Do any of you fish from a small dinghy? I currently fish from a FishCat 4 float tube, but want to get a up out of the water. A kayak or canoe won’t work for me – metal hip, wrong leg angles. Been looking at some plastic-type dinghys that will fish 1 or 2 guys and take a trolling motor. I want to be able to get it into the pickup alone, so weight of about 60 pounds is tops. Any experience or suggestions?
Prior to moving to FL my buddy had a two man rigid pontoon that we used infrequently to bream fish from. It was close quarters for two guys with long rods but one guy would really do well with it. Very stable, sitting well above the deck and not too heavy. The wind in Nebraska might make it a challenge, but it was fairly comfortable, you could almost water ski with a 30 lb. trolling motor and a good battery. What about an inflatable pontoon?
You can check Craig’s List for an Achilles inflatable dinghy. I had one and they are not very heavy.
I have been using a Springcreek Pram for several years and love it. It is a 8 ft dinghy made of fiberglass so it is lightweight and strong. I carried it in the back of my pickup until I got a blazer and now have to rig the roof rack for it.
I have a electric trolling motor for it and once pulled a 17 foot fully loaded Grumman canoe back to shore.
They are really good boats.
I fish from a Lowe Jon Boat. The 1232 to be exact. Great platform for the type of waters I explore. I use a 46 pound thrust electric connected via jumper cables to a deep cycle battery that I keep on the port side just aft of the forward seat. The weight distribution help even out the keel and pitch because I sit a little to the starboard of the rear seat. It’s a dry platform, sits me up out of the water and is an easy launch and load to or from a pick-up or trailer. It does however, weigh about 90 pounds, but has two hands on the stern and one handle on the bow. Empty, it’s really quite easy to muscle around. Here’s a link;
http://www.loweboats.com/showroom/riveted-jon/lowe-jon/l1232.php
It trolls very easily, and rows even better. Here is a picture of it on my trailer on the way to a fishing/camping trip.
That is a good looking boat.
I have an Intex Mariner Inflatable Dingy that I absolutely love for running trotlines, bowfishing, or any other situation where I may need to stand up. I also use it as a dive-boat when I harvest mussels. It has a solid floor, a motor mount (if you need one), built-in rod holders, and pivoting oarlocks. I love it.
Another option is to build an OSS, or “one sheet skiff”. The idea is to build a boat using only one sheet of plywood. Search the net for either “oss” or “one sheet skiff” and you’ll be lost for hours considering different designs. I still havn’t made up my mind which one I’d like to build.
