River/Lake boat 14'-16'

[r106]

I'm thinking about getting a boat for the Fraser and local lakes here in the Lower Mainland. Main use would be for fishing secondary would be just cruising around exploring or maybe a little for hunting. I'm thinking around $12 grand, 14'-16', 20 inch transom something around a 60" + beam, can handle 35/40hp

What are your thoughts on G3 boats? Jon vs deep V? Tiller vs Console? Tiller to me seems like a better option if using a prop in the river to get the motor out of the water quicker? Prop vs Jet? I'm leaning towards prop. Riveted VS Welded?? How well do riveted boats hold up in the river.

Any other brands to look at or stay away from

Thinking about something like this in the 15' http://www.g3boats.com/outfitter_v177_t_-_tough_rugged_deep-v_aluminum_boat But the riveted hull has my a little leery

Won't be looking to buy until early spring so I have lots of time to check out the used market.

[1/2 slam]

Kingfisher 1625 or 1825 falcon

[fuzzybiscuit]

If you are beating the boat hard enough in the river that you are worried about rivets then I would keep away from a prop outboard. Riveted boats, as well as prop outboards, are fine but if you are going to be running in shallow water with lots of rocks I wouldn't want either.

G3 makes a nice 16 footer with a jet tunnel built for an outboard. Great level entry boat for running fairly shallow stuff but it will pound the hell out of you when running in some chop.

It's all about compromises. There is no one boat that works great for every scenario.

[lovemywinchester]

My buddy purchased a 14' G3 jon recently. Its a nice boat but it has a problem. It is very LOUD. The way the water laps against the hull when anchored is annoying like you would not believe. Maybe not a problem in the river but if you want to hit the interior and chronie fish all day the sound will drive you nuts. Not sure if its the metal or the angle of the hull but its way louder than any Lowe or Lund ive fished out of.

[1899]

There is a guy on Kijiji who is selling some Intrex 15' welded aluminum boats. They are made in Australia and imo are probably the best deal out there. IIRC they have an 80" beam. Depending on the motor you use, and trailer (new/used etc) you could probably get into it for your price range. Another one I'd consider are the Crestliner welded open boats.

[Salty]

Welded is the best but it costs. Riveted boats? Meh.. a small one for lake fishing is fine but that's about it IMO. Another option is sealed seams. I had a 15 foot Duraboat that had funky zig-zag joints pressed together with a rubber gasket. The thing was beat when I got it and good and beat when I was done with it and it didn't leak. Problem being tho like riveted boats they use very thin material comparatively. Yes they're strong as a whole there's enough struts and shit and the joints themselves but you hit something they dint. If a person treated a Duraboat properly and didn't leave it tied up in storms and hit rocks and docks with it it would last a long time. They'd be under your budget.

[r106]

I should mention at that price I'm looking for a boat and motor. I won't be looking to purchase until early spring next year, so hopefully I can extend that budget. There's nothing I would love more than to have 25-30 grand to get into something like the Kingfisher 1825 but that ain't going to happen anytime soon.

I was reading Kudu's thread on the prop tunnels http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?107938-Anyone-got-an-Alumacraft-1546-Tunnel-boat&p=1525141&highlight=prop+tunnel#post1525141 and they seem like a great compromise for river and lakes?? I see G3 and Alumacraft make one but a G3 with a prop tunnel and motor is 20grand and I don't like the layout.

[r106]

Welded is the best but it costs. Riveted boats? Meh.. a small one for lake fishing is fine but that's about it IMO. Another option is sealed seams. I had a 15 foot Duraboat that had funky zig-zag joints pressed together with a rubber gasket. The thing was beat when I got it and good and beat when I was done with it and it didn't leak. Problem being tho like riveted boats they use very thin material comparatively. Yes they're strong as a whole there's enough struts and shit and the joints themselves but you hit something they dint. If a person treated a Duraboat properly and didn't leave it tied up in storms and hit rocks and docks with it it would last a long time. They'd be under your budget.

I have a couple of friends that have riveted car toppers and they all leak a little. Mind you there all 15-20 years old boats. lol. But there great for that kind of thing. The only abuse I intend on giving it is landing on a gravel bar. But I'm just not sure how it will hold up? I either want something to hold up so I can use it for several years or hold some re-sale value. At checkpoint marine the salesman said G3 has a lifetime warranty on the hull as long as I own it ( non transferable). So if it leaks just bring it back and they will fix it. Sounds good but Has anyone used G3's warranty how are they to deal with

[Johnny G1]

My Smoker Craft 15' Alaskan is 22 yrs old and a good deep boat with a 15 Honda and is a riveted boat, no problems other than a small leak in the stern which was an easy fix.

[fuzzybiscuit]

The Alumacraft 1548 tunnel hull boats work pretty well and may be the ticket for you.

But, I wouldn't believe anyone that tells me they can run one in 2 inches of water. It is just not possible. And yes, I have been in one. The motor is still the lowest thing on the boat and the first thing to hit when the water runs out.
Also, the hull thickness is only .80 so when you do hit the chance of splitting the hull or putting a hole in it is pretty good. Then the fun really starts, because welding a patch on .80 aluminum is not easy.

I run a jon boat with a tiller jet. When I run in anything less than 6 inches I start to hit. Doesn't matter how good you are at reading the water there always seems to be one rock right where I need to go.

[emerson]

Free Spirit Marine Crestliner dealer in Edmonton. Get a
price for an 1860 Retriever Jon w/50-35 Tohatsu jet.
Mine was under $14k all in last year. Very happy.

[Kudu]

The Alumacraft 1548 tunnel hull boats work pretty well and may be the ticket for you.

But, I wouldn't believe anyone that tells me they can run one in 2 inches of water. It is just not possible. And yes, I have been in one. The motor is still the lowest thing on the boat and the first thing to hit when the water runs out.
Also, the hull thickness is only .80 so when you do hit the chance of splitting the hull or putting a hole in it is pretty good. Then the fun really starts, because welding a patch on .80 aluminum is not easy.

I run a jon boat with a tiller jet. When I run in anything less than 6 inches I start to hit. Doesn't matter how good you are at reading the water there always seems to be one rock right where I need to go.

Come down to the Harrison tomorrow - i'll jack my motor up on its jack plate and we can then go play in two inches of water........and do bring your jet boat along - let's see how it performs in comparison.

[fuzzybiscuit]

Come down to the Harrison tomorrow - i'll jack my motor up on its jack plate and we can then go play in two inches of water........and do bring your jet boat along - let's see how it performs in comparison.

Thanks for the invite, but I'll have to pass.

Like I said, I've been in a 1546 Alumacraft tunnel before. Beauty boat. The only difference is that the one I was in had a lighter 30hp Yamaha 2-stroke oil injected on a manual jack plate. It was impressive for a prop boat but the boat itself took more than 2 inches of water when running. Also, while it is a modified V at the bow the back end is as flat as flat could be and I found that it would pound the crap out of us when getting into rougher water, not unlike my jon boat.

Everything that you said about smaller jet boats, or jet boats in general, is also true. They do lose roughly 30 percent in horsepower when compared to a prop, which in turn means that you will burn more fuel to go the same distance and take longer doing it. They also seem to like to suck every weed or piece of bark up when running and can therefore be a pain when running in dirty water. The only reason I have a jet boat is that I haven't seen a prop boat, tunnel or not, that will run shallow rivers with lots of rocks in them. The shoe on my jet is beat to hell as it has been hit quite a few times. I don't think the skeg on an outboard would have taken the same beating and got you home.

I guess my question would be, if you could buy a boat that had all the benifits of a prop with none of the drawbacks of a jet, why would anyone ever buy a jet outboard and why are they even still being made?

Like I said before, it's all about compromises. There is no one boat that works great for every scenario.

[browningboy]

Come down to the Harrison tomorrow - i'll jack my motor up on its jack plate and we can then go play in two inches of water........and do bring your jet boat along - let's see how it performs in comparison.

you have a bottom on your boat or is it the alligator hunting style boat? I rub on 2" but I don't mind as the boat us armoured, sucks if you don't! Sounds like a fun boat bud

[r106]

The Alumacraft 1548 tunnel hull boats work pretty well and may be the ticket for you.

But, I wouldn't believe anyone that tells me they can run one in 2 inches of water. It is just not possible. And yes, I have been in one. The motor is still the lowest thing on the boat and the first thing to hit when the water runs out.
Also, the hull thickness is only .80 so when you do hit the chance of splitting the hull or putting a hole in it is pretty good. Then the fun really starts, because welding a patch on .80 aluminum is not easy.

I run a jon boat with a tiller jet. When I run in anything less than 6 inches I start to hit. Doesn't matter how good you are at reading the water there always seems to be one rock right where I need to go.

I really like idea of a prop tunnel but I'm not totally sold on a jon boat for anchoring on the Fraser fishing for springs. Also most Jon's are narrow with low sides, not sure how it would handle having a boat rip past while anchored? I was liking the idea of a wider boat for more room fishing and stability. But a Jon boat would be nicer if I use it for hunting.

[fuzzybiscuit]

I really like idea of a prop tunnel but I'm not totally sold on a jon boat for anchoring on the Fraser fishing for springs. Also most Jon's are narrow with low sides, not sure how it would handle having a boat rip past while anchored? I was liking the idea of a wider boat for more room fishing and stability. But a Jon boat would be nicer if I use it for hunting.

If you like the idea of a tunnel hull prop boat then I would take Kudu up on his offer to have a ride in his Alumacraft. He seems real happy with the boat and if you guys are running the same water then it should work just as good for you. Either way it sounds like a good opportunity to check out the Alumacraft and make up your own mind. They are a nice boat and won't break the bank.

[steveo]

Do I understand this correctly that Kudu has a prop drive tunnel hull and can run in 2 inches of water? I have tried a device called a " Riffle Runner " which is basically a tunnel hull but instead of integrated into the boat this fits on the cavitation plate of the motor, similar idea behind water flow and thrust. I would like to see this prop drive tunnel hull in action, does anyone have any video of their boat?

[fuzzybiscuit]

Kudu’s thread on a tunnel hull prop boat he bought.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?107938-Anyone-got-an-Alumacraft-1546-Tunnel-boat&p=1525141&highlight=prop+tunnel#post1525141

[AK-47]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oJIEWF6rKM&t=328s

[fuzzybiscuit]

Kudu’s thread on a tunnel hull prop boat he bought.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?107938-Anyone-got-an-Alumacraft-1546-Tunnel-boat&p=1525141&highlight=prop+tunnel#post1525141


Crap…meant to put this link upon the prop/jet thread, not this necrothread….

[geologist]

Keep in mind boats are in short supply in these covid days. Check with your supplier as to delivery times as you may need to order it earlier to get it when you want it.