hunting/fishing dual purpose boat

wildcat3

wildcat3

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I have been looking for or more less looking at small boats for a while now. Not able to decide exactly what I want. We've got a pontoon for the family, friends and tubing so any fishing/hunting boat I get I'd like it to be smaller and easily handled by one person ( not looking for a 23ft bay boat ) 16-19ft I'm thinking would be plenty. Mostly used on the Yadkin lakes and in the river. I'd love to find a fishing boat that I could also hunt out of a few times a year. I say fishing boat first only because I can fish year round but will only hunting a couple months out of the year at most. Anyone have a boat or type of boat that they like and are able to hunt and fish comfortably out of? Not looking for anything for sale, just styles and types of boats you like that you hunt and fish out of.
 
Mr.Gadget

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
I really like Seaark.
Have a 20' Seaark VFX that I use on the lakes. The VFX has a 15deg V so handles the larger lakes great.
Better ride and lots of room. Not a fan of center console boats they just take up too much room and floor space. Open floor works best for me. All aluminum welded is allso a big plus. Many of the Tracker use plastic and fiberglass for boxes, livewells, consoles... they fade crack and split over years of use.

Have another 16' Seaark on order to hunt and fish smaller water.
 
Redheadduck

Redheadduck

Eight Pointer
Mr.Gadget said:
I really like Seaark.
Have a 20' Seaark VFX that I use on the lakes. The VFX has a 15deg V so handles the larger lakes great.
Better ride and lots of room. Not a fan of center console boats they just take up too much room and floor space. Open floor works best for me. All aluminum welded is allso a big plus. Many of the Tracker use plastic and fiberglass for boxes, livewells, consoles... they fade crack and split over years of use.

Have another 16' Seaark on order to hunt and fish smaller water.
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If I was in the market for an aluminum boat, it would be a sea ark. I've seen a bunch of them used commercially for dock and piling work, they are tough
 

JONOV

Old Mossy Horns
I'd look at a Lund Alaskan type of boat, 18 feet. Fished a bunch out of one, done a little bit of hunting out of one too.
 
Crappie_Hunter

Crappie_Hunter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
wildcat3 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but in central NC I see no need for a mud motor type rig.
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I would agree, you don't NEED a mud motor in central NC, however it is helpful in the flats up on High Rock, or north of I-85. Unless you are gonna be up there a bunch you should be fine with an outboard. Even then I know plenty of people that hunt and fish that area with an outboard.
 
JJWise

JJWise

Twelve Pointer
I’ve got a 19’ Excel Stalker and it seems like the perfect boat for dual purpose. Big enough for big water but haven’t had any issues running creeks with it either. It’s probably not most people’s ideal duck boat but it’s been working for me with a scissor blind.
 
CountryRN

CountryRN

Twelve Pointer
Sitting on the side of f a marsh island in Swanquarter in a 1860 center console SeaArk as I type this. . It is hard to beat these boats for all around utility, fishing and hunting. As far as jon boats go, they are on of the best you can get.
They are mud ugly and are not the smoothest ridding rigs, but get the job done. Pair it with a good outboard and you will not be disappointed.
 

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Dingbatter

Four Pointer
My Carolina Skiff 1965 DLX center console. Painted the thing marsh grass green with Parkers duck boat paint. Powered by a Yamaha F70 on a Road King trailer its been a great boat.
 

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Dingbatter

Four Pointer
Makes a pretty good place to take a nap on slow days
 

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CountryRN

CountryRN

Twelve Pointer
Mack in N.C. said:
for most no , but there is a need for a mud motor or longtail in the piedmont......i know several that use them but it isnt for the inexperienced,,,,,,,,
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I run across a few situations each season when I would like to have one, usually in early season when the hydrila mats haven broken up yet. But you have to buy the motor that best suits 80 to 90% of the situations you use your boat in, and to my understanding the mud motors are not well suited to open water with much of any wave action.
 

JONOV

Old Mossy Horns
Mack in N.C. said:
for most no , but there is a need for a mud motor or longtail in the piedmont......i know several that use them but it isnt for the inexperienced,,,,,,,,
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I'm ignorant on the subject...but if one desired could one mount a small hp longtail in the same way they would a transom mounted trolling motor, that is to say, leave the main outboard on and put an inexpensive longtail on when you thought you'd need it?
 
JJWise

JJWise

Twelve Pointer
JONOV said:
I'm ignorant on the subject...but if one desired could one mount a small hp longtail in the same way they would a transom mounted trolling motor, that is to say, leave the main outboard on and put an inexpensive longtail on when you thought you'd need it?
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In theory I guess it could be done. But swinging that longtail around with an outboard in the way is going to be difficult, especially if you plan to transport it with the shaft in the boat. Not to mention, longtails aren’t super maneuverable anyways and being off center is going to make it worse. The other issue here is that a small longtail that isn’t a giant PIA to mount and un-mount is going to have a relatively small motor, it may run a little shallower than the outboard but definitely isn’t what you’re going to want in real mud.

this coming from someone who had a small longtail and recently sold it in favor of an outboard setup
 
nccatfisher

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Crappie_Hunter said:
I would agree, you don't NEED a mud motor in central NC, however it is helpful in the flats up on High Rock, or north of I-85. Unless you are gonna be up there a bunch you should be fine with an outboard. Even then I know plenty of people that hunt and fish that area with an outboard.
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North of 85 99% of the time you can get by with an outboard fine. I have lived there and cut my teeth there. If you know the area you will be fine. The transition from the lake right above Swearing Creek through the mud flats to you get above Potts Creek can get darn sporty even if you know it well because it changes every big washout and all the crap that lodges up. One of these will get you by but you still got to use your head.
 

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Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
JONOV said:
I'm ignorant on the subject...but if one desired could one mount a small hp longtail in the same way they would a transom mounted trolling motor, that is to say, leave the main outboard on and put an inexpensive longtail on when you thought you'd need it?
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you are going to need more hp than normal with the other motor on there and actually the more i think of it that may be impossible. You need to have room to in the transom area to run a long tail ..... the handle moves more left and right with a LT...... my boat is small but that is what I want. I get places where even a big jon with a big mud motor or LT cant go...........
 

Dingbatter

Four Pointer
Remember the guys who went out sea duck hunting from Pamlico Pt about 10 - 15 years ago. They had a big 20 ft jon boat but with 3 guys a dog and a lot of gear got in trouble when the forecasted front came in early and the Coast Guard had to rescue them. My point is no boat is perfect or can do it all, you got to stay aware and on top of the conditions.
 

cuppednlocked

Ten Pointer
The description of the USCG/sea duck situation aren’t exactly perfect, but the point about watching the conditions is spot on.
 
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