Canoe or small boat?

[JBplusThuy]

Like the title says, I'm kicking around the idea of getting either a canoe or a small boat such as a Bass Baby or Pelican Raider.

Things that make me lean towards a canoe is that they are lighter and easier to car-top, which is important because I would be using it alone, mostly. It's also somewhat cheaper, but that's a lesser consideration to ease of use.  I've seen videos of canoes with even just a 30 pound motor and they can really move.

Pluses for the small boat are more room, stability, more room, built-in storage and live well, wiring harness, etc. If I had a truck I would almost certainly go for the small boat, even though I'd probably need a 55 pound motor and two batteries. But I don't imagine the chancellor of the exchequer signing off on spending thousands on a used truck (would probably need to be a 4-door) just because I bought an $800 boat LOL.

So, if you've wrestled with this decision, what did you decide and why?

Thanks!

Jonathan

[Derrick Bustle]

There is a great canoe at my gander Mountain. its more of a flat bottom canoe with a built in Ice chest/ livewell with an aerator . back supports look great on it

[JBplusThuy]

Which canoe did you like at Gander Mountain? Do you have that model yourself?

The Nucanoe Frontier looks like an interesting (if pricy) boat, but kayaks don't look like they'd be as comfortable for me as a canoe. Unfortunately, the nearest dealer looks to be over 100 miles away, so there's no easy way to try one.

[Leo Nguyen]

Easy. Canoe. Since you're in the northern areas of CA, it's the most versatile to use a canoe or kayak, outfit with a 35lbs thrust electric motor, or a 2HP 4 strokes. Plenty of mod for a comfy seat, and plenty of storage room for a single man outfit. Easy to house the vessel on top, which don't cost much to outfit a holder, and not a lot of tax to pay for a motorized vessel either.

 

Here's mine:

http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c347/elusor/Fishing%20Gears%20Mods/

 

Still in the process of modding for quick deployment, and getting it from car to water, then from water to car, without killing myself

A boat..man..even a small 12ft dingy..you better have a nice bank account handy to take care of all the necessities that come with a boat in the long run. Vehicle for hauling, trailer, trailer licensing, trailer maintenance, storage room..oiiyyy..Although, a canoe or kayak can surely put a dent in your back for lift up and down at the end of the day? Not fun to feel the muscle pulls or thrown back.

 

[JBplusThuy]

Yeah, the vehicle is a biggie on the canoe side. A minivan can haul and launch a small boat OK, but my Odyssey doesn't have a tow package, and using non-Honda oil coolers, etc., effectively voids the warranty, so I'd have to pay through the nose to have a Honda dealer put on a tow package. If I already had a truck, there are a number of boats I could throw in the back, but since I don't...

An 8 foot boat would theoretically fit in the back of an Odyssey as long as the beam was no more than 48", but I'd want to be able to actually test that before buying one.  It would also really limit family fishing trips, since I could only take one person with me.

My usual car is a Mazda 5, it's a nice (if small) mini minivan. It would be easy to get a canoe on top of it by putting a piece of carpet or a towel at the back and just sliding it up there and strapping it down. I can steal the Odyssey from my wife for fishing, if necessary.

A small boat is what I really want, and they don't cost that much more than a low-end canoe, although the larger trolling motor would add some cost.  On a canoe, I can use a MinnKota Endura 30 for only $100. 

If I just can't keep from getting a small boat, I'd have to get a trailer, probably.  You're not supposed to tow with a Mazda 5, but a number of people say they do it all the time anyway. For some reason, the ones in Europe have a tow capacity rating but the ones here just say "don't do it." For a lightweight boat and trailer, I'd toss on an engine oil cooler, a transmission oil cooler, a hitch, and give it a shot :-)

Your pontoon mods are great, you ought to launch a fishing business doing custom boats and selling Leo's Lunker Loogey :-)

[Leo Nguyen]

Towing package is a light thing to contribute into the hauling..but hauling a big boat every weekends, or even more frequently, yep..sure adds up REAL FAST. Stays small, until you can go large.

[JBplusThuy]

I think Honda charges about $1000 for the tow package :p

[Leo Nguyen]

That's the price of it. My VW Routan package is $1200. $1200!! I check the local U-Haul. The hitch, $210 with tax. The lights' integrated bundle and connectors relay, $60. Take less than 2 hours to mount and splice. So, where the heck is the cost of labor so inflated? I've done the same thing for the old Huyndai Santa Fe when I got it brand new. Good grief.

[JBplusThuy]

Dealer mechanics are pretty well paid, and dealer parts are fairly expensive, too. My cousin on my wife's side is a mechanic, and my brother used to be. There's no better-paying gig (generally; not sure about racing teams) for a mechanic than to work at a dealership.

The Honda package includes an oil cooler, might also include a transmission fluid cooler, not sure. That adds to the price, but still, that's one expensive tow package!

[dick tabbert]

Maybe you want to put a small wide john boat into the mix. You can find them I know 36" wide which is still a little tippy but if you could go to the next width I think it would work for you and much more stable than a canoe it will get into the same shallow waters as a canoe and I think a 36 lb thrust will do what you need.  But if your like me more power uh uh uh. That's the setup I started with years ago. First thing I did was tear out all the metal seat. Built a live well in the center and put pedestals in the front and rear. Put in a bow mount foot control trolling motor small fish finder and your off. I think if you wanted to keep cost down you could buy most the stuff used if you don't have them already. Anyway something to think about for comfort sake. Hope this didn't mess you up it's just another option.

[JBplusThuy]

Yeah, I've considered a used boat and trailer, sometimes they can be had fairly cheaply even with an outboard. I could slowly build it up into what I want. I'm a boat newbie, though, and might not know if I were buying a piece of junk or not until after I had it.

Your boat sounds very nice, could you put up a few pics?

Thanks,

Jonathan 

[dick tabbert]

JB I wished I had some pictures of it but that was many moons ago. I sold the boat in the 70's at which time I bought a 16' aluminum john and made a bass boat out of. I'll try and answer any questions you have if that's the route you chose.

[Dwayne Denison]

If you fish small lakes and ponds I would go with bass baby type boat. They are very stable, you can stand up.  You could easily pull a small trailer and boat. Here is link with a bunch of ideas for you.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/25442-any-pel...