Opinions on a river boat

[Armo_Ak]

Anyone have any thoughts on this boat? I am thinking of getting it to run up the su, talkeetna and chulitna and possibly down to the peninsula. It looks like a pretty cool little boat that would just fly and be great for early spring and late fall on the big rivers.

 

[.338WM]

ZOOM ! That would be fun for sure. I do wonder how the stern/transom handles the weight of that motor, has it been reinforced ? Space for two would be fairly limited as well. As a one man go places boat you could go aalllloooot of skinny water places.

 

[Old John]

at first glance, I get the feeling that the current owner has a weight problem with that big Merc.. I forgot what those style/model Mercs weighed.. but I'd venture to say, you'd want sufficient weight forward to get that rig up out of the hole and on step... My 14ft Jon boat is only rated for 15HP... that 12 footer couldn't be rated for much more.... I'd definitely require a test run or three before I put any $$$ on the table..../John

 

[AlaskanOutdoorsman]

Agreed; find out what brand of boat and model number he has and verify the recommended and maximum outboard rating. I bought a new 18' G3 with a 90/65 on the back with a center counsel. It worked fine but was still heavy in the rear so i kept my fuel up front. After two seasons cracks were found due to the motors weight so I repaired everything and sold it buying a bigger boat. The setup your looking at may scream for awhile but I think the weight and stress may cost you more in the long run. Good luck!

 

[Armo_Ak]

All good points thanks fellas. I still need to figure out a way to get that boat here from bellingham.

Two more questions.

1. Any idea what that motor would be worth. I was thinking of selling or trading it straight up for jet 35.

2. Could I get a welder to reinforce the back? I'm planning to have the seat moved and oar locks put in so I can row and was thinking I could get the ass end reinforced at the same time.

 

[Jonsboat]

All good points thanks fellas. I still need to figure out a way to get that boat here from bellingham.

Check out http://www.uship.com/

 

[Old John]

If you plan to spend all that money remodeling the boat, plus what ever it's going to cost you to ship/transport if from WA to AK...
why don't you just go to a local dealer and start from scratch building the boat you want...??? seems to me it would be cheaper.../John

 

[Armo_Ak]

you just go to a local dealer and start from scratch building the boat you want/John

Good point. I may be able to transport the boat for very little money, that is the main reason for looking at this boat.

 

[Daved]

The motor is not worth much and can't be used on the Kenai. A little boat is fun and easy to use, but it has some limitations as well, especially on the "big rivers" with wind and waves. How much weight will it hold, or is it all taken up by the impressively huge motor? Are you going to fish with it or hunt with it? Fishing would be fine. Hunting questionable. I have a 17 ft wooldridge alaskan and routinely have it overloaded. As a matter of fact, it feels weird to have only one person and no gear in it, like it is not running right. It would surely be fun to play with, and the price is right.