Another question, boat

[crichto...@gmail.com]

So I’m in the shopping process for a boat. I’ve never had a motorized watercraft aside from an old aluminum canoe with a trolling motor my dad had. I’m looking for something that I can take on the Potomac from Brunswick south, down around DC, and maybe even venture in to the bay on occasion with, though not often or likely on bad weather days.

So what should I look for? Aluminum or fiberglass? Length (I’m thinking 16’ or so)? Draft (not even sure I understand this but think it’s the amount of displacement of the hill in the water.)

So what do you guys think? Trying to be an educated buyer and am real pumped to finally be in a position to have a boat and step up my fishing!!

[Sean Steele]

I have a Wellcraft 16’ center console with a 75hp 2-stroke. Mod V hull. Fiberglass. Super boat!

[crichto...@gmail.com]

That’s actually very similar to what I am looking in to. I’ll use it most on the middle Potomac which is still pretty deep and I see people out in similar style boats. Can yours handle a nice day on the bay and brackish tributaries? I realize the open parts of the bay can get pretty choppy, but I’m thinking around the flats, and rappahannock system. Would be awesome to have a boat capable enough for rockfish and the Shad run.

[Sean Steele]

Absolutely, all those are doable and pretty comfortable. Bay you just have to be very careful in a boat that size.

> On Jul 10, 2018, at 11:30 AM, crichto...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> That’s actually very similar to what I am looking in to. I’ll use it most on the middle Potomac which is still pretty deep and I see people out in similar style boats. Can yours handle a nice day on the bay and brackish tributaries? I realize the open parts of the bay can get pretty choppy, but I’m thinking around the flats, and rappahannock system. Would be awesome to have a boat capable enough for rockfish and the Shad run.
>

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[crichto...@gmail.com]

Yeah trips to the bay proper would be very few and far between. But the flats, corrotoman river, rap, and lower Potomac would be places I would want to go.

[Rob Snowhite]

If I were to purchase a new boat I would get a Fly Craft. Check them out.

Sent from my iPhone

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[HeaveToo]

Don't forget about the maintenance that goes into a boat.  They always need something, trust me, I have owned boats all my life.

I have a Sea Pro SV2100cc Bay Boat.  Bay Boats are really nice for a mix of water.  I have fished it in the Chesapeake Bay, Potomac River, and on the Eastern shore.  It has an electric motor on the front and it is okay for fresh and saltwater.  It is very stable.  

There is no one end all be all boat.  Every boat is a compromise.  It can be confusing if you aren't sure what you are looking for.  Originally when I bought my bay boat I wanted a flats boat.  The bay boat was a compromise because my wife wanted to be able to use it for more than just fishing.  Funny thing is that the bay boat actually works well, if not better, for the water I fish.  It gives me a lot of range and opportunity to fish cool places.  

Look at a lot of different boats before you settle on what you want.   

Consider the draft of the boat and you want to keep it skinny if you want to fish shallow water.  Here is the catch, too small and it makes it sketchy on the Chesapeake Bay.  Mine drafts 1 foot but it still can handle rough water.

[Charlie Church]

I can provide some insight on a Gheenoe LT25. I just bought one a few months ago and have fished it pretty hard since.

Pros:

- Can get ridiculously skinny. This can definitely help if you fish shallow water a lot. 

- Light enough that if you get stuck, you can just get out and push it on out.

- Surprisingly stable. The LT25 has a wide beam which really helps with stability. 

- Handled moderate to light chop quite well. I have had it out in 1-2 foot chop and it's done fine. 
- Probably would handle river fishing pretty well. Maybe not as well as a jet but I imagine it would be a lot of fun. 
- Would be perfect for the snakehead fishing that some of the VA kayakers have really been dialing in. 

- Priced well. There are two in NC for sale right now that look great

Cons:

- Would be miserable with 3 people in the boat.
- I would not feel comfortable taking it out into deep water in the bay. I think it's fine on the flats and rivers you mentioned as well as the shore.

- Not a ton of storage.

[crichto...@gmail.com]

I’ve seen the gheenoes, they look cool, but not significantly different from the canoe with motor I already have.

I’m actually thinking now that I look around that a Carolina skiff might be the ticket. They are wide enough to accommodate a guest or two and gear, look to get pretty darn skinny, and can be made to be console run. I’m looking around currently at them and a 16-17’ might be just right.

[Andrew Sarcinello]

My friend has a Flycraft and I've fished from it a few times.  Indeed a very cool and well made boat, great for river fishing, but I'd never take one anywhere near the lower tidal potomac or lower tidal bay tributaries the OP mentions. Way too small.

On Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 1:36:32 PM UTC-4, Rob Snowhite wrote:

If I were to purchase a new boat I would get a Fly Craft. Check them out.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 10, 2018, at 10:31 AM, crichto...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> So I’m in the shopping process for a boat. I’ve never had a motorized watercraft aside from an old aluminum canoe with a trolling motor my dad had. I’m looking for something that I can take on the Potomac from Brunswick south, down around DC, and maybe even venture in to the bay on occasion with, though not often or likely on bad weather days.
>
> So what should I look for? Aluminum or fiberglass? Length (I’m thinking 16’ or so)? Draft (not even sure I understand this but think it’s the amount of displacement of the hill in the water.)
>
> So what do you guys think? Trying to be an educated buyer and am real pumped to finally be in a position to have a boat and step up my fishing!!
>
> --
> http://www.tpfr.org
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders" group.

> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tidal-potomac-fly-rodders+unsub...@googlegroups.com.

[HeaveToo]

That Carolina Skiff is going to beat the hell out of you in any chop.  That flat bottom and flat bow work great in skinny water that doesn't get rough.  If you get any chop out on the mid Potomac or the Chesapeake it will knock your fillings loose.

[John Smith]

While it is difficult to get a boat that will work well above Great Falls and in the tidal portion, if I wanted something for both areas I would look at Hog Island or Saltmarsh skiffs (more on this below) or go with an aluminum G3 or something along those lines that can handle an occasional rock encounter. All of those would work fine on the tidal Potomac if you pick your days. If you were to focus on the tidal portion I would either go with a V hulled center console ( I had a 19 foot proline CC for about 20 years with a trolling motor and fished anywhere from a foot deep to 20 miles off the beaches) or what many will call a flats skiff. When I sold the proline a few years ago I bought a light weight flats style skiff since I decided to focus on inshore fly fishing for the most part. After 5 years of use on the Potomac, other bay tribs, and the eastern shore barrier islands I have no intention of going back. Not every skiff is a good idea around here. While mine is considered a flat bottom boat it has a drop nose that cuts through chop quite well and keeps passengers remarkably dry. I still haven't bought a trolling motor for it. I either push pole or use a SUP paddle if I am alone, or stake out on jetties, point bars, etc., Most of these skiffs are custom made and you can go very basic or really load it up. Wait times range from a couple months to a year for some brands/models. Mine is an Ankona (17' Native SUV model), a family run business in Fort Pierce. They also own Saltmarsh skiffs. I highly recommend looking at both of those lines. The Saltmarsh Kevlar hull would probably do great in parts of the upper Potomac too. They are great people to work with. Anyway, good luck with your decision.

[Tim Donaldson]

Just a thought here - have you looked at the Bote Rover?  Basically a micro-skiff/paddleboard.  Combines the best features of a sturdy paddleboard with a 6 HP motor.  Restricts you to one person but super versatile and probably less expensive than a full sized boat.  They just in the last week or so announced an inflatable version, which would really help on transport weight ans storage.  I don't think the inflatable versions is available for sale until summer.  Just google Bote Rover