T Dot Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 I forgot to say that I already have a hobie kayak and it's still not as stable as I want it to be. The main issue being the wind pushing my kayak. I wanted a more stable platform, more specifically, a smaller boat with a trolling motor that has a foot pedal. I know it sounds like I may be asking for too much but I find that it's pretty hard to steer my kayak or float tube while bass fishing and trying to stay on a certain spot. But I'll definitely look into the options that you guys suggested. I'll post on here if I find something I like but I would definitely appreciate more inputs. Btw, I really appreciate the inputs so far guys. Thank you. It sounds like you have outgrown your Hobie Kayak. If you cannot put outriggers and a 12v TM on there, I would highly recommend parting ways with it. If you arent already aware, there are Kayak that can accommodate exactly what you are looking for: - stable platform - foot pedal - tm attachments - roof topper Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezy Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Check out the Pelican Bass Raider from Academy. It weighs 92lbs and 8ft. I still have mine from 20 plus years and its still kicking; awesome little platform for small waters. I was definitely looking into this Bass Raider boat but I'm just worried that it'll be difficult for me to somehow put it on top of my suv. As far as the advice goes, the reason why I don't get a trailer is that I live in an apartment complex, so there is no way that I can afford to get a trailer for a boat at this time. When I buy a house one day, that is the goal. Right now, I just want a small boat that my brother and I can bass fish out of using a trolling motor and foot pedal (emphasis on the foot pedal). I would also like to steer away from an aluminum boat in case I get stuck in a thunder storm because you know how addicted fishing is sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoopdaloop Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 I would also like to steer away from an aluminum boat in case I get stuck in a thunder storm because you know how addicted fishing is sometimes. First off, if you're stuck in a lightning storm, you're not safe in any boat really. This is discussed in detail over on thehulltruth forums. You are actually safer in an aluminum boat than a fiberglass or plastic boat. Reason being is aluminum hull is a solid conductor and will help the electricity find the ground. In a glass/plastic boat, it will not conduct the electricity well and your chances of becoming a resister are much greater than in an aluminum boat. I would look at the tracker topper. Cool little rigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezy Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 First off, if you're stuck in a lightning storm, you're not safe in any boat really. This is discussed in detail over on thehulltruth forums. You are actually safer in an aluminum boat than a fiberglass or plastic boat. Reason being is aluminum hull is a solid conductor and will help the electricity find the ground. In a glass/plastic boat, it will not conduct the electricity well and your chances of becoming a resister are much greater than in an aluminum boat. I would look at the tracker topper. Cool little rigs. Thanks for the info. I am going to settle on the jon boat then. I see online that people convert it to an actual bass boat which is really what I wanted to do anyways so I'll be saving up for this purchase. I would like to thank everyone for giving me advice on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynem Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Don't bother with a foot control trolling motor on a jonbaot. Get a hand control transom mount type. Remove the screw at the base of the head, spin it 180 degrees, and replace the screw. Now you have a trolling motor that you clamp to the front (NOT BACK) of the boat and steer it by hand. Doing it this way the motor pulls from the front as you would in a regular bass boat- makes it much easier to control while you fish. Its worth the extra bucks to get the type with infinite speed control rather than just 3 or 4 set speeds. northeast_trev and 5-20 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbass Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 +1 with Wayne. I have a big bass boat but I also have a 10' Jon boat. Used it all the time in RI but have to get used to the 12' gators down here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-20 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Don't bother with a foot control trolling motor on a jonbaot. Get a hand control transom mount type. Remove the screw at the base of the head, spin it 180 degrees, and replace the screw. Now you have a trolling motor that you clamp to the front (NOT BACK) of the boat and steer it by hand. Doing it this way the motor pulls from the front as you would in a regular bass boat- makes it much easier to control while you fish. Its worth the extra bucks to get the type with infinite speed control rather than just 3 or 4 set speeds. This. If you want a jon that you can easily transport on the top of your car, you really don't want to add a heavy deck to it and a foot controlled TM. That would make getting it on top of your car an absolute pain, especially if you wanted to get out by yourself. I lived near a local HP limited reservoir near me at one time and I alwaus fished out of a rental jon for a while and used a hand controlled TM set up like this, also had a 8hp pull start motor. That's actually another thing. If you're going to eventually get a small motor for the boat, I would probably stick with a 8 or smaller. Those are like half as much weight as a 9.9 or bigger. I still can't believe some of the lengths I would go to to fish that reservoir.... Good times, good times... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jace D Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Don't bother with a foot control trolling motor on a jonbaot. Get a hand control transom mount type. Remove the screw at the base of the head, spin it 180 degrees, and replace the screw. Now you have a trolling motor that you clamp to the front (NOT BACK) of the boat and steer it by hand. Doing it this way the motor pulls from the front as you would in a regular bass boat- makes it much easier to control while you fish. Its worth the extra bucks to get the type with infinite speed control rather than just 3 or 4 set speeds. Very good advice here. I love a foot control but a deck is almost a necessity for that and it would make it pretty tough to throw on top of your vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezy Posted December 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 This. If you want a jon that you can easily transport on the top of your car, you really don't want to add a heavy deck to it and a foot controlled TM. That would make getting it on top of your car an absolute pain, especially if you wanted to get out by yourself. I lived near a local HP limited reservoir near me at one time and I alwaus fished out of a rental jon for a while and used a hand controlled TM set up like this, also had a 8hp pull start motor. That's actually another thing. If you're going to eventually get a small motor for the boat, I would probably stick with a 8 or smaller. Those are like half as much weight as a 9.9 or bigger. I still can't believe some of the lengths I would go to to fish that reservoir.... Good times, good times... with 8, im assuming you're referring to the smaller jon boats right? If so, I haven't found one less than 10 feet in length. I did find other boats that I like that were not the jon boat. I guess I'll have to fully consider everything then. As far as the foot trolling motor, I did want to build a deck but I don't see how it would be an issue to put it on top of my car. Unless doing that mod adds over 50 lbs to the jon boat, at which point it probably won't be the boat for me then. I'll post up the boat that I'm looking to buy and see what you guys think. Thanks again for the awesome advice guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragger Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 You need to 2 people to get a jon boat on the roof of your car, safely, even if its a car topper. So if you plan on fishing by yourself, save yourself the trouble and time of trying to load it on your roof. It was mentioned earlier and I found to be true, get a hitch kit installed (<$350) and a trailer. Very affordable and easy to launch/load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MA Frog Man Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 This is the boat that I fish out of similar to what Wayne was saying to do. Reverse the trolling motor and put it on the front. A deck with a foot control is going to put you way over 50 pounds if you do it right. I put this boat in the bed of my truck and can barely do it by myself depending on the boat ramp. It would be impossible to put on the top of an suv and still have all the windows left haha even with 2 people waynem 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezy Posted December 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 (edited) IMAG0947.jpg This is the boat that I fish out of similar to what Wayne was saying to do. Reverse the trolling motor and put it on the front. A deck with a foot control is going to put you way over 50 pounds if you do it right. I put this boat in the bed of my truck and can barely do it by myself depending on the boat ramp. It would be impossible to put on the top of an suv and still have all the windows left haha even with 2 people Yeah, that is what I was looking into but I'll have to do more research. I really cannot buy a trailer at this time due to my current living situation so getting a trailer is out of the picture. I'm mainly looking to upgrade from my float tube and kayak to a small boat around 8-10ft long that I can launch and put on top of my car without too much hassle. Edited December 14, 2015 by beezy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MA Frog Man Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Yeah, that is what I was looking into but I'll have to do more research. I really cannot buy a trailer at this time due to my current living situation so getting a trailer is out of the picture. I'm mainly looking to upgrade from my float tube and kayak to a small boat around 8-10ft long that I can launch and put on top of my car without too much hassle. Then what you should be looking for is a plastic pond prowler type boat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomah21 Posted December 15, 2015 Report Share Posted December 15, 2015 I have a sea eagle inflatable and it is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomah21 Posted December 15, 2015 Report Share Posted December 15, 2015 Throw it all in the trunk of a car and is super quiet and you sit up fairly high Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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