My first fishing boat was a 14 footer aluminum model with a 25 HP tiller operated outboard. When I bought this boat I thought I was making a lifetime investment.

            It didn’t take long to realize that what I had invested in was an education, not a boat that would serve me well my whole life long. I soon realized that a 14 foot boat isn’t ideal for fishing larger waters.

            It wasn’t long until I sold the 14 footer and graduated to a 17 foot SC model with a 90 HP outboard. Contentment was short lived however. The very next year I jumped into the ranks of fishing V6 outboards and purchased my first boat with a 135 HP outboard! At the time that engine seemed huge. Today that engine is a puppy compared to the 225 or 250 HP Evinrude E-Tec outboards I’m currently running.

            Since I purchased my first boat in 1985, I’ve owned more than 25 other fishing boats and every one I have loved and hated. No matter what anyone says about fishing boats, no single boat can do everything a serious angler is likely to encounter. Begrudgingly I’ve come to the conclusion that owning a fishing boat is a situation laden with compromise. The best we can do as boat owners is find a compromise that best fits our fishing style and budget.

            If you’re at all interested in a new fishing boat, the next couple months are a critical time to make your decision. These days boat dealers are likely to have less inventory on the floor than ever before. What that means is if you are forced to order a boat, it’s going to take six to eight weeks minimum to have that boat built, shipped, rigged and made water ready.

            Assuming you want to be fishing come early spring, time is wasting if you’re really serious about making a boat purchase in 2012.

SIZE MATTERS

            With a fishing boat, the overall size is the most important factor to consider. Budget restraints are the primary reason fishermen settle on a smaller model and then soon become disillusioned with their investment. I’ve personally lived this situation a number of times and can say with confidence that it’s better to spend a little more and get a bigger boat, than to wish you had one or two years down the road.

            Buying a boat that’s a little too small will cost you down the road when it’s time to trade that boat in and move up to a larger model. The investment made in sonar, electric motors, batteries, rod holders and a dozen other after market items is totally lost when you trade in one boat for another.

            The smart move is to purchase a boat that meets your needs today and down the road, even if that boat is a little more than you want to spend.  Trust me, no boat buyer ever looked back and said.... “I wish I would have bought a smaller boat.”

            I recommend 16-17 foot models for anglers who are primarily interested in fishing inland lakes and rivers. The angler who has interest in fishing the near shore waters of the Great Lakes is going to be better equipped with a boat that’s at least 18-19 feet in length. Serious fishing in larger lakes, reservoirs and the Great Lakes calls for a boat in the 20-22 foot length.

HORSEPOWER CONCERNS

            Next to selecting a boat that’s on the small side for what they intend to use it for, purchasing an outboard that’s too small for the job is the most common mistake I see anglers making. Boat dealers are largely to blame for this problem as they put the minimum size outboard on boat packages to keep the price down and sticker shock to a minimum.

            While most dealers will try to encourage the buyer to purchase a larger outboard, once that price has set into a buyers mind, it’s tough to change their mind.

            A 16-17 foot boat with a 40 HP outboard is barely capable of getting that boat up on plane when loaded with anglers and gear. The same boats would perform far better if equipped with a 50 or 60 HP outboard.

            Boats in the 18 foot class require an outboard in the 90-115 HP range to see good performance. Larger boats like 19 footers and above really need the power of a V6 in the 150-200 HP range to enjoy maximum performance.

            Going too big with an outboard is almost as common as going too small. Tournament anglers make this mistake thinking that a few miles per hour of additional speed will translate to more fishing time and bigger bags of fish at the weight-in.

            The speed difference between a 225 and 250 is minimal, but the gas consumption isn’t. What running the maximum horse power on a fishing boat will usually do is kill your fishing budget with unnecessary stops at the gas station.

            If a boat is rated to handle a 300 HP outboard, chances are a 225 is going to make that boat perform nicely. The wisdom here is not to under power a boat or over power a boat, but to select an outboard that provides the right combination of power, performance and value.

ACCESSORIES

            The margin of profit on a boat, motor and trailer package is a lot smaller than the average person realizes. Dealers don’t make a lot of money on the sale of a boat and motor, so they try to pad the profit by loading the boat up with after market gear that has a much higher profit margin.

            Certainly it’s going to be necessary to add some key accessories to a fishing boat including an electric motor, batteries, sonar, rod holders, etc. The question becomes do you order these items from the dealer or purchase them outright and mount them yourself?

            The answer to that question depends on how handy you are and also how much time you’re willing to dedicate to a boat rigging project. I personally take great pride and rigging my own boats, but I’ve also had 25 years of experience doing so.

            The angler who isn’t comfortable wiring electronics or drilling holes in a boat to mount rod holders is probably a candidate for letting the dealer handle these chores. Certainly the cost to the consumer is going to be greater, but there is some peace of mind in knowing the job is done right and done in a timely fashion.

            If you’re the handy type, I highly recommend doing a significant amount of the rigging chores yourself. Running electrical leads for things like sonar units isn’t difficult, it’s just time consuming. The sweat equity gained can save the boat buyer thousands of dollars in labor charges. That’s money that could be invested in better accessories, a bigger boat or maybe even a bigger outboard! Think about it.

MORE ON ACCESSORIES

            Just like making the mistake of buying a boat that’s too small or one that has an inadequate outboard, pinching pennies on the accessories leads anglers to regret those decisions. A few years ago I discovered a product line that allows me to easily add accessories as I can afford them.

            The Bert’s Custom Tackle “patented” Track System is pure genius when it comes to boat rigging accessories. Once the track is purchased and mounted, a host of important accessories slide in and out of the track as the angler can afford them or dictates the need.

            The Bert’s system readily accepts a number of rod holder designs available at different price points from entry level to pro angler quality. The same track system readily accepts a fixed and or swivel base downrigger bracket making it easy to mount downriggers and remove them just as quickly. There are also other key accessories like tool holders, net holders, drink cup holders, downrigger ball cups, sonar brackets and on and on.

            The Bert’s system is the ultimate in modular boat rigging. Even better, if you decide down the road to sell your boat, simply strip off all the accessories and on the new boat, mount track and you’re ready to go again in minutes. No other boat rigging system is as versatile or saves the customer more money in the long run than the Bert’s Custom Tackle Track System. Period.

BATTERIES

            Batteries are one of those hidden costs that no one ever thinks about until it’s time to buy them. In a fishing boat equipped with a 24 volt electric trolling motor, the owner is going to need at least three expensive batteries or better yet four.

            Buying cheap batteries saves money today and will come back to haunt you two or three years down the line when they need to all be replaced. Dealers know the difference between good batteries and bargain brands, but unless you request good batteries, chances are you’re going to get a bargain model.

            When it comes to deep cycle batteries, bite the bullet and get the biggest and baddest models you can afford. The same holds true for cranking batteries. I typically rig two 600 cold cranking amp batteries in my fishing boats so I have double the amp hours for running stuff like sonar, live-well pumps, bilge pumps and recirculation systems.

            The two batteries are wired in parallel which doubles the amp hours without changing the voltage. This simple rigging step has saved my bacon countless times over the years when I had battery power to spare instead of a dead battery.

SUMMING IT UP

            The old saying that a boat is a hole in the water you throw money into is partly true. This is true because so often boat buyers make bad decisions at the time of purchase and then end up paying for that bad decision down the road.

            It’s better to invest in a boat that meets and exceeds your needs than one that barely meets them. A little extra money spend up front will save you tons of money down the road.