After writing about all the great places available to fish here in Western New York all summer, I couldn’t take it anymore…I had to buy another fishing boat. I’ve owned several over the years, but other than a flat-bottomed duck hunting boat have been without one for close to ten years now. Not the kind of vessel you’d want to fish out of in Lake Ontario or Lake Erie unless you have a death wish.
For the last decade, I’ve had to wait until one of my boat owning buddies wanted to fish. I would try to prompt them by showing up at their doorstep with my fishing poles in hand, knock on their doors, and ask them, “What do you want to do today?” For some reason that seldom worked. There were many times this summer I wanted to head to Lake Erie or one of the Finger Lakes when I’d heard that there was a good bite happening, but without a ship I was helpless.
The straw that finally broke the walleye’s back came last month when two buddies and I were walleye fishing up in Cape Vincent. We’d caught some big fish pulling worm harness at the head of Carleton Island in my friend’s boat. After a few short days, we had to head home right as the fishing was heating up. If I’d had my own boat I would have gone right back up there the following week knowing that the window to catch those trophy eyes is short in that area. That did it; I needed my own fishing boat again!
It was then just a matter of convincing my wife…no easy task. As I stated and re-stated my case to her, nothing was working. In desperation, I played the grandkids card and told her I needed a boat to take any future grandchildren fishing. She folded up like an accordion.
With the toughest obstacle conquered, I started my search. I knew fall is the best time to buy a boat because dealers and individual owners are more willing to deal because they don’t want to store the boat all winter; not to mention the fact that the boat will be one year older when they go to sell it in the spring.
I started pricing. I don’t know if you’ve priced any new fishing boats lately, but they are off the charts these days. I was shocked at how much they’ve gone up since I’d bought my last one. For example, a new Ranger 621 is now well over 60K … twice as much as my first house. I know… spoken like a true whitehead, but those prices are crazy! This made my decision to look for a used boat an easy one. I went first to Craigs list and found plenty of boats, but very few fishing boats. I was looking for something large enough to handle the big water on Erie and Ontario. I wanted a 19- to 20-footer with a deep V hull, open bow with a large reliable, outboard motor and, last but not least, I wanted a full windshield. I know the spiel about losing fishing room with a windshield, but my days of getting a wet butt from two-foot wave spray because of those little fake windshields that don’t stop wind or wave spray are over. Again, my old age is rearing its white head. As great as the Ranger and other similar bass-style boats look, the fact is that they cost a small fortune and you still have to wear rain gear just to ride in the thing when it gets a little choppy. I don’t understand … for that kind of dough, I want to ride in dry comfort.
The other problem with this style of boats is that they are all front deck. They are designed to accommodate two fishermen in the front standing and fishing. Nobody I know fishes that way… especially on big water. I want more room in the back of the boat, not the front. I know the local bass tournament guys fish two anglers on the front deck, but most average fishermen do not. Our fishing water here is just too rough much of the time; I’m talking the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Even the Finger Lakes can get dicey in a strong south or north wind.
I searched Craigslist in Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo with no luck. The fishing boats that were in there were either too new, costing big bucks, or too old and hammered from sitting in someone’s back yard for the last ten years. I quickly found out that a good used fishing boat is hard to come by in Western New York and when one popped up it sold fast.
I had heard about a web site that sells used fishing boats exclusively at Walleye Central http://www.walleyecentral.com/classified/searchresults. I went there and was happy to find close to a hundred used fishing boats listed, most of them top named boats in a wide variety of prices, and most built to handle the big water of the north. It didn’t take long to find the boat I wanted. The one snag was that most of these boats are in the mid-west, primarily Minnesota where everybody and their mother owns a fishing boat and the problem is that you are buying a boat sight unseen.
Now in these days of cell phone cameras, the seller can easily send you plenty of pictures or even a video. Find out if the boat was stored inside in the winter as this goes a long way to preserving a boat’s lifespan. In most cases if there is a problem it will be with the motor. Find out how many hours are on the motor and what shop, if any, did their yearly maintenance. Take the time to call them to see what a neutral party says about the boat. Try to line-up a test drive when you pick it up.
I know the Midwest can be a long drive, but if you can find the exact boat you want and save thousands of dollars what is a day or two’s drive in the grand scheme of things. If the distance is just too far for you, there are also companies that can transport a boat as well, such as http://www.uship.com/boats.
To those of you who can scrape up the green but are still on the fence about buying a fishing boat: digest the fact that we live in one of the best fishing states in the country. Nothing more needs to be said. Pull the trigger. The sand is running out.
I will see you on the water. I’ll be the guy with the dry butt.
