Hello everyone!

I'm a trapper from Northern WI and I need some advice on boat & motor combination. I just can no longer deal w/ shearing pins and dragging boats/canoes through shallow, dropping water.

I really don't need a big boat. I was thinking 14'. I'm usually alone, but occasionally I have a second person. However, I do carry a good amount of gear...traps, stakes and boat full of beaver can get heavy. I would say that only about 1/2 the time am I in areas that require a surface drive or longtail. But, I'm thinking a surface drive would be better for me than a longtail. When I'm not in "shallow water" areas, I'd still like to get as close to "outboard" performance as possible. I can find myself in pretty rough, open water.

I was actually thinking maybe something like a welded 15' Alumacraft would be a good option. Perhaps w/ a 23HP Go-Devil SD. That 23HP Go-Devil looks awfully spendy...what other brands would you recommend?

Any advice and opinions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Kre

it really depends on what you wanna spend..id def go atleast 16' though putting loads in the boat will be much easier and it will run better than a 14'..if youre gonna go the sd route id def take a look at the 25 gtr
having neutral and instant reverse is perfect for trapping and makes life so much easier..just my .02

Sorry...but who makes the 25 gtr?

Thanks.

Gosh...those motors are expensive! But, I try to get the best. Gonna have to catch a lot of beaver and muskrats to pay for this new rig!

It all depends what kind of water you trap. Big water, smaller lakes, rivers, etc. etc. My first rig was a 1842 with a 24 LT, which worked great for what I was trapping. Wasn't a speed demon but that thing would tote a load of beavers. I live in northern wis. and with all the sand, rocks and logs I find the LT works better. I have both a LT and SD and I use the LT more for trapping.

Goose Crumpler - I trap larger lakes and the rivers, cricks, etc. that connect them. I actually have to cross a lot of open water to get to the bays and crick inlets I trap. A little speed making these runs would be helpful which is why I was thinking about a SD.

But, the rest of the time, speed really is not important. I actually spend a lot of time idling along watching the shorelines.

Thanks for the input.

from being a trapper i would stick with a 14ft,,, 16ft with one man gets pushed around way too much in the wind. i would go with a long tail because if you pull up to your set you could 'pry' your over a couple feet here and there, my big boat and surface drive doesnt work too good for trapping rats and beaver.

OK...so that 2 that recommend a LT over a SD. Should be a bit cheaper, correct?

Also, will a regular 14'-16' Jon boat be acceptable? Welded? Rivets?

I really need the ability to navigate shallow water, weeds, and not bust shear pins on logs and rocks.

Thanks for the help!

Spend a little more on a good welded hull and it'll last you 10 times longer.

Welded hands down, logs raise hell on riveted boats. Just an FYI sand is the devil on props, you can shit a prop in 10 mins digging in sand. I'd go 16 over 14.

SAND...that's real common for me. How do I deal with it? Shoot, a lot of shallow water areas will be sand, small rocks, or all rock from baseball to beachball size.

Is it a simple matter of getting in deeper water?

One boat that looks good to me is a 15' Alumacraft 'All Weld'. Suitable?

I seen on craigslist someone had a 1748 pro drive boat for sale kind of in the northern wi area. I could try to find the add if you'd like. If I had an understanding wife I would have bought it and put a long tail on it for a trapping rig.

hare ya go http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/boa/4086898359.html

Definitely 16 over 14. It will carry a load much better.

You try to stay out of the shallow sand. I go through about a prop a year to year and a half. It's part of the game. Super shallow sand go around or walk the boat. You trap on the TFF?

No...I don't trap there, but I'm VERY close to the TFF.

Kre, whatever boat you decide, just make sure it is a true flat bottom. Modified v's do not work well with longtails. They sort of plow and you will not reach its full potential, and get hung more in my opinion. Good luck.

I have a 27 Pro Drive for sale with 104 hours, in a crate ready to ship if interested.

Alweld, sea ark, express