1st time buying a boat

[HULI_ISDA]

okay,i am thinking of getting a boat, did some research and ridin a couple.now i need some advice on making this decision,first i have to think of the family too,so did find some bayliner types openbow but my question is can i used it on river sections? like the rivers we have around(sno,skok,sky and else).any advice is deeply appreciated.thanks

[TroutSnipr]

Most of the rivers you mentioned are pretty trashy (floating debris wise) and a lot will depend on the water levels. I do not think that I personally would take that type of boat out on river fishing excursions. Most people are using aluminum hulled river jets or sleds around here.

[Bodofish]

Bayliner + River = Big Repair Bill.

[TroutSnipr]

Buy 2 older used boats. One for the fam at the lake, and the other to slay the fishies on the river.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/boa/3229073233.html

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http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/3229151749.html

[Bodofish]

No jet means major limitations on mobility in the river.

[TroutSnipr]

True...but he didn't mention budget and a used aluminum jet is going to severely cut into the budget for the family lake boat unless your budget is tens of thousands of dollars. A shallow draft aluminum v-hull and a moderate outboard will work if you are staying close to your launch point and you are careful. Certainly if you wish to launch and go 30 miles upstream a jet is a necessity.

[HULI_ISDA]

thanks guys,now i learned something and got a few ideas,really appreciated.

[The Quadfather]

An open bow Bayliner is a party boat... A river boat is a working boat in my opinion anyway.
(Not that you don't sometimes want to party,,, but def. not the same thing)

[G-Man]

There are a number of open bow sleds that would serve both purposes well. Just because they are made out of aluminum and look tough doesn't mean that they can't be comfortable. Check out some of the standard jet manufacturer's line-ups like Duckworth, Thunderjet, North River, Weldcraft, etc. Have the wife go with you to look at a few inboard models and I'm sure she will find one she likes. Remember, you'll probably end up fishing out of it 10 times or more so than your family will be cruising in it.

[Ezlivn89]

remember as a kid, the coolest thing in the world is just goin out in a boat, it doesnt matter what it looks like or what brand, they dont care about anything other than being in the boat, when they get older they start caring about "looks" but at that point they will want to be out in the boat by themselves with you , so either way look at what the primary purpose of your boat will be, whether it is sound fishing, river fishing, pleasure boat, lake fishing or whatever it may be, look at your purpose and where you are taking it.