I decided Im going to save the money I put into Refuge passes lottery and Gas money and put into a boat to hunt the delta next year. A Delta hunter buddy insists I get a flat bottom boat to get into the shallows. Ive had other people insist I get a vhull for stability in rougher waters. I want a boat thats going to be good for fishing too. Not planning on taking it out on bay but do want to be able to fish the delta and lakes. looking for opinions here is a Vhull really going to prevent me from getting to good shallow duck hunting spots or beaching it in a tule patch?
Noobhunter
It all depends on your "commute" if you have areas you want to hunt that are canaltule patch onlybetween launch and hunta flat bottom will do. BUT if you have to cross anything openor anything with any possible commercial trafficwatch your ass. it can come up FAST. And you have to think about weight vs those waves. with 2 dudesdogfooddecoys etc.. its a lot of weightone wrong movewith the wrong windwrong wavebad.
look for something with a vthat transitions quickly into a flatter bottom... we hunted out of a 14 "semi V" (is that a thing?) it had a good V at the bowbut went pretty flat pretty quick... you could get pretty skinny if you were careful and got the motor up properly.
you have to plan for the worst case waterwind and wavesand get the skinniest setup you can... getting skinny water and hunting then dying on the way back doesnt do anyone any good. :thumbsup:
look for something with a vthat transitions quickly into a flatter bottom... we hunted out of a 14 "semi V" (is that a thing?) it had a good V at the bowbut went pretty flat pretty quick... you could get pretty skinny if you were careful and got the motor up properly.
you have to plan for the worst case waterwind and wavesand get the skinniest setup you can... getting skinny water and hunting then dying on the way back doesnt do anyone any good. :thumbsup:
Get a decent ratio of length to width to height as well. I would be looking at a modified V like the Lowe. I prefer rivets over welds but everyone has their own idea on that. I've seen some pretty cool converted fiberglass tri hulls as well. Maybe go to the docks and hang out for a few hours and see what everyone is using where you would be hunting. You'll learn a lot more by doing that. Go to the local dealerships as well. Ask them why their boats are best for Delta.
Not really sure exactly where Im going to hunt yet. Been going with a freind out in stockton area which is an hour and half drive from me. I was hoping to find some places I can get to a launch ramp under 45 minutes. I plan on getting the boat this spring after I can see with what I can afford after tax returns and begging the wife. Once I get it I was going to use the summer to fish and scout hunting location.
I bought semi v with a 36hp SD last year. Runs good in shallow water and helps on windy stormy days to brake the waves. U will get beat up in a flat bottom boat on those stormy days. All depends on what u want to run/hunt in. Shallow water? Deep water? Mud flats? A lot of vegetation? All factors in picking the best boat/motor combo.
Whats your budget? new or used? cash or finance? what do you have to pull it with? Storage? After reading your 1st postmy guess is your thinking around $2500? That won't get you much.
Definitely going used and cash. $2500 is about the budget I was thinking Ive seen alot of 14-16 footers with 20 hp+ motors for this. Even some including fish finders and trolling motors. The problem with the boat is its a big up front cost thats harder to hide the actual cost from my wife as well I do with my current hunting expenditures. $2500 is my budget but the budget from my wife is much lower.friedcoot said:
This often becomes down to personal choicehow you really plan to use said boatand what you can afford.
Sometimes an extra 1000 in funds can make a big difference in what is available to buy. I really like getting to my old v-hull boat with the newer 15 hp motor that has electric start. No fussno hasslejust get in to warm up and go. My sexier duck boat has an older 25 up 2-stroke mercury and it's always a bit of a mystery on how many cranks it will take the first start of the day.
I wish I had saved another $1000 up and been able to find a duck boat with a "better" motor. In time I will pay another chunk to buy the right motor. Unless someone out there has a 40 hp 4-stroke with remote steering they want to sell.
Of course than you need to buy backup hubs/bearings for the traileranchorsspare boat partsflotations devicesboat blind etc that we don't talk about when discussing the initial purchase with our better half.
It's been fun working to develop another hunting optionbut isn't a great first choice in my area. When it's all said and done the refuges have a lot more birdsare WAY cheapersaferand a ton less hassle (at least to get started).
Sometimes an extra 1000 in funds can make a big difference in what is available to buy. I really like getting to my old v-hull boat with the newer 15 hp motor that has electric start. No fussno hasslejust get in to warm up and go. My sexier duck boat has an older 25 up 2-stroke mercury and it's always a bit of a mystery on how many cranks it will take the first start of the day.
I wish I had saved another $1000 up and been able to find a duck boat with a "better" motor. In time I will pay another chunk to buy the right motor. Unless someone out there has a 40 hp 4-stroke with remote steering they want to sell.
Of course than you need to buy backup hubs/bearings for the traileranchorsspare boat partsflotations devicesboat blind etc that we don't talk about when discussing the initial purchase with our better half.
It's been fun working to develop another hunting optionbut isn't a great first choice in my area. When it's all said and done the refuges have a lot more birdsare WAY cheapersaferand a ton less hassle (at least to get started).
After nearly sinking a borrowed basic jon boat at a duck club (calf deep water so it wasn't life threatening)... I spent time and more money to buy a 20+ Inch tall sided duck boat. Huge difference in safety as the same group went back out later in "our" boat and it still had tons of height above the water back at the transom. Major safety upgradebut it sure would be nice to have the bigger motor.
I searched for a boat for months last season and nothing ever popped up that was worth owning in my price range. The day after the regular season ended a couple boats popped up for sale (makes sense now). I picked mine up the Monday after the season ended. The kids shot limits out of it on the Saturday of the youth hunt.
However if I would have waited until after the junior hunt a few more boats popped up. Another $1000 and a little patience we would have had a much better boat/motor combo. I didn't know thisand was just happy to find something decent after months of nothing.
If you can wait until the season ends you might have a lot more options. Good luck finding the right boat for your family. I owned an expensive ski boat for years that was a garage queen. My "basic" aluminum boats get used 100x more than that long ago sold ski boat... And the family enjoys the heck of them. Yours will too. :beer:
I searched for a boat for months last season and nothing ever popped up that was worth owning in my price range. The day after the regular season ended a couple boats popped up for sale (makes sense now). I picked mine up the Monday after the season ended. The kids shot limits out of it on the Saturday of the youth hunt.
However if I would have waited until after the junior hunt a few more boats popped up. Another $1000 and a little patience we would have had a much better boat/motor combo. I didn't know thisand was just happy to find something decent after months of nothing.
If you can wait until the season ends you might have a lot more options. Good luck finding the right boat for your family. I owned an expensive ski boat for years that was a garage queen. My "basic" aluminum boats get used 100x more than that long ago sold ski boat... And the family enjoys the heck of them. Yours will too. :beer:
My flat-bottom has been most places on the Delta ( mostly fishing ) and I can tell you with its 14' 9 '' length I hug thestraightsixes said:
shore . There are many places you can access in a boat like this but you have to get there somehow so with caution
and using your head your in better shape than the fellas standing on the Levy ? :yes:
We hunt shallow water in Idaho but frequently have to cross bigwavy water to get there. The same kind of thing you will see out in the Delta. I have seen small and large boats ply our waters and my .02 is that you can die if you get caught in the big stuff in too small a boat. After hair-raising experiencesmyself and everyone else I know runs 18' boats (one buddy has a 16') and the widths of our boats run between 52" and 60". In addition to the safety factorwe have found the big boats will accommodate 2-3 hunters1-2 dogslayout blinds and dozens of decoys without being overly crowded or dangerously overloaded.
I run flatbottoms with airboat- front rakesbut the semi-V that tapers to flat is perhaps more dry of a design if you anticipate having to cut waves. I have to have the flat bottom for shallow stuff. Been there and done that on trying to run a V boat in the skinny stuff. You also do not want to be running an under-powered boat. I always run boats with full flotation and I use 2000 GPH bilge pumps in my boats. It is nice to see a huge jet of water shooting out of the bilge port after a big wave slips over the gunwale of your boat.
Now here comes the part where your cherry gets busted...you aren't going to find what I have described above for $2,500. So keep savingdo it once and do it right.
I like others advice about going to boat ramps during hunting season and seeing what other waterfowlers in the Delta are running. Good luck.
I run flatbottoms with airboat- front rakesbut the semi-V that tapers to flat is perhaps more dry of a design if you anticipate having to cut waves. I have to have the flat bottom for shallow stuff. Been there and done that on trying to run a V boat in the skinny stuff. You also do not want to be running an under-powered boat. I always run boats with full flotation and I use 2000 GPH bilge pumps in my boats. It is nice to see a huge jet of water shooting out of the bilge port after a big wave slips over the gunwale of your boat.
Now here comes the part where your cherry gets busted...you aren't going to find what I have described above for $2,500. So keep savingdo it once and do it right.
I like others advice about going to boat ramps during hunting season and seeing what other waterfowlers in the Delta are running. Good luck.
What Hadenhunter said is spot on. I have been fishing and hunting the delta for 50 plus years and have owned numerous boats. I would get nothing less than a 16' boat for delta use. I would go larger if possible. I have a 19' heavy gauge aluminum v hull boat with high sides. When the wind howls out there I have had 4' plus waves crash over the bow. Had my bilge pump running constantly. D*** scary. You first problem is that you won't get much for $2500. For that money you are looking at a 20 to 30 year old boatmotor and trailer. So many things to go wrong with old boats and motors. It could be pretty miserable out there if in cold rainy December you are out duck hunting and your motor doesn't start to get you back. Not many other boats out there that time of year to tow you back.
As far as v vs flat go with a v. Your are probably looking at a light gauge alum boat which will only draw a couple inches more water than a flat bottom.
Your initial cost for the boat will be just the beginning. For me to tow my boat to Rio Vista 50 milesfor a day fishing it costs me at least $100 for truck and boat gaslaunch fee'sbait and misc. there are lots and lots of other costs associated with owning a boat but I wouldn't be without one. I think you should wait until you can afford a better and newer boat. Your wife won't be to happy if you drop $2500 for a boat and it breaks down and you spend more $$$ to get it running.
As far as v vs flat go with a v. Your are probably looking at a light gauge alum boat which will only draw a couple inches more water than a flat bottom.
Your initial cost for the boat will be just the beginning. For me to tow my boat to Rio Vista 50 milesfor a day fishing it costs me at least $100 for truck and boat gaslaunch fee'sbait and misc. there are lots and lots of other costs associated with owning a boat but I wouldn't be without one. I think you should wait until you can afford a better and newer boat. Your wife won't be to happy if you drop $2500 for a boat and it breaks down and you spend more $$$ to get it running.
Thanks for the inputwould either of the two boat I see on CL be good? I'll need to bank and hide some money so these will be sold before Im ready but gives me an idea of what I should be looking for. I really like the first onelooks well taken care of.California Sprig said:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/boa/4832494425.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/boa/4825949799.html
The only thing I like about the second boat is that it is 16' other than that it looks pretty basic and crappy. Also I am not impressed when they start telling me all the new parts on the engine. That just means they have had a lot of engine problems and will probably have more in the near future. The 14' looks way better shape from what I can see and has way more amenities of course it costs a little more. In any event you are getting an older engine which there is no way to tell if there are 100 hours or 2000 hours on the engine. You can do a compression check and other tests but you still won't really know what you are getting. If I had to choose between the two I'd go with the 14 footer. The 16' just looks like crap. If you like the 14' I'd start with an offer of around $4300 and go from there. Don't buy any boat without going out for a test run.
Also I can't tell if the boats are riveted or welded. Go with a welded. Riveted boats will leak. It's not if they will its when they will.
Also I can't tell if the boats are riveted or welded. Go with a welded. Riveted boats will leak. It's not if they will its when they will.
First boat listed 14 footer deep V with high sides...that is good. 35 HP 2 strokeif it runs strongis adequate power. Bad part is that you will outgrow the 14 footer and your butt will pucker if you try to cross big water like Frank's Tract in that little boat when the wind is whipping and you have 2'+ waves. If you had not mentioned big Delta water this might be a nice little rig.
Second boat1648I am a big fan of the openness of the interior layout but I would be surprised if that thing had any foam flotation in it that had not come out with the benches or been dug out of the bow and stern. I will not run a boat without full level flotation for my parameters of big water and cold temps. 30 HP motorif strongshould be ok powerbut a 40 is better. This looks like a fairly priced rig if it is not beat to heck but note the concerns I have listed.
Second boat1648I am a big fan of the openness of the interior layout but I would be surprised if that thing had any foam flotation in it that had not come out with the benches or been dug out of the bow and stern. I will not run a boat without full level flotation for my parameters of big water and cold temps. 30 HP motorif strongshould be ok powerbut a 40 is better. This looks like a fairly priced rig if it is not beat to heck but note the concerns I have listed.
Yeah Im not going to be ready for a couple months and might even have to wait another year to beef up the budget and save/hide money for it. One more question Im planning on towing it with my honda van with a V6 which can handle trailers around 2000 lb Im assuming a 16ft boat and trailer not going to be a problem?finsnfeathershunter said:
thanks everyone for the great advice.
Iv hauled my 16ft mod v with my 4cyl s10 just fine. I just dont like doing it cause it my tires get wet some times they like to spin while trying to get the boat out of the water lol. But most vans are FWD so you should have no problem
SureI bet you would prefer to ride in a welded airplane as well.California Sprig said:
Ever heard of metal fatigue ? Water working? Rivets can be tightened or replaced (par for the course) Welds crack and its game over. You can patch it but the metal is already weakened because it was not allowed to do what metal does under changing environmental conditions. There's still the nimrods who think a riveted boat should be fixed with caulk or tar and those are the same guys who like welded boats because they can put their caulk guns away. :thumbsup:
I'm sure you have reasonable thoughts so I'll just say this ! I built my boat and welded it I used heavier Alum than mostfriedcoot said:
boats its size and added structural supports closer together so this boat can take the beating of a Waterfowl Hunter that
runs a Jet-Drive . So there're applications that are better than rivets ! :yes:
Hey coot I know about aluminum boatsmetal fatigueriveted vs welded etc. the fact is riveted are way more likely to leak than welded. I also know you don't fix boats with only caulk. Few manufacturers make riveted boats any longer with the exception of small light gauge alum boatsand I believe Lund still rivetsalmost no heavy gauge alum are rivetedthere are reasons for that. Riveted boats are good boats but the rivets loosen over time the metal flexes and bends and they leak. It matters not to me what type of boat you prefer.
That explains why you can find more 20 year old riveted boats than welded for sale...waitno it doesn't. Manufacturers weld boats because its much cheaper than rivets. Punching holes and setting rivets is material,timeand labor consuming. You can increase hull thickness and add more structural support to try to make boat rigid but your still outta luck when the cracks start forming just on the side of the factory welds. Believe meI've seen plenty of so called bullet proof welded boats with aluminum patches and severe deformation. I'll give you thisif your a rock bottom river rat with a jet sledyou'll want a clean bottom without rivets to catch on the rocks. The delta is a whole different environment. When the metal on a riveted boat starts to stretch the rivets leak and you tighten them or increase the size of rivet. When the metal on a welded boat starts to stretch (or tries to) it cracks. Usuallynot in just one spot.
There is another thread about this very same thing. You might want to read the one about hitting large submerged items and failing welds....
viewtopic.php?f=72&t=117283
There is another thread about this very same thing. You might want to read the one about hitting large submerged items and failing welds....
viewtopic.php?f=72&t=117283
yes. a salesman I see. Not an engineer .Read what I said before commenting. River sleds are a whole different design for a different situation.HaydenHunter said:
With ducks necks only being 6'' long that's where my thoughts were in building my boat . Sure big open water takesfriedcoot said:
a different design than my boat but it doesn't limit me ( other than heavy chop ) in following the bank along with other
V bottom boats with hunters smart enough to stay away from unsafe conditions .
The advantage I have is I can run in shallower water than most without worrying about what's under me !
14' 9'' with a 72 '' beam and 22 '' gunwale's does help !
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