Hey everyone.....

I am hoping to have the time to fish some this summer/fall. We have recently bought a new farm that has 5 ponds on it. Two of which are big enough for a boat to fish out of. I was wondering what everyone is using for a pond boat? I don't have a ramp so I need something small enough that I can launch by myself but big enough for me to fish with another adult or maybe one of my boys at a time(not brave enough to take them both at the same time just yet in a boat ).

I was thinking about buying a used 14' jon boat with a trailer. If it came with an outboard then I could also possibly use it at a couple of local small public lakes as well(less than 150 acres). Not looking to spend a great deal of money but would like something stable/safe/reliable. I've been thinking about either trying to piece together a used boat or just buying a new hull and piecing together the rest. Sometimes you can find a used 14' hull for roughly $350 or so but they are usually pretty banged up and leak.

any suggestions/ideas would be great.

i just acquired a 10' alum. jon boat for about $100 for my 1ac pond. it is light enough for me to put in back of p/u, no trailer needed, has solid stern for mounting gas or electric, but i'm just using oars w/ oarlocks. its about 40 yrs old, seeps through rivets, but (empty) beer can easily keeps up w/ leak....o.k. by me for $100.

you get what you pay for. you'll just have to decide how fancy, how long, motor/no motor.....maybe you should get two boats, one like mine, another to suit larger water and more people. mine takes two adults, and you have to be careful in it unless you like swimming. itdoes its job though....deployed an aerator system just fine w/ it.

for what my two cents are worth lee....

Lee :

Here is a whole thread on what folks are using for pond boats.

http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=001780#000012

I like a 10-12 ft jon boat that sits level so you can stand in it if needed.

sorry......I guess I should have done a search.

No problem with asking. I thought you might like to see some results to your question without waiting for people to reply.

I have 12 alum.flat bottom that I use a 42 lb thrust trolling motor man it will scoot. It is fairly stable. Two adults dont want to reach for a beverage at the same time from the same cooler unless it is in the middle of the boat . You should see it scoot when I put the 9.9 horse on there, with extra reinforcement on the back of course! Its just plain ignorant but a hoot, boat only rated for a 3 horse

10 foot plastic pond prowler with 30lb trolling motor.

You can't ski behind it, but it makes for a great fishing platform.

The width dimensions allow it to fit perfectly between the wheel wells on a full size truck, and it weighs maybe 120lbs, so it is easy for two people to load and transport, if desired.

Lee,
Go to BPS and get a 10 foot pond prowler. I got one a few months ago in a package deal with the trolling motor, battery, and battery case and saved about $150 on the package. A very stable boat to fish out of. I think it is more stable than my 14 foot johnboat. It fishes 2 people very easily.

10' john

I use a 12 foot fiberglass modified v hull with a trowling motor...I think one of my oldest possessions, bought it used in 1978.

I have a 10' flat bottom ALY V front lone star 35$ it too leaks thru the rivets and needs a beer can to keep your feet dry on extended trips.

If I could afford it I would like to have a Amphibious 6 wheel ATV that drives on land and water so I could fish the bottom pond and then just drive over the dam to the top pond. I had one spotted at a swap meet a few years back but the boss said NO!

I really regret selling my hovercraft....for real.

I have an 8' jon boat for myself and my tackle. If someone wants to go with me I have a 14' jon boat. I have a 30 lb. thrust trolling motor to use on either boat. You really don't need a gas powered motor for a pond. They make a lot of noise and will scare the fish, plus it is not worth it to pull the rope to start it every time you want to move. I simply load the 14' boat onto a longbed pickup, park at the spillway or other part of a pond with the slightest angled bank possible to load and unload the boat.

My brother-in-law wants to sell his custom bass boats.

picture:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bill516318/detail?.dir=3f61&.dnm=dccd.jpg&.src=ph

I use a lil coleman 8 foot boat with a 30 lb MT it is stable I am 6'5" 285 and I can fly fish from it standing on a nice day

Here is a link to the boat I really like. It was advertised for the first time in the last issue of Pond Boss. I've had mine a couple of years and it is excellent.

Aerated live well, great seats that are bolted in, rather than the kind that are held in by friction and can collapse and send you into the lake when you set the hook the big one, covered storage / cooler/, prewired, carpeted, etc. It is more costly than the kind you can buy at your local Tractor Supply / Rural King store, but much, much, better. It is comperable in cost to the two man bass boats that BPS sells. It has an accessory casting deck that puts you in an excellent casting position, however, I found my balance isn't good enough to use it but many people probably could. It also has a great accessory that is a "tiller" or stabilizer that you put on the back of the boat. It keeps the back end from drifting like so many 2 man bass boats do, especiallly when you fish alone. I like mine so much, that when I saw the Pond Boss ad I thought about posting a note of recommendation, but I did not want to appear to be "advertising" for them. I certaintly don't have any connection to the company.

I ordered mine over the phone and had them send it to me. I can't remember if it came UPS or by truck line, but as I recall it added about $90.00 to the cost. This cost was somewhat offset by the fact that ordering it from out-of-state I did not have to pay psales tax.

http://busterboats.com/

Bing