Need a little help

[cwilley1]

First post and i gotta say i like reading around the site nice set up

So im a Complete 100% newb at going about this whole boat conversion thing but i am looking for a nice project for over christmas break from college and think this would be a ton of fun for me and a few buddies to do.

My first question is i wanted to know if the majority of the people think its best to go with a v or a regular boat (dont know the formal name)

 

[cyberflexx]

I like flat bottom jon boats. You can build a higher deck in them. V bottoms get really tippy if the deck is up too high. Go with a 14 or 16 footer....

 

[Hydrilla]

I think it depends on what kind of fishing/boating you like to do, and on what kind of water.

 

[Nussy]

Hydrilla is right. It really depends on what kind of water you fish.

A V front is typically better for bigger/rougher water. Typically deaper and will cut the waves better.

A Jon boat is flatter and much more stable for decking, but won't handle big water as well.

There is also a middle ground with a Modified V-Jon boat.

Both of my builds I went middle of the road with a modified V John Boat. The key if you are going to deck it is to get a boat wide enough to support a deck. My recommendation is a 14' boat is the minimum length with a bottom width over 36" Preferably 48" if you can find and afford it.

Also the squarer the chine the better.

Good luck and be careful. Boats Mods are addicting. Had so much fun doing my first one in October, I bought another boat for a winter project. :LOL2:

 

[cwilley1]

Well i have a private access lake (bout a mile long and another mile wide) that is only bass and i sight fish for them almost exclusively...for the most part i stand on the seat right now of my 12' V alumacraft but i want to add more mobility for me as well as the people i fish with...im not sure wat the beam on it is as it is currently back at home (13 hours away) but from what i have read i should not deck that and im ok with that for now lol

so i guess what that jumble above is about i fish in maine and for the most part im only out there fishing with pretty calm waters

thanks guys for the help btw

 

[Hydrilla]

For bass fishing in small waters, I'd go with a flat bottom. If you like to fish standing, I wouldn't get less than a 1436 which is of course 14' long and 36" wide at the bottom. If you can find/afford wider, do it. If you have good balance and again you say you are fishing small water, I think you'll be ok with a 36. I have fished out of a 1448 and the difference is much greater than you'd expect for just a foot wider.

 

[cwilley1]

ok well i think thats what ill do im going to shoot for 1448 at the smallest then but im going to take wat ever decides to fall into my lap

 

[Hydrilla]

Between now and Spring is the best time to buy a boat, people are thinking more about Christmas and paying bills than they are fishing

If you are looking for a good deal, use a Craigslist search program like Craigzoom or Search Tempest, and search every single day as often as you can. The real good deals go quick. I'm amazed at what I've seen some of these guys buy their boats for. Rigs that would sell for $1500 in some places, guys getting for $300.

 

[cwilley1]

i knew about looking at craigslist but never heard of craigzoom or tempest