People ask me boat questions all the time. As a fly-fishing guide, licensed captain, and owner of many boats throughout the years, I have a lot of first-hand experience with these watercraft. Believe me, we fly-fishing guides spend an inordinate amount of time discussing and dreaming about the one boat that will do everything. I have bought boats new and used and have learned a lot along the way. If I share some of this knowledge, I hope you can avoid some of the pitfalls that I have experienced.
I love aluminum boats. They are strong, lightweight, and highly customizable. You can buy them fully kitted out with casting decks, storage boxes, steering consoles, live wells, and seats. That’s not my style, though. I like to tinker and customize boats to fit my own fishing needs. If you peruse the Web sites of the major aluminum boat manufacturers, you will see that each manufacturer offers several lines of boats: bass boats with all the bells and whistles, fully loaded bay boats with center consoles, welded jonboats with floors and decks, riveted jonboats, and basic v-hull fishing boats. The information that follows deals primarily with the last three categories: welded jonboats, riveted jonboats, and v-hulls with outboard motors. These are boats that you can modify to your own specifications. You can put your design, carpentry, and even welding skills to good use by crafting your own casting decks, anchor releases, trolling motor mounts, and consoles. I’ll address some of the primary considerations that should be taken into account when purchasing and outfitting this type of boat.
Boat Length and Width
It’s tough to decide which length boat to buy. After going through a few boats, I strongly believe that bigger is better. If you think a 14-foot boat will do the job, get a 15-foot boat or maybe even a 16-foot boat. I have four boats of different sizes for totally different applications, and I wish three of them were longer by a foot or two.
Width is another important consideration. In general, wide is good and narrow is bad. Narrow boats are very tippy. Wide-bottom boats are very stable, even when you stand near the edge, and they draft less water than narrow boats.
Going up in length or width incurs significant additional expense. I highly recommend getting out in as many boats as you can before deciding which boat to buy. At the minimum, climb up into the boat in the showroom and try and get a feel for the room required for you and your passenger(s) to fish and stow all of your gear.
Hull Style: Flat Bottom vs. Mod-V vs. Deep-V
Your first consideration in selecting the right boat is the hull style. The main advantage of a flat-bottom boat is that it draws very little water. The downside is poor performance in heavy water. That’s why you see flat-bottom boats in places that have flat water (think the Fall River) or shallow water. Many of the jet boats used on shallow rivers such as the Sacramento, Feather, and Klamath have relatively flat bottoms. The other big advantage of a flat-bottom boat has more to do with fishing: their rectangular shape provides a lot of room for casting decks, seating, and storage. Flat-bottom boats are generally referred to as “ jonboats” or simply as “ jons” in the brochures of boat manufacturers.
A deep-v-style hull is designed to do the opposite of a flat-bottom hull. The “v” shape is designed to slice through the water and cut through big waves, making these boats ideal for rough water. Deep-v hulls draw more water, especially when not on plane, than flat-bottom boats. Their narrower shape often means less space for casting decks, seating, and storage. The narrow shape can make the boat tippy, as well.
The mod-v, or modified-v style, is a compromise between the flat-bottom and deep-v styles. It’s not the perfect flat-bottom boat, and it’s not the ideal boat for heavy water, but it’s a very popular compromise. Mod-v hulls have a v shape in the front to help cut through heavy water, but the v gives way to a mostly flat bottom toward the middle and stern of the boat. Many of the larger jonboats available today have mod-v hulls. Mod-v hulls are a good choice for bodies of water that don’t get severe winds and heavy waves.
Tiller Steering vs. Steering Console
One of the biggest issues in choosing a fly-fishing boat is deciding between a boat with a steering console or using a motor with a tiller handle. This decision dramatically affects the layout of your seating and casting decks and the overall price of the boat. Tiller steering is the simpler and less expensive option. With no need for a console, the majority of the space in the boat is usable for passengers, casting decks, and storage. There are several downsides. To operate a tiller, you need to stand or sit close to the motor, and that makes it difficult to have an adequate rear casting deck. Fatigue can also be an issue if you’re covering large distances. For some folks, it may not be comfortable to hold the throttle for a half-hour boat ride.
Steering consoles present a host of benefits and challenges. The main advantage of a steering console is that it frees up room in the front and back of the boat for some sizable casting decks. For two people to fly fish at the same time, it’s really nice to have front and rear casting areas. It’s also really nice to be able to sit down while you drive. The main drawback is that you will have to sacrifice some valuable space. Fortunately, a typical fly-fishing boat does not require much in the way of a dashboard. A steering wheel, a throttle, and a tachometer are about all you need. Maybe a place to mount your smartphone and a fish finder, too. All of that can be done in a relatively small space. A center console is a good option if your boat is wide enough to walk around the console on both sides. Otherwise, a small side console is the way to go.
Converting a boat from tiller steering to a steering console is no simple or inexpensive task. You will need to install steering, throttle, and shifting cables, a throttle with an ignition key, and a steering wheel, not to mention the console itself. The throttle assembly must be the same brand as your motor.
Floor Plans: Benches, Floors, Seats, and Casting Decks
Once you have your console/tiller decision made, you can move on to the layout of the rest of the boat. The main goal for the fly angler is typically to have one or two flat and relatively tangle-free casting decks. If your boat doesn’t come with flat decks, you may have to build them yourself. I have used wood, composite decking, and aluminum to create casting decks on various boats. Sometimes you can use a preexisting bench as a base from which to build a flat deck. If you have benches that come out from both sides and leave a walkway in the middle, sometimes you can span the gap in the middle to create a solid deck. Avoid removing benches, because they are most likely filled with foam flotation that your boat will need if you ever get swamped or capsize. You may also need to install bases for pedestal seats. Keep in mind that pedestal seats are generally not rated for use at high speeds, so you will need alternative seating arrangements while underway. Marine carpet is an easy fix for hot aluminum decks and exposed wood decks. It will also make your boat much quieter while you’re fishing.
Selecting a Motor
Modern outboard motors are amazingly clean, quiet, fuel-efficient, and dependable. They are also very expensive. It’s quite common for the motor to cost twice as much as the boat and trailer put together. The best pricing you will get on a motor is to buy it as part of a boat, trailer, and motor package. Keep in mind that the lowest-price packages usually come with a motor that might be adequate, but is far from the maximum rating for the boat.
Every boat has a maximum horsepower rating printed on the U.S. Coast Guard “Maximum Capacities” placard inside the boat. Do you need to max out the horsepower? Not necessarily. Here are a couple of examples. I have a 15-foot jonboat that is rated for a maximum of 25 horsepower. The first outboard I put on it was a 20-horsepower motor. It worked fine with two people in the boat, but the boat could not get on plane with three passengers. I ended up selling the motor and replacing it with a 25-horsepower unit. I also have a 19-foot jonboat rated for up to 105 horsepower, and it moves along just fine with a 65-horsepower motor, even when it’s loaded up with four passengers.
Based on my first-hand experience, I would suggest that you should always max out the power on a boat rated at 30 horsepower or less. For larger boats, you might have a little more leeway. An underpowered boat is a sorry sight and a cause of much regret. It is costly to replace an underpowered motor. A motor is just like a car — take it off the lot, and it immediately loses 20 percent of its value. I have heard many boat owners say that their boat is underpowered, but I have yet to talk to one who says his motor is too big. When in doubt, pony up more money and buy some extra ponies.
When selecting the right motor for your boat, keep an eye on the motor’s weight. It would be logical to assume that motors get incrementally heavier as you add more horsepower. That is not the case. For the purposes of manufacturing efficiency, several models share similar housings and cylinder configurations. Using one popular motor brand as an example, the motors with 25, 30, and 40 horsepower are the same physical size and nearly the same weight. The next grouping is those with 50, 60, and 70 horsepower, followed by those with 75 and 90 horsepower. Within these groups, the price does not go up that much as you add horsepower. The price, weight, and motor size jump dramatically, though, when you bump up into the next grouping. In each group, the highest-rated motor has the highest thrust-to-weight ratio and will therefore give you better performance for the corresponding price and weight.
These motor size groupings are similar for each brand, but not exactly the same. Be sure to compare across all brands before you make a decision. With a small change in motor brand, boat size, and/or motor size, you should be able to optimize your thrust-to-weight ratio.
While modern outboard motors may be highly dependable, at some point you will need to get your motor serviced. Make sure you buy a brand that you can service close to home. There are many non-mainstream brands of motors to choose from, especially in the smaller sizes (under 20 horsepower). Many of these motors can be ordered online or bought in big-box stores. The prices can be excellent, but make sure you have a local shop that will service it before you buy.
Jet vs. Propeller Outboards
If you are interested in running rivers such as the Sacramento, Feather, or Klamath, you should strongly consider an outboard jet instead of a standard outboard with a propeller. Jet drive offers the amazing advantage of boating in mere inches of water. Other than using an Everglades-style airboat, there is simply no other way to run these rivers at high speed in low-water conditions.
Unfortunately, jet drive is a bit of a one-trick pony. The only thing it is good at is running in shallow water, and it’s pretty bad for every other application. The biggest drawback is that an outboard motor loses 30 percent of its power when converted to jet drive. For example, I have a 90-horsepower outboard fitted with a jet pump. The end result is 65 horsepower “at the pump.” This configuration is called a 90/65 jet. Other common sizes are 150/115, 115/85, and 60/40. This power loss really throws off your thrust-to-weight ratio. If you have a boat rated for 40 horsepower and you want a 40-horsepower jet outboard, you will need to buy a 60-horsepower outboard. Losing 30 percent of your power also affects your fuel economy significantly.
Jet outboards have lousy steering at low speed, are very noisy, and do not deal well with aquatic vegetation. You can experience a sudden power loss if your jet intake sucks in vegetation. It’s easy to remove the vegetation and get going again, but this problem makes these motors ill-suited to many waterways.
The mechanics of converting an outboard to jet drive are fairly straightforward. Almost any outboard engine can be retrofitted with a jet pump. The jet pump is just a different “lower unit” that replaces your current lower unit. A skilled boat mechanic can swap out lower units in an hour or two. The motor typically needs to be remounted about 7.5 inches higher, due to the differing heights of the two lower units and the necessity of positioning the jet intake an inch or so below the transom. This repositioning is accomplished with a transom “riser” for permanent jet conversions. People who swap lower units frequently usually mount their motor on an adjustable jack plate so it can be moved vertically.
Buying and installing a jet-drive lower unit will typically run in the $2,500 range at minimum. Given this added expense, the niche application for jet drive, and all of the drawbacks, jet outboards are not a great choice if you plan to do most of your fishing on lakes, where jet drive is not required. If you decide that jet drive is your best option and that you don’t need to switch out lower units, the best deal on jet-drive motors is to buy the jet pump preinstalled. This is a very inexpensive option, compared with buying the jet pump later and having it installed.
Putting It All Together
If you’ve read this far in hopes of finding the one perfect boat that will do it all, you earn bonus points if you’re coming to the conclusion that there is no such thing. If you need a boat that can handle many different water types, you will need to make compromises. The main ambition that anglers share with me is to have a boat that is good on lakes, but can also run shallow rivers. That is a tough nut to crack. The best boats for lakes have a deep-v or mod-v hull for dealing with waves and an outboard with a prop for efficient operation. You can run shallow rivers with a prop if you’re careful, but sooner or later, your number will be up and you’ll hit something that will severely damage your motor and possibly cause personal injury. I’m in a constant state of high alert and unable to relax when I’m operating a prop boat on a river, and it’s just not worth the anxiety. Your best bet is to figure out what type of fishing you’ll be doing 80 percent of the time and build your boat to meet those specifications.
Happy Boating!
A properly outfitted boat can bring the fly angler much enjoyment. As Kenneth Grahame wrote in Wind in the Willows, “There is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” I couldn’t agree more.
