 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
They’re actually a great riding boat in the slop, run shallow, fast (relative), laid out great for inshore & pretty damn economical.
Big lake has the highest concentration of haynies east of the state line.
Big lake has the highest concentration of haynies east of the state line.
Posted on 8/28/25 at 9:24 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:
Screw that. Get what you can afford now and start fishing. Nobody starting out has any idea what they want anyway. I'd get a small affordable boat, something you could afford to keep and pass on to the kids when they get old enough to start going on their own.
Agree with this 100%. Get a cheap aluminum boat and use it to learn, because there will be a big learning curve. Things always break on a boat. You'll learn to fix them and also how much you really enjoy boating/fishing. Upgrade when you're ready.
Posted on 8/28/25 at 9:25 pm to KemoSabe65
I've fished a majak a little bit. I like going fast as much as the next guy but those guys are mega obsessed with Haynie
Posted on 8/29/25 at 11:07 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
You quoted me so I'll respond. I don't run a Haynie, I have owned a few of them back in my tournament days and when I was sponsored by them, Mercury, and others. The biggest draw for folks to the boats in Texas is the dealer that sells them is about as good of a dealer you will find anywhere, they are at the top of every customer service rankings you can find. The support after the sale leads to repeat customers, they also treat the new owners of pre owned boats the same way, so guess who they look to when buying their next boat. Its not rocket science, but a lot of dealers seem to miss that part of the equation. I also mentioned a couple other Texas made boats in my post, most all the boats made over here are pretty damn solid, they wouldn't still be in business turning out crap products given the competition on such a small area of the coast. They are built for the waters in this area where the OP mentioned he planned on using the boat, there are very few aluminum boats over here except for airboats, occasionally you'll see a pimped out 6 figure Boat Right but that is about it. The big open bays we have probably have something to do with that I'm sure, much like the fish habitat it is apples to oranges to compare to SoLA.
This post was edited on 8/29/25 at 2:22 pm
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