| From dream to reality: How to come up with an affordable boat |
| Frankfort, Ky. – That government stimulus check that recently arrived may have you thinking about two-stroke versus four-stroke motors, beam length, livewell options, sonar units and trolling motors. A new boat is in order. Then, this horrid, ugly thing called reality visits. Reality says the gutters on your house need fixing, the tile on the bathroom floor needs replacing and a new shed in the yard would free up valuable space in the garage. To top it off, only two out of the four burners on your stove work. It seems your boat must remain just a dream after reality strikes. But, all is not lost. You can spend from $500 to $1,500 and have enough boat to satisfy fishing urges while still saving some money for home improvements. A tried and true way to get on the water is to find a used johnboat. A drive in the country may reveal one for sale in the front yard of a farmhouse. Johnboats also show up at yard sales. During times when costs for everything are on the rise, a seldom-used boat is one of the first things folks jettison for extra money. Make an offer if you see an old johnboat lying against the side of a barn. With pocketbooks squeezed, that boat could easily belong to you at the end of the conversation for a couple hundred dollars. Get a johnboat as wide and long as you can find or afford. The short, narrow ones are easy to tip and handle poorly in choppy water. Scour yard sales and flea markets for a used transom-mount trolling motor. Get a deep-cycle marine battery and you are in business. A johnboat and trolling motor is good on small and medium-sized lakes as well as creek arms and bays of large lakes. An outfit like this may cost you less than $1,000 - much cheaper than a new or used fully rigged aluminum bass boat. Another option is a one-man pontoon boat. They start at $200 and go up to $1,000. These boats possess a steel or aluminum frame strapped to two inflatable pontoons with a seat in the middle. The pontoon boats are 7 to 9 feet long and 4 to 6 feet wide. They are incredibly stable in rough water and most models possess a motor mount for a trolling motor and a cargo deck on the back to accommodate the battery. A conscientious shopper could pick up a lower-end pontoon boat of this type, a used trolling motor and a battery for under $500. These one-man boats work well in small to medium-sized lakes, creeks, rivers and tailwaters. Another option is a two-person plastic bass boat, which generally cost $550 to $1,000. They are basically two seats on top of a plastic raft. These boats work well in farm ponds, but flounder in larger, choppy waters. A newer style of this type of boat features a modified V-hull construction, a wide beam, bow and stern motor mounts, aerated livewells, rod holders and come pre-rigged for electronic sonar units. The freeboard is much higher on these boats, so they may withstand boat wakes and waves. They are also rated for a small outboard motor, although a transom-mounted trolling motor would push them just fine. They cost from $600 to $1,500. The beauty of these affordable boats is that you substantially reduce operating costs because a trolling motor burns no gasoline. The money saved may just pay for the boat in a year. |
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