What was your 1st boat, ever?

[wslayer]

I grew up in a 14' Sears with a 9.5hp Evinrude. In my early working years after college I purchased a Sea Nymph SS175 w/115 Evinrude. I fished in that boat for years and caught more fish in it than anything else I had. Replace the transom, replaced the powerhead, rewired, new livewell hoses, all sorts of little things. It was far from perfect but put me on the water with some great memories.

It's funny how so many of us say we caught more fish in our first boats than any. Maybe it's just memories, maybe it was actually true. I certainly had more time then than I have now and I certainly fished harder. But I was damn happy and proud to have that boat. Worked hard for it, kept it up, improved it, and was happy to be able to fish all the places I did with it. I'm happy today with my "new" boat, but I don't have the same fondness I do of that first boat. Being thankful for what you have makes it a whole lot better.....if there is any takeaway from this for me.

Possible reason, because there use to be only 1/2 the fisher people back in the day as there is now. So greater fish population just a guess.

 

[NodakBob]

Gruman 17’ aluminum canoe

 

[Victory]

12’ Sears tin can with a 5hp motor. Still have that boat, but the motor died years ago. I just have an electric motor on it now for fishing the canals and such.

 

[Risky]

1988 Lund Cherokee with a 115 Yamaha. It was an awesome boat!

 

[FIO]

I used Campcook's boats as soon as I was old enough to be trusted...but my first boat I bought was a 2013 Lund Impact. Brand new, and I was in heaven! First boat with a GPS and decent graphs and a trolling motor with anchor lock, at the time I remember thinking what else could a guy ask for!? Boy, times have changed in just 10 years, and looking back the last 30 years I have run boats, its crazy to see the rigs on the water nowadays!
Fun stuff!!

 

[gillraker]

First boat was a 1960's something 14' Herters fiberglass(heavy as hell) with 10hp Johnson. Caught a shitload of fish out of that boat, launched it in backwaters on the Missouri to access places too far to run from an actual ramp with only 10hp and top end of probably 10 mph. Catching walleyes before lots of the now "pros" even knew what a walleye was... Ah, the good old days!

 

[Mort]

Cool stories of first boats

 

[sierra1995]

1982 14' crestliner with a 35 evinrude tiller. did 32mph.

 

[Snapper]

My first boat was a 1978 18'6" Lund Alaskan. Had a 40hp Evinrude with a MinnKota Advantage electric trolling motor on the back and a MinnKota electric trolling motor at the bow. Caught many Walleye in this boat, in fact I have yet to top the biggest walleye caught in this boat of 31-1/4+ walleye. Its a long story. Should have hung onto this boat for a good river boat.

 

[Maddog]

Gruman 17’ aluminum canoe

x2

 

[Ruttin]

1st boat I fished out of...1969 Glastron. I/O Chrysler 4 cylinder. Owned 2002 crestliner SC 40 horse. Loved em both

 

[lunkerslayer]

Still have my first boat a 1986 starcraft fish and ski with a 1985 90hp mariner tower of power. I don't know why I still have it don't get enough time off and where I fish, I can catch my limits from shore anytime in the summer.

 

[Retired-Guy]

Sixteen-foot cedar strip rowboat that leaked like a sieve until the wood swelled up.

 

[Davey Crockett]

A homemade mini hydroplane like this one but mine was painted all yellow.
Got it for free at an auction when it didn't sell and had a lot of fun with it.

 

[guywhofishes]

 

[Retired-Guy]

What is all that stuff hanging from the front of your boat?

 

[guywhofishes]

What is all that stuff hanging from the front of your boat?

Stringer of dead carp - strung that way to achieve the least amount of drag for my little 10 ft Montgomery Ward.

I had gotten bad advice and was told that award winning carp hunting skills would bring fame, fortune, and groupies.
[Narrator: "It would bring none of those to this rube."]

But I won a lot of free stuff at Andrus Outdoors during their "biggest carp" contests each summer. The first month I took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd... so they changed the rules.

Me, that boat, my bow, and a six pack of Budweiser silos in a cooler were some of the best days of my life.

 

[johnr]

Stringer of dead carp - strung that way to achieve the least amount of drag for my little 10 ft Montgomery Ward.

I had gotten bad advice and was told that award winning carp hunting skills would bring fame, fortune, and groupies.
[Narrator: "It would bring none of those to this rube."]

But I won a lot of free stuff at Andrus Outdoors during their "biggest carp" contests each summer. The first month I took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd... so they changed the rules.

Me, that boat, my bow, and a six pack of Budweiser silos in a cooler were some of the best days of my life.

A lot of that had to do with the location of which you lived too.

I once was an east river fella, the happiness has since doubled

 

[risingsun]

Throw a few bales with that hook before it became a carp plunger?

 

[guywhofishes]

Throw a few bales with that hook before it became a carp plunger?

I didn't have a lot of money. Homemade "gaff" (I hacksawed a barb into it) and homemade bowfishing reel made it even more satisfying somehow. I still have the boat, both motors, the hook, and the bow. Ha ha.