i'm interested in getting a very portable but very effective fishing boat and I have been led to getting a kIcktube for under about 700$

I know you guys probably know what tubes are the best and what goodies you need to go with them

heres what i'm looking for

kicktube
depth finder?
small trolling motor?
waders

i really dont knwo what i need but any help would be great

thanks
BEN

Like with anything else Ben, buy the best you can afford.

Trolling motor $100+-
Waders $150+-
Depth Finder $100-$300
Battery $40-$80
Fins $30-$100

The only things on that list you have to have are the waders and fins. If you try and get everything else right now, that's not gonna leave you too much for a kickboat x(

The Creek Co. ODC 816 can be picked up for around $300. That leaves you plenty for a good pair of waders, a nice pair of fins, a rod rack and maybe even an ok graph and small 12v 7amp battery. I would wait on the trolling motor.

Now if you can round up a couple more hundred $$$ you could go with a 7 ft Versa Vessel and still get some waders and fins!!! And for another $100 step up to the 8 ft model :7

IFISH say's,

I agree with Woodsac. If you're going to spend that kind of cash, might aswell save up and get a Versa Vessel. They are without a doubt in my mind, THE BEST ! I had a Buck's Bag's Alpine series boat and once I sat down on the Versa Vessel, that was it. Hooked for LIFE, just like those bass we love catching. The Versa Vessel can hold ALOT of weight, and you can put numerous goodies on it and have a bunch of room. I personally am able to have a Lowrance X47 graph, tackle bag, battery box, BIG livewell ( about 15 gallon ), 9 rod holder rack, and cooler. Another cool thing about the Vessel's, they have saddle bags as an accessory to put tackle in, etc. The vast majority of us have these boats and I willing to bet they'll say the same thing as I am. It'll be a boat that you'll never be disappointed in. Did I mention how light it is for it's size ? When I had the Buck's Bag, it was heavy and it was only 6ft long. I'd say, pop for the extra $$ and get a Vessel. You'll never need anything else and if you ever wanted to sell it, it'll sell no problem.Hope this helps buddy.

IFISH

it helps a lot
thanks a ton for the info
i'll check it out
then once i get the "vessle"
i can just keep saving up to add goodies on it to make it an even better bass huting machine

i'll check it out

thanks

BEN

edit: i cant find much on it, where can i purchase one/ read reviews on it?

If you want info on the best kickboat out there, just do a search on this site :P You'll get tons of info from the last few years. Here's their website.

http://www.outdoorengineering.com/boats.htm

IFISH say's,

Yo Woodsac, we should see about being part time salesmen for Outdoor engineering.:+ We sure know how to pitch our great boats don't we. Then again, we're not really selling them, we're just speaking the truth.

IFISH

P.S. - Ben, you'll be SUPER happy once you get it. Great choice bro and I hope you get it soon

They could pay us in 'upgrades' :+

I posted something about my new boat at

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=6&topic_id=27204&mesg_id=27204&page=

One of my thoughts was also to try it out, see how I like float tubing and what goes with it (this is all new to me as of December 2004). With my boat only being $400 I was able to get all the other things and would be within your budget. But then I found Cabellas and now own three new Rods and Reels, Yikes that can sure shoot a budget all to hell, but I love those too!

I am very happy with my purchase, like to be a little different than the other guy, probably why I got the Orange in lieu of the Green colored boat and with my budget not a "VV", but possibly some day if mine ever becomes unusable.

By the way love it, can not believe I have not been floating years ago, 40 yrs old now. Still like "Boats" but my pontoon it so cool.

Good luck with your choice. Also, were are you? Will we get to fish together when you get your new toy?

John

"When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Kid"

http://www.bassanglerprofiles.com/johnstangle.htm

yah, good luck with that guys

your boat is good looking

i'm definantly gunna get something along those lines cause the versa seems to run at about 700 and thats a bit out of my range right now for just the boat

anyway
i live in maryland , and i'm guessing you live all the way in cali.

but if i lived out there i would definantly fish with ya!!:P
thanks fo rthe help

BEN

ok guys here is exzactly what I'm looking for:

portable:
must be able to break down the whole boat to fit in trunk/back seat of car

accesories:
must be able to install
multiple rod holders
depth finder
possible trolling motor

comfort:
i dont what to have too much of my body in the water because the snapping turtles out here are seriously ferocious, one attacked me on shore today

manuverable:
i know these are obvious reasons, but i need to be able to menuver it around, because i'm not all that big, just 5'8 135

cost:
i need to have $$ to get things for it (rod holders) storage) fins0 ect)
all for under 800$

thanks, any more help would be great, i've been searching day and night for my next boat!

BEN

IFISH say's,

Aah, c'mon Lake. I bet they'd hook us up.:+ Ok, ok, back to reality land.

Hey Woodsac, at least we tried eh ?! :+ I wouldn't mind getting a free saddle bag though for the reference/sale of a VV .}(

IFISH

Boat - Colorado: $400 (hate to say it, Wal-Mart was the cheapest)
Fins: $75 (Force Fins on e-Bay from Australia)
Finder: $200 (Wal-Mart again)
Holder + Parts: $40 (Cabela’s)

There you go, $715.00 - Did it all on-line too! Bad part was waiting for it to arrive, tracking it and waiting, but it's a party when it shows up, huge box for the boat!

But, then don’t your reels need newer line, while getting that line you gotta get a couple replacement plastics and lures ($80 bucks later). Oh yea, new boat, new electronics, fancy fancy, better get a new rod, or two! Yikes.

Bet I have about $3K from the middle of December to present, including local event fees, parking pass for local lakes, ice chest, Scotty rod holders, and the tube mounting parts needed which are extra, raining lots so new rain coat (which I love and have wanted/needed one for years now), coffee cup holder of course. If you get the Colorado, don’t forget to get extra Pins so when you take it apart and put it together you don’t find yourself using a nail for the day and hoping it works. Launching before light might need a headlamp. :-)

Have fun, sorry you live so far but be sure to post about your adventures.

John

lol like I said good luck, I would love to even get a saddle bag. Do you have any idea how many VV's I have sold over the years and all I have ever got was a pump and free maintenance on my VV. :-(

that is probably gunna happen to me too, spend all my college money on fishing!!!

thanks, i'll check everything out!!!!

BEN

will all types of fish finders be able to mount ont the colorado?????

just wondering so i can narrow my search

BEN

I don't see why not, bascially you could hold the monitor, just have to get the transducer into the water. Could hold the monitor and transducer in the water with your hands and it would work. I don't know if that helps.

John

dont they take a large battery? or are they like d batteries

i thought there was rigging and wireing that needed to be done

BEN

IFISH say's,

I was just foolin with the idea, I wasn't serious. But that'd be kool if they did do something like that!

Lake, Maybe you should send a picture of YOUR boat as a sales tool.:+ Your boat has been through war and keeps on coming back. }( It'll make anyone a believer.

IFISH

I gotta chime in on this. Ben, the Colorado boat weighs 87 pounds according to Cabela's. That's 2/3 of your body weight! With just a little bit of gear added it will be over 100 lbs. It also has a steel frame which adds to the weight and will eventually rust, especially with that east coast humidity. I think a better choice for you would be the ODC 816 by Creek Company. It only weighs 45 lbs and has an aluminum frame which will never rust. I'm not sure how easy it is to add a trolling motor. You can get it from www.outdrs.com for $250 ($80 less than Cabela's). Take your time and do plenty of research before you buy.

Doug

IFISH say's,

Ben, if you get a portable fish finder, then those will run on batteries. If you get a straight up fish finder, then yes,you'll have to wire it up. It's not hard at all. On my Lowrance x47, I basically had to run the wire to where I wanted my finder at, then use 40-50 lb tie wraps to get it secured to the frame. Then all you have to do is go to Radioshack, pick up a 12 Volt rechargeable battery, hook up some terminals to the wire, and bam. You're done. Hope this helps bro.

IFISH

helps a ton!!

thanks

i'm talking to my dad about the purchase , were still trying to figure everything out

thanks for the heads up, i'm looking at the ODC right now

BEN

the waders i'm looking at are the caster neoprean waders, which are cheap!!!

but does anybody knwo if they actually keep the water out?

i need waders for fpreferably under 100$


BEN

Wal Mart - - - $69 or so.

Lzydeus Pisceus