Good river and lake boat?

[DVarmit]

I just got here in October and back east where I come from we don't have the water like we do here. I am planning on running some rivers and lakes for fishing and hunting with the wife. I hear a lot of talk about the Zodiac's. Is this the boat to use up here on the rivers and lakes? Is there another kind I should look at? It would mainly be used for getting in and out hauling gear and hopefully a moose or two.. What about motors? size? makes? styles? I have ran boats back east but they were all v-hull's with larger outboards not the Zodiac's

Any info would be appreciated.

 

[snopropanther]

one of those jet boats that only needs 5 inchs of water to run in. dont know the name but have seen them on fishing shows and they look perfect for fishing on rivers and lakes

 

[c-bolt]

Hey buddy...

So many choices...so little time..ha ha ha

Try going here for some good tips on alaska boating

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/

There are also a number of other jet boat sites...

meanchicken.net

myboatforum.com

riverjetmagazine.com

and...

boatshopAK.com


That should keep ya busy for a while.

You should know there is no such thing as the perfect boat, just perfect for this, and perfect for that.

My choice for a "non custom" jet boat is---
Jetcraft Extreme Shallow, runs comfortably in 3-4 inches of water, more durable than the Phantom SportJon and SeaArk Predator (but weighs a little more), and can haul some serious gear.

There are a few custom builders out there that make some serious machinery (Outlaw, Riddle, FireFish, and others) but cost a pretty penny as well. They will run shallow and are tough as nails though, just harder to get off the gravel/silt bar.

My last boat was a Weldcraft Renegade, inboard 4.3l, 20ft. It was nice, but too heavy and not enough motor. It was more of an all around style boat. The deadrise was too high to really run shallow, but it was really fun to have regardless.

My next boat will be either a Jetcraft XS or a FireFish with a Scott pump. With the exchange rate the way it is now, it would be silly to not get the custom boat. But who knows what it will be like next year. I can always hope...

We will have to get together sometime to do some boat talk...

Just sit down in front of the ol' monitor with a nice cup/pot of coffee and get readin

Joe