I am a newbe here but, been fishing the banks, and as a second on boats for many years. I am looking at getting one of these Pelican 2 man Bass pond boats for a few of the smaller lakes and ponds in the DFW area. How well do they work? are they easy to load, launch? and how long could I expect a trolling motor to work?

Jim

Jim, battery life depends on the battery and how powerful (lbs of thrust) the motor is. I have owned a boat very similar to the Pelican and currently own a 10' aluminum jon-boat. I have owned three different, older 17lb thrust motors, and my current is about 25lbs.

What you need to look at is the amp-hours listed on the battery, usually listed in minutes. This is how long the motor should be able to run at full speed. You will need a "deep cycle" battery...not a "cranking" battery. This last one I bought is a pretty small one, only about $65 at Academy, and advertises about 110 minutes. I can fish down the bank for around three to four hours, with the motor being mostly run on the slowest speed, and being turned on and off pretty much constantly after every two casts or so. You can tell when it starts to slow down...the motor will actually sound slower...then its time to get back to shore!

If you can afford it, get yourself a small gas engine and use the trolling motor for fishing rather than transport. Granted, you will then have to register and title the boat, but it makes for a much longer day of fishing and affords you the ability to fish different areas. The plastic type bass-boats do not go very fast...they just kinda putt-along.

I really like my little jon-boat. Its a little bigger than my old plastic, and MUCH lighter. I can get it in and out of a pick-up by my self...something I could never do with my plastic. I have a 3.5 hp motor and it really gets me moving...around 14 mph...about 10 mph faster than the plastic. And the aluminum lasts longer! Just a suggestion!

Thanks for your replay, this helps, how stable are these 2 man setups? as for your idea of a small jon boat that too is in the back of my head, I am gathering all the info to make a informed decision, and I figured the best place was here at TFF.

Jim

Actually, they are pretty stable for two people. I never felt like I was going to swamp my old boat. Mine was kind of a pontoon-style, like most...it was all one piece, but the hull was deeper down the two sides, resembling pontoons...some are just like a regular flat hull. The smaller the jon-boat, the less stable it is. My current jon-boat is 10', and is a little more stable than a canoe! I don't think I would actually swamp it, but it does have quite a bit of play back-n-forth. I should've held out for a 12' or 14', but hindsight is 20/20! If you're fishing smaller waters, or mainly coves on lakes, the plastic is a great way to fish! If you're looking to cross the lake to different areas, I would recommend the jon-boat. Good luck!

Don't limit yourself to small lakes. I fished on some of the bigger lakes many of days in an 8' 2 man boat for several years. I would get the largest deep cycle battery you can afford so you can spend more time on the water. Even having a second battery is an option. Study the lake maps and find the boat ramps that have access to some protected areas on the bigger lakes and you will have some good times. Most of my time was spent on Ray Roberts. RR has access points all over the lake that you can launch a two man boat.

Thanks for the advise, and your info, I will take this info and make my decision. I am still about a month away.

Jim

Jim, Brooks made a good point about the time on water/amp hour rating. I had a 10' pelican with a #46 thrust and a big batt. The problem is that the things have so much drag that you can't get far unless you have all day to do it. The same motor pushes a 12' jon at least twice as fast and if you plan on fishing lakes instead of just ponds then you can chase the Sandies out into the middle of the lake without much worry. A 12' jon will slide right into the back a pickup and is more of a real boat than the plasic ones. A friend of mine had one of the porta boats and it was cool, but it cost quite a bit.

I never thought about what Vaughn said, but I've had a couple of jon boats and they would scoot on a decent trolling motor.

I had a friend that had a water buster and we fished all night out of it at Fork once. That was an experience. If you saw me you would laugh......

Artie