River Fishing Boats

Which type of river fishing boats are the best for fishing? When it comes to purchasing river fishing boat, as you’re looking to fish on moving water then your needs will be slightly different to someone who fishes solely on lakes and ponds.  However, you’ll find that many boats that are suitable for lakes can also be used on slow to moderately moving rivers.

Fishing Boat at dockWhatever type of fishing you do, be it every week or perhaps only when you have the time, then having the right kit certainly makes for a far more enjoyable day.  And heading out onto the water on your boat is probably one of the best experiences a man (or woman) can ask for.

There are many different types of river fishing boats, ranging from one man pontoon fishing boats to four man plastic fishing boats, inflatables and rigid hulls, cheap fishing boats right through to those that you might need to take out a second mortgage on your house to purchase.

But whichever type you’re looking for, there are some important aspects that need to be taken into consideration before taking the plunge and making a purchase.

For instance:
•    What’s your budget?
•    How many people do you want your boat to carry?
•    How will you transport your boat?
•    What kind of storage space do you have at home?
•    How often will you use your boat?

Budget

Much as we’d all like to have unlimited funds to purchase a river fishing boat, sadly for most of us this isn’t the case.  But just because you might not have a huge budget, doesn’t mean that you can’t get one that offers outstanding features for the money you spend on it.
When it comes to finding great value river fishing boats, then one option to consider is that of an inflatable boat.  These tend to offer excellent features, and inflatable boats, especially pontoon boats, also provide great stability on the water.  Not to mention that you can head into shallower waters than that of a rigid hull boat.  That’s why the popularity of these type of boats for river fishing has literally exploded over the past few years.

Size

Naturally, knowing how many people you want your boat to carry is essential.  If you’re intending to purchase a single man river fishing boat then there’s certainly loads to choose from.  The problems start to occur when you might want to take others with you on occasion.

There are some great two man catamaran fishing boats around, and also some excellent inflatable plastic fishing boats that can carry four people or more.  However, you must ensure that you know the weight limit of whatever boat you choose.  And be aware that with pontoon boats you need to be careful to keep the load as even as possible, especially where there’s more than one person on board.

Transportation

One aspect that’s vitally important is the ease in which you can transport your boat.  You might be lucky enough to have a trailer, in which case the size of the boat is not so important.  But if you want to transport it on the roof of your car or in the boot, then you need to ensure that the boat will break down to a small enough size to be able to do this.  In such cases then inflatable boats, be they the raft kind or a pontoon boat, are often best suited.

Storage

You may well be lucky enough to have a large storage space at home to store a boat during the off season.   And if you choose a rigid hull option then you’ll certainly need this.  However, many of us aren’t that fortunate and need our boat to be stored in a small an area as possible.

Once again, inflatable boats are perfect for this.  They can be deflated and tend to roll up into what is often an incredibly small size, meaning a garage or similar is perfectly adequate for storage.

Level of use

How often are you going to use your boat.  Sure, we’d all like to think that we’ll be out on the water every day possible, but when it comes to reality, this is often not the case.  So be realistic in your expectations, because there’s no point in spending a whole load of money on a top sporting professional boat when something that costs a fraction of the price will do the job just as well.

One thing to look out for is the maintenance you’ll need to carry out to keep your boat in good order.  There are plenty of UV resistant materials used now, as well as scratch and rub resistant products that make for very tough and rugged crafts.  After all, we want to be spending time on the river with our boat, not spending hours maintaining it at home.  So this is a very important aspect to look out for.

As you can see, we’ve mentioned inflatable pontoon boats quite liberally throughout this article, and for good reason.  Over the years these really have become one of the most popular designs for river fishing boats, thanks to their versatility, ease of use and low costs.  We’re not saying they’re the only option, but many fishermen have been won over by the many advantages they offer.

Whichever type of boat you choose, ensure that you do your homework first.  This can save a lot of time wasting when it comes to actually getting your boat out onto the water.  Because time spent fishing is what it’s really all about.  After all, we’re all after the same end result – a well designed boat that we can trust to give us great day’s fishing.  And a bit of time spent before your purchase really does pay dividends.  So enjoy…

 

 

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