Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

[geeco1]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

Yeah its funny, a month or so ago I told the wife i wanted to buy a little jon boat and trolling motor. She immediately thought it was selfish I guess. Told me it was a waiste of money. I took her to bass pro shops and showed her the new ones and explained everything to her. She took a liking to the bass boats while we were there. It will be a fishing boat, for use in the everglades. I will probably take my daughters out here and there, but mostly my son who is 8 and some of his friends. I have a limited amount of space to put the boat so anything bigger than 17' is too big and unnecessary. Hence the original idea of the 14' jon boat, I could throw it behind my shed and never worry about it taking up any room. If I bought a jon boat I probably would get one without a trailer for that reason alone, but now we're looking at "more room/ seats." Still a fishin boat though, and I'd prefer to keep it under $2000 or up to $3000 for something "real nice."

Part of your decision will depend on how "serious" of a fisherman are you. If you are hard-core, tournament type fisherman, then a bass-boat is the way to go. But they are typically only designed for 2-3 people. If you are just a leisure fisherman, then you could fish out of a bow-rider or fish-n-ski.

Several years ago, I was in the same boat (no pun intended) as you are. I bought a 14' fiberglass bass boat. It had a 50hp merc. It worked fine when my 2 boys were small and using small fishing rods. I would put one in the front casting seat and one in the rear casting seat. I would sit on the gunnell and control the trolling motor and bait hooks. Then they got bigger and started using longer rods. This became dangerous for me as I would have to duck everytime they casted. We would also tube behind the boat, but it was a pain because there was no place to store the tube and I couldn't take out my whole family. My daughter was getting bigger and wanted to start going out, and so did my wife. The problem was that the boat was only rated for 3 and I had a family of 5.

Needless to say, I eventually sold that boat. I've gone 3-4 years without a boat and I missed it dearly. I just recenty purchased my current boat. It is a 17' fish-n-ski. It is rated fo 7 people and I just had it out this weekend with 7 people on board. Obviously we did not fish(I can't imagine 7 hooks flying around). But we did have fun tubing with my kids and some friends. A couple of weeks ago, we did have 4 people fishing out of it with no problem. Everyone just has to stay in their place. Granted, it may not get into the skinniest backwaters, but that is not where I usually fish anyway.

One other note...I don't know about Florida, but around here(Illinois) you can find a jon boat to throw in the back of your pick-up for under $500 used. So you could buy a larger boat for the family, and then have the small jon for just you and 1-2 others for fishing. This way you are not investing a ton of money into the fishing boat.

HTH.

 

[swick]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

Well I bid on that 99 Sprint 277 F/s and I won it at $3000. Going to pick it up in morning. Anyone know where I can find some info on Sprint boats? I've been trying to find out where they are manufactured and where you can buy one new. I know the boat weighs about 1200 lbs and someone wrote specs on the listing in the form of a question, but thats about as much as I know. The motor is only a 99 so should be in somewhat decent shape, may need some tuning up or tweaking but I don't suspect there will be any major problems, and even if I still think I got a hell of a deal.

 

[bigb2008]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

Sprint boats was out of Tenn. They closed up shop in 2004, so your not going to be able to get one new.

 

[IVAZ]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

I don't buy that a bow rider can't run as shallow as a bass boat..up to a point I suppose. I don't know what the minimum draft is on a bass boat, but mine drafts fine in about 16" of water with the drive up, I can idle in trailer position if need be. Found this out as a dock I used a couple weekends ago was about 50' into the shallows with a max depth of 2'. With a trolling motor I could go anywhere on my boat with 4 adults and a full tank of fuel. I guess some bowriders run deeper, but it's all about hull design.Ian

I think Bubba made his statement meaning it to be general. Which he is right, most bowriders can?t go to the shallows like a bass boat. There are exceptions, he never said there wasn?t.
I do agree with you on the "hull design" remark you made. My bowrider is a very shallow vee hull, it?s almost flat. With this set up I can get to very shallow water. I do it like you also, wife reading on the lounger me casting off the bow.
IMO a bass boat is for a serious fisherman or at least someone who will mostly be fishing from it. Bowrider is for cruising, comfort and water sports. If you really want to do both about 50/50 then the fish and ski is the only real alternative.

 

[mphy98]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

I have both and I prefer the old bowrider to the new bass tracker for comfort, ride, and some types of fishing. (choppy waters) I don't like to get wet. Also the old bowrider has a top and front cover over the bow so on the rainy days I stay dry to the fishing spots and in case of a downpour can stay dry as well. The tracker I would get soaked and also if traveling in a good chop you get wet as well. I know I am a wuss. But a dry and warm one most of the time. Plus my 82 year old dad can stay warm as well. Otherwise he won't go.

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

I think Bubba made his statement meaning it to be general. Which he is right, most bowriders can?t go to the shallows like a bass boat. There are exceptions, he never said there wasn?t.
I do agree with you on the "hull design" remark you made. My bowrider is a very shallow vee hull, it?s almost flat. With this set up I can get to very shallow water. I do it like you also, wife reading on the lounger me casting off the bow.
IMO a bass boat is for a serious fisherman or at least someone who will mostly be fishing from it. Bowrider is for cruising, comfort and water sports. If you really want to do both about 50/50 then the fish and ski is the only real alternative.

Then we are agreed! Hehe, hull design FTW!

Basically a bass boat is just that a bass boat. Most bass fishing is done in small backwaters. The only problem being that really, it's a purpose built boat. A couple guys, a cooler, and lotsa fish! The bowriders and F/S are multi-purpose boat, so they do a few things, but nothing extraordinarily well. THe well to do would have three boats in the OP's position, Bass Boat for fishing, Ski Boat (Moomba?) for skiing/wakeboarding/tubing, and a small cabin cruiser or pocket cruiser for entertaining and cruising the weekend away. Some day I will design that perfect boat, but until then I will stick with my multi-purpose sweety and be happy.

Ian

 

[relstabw]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

I recently had to choose between two boats I owned. One was an aluminum Bass boat and the other an old (1979) but great conditionwise, bowrider. Before I made the decision I fished the bowrider at all my favorite spots and there were some adjustments to be made but all in all nothing major. The bowrider, as stated above will handle rough weather and waves much better and when heading back to the ramp after a morning of fishing the wakes from the jet skiers are no longer a problem. I sold the bass boat and bought a remotely controlled Motorguide trolling motor, installed bow pedestal seat and am enjoying the boat every Saturday morning. I use the boat mostly for fishing but now can take family and friends out for a day on the water. In my opinion the best value is an old bowrider in good shape with a sound hull and a good old Johnson or Evinrude. I paid $500 for mine and have put $700 more in it (not counting the trolling motor which I was going to buy anyway). Hard to beat that for the amount of enjoyment this little 16 footer provides.

 

[swick]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

Well I ended up spending a little bit more then I wanted and bought a nice little fish n ski, I've been looking around online trying to find somewhere I can buy a bow cover also, any suggestions?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

Looks like you found the perfect compromise between the two types you were considering. Good luck with it. Looks to be in great condition.

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

Nice looking little boat, but doesn't look like it has much more freeboard then a bass boat. At least you will be able to have more then 2 or 3 people on it. Certainly a compromise between the two models....looks to be in very nice shape.

Ian

 

[swick]

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

It's a little more than 17'. The cushions on the two seats in the bow flip over to make a bigger platform in the front. The platform in the back seems sufficient. Definately not as much platform as a bass boat, but seats five not counting the two seats in the bow or the two platform seats (I would not attempt putting 7-9 people on here). I beleive its rated for 975 lbs. but we have to take into account 2 built in live wells and a cooler. The boat itself is awesome, the engine is a 99 force 120 hp, runs nice so far but I'll let you know after I put a new prop on it and take it out for a good run this weekend. Definatley the perfect mix of bass boat & bowrider though. Thanks for the input guys.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Bowrider VS. Bass Boat.....

too late now, but for others interested in the same advice, I'd say you should look at the various hulls called "bay boats" or "flats boats" that many of the major manufacturers offer. They have relatively flat hulls and are good for skinny water, outfitted with seating areas that are also good fishing platforms. Many are rigged as center consoles, which in my opinion are the most versatile and comfortable for a multi-purpose family boat--both bass boats and bowriders are typically at the outside for versatility. And ironically, the bass boat is one of the least versatile designs for a fishing boat--you can use a "bay boat" bass fishing but a bass boat doesn't work in the "bay."
Some people incorrectly assume that center consoles offer little, if any, seating. Nothing is further from the truth. CC's can be rigged like a work boat with nothing in them, or they can be rigged with extensive cushioned seating, and more often give the best option of removable cushions. This is why they are the most popular design for general family use in many areas, such as mine, where the boaters seem to have been at it all their lives.
Also, if you get a bow rider or similar design with bow seating, if the padding isn't permanent, you can convert that area to a workable fishing area. My 17' dual console's bow area is great for seating or for fishing, since the cushions are removable.