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
Joined
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265 Posts
This often becomes down to personal choice, how you really plan to use said boat, and 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 fuss, no hassle, just 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 trailer, anchors, spare boat parts, flotations devices, boat 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 option, but isn't a great first choice in my area. When it's all said and done the refuges have a lot more birds, are WAY cheaper, safer, and 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 fuss, no hassle, just 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 trailer, anchors, spare boat parts, flotations devices, boat 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 option, but isn't a great first choice in my area. When it's all said and done the refuges have a lot more birds, are WAY cheaper, safer, and a ton less hassle (at least to get started).
Joined
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265 Posts
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 upgrade, but 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 this, and 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 this, and 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:
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