Canoe or Fishing Boat...

I'm completely lost on what to get. I've never owned a whole onthe water to through my money into before,so I figured I'd starting small.

Inane 3 boys all 6 and under. The oldest and sometimes middle want to go fishing with me. I'd like to get a boat of some sort to take them out with me.

I am leaning towards canoe because I have very fond memories of cabling when I was younger but never owned one so no idea what to get or how much to pay?

On the other handshould I consider a small trolling boat or something instead?

Most of my fishing will be freshwater, but occasionally I'll be headed to the beach to do some fishing in the sound. So never rough water.

 

A canoe is great for navigating skinny waters with just 1 or 2 people but I wouldnt recommend a canoe for fishing with your kids. They just dont have the room and are not stable enough. I would suggest a 12 or 14 ft jon boat, they have more room and are much more stable. You can still paddle if you want or you can get a small outboard or electric trolling motor. You can get a skinnier model that you can still put in the bed of your truck....

 

Thanks man, now at least I know what term to search for on http://raleigh.craigslist.com/

That should get me headed in the right direction!

 

i also say go with the jon boat. you can run fish all day on one with just a trolling motor and can also paddle them with ease. plus you have the advantage of extra room for tackle boxes or fishin poles or a cooler with lunch in it

 

I also vote for jon boat. With multiple kids a canoe is just too small and too unstable. Probably can pick a decent jon boat up for a few hundred.

 

You guys mind if I post some craigslist links in here to help me narrow down a possible good buy, also give me some things to look for when I'm inspecting the jon boat?

 

Yea post what you found....

 

there really isnt all that much to look for in a jon boat. make sure there are no leaks or rust. i would say you will want a flat bottom vs a v-hull because it will be more stable and will allow you to carry more stuff. the v-hull would only be desirable if you are going to run fast moving rivers or the ocean

 

x2.5

 

I have a two man bass magnum. There are a lot of manufactures of them. Bass Pro and Cabelas both sell a similar model. Pros to this boat is it is very stable. This boat is 9 ft long and I can stand on the nose and bass fish without the slightest worry of falling in due to being unstable. Also they are fairly light and able to load in the back of the truck fairly easy. The con is that it is only a 2 man boat. Trolling motor gets it around just fine, I think I have a 36lb thrust one.

You have gotten some good info about jon boats already but a couple more points. 10 or 12 foot jon boats are not that stable, they just aren't wide enough. You can get 14 foot jon boats that are pretty stable, but it is hard to find very wide hulled 14 footers that are not new or close to new. I am thinking of upgrading to a little bigger boat. Bass Pro has a series called grizzly that makes a great 14 footer that would be stable enough to put a deck in...might check them out, not knowing your budget.