Doug F asked:
I live on Lake Erie and would like to purchase a fishing boat approx. 12-14 feet. Gas or electric motor? What do I look for as far as rust?
What are the best bets for spending about a grand or so? Thank you
I live on Lake Erie and would like to purchase a fishing boat approx. 12-14 feet. Gas or electric motor? What do I look for as far as rust?
What are the best bets for spending about a grand or so? Thank you
All I know is that two happiest days in a boat owners life are The day you bought it and the day you sold it
You are buying an aluminum, there better not be any rust.
Lake Erie, the bigger the better.
Gas engine, probably a 20 or 25 hp on a 14 fter. make sure that is within the USCG plate. You can throw an electric troller on if you like.
In that size range an aluminum boat with no bigger than a 9.9hp and no smaller than a 4hp is light enough to throw in and out of the back of a pickup and not sacrifice any speed.
We bought a 1969 Aircraft that boat is pure aluminum with no rust. That only cost $600 w/o a motor, but we put on a 1959 10 HP Johnson that runs great.
What ever you do DON’T buy a Briggs and Straiten engine (atleast not the 5hp gas one), that’s what we got first before we put on the 1959 Johnson the Briggs was loud and unreliable. Some times after turning it off it would not turn on and we would have to row back and you definitely don’t want to be doing that on Lake Erie.
Aluminum boat would be good. As for the the power I would go with the gas powered. I used the electric for several years went to a 9.9 outboard. No more battery charging, battery going dead, not having the extra power when needed to get out where your going. Also when looking at outboards there is a shortshaft a longshaft. I went with the longshaft as it stays in the water better on choppy days. Now go out there fill up on those perch. ED
My first question would be, Does it leak?
Look for a 14 footer with a deep V-hull. On Lake Erie you do not want a flat bottom jon boat because the weather and waves can get pretty rough.
For a boat that size you would probably be happy with a 15-25hp motor. You could get away with a 9.9, but your speed would suffer.
There should be no rust on the boat at all. Aluminum does not rust, and a rusty boat is sure to have problems in the very near future.
Make sure that the boat is seaworthy before purchasing. Look for loose rivets, holes, dings, dents, or other signs of potential abuse or regular wear and tear.
For 1 grand you are not going to get the titanic, or a luxurious boat of any kind, but you can get a decent, safe, and seaworthy small boat in that price range and should not settle for a bad boat.
14 ft alum with a 9.9 johnson gas motor is fine v hull works best
6 gal tank and you will be fine on the lake
plus you don’t have to go far to get the perch
get a trolling motor and you can hit the no gas lakes also
plus with that size you are not limited as to where you can go
you will see alot of 14ft out on lake erie
put the boat in the water and check for leaks if you can’t put it in water find out why but find some way to check for leaks and hear the motor run
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