# Cheap Family Fishing Skiff...



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Watch the local classifieds,
the flyer, pennysaver, boatrader, craigslist
buy a used hull, hang a new motor on it.
Used hulls are inexpensive,
the engines are what make a hole in your wallet.


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## MATT (Apr 30, 2007)

http://www.dusky.com/boats/dus16r.html


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## Strike_III (Mar 21, 2007)

Scouts are nice. Not my ad.

http://jacksonville.en.craigslist.org/boa/931859005.html

This one looks underpowered though.


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## B.Lee (Apr 29, 2008)

This is sacrilegious, I know.

The thing is, everyone disses pontoon boats up until the day they fish from one.

The do-all, be-all, end-all boat, the pontoon boat. 

In a 16'er, the draft is minimal, 5-6". It can haul almost everyone you know. Do you thikn 2-3 people could fish from this comfortably? It'll scoot along pretty quick too with as little as 25hp. I've never tried poling one, but I wouldn't think it would be hard at all, and it can't help but track straight.










Just taking it outside the box. I owned a 24'er a few years back, one of the coolest boats I've ever owned.


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

I recommend being careful about immediately ruling out "jon boats" and Carolina Skiffs. Many very common, very affordable and very good hulls that exactly meet your needs regarding bottom, draft, size and payload can found in these categories.

Garvey style and modified vee aluminum hulls are all over the place and would satisfy your needs (Lowe, Express, Weld Craft). Many hulls that are lumped as "jon boats" aren't flat bottomed. 

Carolina Skiff makes a modf'd vee hull that would do what you describe. It is about 16 foot long, I think.

If that ain't your thing, check out Bateau.com. They have several plans that fit your needs (FS14, GV15). It isn't for everyone, but if you are a perfectionist, it is a way to ensure your boat is exactly how you want it without compromise. 

Of course there are tons of other hulls that fit your needs regarding size and bottom style, but I think a lot of them suffer in the draft or cheap parameters.

As mentioned, a used hull can be a really good buy. Don't be afraid to check out things you wouldn't normally look at. It pays to be flexible when buying used.

Nate


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## FSUfisher (Jul 16, 2007)

X2 what B. Lee said. It pays to be flexible. I almost ruled out Carolina Skiffs as well because of the flat bottom but ultimately ended up getting a 1655 DLX as the price was unbeatable. The cons are obvious: it could be poled easier (but not bad, especially if you haven't been spoiled with a great poling boat), CAN be loud, and is not fun to ride through a chop in, although no boats are very fun to ride rough water in. The pros are it is cheap, holds 6 people (yes, 6 people), is unsinkable except for an act of God, drafts very shallow, and hauls a$$ with a fuel-efficient 50. Those Garvey boats are gaining in popularity as well on the flats, and should start popping up in the sales ads soon.


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## backwaterbandits (Dec 15, 2006)

It's hard to beat a CS DLX for a cheap, stable, roomy family
fishing platform...


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

Have u thought about a Mod-v Jon boat? My buddy has one and it's great. Very stable boat. It's a 16'4 and with 3 people and all gear (shot guns, decoys, everything for duck hunting) was riding at 30mph on the gps with a 80's model 40hp johnson. He picked up the boat for $1200 running perfectly with trailer and all. The trailer was rusty but he got lucky and found some one at the local boat ramp selling a tracker trailer for 100 bucks, and picked that up too. And it floats in just inches of water with 3 people and all the same gear mentioned above.


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## Flyline (Mar 3, 2008)

I recommend you a pontoon boat, why? For a family to hang out and have fun! I own a 2007 21ft suntracker fishing barge coastal series with 60hp mercury EFI 4-stroke BIGFOOT (love the power and sips gas approx. 3 gallons a day) and I love the room and hanging out with family and friends. I still fish where my pontoon can go in the shallow by using my 80lbs minnkota riptide trolling motor and cruise in the flats. I have caught reds, trout, jacks, sheephead, and black drum.

Also good place to park on the island and have a cook out on the grill!

My pontoon boat runs plenty fast for me. I ran almost 25 mph when I raised the motor up and slap huge 4 blade stainless steel prop.

Your wife will love it! Not in the small fishing boat and also I still take my wife out on my gheenoe LT15 for short fishing trips but not last all day......she rather have a pontoon boat than any flats boat.

My 2 cents............


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## Tom_W (Oct 23, 2008)

I want to thank everyone for their suggestions. A couple of comments and questions for everyone. I currently own a 1242 jon with a trolling motor and a couple of kayaks and the main problem seems to be range or lack of it. I have a friend with a 1448 jon and a 25 hp motor but we still stay very close to the ramp because the boat is a bear when the water gets some chop on it. Are the Mod Vee Jons that much (if any) better than regular jons? Does a 16 jon ride any different than a 14? I’ve heard that the DLX Carolina Skiffs are much drier than the J series but don’t know if they ride any better.

Anyone have any first hand experience?

Thanks,

Tom W


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

I guarantee you that a Mod-v jon is better. I have a 12 foot v-hull jon, my buddy had a 14 flat bottom, and another buddy has a 16'4 mod-v. the mod-v did excellent in the bay in a 1-2 foot chop.  the v-hull jon was really wet in a -1 foot chop, and the flat bottom was about the same. The Mod-v is much better.


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## beavis (Dec 11, 2006)

This one is easy.

PANGA.

I have the 18 foot skiff from pangamarine, but there are also some 14 foot panga.com boats.



> I would like to buy a small skiff 15-16 foot (not a micro) that can fish 2 adults and 1 child comfortably and possibly carry 4 for the occasional family outing.


I fish mine by myself most of the time in shallow water. Can pole it in 8 inches. Had the family fishing comfortably at anchor in 2-3 foot seas on the patch reefs in the keys. Have run it with 4 adults and 2kids, 12 gallons of gas and 2 big full coolers and it only lost about 4-5 mph off the top with just me in it. I have a 50 on mine.

Now the 14 footers that panga.com made ran with a 25 at around 25 or so mph but can handle a heck of a lot of chop quite easily and still float in 5 inches of water. You think "well, 14 feet is kinda small" until I saw one of these in person and was like "dammn, this thing has some size". You should not have any problem fishing the couple people you want to with either of these. THere are a few other panga manufacturers out there also that not many people know about too that cna be had most likely even cheaper too.


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## beavis (Dec 11, 2006)

you also sound like you are trying to go cheap. what price range are you looking at


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## Tom_W (Oct 23, 2008)

I actually talked with Rob? from Pangamarine to see if he had plans to make something smaller than the 18...which he doesn't.

Panga.com sold the molds for the 14 so I'd have to find one used.

I'd like to be able to keep it in the garage and tow it with a V6 truck or my wife's car which are some of the reasons for the size.

I also figure I'll be out a lot with my younger son and/or wife which means launching/handling by myself.

I don't want to spend more than 5-6k unless I know for sure exactly which boat will suite my needs which I have to admit I'm not 100 percent sure yet. 

Obviously where I kayak it's shallower than where I fish with my friends with their bigger / deeper boats that still seem to get hung up on sandbars.

But the kayaks limit my range so I don't know what lies WAY over there because I've never been there.

I also have the opportunity to get a very nice 40 horse T/T from a good friend who is a marine mechanic cheap - he kinda owes me.

That helps with a larger boat but not some of the smaller jons or skiffs that aren't rated for that much power which complicates things a little more.

sorry for the long posts.

Tom W


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## beavis (Dec 11, 2006)

I have towed mine with a 4 cylinder toyota 4runner. That includes launching and loading it too, so your 6 cylinder truck should have no problem. I also launch and load it by myself all the time. It is incredibly easy.

There have been some used 14 footers every so often. The other would be to maybe call any dealers who used to deal with them and see if they have any left that they are not advertising.


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## justindfish (Dec 5, 2008)

I also say don't count out aluminum mod-V boat and it was about two months ago that I had found a panga.com 14 footer at a dealer brand new but can't remember the name it was in Texas though and I think it was either in Brownsville or South Padre but it was for a good price just can't remember that either :-/. 

While I was searching for a new boat here are two companies that I found one in Florida http://www.boggycreekboats.com/index.html and one in Pennsylvania http://www.hopliteboats.com/index.html I really liked these boats and they are priced right, here's a copy of a e-mail I got from them I think i read in the one and only review of the boats I could find they would plane with a 10hp. 

STEALTH.....4800.00 20 HP= 24 MPH 30 HP=37 MPH BOAT, ENGINE, GEAR 5" DRAFT TEXTURED GEL DECKING SAME PRICE CONTACT JOHN THIEBAUD AT 724 368 9400 FOR DETAILS

Hi, I would like to know a little more about your stealth 16. I live in Texas on the coast and this boat looks like a great marsh boat. I was wondering if you have more pictures of the boat especially the front storage and the hull. I also would like to know what kind of cruising and top end speed the boat gets with a 25hp and a 40 hp outboard. The draft measurements that yall have listed at 5" is that a loaded boat or is that just the hull the same with the weight I asume it is a fully rigged hull less motor and gear. Lastly I would like to get a price on one with the textured interior.


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