which in your opinion is better

Which one is better on small lakes? Flat Bottom Jon Boat, flat bottom w/ v nose or a pontoon style boat such as a Pelican 10E or something else?

I have an 8' baby bass hunter and love it. That being said, I only have a trolling motor to get around with so I'm limited on how much travel I'm willing to do but it is incredibly stable. If I had a Jon boat of some sort them I would have more options on pushing it around and could cover more water. Those are the 2 things that should be considered. The flat bottom or small pontoon style will get you into a few more places if you fish shallows and creeks.

Generally, the lighter it is, the lower it sets, the more comfortable it is, and the faster it goes with trolling motor, the better it is. Better to have something you can launch anywhere, without a trailer or boat ramp. A one-man inflatable or solid pontoon is ideal, unless you need more room for other people. Just my humble opinion others will have their own.

Thanks for your opinions, I just bought a pelican 10E and look forward to getting it out on the water.

FWIW I think the Pelican is more stable that the others. I have a 14' jon and a 10' pelican and would rather be in the 10 pelican, especially if I am standing up.

Enjoy!

10e and your never going to regret it.

I'll give Mega Dittos on the Bass Baby. This is an incredibly competent
small boat. I've had 10 and 12 foot jons and this 8 footer is by far my
favorite small boat. Basically, I use this boat whenever I can. Whenever the conditions
will allow me. If I have to cover water or deal with more wind, then I'll take
my 16 foot bass boat. But for the situations that the Bass Baby will work
on it is DEADLY. Much higher stealth and maneuverability. So easy to
anchor. VERY stable. Very well designed. Unsinkable and will not capsize.
AND... it is a one piece hull design. It will NOT leak like clam shell hulls.
Fits in my short bed pick up perfectly. And did I mention the built in wheels
for launching ? Definitely my favorite boat of all time. Fishes 2 a lot better
than you would think. My sister goes with me frequently on mine.

I have a Humminbird 7 SI on mine and have a 360 transducer that I will put
on the back if it's something I will need that day. MinnKota Endura 45.
I run three 35 AH batteries in parallel. They are so easy to carry to the
boat compared to hauling one Class 29 battery.

Did you find a Bass Baby dealer available locally? We are in the market for buying 2 and planing all the great modifications we have seen others do.I have seen the Pelican Bass Raider at Academy and Dicks, something similar At Bass Pro, but can't find a Texas dealer for a Baby Bass like yours. They seem to be a much better boat than their competitor, Pelican Bass Raider, but I haven't found anywhere you can get a Baby Bass other than the hassle and expense of ordering from the manufacturer. If you had to order from the main plant, did you find any pitfalls.

JW --

I got it at Dick's Sporting Goods. They had a very good
price on it. They ordered it and had it in a about a
week. All smooth.

Bass Baby is worth going to some trouble get. Great boat !

Float Tube. But then I admit I am biased.

PM sent to you

I have owned one of the original Bass Busters and two Bass Hunter Bass Babies. Before I bought my first Bass Baby, I took out a Pelican 10 for a day. Decided on the Bass Baby and never regretted it. The original Bass Hunter was, I believe, a clamshell, but man, was it solid and stable - more so than the Bass Baby. The only problem I have encountered with the Bass Baby is that the trolling motor mounts on both of them were rather weak. I wish they were reinforced better inside the plastic. Still, I can't complain much. Having owned and fished from a very nice aluminum jon boat converted to an "Arkansas bass boat" and both Terry and HydraSport bass boats, I must confess that I've caught a lot more and bigger bass from the pond boats. Lack of mobility is an issue, but not a serious one. It's a little crowded for two, but perfect for one. I trailer my Bass Baby, so never installed the wheels. Great little boat.

I just purchased a Sun Dolphin Pro 120. I will be rigging it with a 54lb thrust foot control trolling motor. You do need a trailer for this rig. The reason I bought it is length 12ft or just under and it has a deck. This will be used at our ranch which has a 15 acre lake as well as the Colorado river for running jugs and trot lines. I would eventually like to get a 5-6hp for it as well.

I grew up on a small lake, and have had both type of alum options, the v front is the better of the two, more stable. I currently own a bass hunter II, had it for many years, built a trailer for it, a bit heavy to carry around these days, at 60 yo...danged stable ride, have swamped it on the lake once, still floated though...you can stand up on an edge or side without worry. Pelicans, hate them...flimsy POS IMO. Been in several, same old thing...don’t want in another one.

I've had several boats over the years and fished from a 14 foot canoe for awhile. I upgraded to a 14 foot jon boat and have been very happy with it. It was difficult to get everything to the water with the canoe and I decided I needed a trailer. Once I decided in needed a trailer there was no reason not to go with something a little bigger and more stable. I have a 55 thrust trolling motor with 2 large deep cell batteries. I can go about 7 miles round-trip with the setup. I have fished from a pelican and bass buggy and both will work. I just did not have enough room for all my junk.