Best for my situation

[mrdrh99]

Hey guys, been gone from North Carolina for a few years and it looks like we'll be moving back later this summer. Going to be in the Greensboro area. I'm looking for suggestions on getting a used boat, max about $5k. I'm going to use it mainly for fishing the lakes in the area, but occasionally will want to run it down to the coast for some inshore fishing. I've been eying a couple cs j16 type boats and also some alumni craft 16ft v hulls. I usually pack pretty light so I don't need tons of storage. Just trying to get an idea, mainly if any of you guys are taking an aluminum down to the coast. I've been in Omaha Nebraska for 4 years fishing from a 14ft v hull, it's been good to me and handles the windy chop **** good, so that's why I'm open to the aluminum.

[mrdrh99]

This is what I'm fishing from now.

[crappie89]

What is your towing capacity? The only issue I've had with aluminum down at the coast is busting welds at times going over large wakes.

[Chris52]

Search this board for ‘best boat’ topics...you will find about a thousand different opinions. My opinion is that no one boat can do it all, it will take 3 boats to have you covered (which few of us can afford), and every boat is a compromise.

I lived in the Greensboro area for almost 20 years and fished all the city lakes and Lake Jordan and Belews Creek Lake from a 16 foot Tracker Pro V-16 and did just fine. When I moved down east (Bath-Belhaven area and the Pamlico and Pungo Rivers) that just did not cut it.

Generally speaking, for coastal inshore fishing, think fiberglass in at least 17 feet, unless you are going to confine yourself to the smaller creeks. I moved up to a CS 198 DLV and for the most part was pretty satisfied with it. With a Yamaha 90 4-stroke economical to run and fast enuf for me. Very stable platform to fish from. But in the short chop it would beat the tar out of me and rattle my fillings loose. That’s why a lot of folks just flat out prefer a deep vee hull.

Down here I see a lot of folks fishing CS, Sea Pro, Sea Fox, Sea Hunt, May-Craft, and Key West. Parker is coming on strong with new models for the recreational fishing crowd now—they have been building bulletproof work boats for years. I do see quite a few aluminum boats, though...mostly Aluma-craft, Polar, and the G 3 models.

Whatever you do, if you are going to launch in salt or brackish water you are going to need a galvanized trailer—and all aluminum would be a lot better! No amount of rinsing is going to get a painted trailer clean enuf, and it won’t be long before stuff starts falling off of it.

[mrdrh99]

Towing capacity won't be a problem, I'll be in either a Jeep Grand Cherokee or a ram 1500, so 5-7k lb

[mrdrh99]

I'm really looking at getting the boat that will take care of the salt water, and use it inland

[crappie89]

Chris has some very good suggestions. As far as a do it all boat for NC, I personally think a 16' privateer is hard to beat. However, they are hard to find. An 18 parker is also a very versatile boat IMO.

17 jones brothers would be another good setup but again as Chris mentioned a true flat bottom is gonna pound in a chop.

[sundrop]

Grab you a 17ft Bass Tracker, if you are going to primarily fish fresh water dont buy a salt water style boat.

[Chris52]

Crappie89 mentioned Privateer...you might want to check in with Ricky Radcliffe at Radcliffe Marine in Belhaven. That’s where the Privateer boats were built. Buck and his dad built them, and Ricky sold them...the manufacturing facility and sales/service were next door to each other. Anyway...there are about a million used Privateers all over Beaufort and Hyde counties. Ricky does a brisk business with used boat sales, and he could keep an eye out for you. Just an idea...

[SharkboyEI]

Grab you a 17ft Bass Tracker, if you are going to primarily fish fresh water dont buy a salt water style boat.

If you buy a bass tracker make sure you get a 24 volt trolling motor for it. I have a 2000 pro team team 175 and I could never fish in winds over 5mph with the stock TM. Now I have a minn-kota maxxum 80lb and it is amazing and will run longer as well. Plus try to shoot for something over a 40 hp if speed is something you look for. Mine tops out at 28mph GPS verified. I am currently looking for a fiberglass boat so I can tournament fish more and fish bigger lakes