Thread: What would you do?

"A boat is a hole in the water, surrounded buy wood, into which one pours money."

Extreme joy took place when I sold my charter boat (40' twin diesel) and I've never had the slightest urge for another one. If I got another boat, it'd be a 14' skiff with a 20hp kicker to fish the jetties and bridges.

That's true, Bill. I had a 60 horse mercury on my boat that died last year. Even with it, it was still about $100 a trip for fuel by the time I got there and fished all day. About the same as what I pay for motel and gas for the gulf. But they don't have king mackerel in any of our area lakes. I just hope there are a bunch more down there this year and fewer sharks.

Well here's what I'm athinkin. You can find a nice aluminum boat 17-18 ft with a good Johnson 40 for about $2500-3000. A 40 Johnson will last forever and won't cost much to operate and hardly ever fail. Aluminum is the way to go as far as maintenance and upkeep. Momma happy new boat. Then you sneak down to the pier by yourself for a quick long weekend for under $1000 and get your fix. Daddy happy!

I highly recommend becoming friends with someone who has a boat, or convincing one of your current friends to buy one.
Buying fuel for a fishing trip on someone else's is way cheaper than all the surprise expenses of owning a boat.

Oh, and when a stray momma cat decides your boat is a good place to have her babies, you may not be able to use it for a while.

I don't miss mine!

Buy the boat! The pier will be here next year.

I love my little boat. I bought it new in 1997 and have spent nothing but routine maintenance on it. 6 gallons of gas lasts most of the spring.

but I love me some pier fishin too

them small boats are way better then bank fishing, I found out using my Dad's you can actually catch good fish to eat in a boat verses the bank....crappie,walleye....verses cat's and carp....oh, on occasion you might catch something worth taking home from the bank, but stuck in one place , just doesn't get it any more and hasn't for years up here....I get many trips on 6gallons depending on how much trolling I do....but the car gas remains the same whether bank or boat

one good lake close by is 10hp limit, so the 9.9 stays on most of the time....that's all I need anyway, for fishing.

the grand kids are a little bigger now, this was an old picture

the pier sure does spoil me though with screaming drags and fish on

.

Well...after trying to decide between a trip to the Pier and a boat .....we decided to buy a utility trailer! Who would have thought those things were so expensive! So I have no Pier fishing and no boat. Even the name "utility trailer" sounds like work! Got to get down there sometime soon! If I'm not on the forum for awhile my wife most likely has me out "utilitating".

pick me up when you go south !!!! I know how to utility

Will do ironman!