What fishing boats to choose? Ask any angler or dedicated fisherman what is the ideal fishing boat and you will get a completely different answer. The simple truth is everyone is right, as each boat fills different requirements. Every angler has a different purpose, albeit marginally different. Of course the answers depend on where they fish such as rivers, estuaries, lakes and other inland waterways. Then there those who go into open waters from offshore to the continental shelf to a favorite reef or even large inland waters such as the Great Lakes. Then there are factors such as fish species that are targeted such as Walleye, or Bass or the many others.
It is the end use of your boating activity that will define what type of boat you will decide on. That and of course your budget. There are some that say that owning a boat is the equivalent of standing under a cold shower and ripping up $100 dollar bills. This can be true if you don't perform boat winterization properly. While size is everything what is equally important is the hull form or shape. If you intend going offshore or into open waters where swell and wind chop are going to be prevalent then you will be seriously considering hull forms that have a deep vee shape at the bow. These allow easier passage and less resistance through wind waves and chop as well as swells. If you are someone who confines yourself to chasing your chosen fish species on lakes and rivers which are relatively calm and smooth then something with a relatively lower bow angle or a modified vee is often more suitable. These boats are also able to incorporate lower freeboards and have decks for standing on or with swivel seats. Then these factors and decisions will influence your choices over fiberglass hull construction or aluminum fishing boats. Another consideration is the budget planning is what will be the cost of boat insurance, the bigger you get the more it costs.
In the world of motor and power boat types there are the displacement hulls that are characterized by trawler yachts, superyachts, tug boats and so on. The hull form pushes through the water and in general these hull types are used on larger vessel types. Then we have the semi-displacement hull forms that allow a boat to come up at speed onto a partial plane. This can be done at higher speeds and many large power boats and cabin cruisers are able to do this. They do require more engine power and also use more fuel. Then we come to the most common fishing boat types. This is the planning hull and is able to literally lift out of the water at speed. It starts off from stop, progress at low speed like a displacement hull, then as speed increases to semi displacement and then onto the plane at speed. Of course they require greater engine sizes and you will have seen those lovely high speed boats with twin outboard engines. The hull form is specifically designed to not only reduce water resistance but also to maintain stability at high speed. More great fishing boats advice.