Musky boat

[brent fingar]

Ok guys been lookin at boats sooo many options out there would like to buy new leaning towards a lund or a tracker gotta be able to tow the kids around on a tube is the only thing the wife has to say about it so budget is 15 to 25 k would like to keep it under 20 if possible so anyone have any suggestions for me

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[iiwhistlerii]

https://buffalo.craigslist.org/spo/4356008366.html

I have this same boat and its a perfect set up for musky anglers. The front casting deck is like a football field, rear deck is sweet set up for 2nd angler and with a traxtech system and down east salties its a well rounded musky machine. This boat looks super clean in pics.

[MCF]

Sylvan/Starcraft/Smokercraft/Starweld or Alumacraft or Crestliner(shown above) or Princecraft or Lowe.

[Dominic100#]

Starweld.. great boats.. good Price

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[Nalod]

Hey Brent.  Here are my 2 cents.

 

I feel that most of the selections are going to come from personal preference.  I am a huge fan of full console (keeps everyone dry when gunning down a lake) deep-v aluminum boats (makes me feel safe in bigger water and bigger waves).

 

I think the biggest word of advice that someone gave me when I was buying a boat was to only buy used.  This advice was mainly given for 2 reasons:  Money, and worries of scratching/dinging a new boat.  They were totally right.

 

Coming back to money, I have seen what excellent accessories on a boat can do to improve fishing.  I feel that the money saved on a good used boat can really upgrade some accessories!  If you are planning on casting a lot, I would spend on a 24-volt trolling motor for your bow.  I have been in boats (not going to mention names) where we did not last a full day on the water because the battery drained too quickly on a 12-volt system.  I have also been in boats where we had to jump into a friend's boat and "borrow" their battery for the afternoon just so we could finish the good afternoon bite (again, not mentioning names)!  I have the terrova 24-volt 80lb thrust motor and love it!  I spent a little extra for it, but find its features help make boat control a breeze.  I have gotten days off of a single charge where I am casting all day long.  If you are trolling, look into a good fish finder that will help you read the water and get on the fish.  I guess the important thing about good accessories is that they allow you to spend more time actually concentrating on what we love...fishing!

 

I feel that most boats are built well nowadays.  Mine is a Tracker, Ronix has a Lund, BlueEye has a Starcraft...all great to fish off of!  Figure out what type of boat you want (glass, alu, flat bottom, mod-v, v, etc), how much motor, yadayadayada, and then start the search.  It may take awhile, but not sacrificing just to have a boat immediately will pay off in the future.

 

--Joe

[brent fingar]

Thank you guys there's so many option its crazy I like to break the day up between trolling and casting like the deep v also need 4 seats for the days I gotta tow the kids around on the tubes and skis I'm leaning towards the lunds I like the jump seats in the back that fold down to a casting deck one more question I was looking at pmtt rules and there was something about the size of the live well don't know if I'll ever fish one but would like to what is the min required liv well size

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[Nalod]

I believe the livewell rule only comes into play if you want to transport a fish to a judge.  If you have a marine radio on the boat, you can call a judge to come to you and measure the fish...then no worries about the size of your livewell (this is what almost every team does).  If you want to have the correct size livewell, you should look for one over 50" longs...

[brent fingar]

I see I would think that transporting the fish would put added stress on it and make for a harder release

I am no were near ready for tournaments but someday I would like to fish the whole trail when my kids are old enough to run the restaurants or they decide to not get into the buisnes and I sell em either way by then I prolly have a different boat than the one I'm shoppin for now

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[brent fingar]

Sat in a sweet boat today

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[brent fingar]

Lund impact 1675

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[old man]

The jump seats that fold into a casting deck is a nice feature you will like. i have a bench in mine. Pedestal seats take up too much room. Downside is with a couple full size adults that far back it takes a while to get on plane. Every boat is a compromise between what we really want and what it takes to keep mom and the family happy. If i had my way i'd have a 16' camo jon and a tiller.

[old man]

That's a nice lund. Had a 2000 17'er. Loved it but needed more room for growing family.

[iiwhistlerii]

Definately make sure the budget includes room for toys. My 36v 101 terrova with spot lock and I pilot has definately helped me catch additional fish. I have an hds 5 on the bow and a new touch 7 on the console and having GPS and sonar up front while casting and structure scan while trolling is an amazing advantage.

[Ivan]

I agree with Joe about the used boat. We bought new in 07 and if/when I do it again, I will probably look at a used boat. I also agree with Old Man on size for family. You will probably want a 17-19' if you can swing it.  You can get a few year old boat that is already rigged and save a bunch of money. New boats are outrageous.

 

I look at this site all the time. It has many boats like you are looking for. You need to be willing to drive to buy one from here though. I just helped a buddy find and buy a boat that was listed on this site. That seller drove and met him half way.

http://www.walleyecentral.com/classified/searchresults

This boat was just listed in the last 24 hrs.  Exactly what you are looking for and more boat/motor than what the Impact was that you sat in, for probably quite a bit less money.

http://www.walleyecentral.com/classified/adviewer/55169

That one probably won't last long.

 

Good luck and happy shopping.

[Tigerhunter]

My little piece of advice if you plan on musky fishing: hang over the edge for 10 minutes and pretend you are releasing a very tired fish....

I say this because I had gone from a 13' aluminum boat to a 16' deep v. I had wanted a 18' but budget, tow vehicle and storage didn't allow it. My buddy got a Great Lakes special or something like that 18' deep v. The sides come up to my hips and I am 6'1". I was bent over the side with a fish for 5 minutes cutting hooks and 10 minutes trying to release it, then I tagged out for a buddy to finish the release. From the bow I couldn't reach the water and the back left me with bruises for a week.

I'm glad I got the 16' for that reason personally (and it works for my situation now family-wise).

My next boat (many years down the road) will be a glass boat. One of my buddies has a nitro and it's very nice being low to the water for handling fish and do figure-8's. I think the ranger 600 series are more of a deep v fiberglass. I also like the fish n ski nitros.

I guess the biggest thing is to have fun shopping and make sure you test it out on the water. (I got burned on an outboard that ran in a barrel in a garage but once in gear it would die)

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[old man]

Since i outlived my mortgage i've had a new tracker,a new lund and a new champion. They are all good boats. For the money the tracker was the best of 'em. They all claimed to have a revolutionary hull design with a smooth,dry ride. Not so,seneca lake will beat your brains in in any of them. I had to replace the rotted floors in the tracker and the lund. They both lasted about 7 years. The champion is glass so i won't have to put a floor in her.

[super_hawk2012]

I have a 2012 Crestliner 17'. I now have 2 foot envy and wish I got the 19 footer.

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[Ivan]

Everybody has their opinions and personal preferences. There's lots of good muskie platforms. What will be best for you will depend on your individual needs, where you will be fishing, and your individual fishing style.

I like lots of muskie boats including glass. However, I know lots of good muskie fisherman that fish out of 17-21' deep v aluminum boats. In fact, that's the style boat most of the muskie fisherman i know fish from. Todd Young that guides on chq fishes out of the same model 18' Lund i posted the link to. He's a very good caster. Mike Sperry also fishes from that style of boat and i know the original poster has fished with him. I haven't heard anybody complain about releasing muskies from that style of boat. I don't have any trouble releasing fish from mine.

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Edited March 14, 2014 by Ivan

[brent fingar]

Ya Ivan I like the deep v I've fished with mike a couple times and had no problems releasing fish I've got a buddy who sells lunds he's got some trade ins coming in think I'm gonna go with a used lund save some cash for trips and gear again all the help from the muskie guys on this board has been awsome I know several of you guys are involved with muskie inc and have a tournament on wanetta would love to donate something to help out as I own a pizza place in hammondsport and fish wannetta all the time just shoot me a message thank you again

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[old man]

this thread got me looking at old photos of my rigs. This is a 2000 lund and a plug for boat insurance. My homeowners would not pay for this. this pic got me thinking. It's one of my first muskies back when i was using crummy gear and smaller baits. In her mouth is a black spinnerbait with a black colorado blade. I put black rubber leaches on it to make it look bigger. I bet i caught a dozen muskies on that before i lost it to a cheap swivel. I couldn't find another one and then i got some muskie gear and started using "real" muskie lures and forgot about it. It's tough to be senile. I'm gonna make a couple of those tonight only bigger.

[brent fingar]

Pulled the trigger bought a used lund pro v 2002 with a honda 130 now it's time for toys need a trolling motor I have a garmin 500 c I plan to mount in the bow need something for the dash any suggestions

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[Nalod]

Nice boat!  That is going to be a fun ride no matter what lake you are heading to...

 

Technology on fish finders have come a very long way.  You need to sit down with all the functionality available to see what you are interested in getting.  Do you care to have side-scan?  downscan?  Would you ever want to plug in an underwater camera and then be able to use your screen as the monitor?  The list is pretty long.  The rule of thumb is to (first) set a cap price that you can spend on the fishfinder, (second) determine all of the tech you want, and then (last) find the largest display you can for your price.  

 

I feel that the major manufacturers are really close in technology, so it is best to stop at a store that has them on display and just play around.  I did my demos at Bass Pro (but call ahead and make sure they have models similar to what you are interested in).

 

Another thing to look at is if you will be upgrading your electric trolling motor.  If so, you may want to look at the connectivity between a humminbird fish finder and the new minn kota trolling motors.  You can build paths on your humminbird and then the motor will drive you on that course...pretty cool.

 

Disclaimer:  I went with a lowrance last year.  I wanted side and down scan along with a simple user interface.  Now Humminbird has come out with their own version.  If I was buying again, I would spend time looking at the interface again -- is it easy to use is the biggest question.  I would also look at the color quality and brightness of each device.

 

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

 

--Joe

[brent fingar]

Well I'm decking the pro v out in garmin looked at all of them today and I have an echo 500 from my old boat that I will be putting up front and I got the echo 70 DV for the dash love the touch screen dropping the new toys off at seager marina were I bought the boat to get dressed up and should be out chasing lakers on keuka by the end of the week also got a Minn Kota trolling with I poilot thanks for all the advice guys I'm glad I took it cuz if I bought a bran new boat I wouldn't have had the cash to buy all the extras

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[BlueEye]

Awesome new ride Brent! Congrats on the great purchase!

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