Posts: 147
Location: Milwaukee, WI | In 1987, I bought a 1965 Alumacraft, 14 foot, 3-bench, modified-V hull with a 15hp Johnson outboard. The boat & motor were in good condition & no leaks.
Fished in that rig for 10 years. Always stood & casted, 2-guys. Took it on big water like Green Bay, when the winds were light. And many trips to smaller lakes.
In '97, I put in a flat wood floor and a raised casting deck from the front bench up to the bow. Put a single, 12V battery box under the front deck for a bow-mount trolling motor. Fished it like that for another 4 years without any issues.
Took it up to Georgian Bay for week and fished there. Caught & released my 1st 3-foot pike on that trip. Stood on the front deck & casted with no problems. Drove SLOWLY across some fairly big waves with it. I remember it was like going "uphill" on the front side and "downhill" on the back side.
As you would expect, it listed alot if you leaned over the side. But even while releasing fish, it still has some freeboard margin, so as long as I was CAREFUL, I never took on water in it.
I sold that boat in '01 and it was still going strong & no leaks when I sold it. It was a great starter rig & I learned alot about boating & seamanship while I owned it.
If you're CAREFUL & THINK, a 14 footer CAN be used on big water.
In some situations, you have an advantage with a small boat. It goes over flooded brush and sand bars or shallow areas that other boats cannot. Once, I ran across a beaver dam that spanned a creek connecting 2 lakes in Vilas Co. No way I could even attempt running in that creek with my current boat. |
