[gottafish]

Hi all, I have been lurking aroud here for a few years now and this is my first post. I don't post a lot on any site because I have sever spelling disabilite done get me wrong I am not stupid I just cant spell very well. Any way I grew up in Michigan and fished the great lake a lot. Walleye was the fish I mastered in the Great Lake State. I even guided for the toothy criders I won a few contests and almost tied the state record That fis is on my wall. I worked for GM and was laid off in october of 87 and Joined the USN and was on subs out of Bangor Washington for 10 years and Now I reside in Troutdale, Oregon. I do not have a boat as of yet, I have been bank bound since I have been here and I have turned into a fly fishermen to boot. But the River is a callin me bad. Which is why I am writing today. I am in the market for a boat. I need a 18' to 20' boat for the family and I was wondering If you guys could steer me in the right direction? who do you consider the best dealer in the area to deal with? also what are the best choices to make on a new boat as far as motor and options I need to stay under 20k?

 

[ampersat]

welcome aboard!! don't worry about the spelling thing. lots of folks here have the same problem. :smile: (if it bothers you that much, write up your posts in ms word, run it through spell check then copy and paste it here.)

as for your boat search, good luck. there's a ton of options out there and how you fish will determine what boat you buy. as for manufacturers, it seems like everyone has their favorites. spend a few days culling through the archives on ifish. this is a topic that has come up a lot and much has been said on it.

 

[dirtyCut]

Like Ampersat said, lots of us cant spell too well.... :grin:

Need a fish story!!!

KC

 

[gottafish]

So you want a fish story Huh? well this happen to me this winter Enjoy!
I was fishing the sandy near troutdale and
hooked into a steelhead. I was fighting the
fish and almost had it to the bank when all
of the sudden this dog jumped on it and
picked it up in his mouth and ran down the
bank snapping my line. The dogs owner was
calling the dog ( Popper, come Popper!) and
the dog dropped the fish back in the river
and ran up the bank.
(Now that has never happen to me but this
day gets even stranger.)
So now I am very upset so I head back to
my truck and I see this osperys flying over
head with a fish in his claws and he is
fighting in mid air with this other bird, just
then this guy pulls in to the parking area in
his nice new Ford truck and out of the sky
this 2# squaw fish lands on his hood!! He
jumps in his seat like he was shot or
something. I start to laugh and he looks at
me. ( now I am the only guy around ) so he
jumps out of his truck and starts to chase
me because he thinks I threw the fish. The
hole time I am running yelling ....it was the
bird ...it was the bird!!!! finally he stoped
running after me and I stoped and told him
this story to . Well I don't know if he bought
it, but he didn't kill me. and that is the
truth I know it sound far fetched but that is
how it happened. Cheers Rich

 

[Sea Jypzee]

Hi Rich and Welcome to ifish. Great story.

:bowdown:

As for your boat search. Personally, I'd recommend you go looking around at a semi-used boat rather than trying to buy new, especially in the price range you're looking at. You should be able to find a very fine boat for that kind of money.

A lot will depend on the type of use you plan for it. River/Lakes only? Occasional trip to the big blue? Frequent salt water use? All of these things can have a big impact on the type and size of boat you need, as well as motor/outdrive, outboard, etc.

So, maybe if you give us a bit more about what your plans are, some folks here can give some good suggestions.

In the mean time, again welcome to ifish! :bowdown:

 

[gottafish]

Well, most of my boating will be on the CR near boniville and some bouy 10 trips , I also would like to due some crabbing and my daughter wants to wake board. I also would like to take it to canada for some walleye action. but 90% will be sturgon and salmon on the CR. I fly fish in the small rivers I am kind of scared to run up stuff like the clack , so a plain old prop would be my choice. What You think?

 

[FROGGY]

Welcom aboard.
Keep an eye on the boat and tackle classifieds on this site. Ive seen some pretty good boats there in the past.
I just bought a brand new boat about 4 months ago. In my opinion save some money, do reasearch and buy used.

 

[Grantspastor]

Great story! I could just picture that fish falling out of the air. Welcome to ifish...and good luck with your boat search. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this board to help with any questions

 

[Steelie Steve]

Welcome aboard gottafish. Good story

About your boat search. Like Ampersat said, do a search on this site. You will find an enormous amount of info on almost every make and model out there. One thing that always comes up as a recommendation is to "try it before you buy it." Make sure you get to test drive the boats in different conditions.

As far as boats go, used is definitely one way to keep the initial cost down. I have done some looking at boats (although my wife doesn't think I'm in the market for one ). I am intrigued by the Hewes Craft boats. Seems to be pretty good quality for reasonable prices.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Steve :cheers:

 

[Stz ll]

Now that is a funny story. Welcome aboard!! :cheers:

 

[greenbuttskunk]

welcome Rich,
Absolutely no sweat about the spelling disability.
That's what spell check is for, and we all know what you or anyone else is getting at anyway. If we were meant to be literary masters we would'nt have rods in ours hands. Not most of us anyway. :grin: Good luck on the boat. The are alot of great used boats out there right now. Best advice I can give is to just make a decision where you'll likely fish the most. Columbia, shallow rivers like the sandy or clack. Lakes, bays. And what suits the whole family. Maybe it's an open bow with a prop. Waterski, fish, pull kids in an innertube. A combo fish, pleasure boat may work best. I like the thought of used, only because of depreciation. I bought a cheap 78'16' starcraft open bow, put a few grand into it, got a kicker, and painted it. I fish, ski, and play in it, should work great for the kids, and with a top, my wife can relax and read if she gets bored from fishing (not often)It's sweet, paid for, and I use the hell out of it. Enjoy whatever you choose, and I hope it brings you all kinds of luck out there on the water. New or used, around 18-20K should get you into a really sweet ride!
Welcome aboard!
GBS