Why get a boat for hunting?

[albravo2]

I'm thinking of getting a small inflatable jet boat for hunting but a conversation with someone that used to own a jet boat in Prince George has me re-thinking. He said that every time he tried to find new territory for hunting he ended up seeing a logging road that he could have reached in his own truck.

I haven't exhaustively researched this, but I did look up at a few rivers and lakes on Google Earth and, sure enough, there are roads pretty close to where I'd get to in a boat.

So my question is where would you go by boat that you can't get to by truck or on foot?

[blackbart]

You could get yourself a long ways up chit creek. No roads or help there.

[Surrey Boy]

Up the coast. Nelson Island has been a great weekend spot for me. It's pretty much abandoned after Thanksgiving.

[Drillbit]

Great hunting right out of the boat in many places.

have been successful many times drift hunting.

[Sofa King]

lotsa places.
kinbasket, williston, tagish, etc.....
but i see what you're saying.
as time goes on, more and more areas are getting logged and there's access to places that there never was before.

[Mr. Dean]

I've gotta 10' Zodiac.
Great little unit for retrieving downed game from the 'other side' of the lake.

[Geo.338]

What Mr. Dean said . A small boat is much easier to pack into the lake to ferry game across than it is to pack it the long way around .

[ryanb]

Muskwa, tuchodi, Stikine, kechika, frog, turnagain, gataga, spatsizi, chuckachida, Pittman, prophet, toad, liard, rabbit, bell Irving, skeena, babine, gitnadoix, gatho, omineca...all these rivers have at least significant if not their entire lengths boat access only. There are dozens more too, but I got tired of listing them. Then you have thousands of lakes that are boat access. Boats are awesome!

[2tins]

do not get a jet boat, unless you have tons and tons of money.

[Iron Glove]

An "inflatable jet boat" :confused:
Maybe an inflatable, i.e. Zodiac or similar with an outboard jet ??

[albravo2]

An "inflatable jet boat" :confused:
Maybe an inflatable, i.e. Zodiac or similar with an outboard jet ??

yeah, i'm thinking an Alaska Series with a 40hp outboard jet. very similar to the one that Gattho showed in his Tuchodi thread last fall. small enough to fit in the back of my truck but big enough to have 3 people.

i know inflatables aren't the best thing for the chuck, but might also get a bit of salmon fishing in the summer too.

[dino]

I'm thinking of getting a small inflatable jet boat for hunting but a conversation with someone that used to own a jet boat in Prince George has me re-thinking. He said that every time he tried to find new territory for hunting he ended up seeing a logging road that he could have reached in his own truck.

I haven't exhaustively researched this, but I did look up at a few rivers and lakes on Google Earth and, sure enough, there are roads pretty close to where I'd get to in a boat.

So my question is where would you go by boat that you can't get to by truck or on foot?

I have a 14ft zodiac jet boat, I paid 2500 for boat trailer and motor, I sold the trailer for 350 and just pack up up the boat and motor. There are rivers that do not have a ramp for the large boats to use and its easy to pack the inflatable from truck to river. Floating down a river can be very successful even if roads are close by, a boat is almost a must for most moose hunters just because of the down time in areas with great fishing. I have jetted rivers where the big boats just cant winch across the real shallow long streches. My little cheap infatable jet is a great tool to have with next to zero maintenance costs. There are more rivers at your disposal with a portable boat than a big rig. You may not be able to go as far as a big rig but you can go more places with little effort.

[Mr. Dean]

What Mr. Dean said . A small boat is much easier to pack into the lake to ferry game across than it is to pack it the long way around .

And a lot of lakes don't hold access to the other side.
Where I hunt, a spur will come in and that's it.

Rolled up, that little zode is 50lbs, fills up in 10 easy minutes and SPLASH!!, you're on your way. :mrgreen:

[albravo2]

Dino and Mr. Dean, how much power do you have on? Gattho recommends a 40hp because the jet drops that to 30, and going uphill on many of these rivers requires that much power.

The Alaska Series boats are over $6k without an engine. Nice, though, in that they are also solid river rafts that can handle moderately fast water even without the engine.

[Buck]

Dino and Mr. Dean, how much power do you have on? Gattho recommends a 40hp because the jet drops that to 30, and going uphill on many of these rivers requires that much power.

The Alaska Series boats are over $6k without an engine. Nice, though, in that they are also solid river rafts that can handle moderately fast water even without the engine.

The Alaska series boats are very expensive you can buy a Saturn raft for way less and just have the Grizzly Claw protector installed on it will save you thousands. http://saturninflatableboats.ca/saturn-inflatable-boats.html

[albravo2]

The Alaska series boats are very expensive you can buy a Saturn raft for way less and just have the Grizzly Claw protector installed on it will save you thousands. http://saturninflatableboats.ca/saturn-inflatable-boats.html

I really like the price point but here's the thing: I know the Alaska Series are manufactured offshore somewhere. It MIGHT be the same plant as the Saturn stuff and/or the Saturn product might be just as good. But I've always had a very healthy respect for rivers and I'm nervous about the reliability and durability. I've owned Zodiac before and they were well made and strong. I've seen many Canadian Tire style inflatables that I wouldn't trust to cross an Olympic sized swimming pool.

Do you think the Saturn are good enough to trust your life?

[gathto]

The Saturn looks good but my only concern is that it only has three chambers. My AR450 has five. I punctured the aft port side tube last year in the middle of the lake. The port center tube kept me level and provided enough lift to keep my jet in the water. Also kept the water from coming in.

Looking at the Saturn I think there would be a huge issue if the entire port side tube deflated while loaded and under power.

The support that holds the aluminum floor section came loose in real rough water and punctured the tube. My error when putting the boat together. I did not make sure it was locked in place. Won't do that again.

[Sofa King]

i love inflatables.
i have a 14' zodiac that i got for $400 and a 12' RIB that was $3500.
like others said, the zod can just roll up and in the back of the truck with everything else.
and their weight capacity is sick.

[Gunner]

I know that without the Foldaboat on our last flyin we would have had a long hike to the caribou and a hell of a time packing them out.The boat made it simple.Gunner

[Hunt-4-Life]

Two of the last three successful moose hunts I've been on in the last three years were only possible because of a 12 foot inflatable. Unreal how it will float so much weight so well. Also don't leave your trusty old aluminum boat out of the picture either, although maybe too small for the salt chuck, a good boat with decently high gunwales and an outboard motor will get you to the far end of lots of good lakes, away from the crowds.

[dino]

Dino and Mr. Dean, how much power do you have on? Gattho recommends a 40hp because the jet drops that to 30, and going uphill on many of these rivers requires that much power.

The Alaska Series boats are over $6k without an engine. Nice, though, in that they are also solid river rafts that can handle moderately fast water even without the engine.

I have a 30hp jet 2 stroke, It would be around 20 at the pump. I carry an extra gcan of fuel two 200 pound men with full packs, thats about all I can carry up river. I have gone as far as 20km up river, shot animals and floated back down. You need to explain what kind of hunting you are wanting to do so you can get the best advice. I have a light rig that even one man can manhandle, this works well for my purposes, a 40hp is a little to heavy for one or even two guys to pack very far.

[Amphibious]

Shot a few moose from a canoe. You'd be suprised how close you can get to animals from the water

[albravo2]

i've kind of hijacked my own thread into a discussion of which boat instead of WHERE to boat but its an imporant topic.

how about the Zodiac Futura 470 Commando ?? there is a good deal on a used one out in New York.

i could buy the grizzly claw armour separately.

[Buck]

That boat would be great.There are some boat dealers in Alaska you might be able to pick a new or used up and then have that Grizzly claw installed up there http://www.alaskaraftandkayak.com/

[Mr. Dean]

Dino and Mr. Dean, how much power do you have on? Gattho recommends a 40hp because the jet drops that to 30, and going uphill on many of these rivers requires that much power.

The Alaska Series boats are over $6k without an engine. Nice, though, in that they are also solid river rafts that can handle moderately fast water even without the engine.

We're light years apart on our thinking - I replied to the thread title and not your post... My Bad.


I'm all about portability.
A jet drive and the horse's to push it don't fall within my parameters.

[st99]

I tought about about an inflatable boat, but I'm kind of worried about a bear wrecking it like they do to quad seat. Anybody has experience with jon boat ?

[kilometers]

I had a young grizzly destroy our zodiak while crabbing and fishing in work channel another guy down the way lost his two . He had to swim to his bigger boat and I had to bumb a ride to get my crab and prawn traps.
That grizzly didn't last long