What do you guys think? What am I not thinking about? I'm not in a rush...I plan to buy this in 2023 or 2024.You don't want a fiberglass boat on the upper potomac. You WILL be hitting rocks. You want a Jon boat, preferably with a jet drive outboard. If you want to put 4 people on it, you'll want an 18' boat or bigger. If your budget is $20k you should be able to find something used. I just saw a new G3 18' boat with a jet drive, it was $25kThis seems like a good group to ask...what kind of boat do you use to fish in this region and why? What would you buy if you like fishing, crabbing and duck hunting, and had a $20k budget?
I'm starting to shop for my first ever boat to use for fishing/crabbing/duck hunting in the Potomac and other Bay tributaries. I am thinking of something simple with a center console and capacity to seat 4 people safely (e.g. wife and two children for fishing; or myself and dog and decoys for hunting). So I have been looking at Carolina Skiff models and some Jon Boat types. My budget is $5-10k for the boat + trailer, and $5-10k for a motor. I was thinking 40 hp or better. I don't plan to take this out on the open Bay or far away from shore on the rivers...this is for rivers and creeks/shallow water primarily. Hopefully I can move up to a Bay-capable boat later on.
The boat will live in my driveway (plenty of room). My closest marina is 20 minutes away where I can put the boat into Bull Run (shallow water) and I also go to the eastern shore of MD about once a month....maybe more if I get a boat...and the upper Potomac/DC area water.
I have been using a variety of hunting club-owned 19' Carolina skiffs with 60 and 120 hp motors for a decade and am very familiar with operating/troubleshooting a beautiful bathtub like that. I love how stable and get the job done, but they are but they sure are heavy and ugly.
