I want to go fishing.

Nick (Bo) Comstock said:

I grew up fishing. Every weekend during the school year and all throughout the summer. We would go out early in the morning and stay until got too hot. On the weekends we would go out all night and let the party people and skiers have their fun during the day. I miss that.

Over the years I've tried fishing from the shore. I don't like it. I grew up fishing on a boat, shore fishing is just not the same. I've done very little fishing since I've reached adulthood and it's time I changed that.

I live within a half hour from two medium sized lakes. I need a boat.

Problem is space. I have none. I've got a single car driveway and a single car garage. The bike lives in the garage and the wife's car lives in the driveway. I'm looking for something that will fit through the gate into the backyard and have came up with two feasible options.

So A? Or B? Or C?

C is the option I haven't thought of yet.

C is the correct option. Option C is a friend with a boat. I've never heard someone who owned a boat casually who enjoyed it. It takes a special kind of person to tolerate the constant maintenance that boats actually require.

In reply to Floating Doc :

I had family that lived on the Indian River, actually lived between the Indian and Banana river.  You know the dragon that used to be on the point?  Lived maybe a dozen houses up from there, just south of the bridge.

Used to fish a lot with Grandpop.  He passed away and I didn't do much after till I met my wife.  She likes to fish more than I like to wrench, so she ended up dragging me along with her.

Got into antique outboards around about when I started fishing again.  Over a couple years I picked up about half a dozen mid-50s outboards, in various states of repair.  Restored one or two.  Much quicker and cheaper than an antique car, they run great as well.

'67 Delhi 12 foot boat, 1956 15HP Evinrude, Sand Lake in Orlando.  Its a good time.

In reply to Mr_Asa :

Hey, welcome to the forum!

15 HP can be enough to be scary on a 12 foot tin boat. And fun.

In reply to Floating Doc :

Thanks for the welcome!

Its actually fairly stable provided I dont hole shot it, and the weather is nice.  Went up the Suwanee River once and the wind was bad enough I'd hit some wake and be blown a foot or more to the side.

Think the fastest that combo got me was 27MPH?  It's fun to see the hull panels flexing as you're planing.  That being said, it is a little questionable with the wife a cooler, and fishing gear.  Got a '76 Alumacraft 16 footer that Dad is helping to get water-worthy for fishing.

If stability in a canoe is a concern, what about adding a removable outrigger?  It works for the Polynesians .   

In reply to Type Q :

I've looked extensively at different outrigger options, didn't find one that was for sale I liked, or wanted to pay for.

The Hobie kayak outriggers seen earlier in this thread looked good, but I couldn't find a single one for sale, only sets of two. Lots of people make them, but I really didn't want to do that.

Around hear this time of year the preferred method of transportation to the favorite fishing spot is a snowmobile.

It's called "hard water fishing"