boat

[sturgeonkid]

I am looking to buy a boat in the near future. I am looking for an all around good fishing boat that can handle well in the ocean as well as the rivers. I have been looking at Northriver but recently started looking at CustomWelds. I need your help or your expert opinion on what boats you think are the all around best for the money. Thank you.

[FastActionRodTip]

Wait until the boat show right after New Years, spend the whole weekend there and ask a bazillion questions. Write down on a sheet of paper how you mostly plan on using it, pros, cons, etc and then buy the one that best accomodates your intended purposes. For all around boats you'll have to compromise, no one boat works perfect for all purposes. Take the time to do your research so you don't have buyers remorse and sell in a year and take a big loss. Look towards glass for the saltwater so you don't have to deal with electrolosis, galvanic corrosion, etc. Arimas are great, but Motion Marine would be my choice in aluminum because they really go to great lenghts to isolate dissimilar metals and protect against saltwater. Have fun!

[Bluto]

There are many good brands to consider... Northriver, Motion Marine, CustomWeld, etc... Everyone will be partial to a particular brand (whether a salesman or owner - I'm partial to Motion Marine - picking my 2nd up tomorrow). There will be a lot of good info to take in as well, but take it all with a grain of salt.

The key is to define your needs, find which model fits from each brand and then compare those. Things to consider: Price Range, construction, Deg of V (i.e. 14-18deg for deep/rough water; 10-14 for shallow), Engine (Inboard/Outboard/Jet/Prop), use, length, width, fishable area, etc..

Make sure you test-drive & have fun in looking!! The boat show is a good place to start.