New Boat

[Drew4711]

If you had between 10-15 grand to spend on a duck boat for diver hunting, what would you buy? I'm thinking a 16ft alweld center console with a 40hp Yamaha http://akmccallumco.com/boat-alweld-packages.htm?

[Dingbatter]

If you plan on hunting divers on big open water a 16ft boat will never be enough boat. To small to carry all your gear or handle the rough conditions open water will present. I was lucky enough to know a guy with a 2011 1965 DLX Carolina Skiff he wanted to sell. It had a nice Road King trailer but an older Evinrude outboard motor. I bought it lightly sanded the hull and painted it OD green with Parkers Duck Boat paint. Last year I replaced the old outboard with a new Yamaha 70 4 stroke. It was a lot of work but its a pretty good boat for no more than what you want to spend for a 16ft jon boat.

[Drew4711]

I only want to hunt open water a few times a year, mostly hunting smaller rivers and creeks. It also bothers me to see such a nice fiberglass boat painted with a flat green and it would bother me to drive/ own it. I need a boat like this 80% smaller river 20% open water, so I need a boat focusing on smaller rivers but can venture out onto bigger water on calmer days. I was thinking 16ft would be easy to hide also. But I want to try to stay new also because used boats are usually people's problems they are getting rid of. But please let me know what you think and use.

[Drew4711]

Has anybody used a pontoon boat before? I know it might seem weird but it would have plenty of space and I could have it pretty confrontable.

[DuckSlayer5200]

I've hunted from pontoon boat blinds on Saginaw Bay in MI. They work awesome, there is all the room you want and are easy to build a permanent blind on.


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[Dingbatter]

I bought a white skiff and turned it into a really good diver boat, that I use for layout hunting. That doesn't bother me one bit and I get a lot of compliments on how it looks. Don't know why it would bother anyone, that is what I bought the boat for. I knew the owner so I didn't have any issues with buying it secondhand. I have owned a 16 ft jon boat, it is to small for big water and to big for small. There are no perfect size boats, but' I would go bigger than smaller. A 16ft boat with a console just doesn't have enough room. I see to many folks with boats overloaded all the time, it only takes one time to get into trouble with a small boat in rough conditions and conditions can change fast. If I wanted a do all jon boat I would have a 17 ft with a tiller, the tiller gives you lots of room and 17ft is a good all round size boat.

[Darryle]

I haven't really researched the Weldbilt series, but I have ran across a couple of these types post

https://www.forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?t=39292

I would research a little deeper to see if this is an anomaly or common.

1244 Atchafalaya Outdoor Designs W/ 12hp Copperhead

[echoduck]

There is no such thing as a "do all" boat. You will never find one. What is your definition of " big water", if you are referring to inland rivers/small lakes then you are ok with the 16. I would not advise such a boat for coastal rivers or the sound. I say 20 is the minimum and you would need to pick your days. If you only plan to diver hunt a few times per year in the sound, best to just book a few days with Adam Jones each year. In the long run this would be your cheapest option.

[cbrtrvr]

I hunt out of a 18ft extra wide polar Kraft. I run shallow water around knotts island and hunt the sound. As long as it's not to rough you can float out of it. Parker privateer and jones brother builds a green boat.

[Drew4711]

I'm just waiting for a good deal to pass me now for a 17-19ft skiff. Wrong time to get a good deal for a boat though, just waiting.