best boat for bay fishing/crabbing?

[Junior88]

I have a choice between 2 boats. I will be doing fishing in a protected bay and also dropping some crab traps while i'm out there with 1 or 2 other guys. I am looking at 2 boats. Could you please point me in the direction of the one that would be best for this sort of activity?

http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/13348795

http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/14-ft-aluminum-boat-with-trailer_13122624

Thanks,

Ryan

 

[Krichbourg]

Re: best boat for bay fishing/crabbing?

Both boats look like good deals. I would go for the open 14 footer. More room for crab traps and fishing buddies.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: best boat for bay fishing/crabbing?

Your not gonna be happy with either after a year.You need to look into something about 19-21 ft.
You can run crab traps and go out a little further.
But the open with the 20 will be the best boat.t can fish and even pull a tube.J

 

[LadyFish]

Re: best boat for bay fishing/crabbing?

#2 would be my preference as well. Actually, you can rig some rails on the front or rear of it to hold most of the traps too. A guy that lives near us and fishes our bay did it with a aluminum jon boat. He's out there in all sorts of weather.

 

[Junior88]

Re: best boat for bay fishing/crabbing?

Thanks for the replies guys.

I am only 15 years old. (yet been out on the water since I was born) and am looking for a boat I can take on the bays to go fishing.

My dad reminded me of the fiberglass tri-hull (11') we have kicking around at our cabin that washed up on shore. I think I am going to get an outboard for it and use that. What size outboard would you recommend? That thing is heavy as hell.

Ryan

 

[lonewolfed]

Re: best boat for bay fishing/crabbing?

I own both of those type boats (12 ft aluminum nad 14 foot fiberglass runabout)

My aluminum boat is the crabber-we beach it with an out board tiller with less damage on the sand-you can also always pull out the oars and row in the shallows with the motor up. Plus the scratches and crab slime can be steel wooled right off.

The runabout is used for fishing and I go into the ocean outside the bay because it is safer. Much more comfortable also.

The Coast Guard websight can give you maximum horsepower which is the height of the transom X width X length of the boat.

My 14 ft runabout came out to 54 and I got 50. It moves pretty good. Start small and work your way up-the tri hull I'd do max 50. Careful, you can wind up spending more $ than used a boat, trailer, and motor may cost (in running condition) on a derelict hull.

 

[pscrabber59]

Re: best boat for bay fishing/crabbing?

If your fishing up in the pacific northwest I would reccomend a 13' to 14' Livingston, very stable boat when pulling crab pots takes on rough water better than that 14' tin bucket and you will find one in decent cond. for that price.
Of course I'm bias because i own a 14' Livingston. The only drawback might be the beam right down the middle of boat. Sometime my inner-thighs hurt a bit after a day of fishing, but i'm a old fart(51)

 

[GOMdiver]

Re: best boat for bay fishing/crabbing?

hey man,

So, if you're around Victoria, that means straits fishing or Gulf islands...? Either way you can encounter some serious weather and seas. I take my boat across puget sound everyday (well unless it is too rough, then I take the ferry) I bought a 17' thompson and it is a great rough water boat to a point.....it is still not big enough and puget sound is no where close to the straits or san juan/Gulf islands when it comes to wave height and fetch. I would not get anything smaller than 17' preferably 20' for year round use. By the way I got mine for about 900 bucks running with trailer from craigslist. Good luck in your choice.

 

[pscrabber59]

Re: best boat for bay fishing/crabbing?

Hey GOM did you take your boat out today in the sound?? Pretty rough looking today.