Choosing a Riverboat

I WANT A RIVER BOAT

"I want a new boat." This is a line that seems to get used all too much in my house. I'm always looking for a new river boat. When I say a new river boat I mean a boat to catch some catfish. After using a few different boats and motors I think I can help a person looking for that first riverboat make an informed decision. If you are like me with a deeper river such as the Red River of the North as your home water the decisions become a little easier as to what to purchase. If your home water has more small water and shallow tributaries that you can fish now the choices just got harder.

There are basically two classes of boats that you can choose from. A regular outboard powers the first; the second is a jet drive. There are advantages to both and set backs to both.

First, let's take a look at the outboards. Outboards are very common type of boat. Outboards are easy to buy, easy to use and easy to find a service department when you have problems. Some of the drawbacks to using an outboard in a river for cat fishing are the lower unit sticks in the water and is vulnerable to hitting objects such as dead heads that may cause damage to the motor and hit you where it hurts the most your pocket book. Another major drawback is that if you run into a very shallow water situation you may be stuck not passing or lifting the motor and walking the boat over the spot in question.

Next lets take a look at the jet drives. With a jet drive you can go almost anywhere your heart desires. With no parts sticking out below the boat and with no prop to bend or ding you can go almost anywhere that there is water. If you are in a rocky environment you can have the peace of mind knowing that you aren't going get stranded because of hitting something. Depending on where you live jet drives can be easy to find and have serviced or next to impossible. Up north where I live, most people fish lakes so finding a dealer that sells and services jet drives is very slim.

Now that you know about the different types of boats available you need to figure out what type is for you and what kind of boat you want to put the motor on. I personally run outboard boats. I like to use a smaller boat with less power for my river fishing. A nice 14 or 16 foot with at 25 to 40 horsepower motor seems to work the best for me. A great example of this type of riverboat would be the new 16 Canadian by Crestliner powered by a 50 horsepower Mercury motor. This boat is big enough to be safe and comfortable with enough power to get you where you want to go. The boat is fairly shallow running and light just in case I end up pulling it over a sandbar by hand. One superficial attribute to the Canadian in it comes in drab gray so you don't have to worry about touch up painting and washing the mud off all the time. Some guys like the big walleye and bass boats in the rivers but let's be realistic. That's a lot of money to be taking a chance at hitting a deadhead at 50 miles per hour or tearing your lower unit off because you were going too fast to see a sandbar. In my opinion, a smaller unit with a mid range outboard is plenty for most rivers.

Back to the Jet drives. Some manufacturers produce a jet drive motor that works similar to a prop but the setup that I really want to tell you about are the new River Pro boats. These boats bring a whole new life to the world of shallow river fishing. They are specially designed with a 175 Mercury Sport Jet motor, a flat bottom and get this. The River Pro can run at over 40 miles per hour in only four inches of water. This boat is probably the most versatile riverboat that I have seen to date. It can go almost anywhere you can take it in the pursuit of big cats. The only drawback to getting yourself into a new River Pro is the price. River Pro starts at just over $18,000.

No matter what type of river you call home or what type of fish you chase in that river I hope I am able to shed some light on the purchase of your next riverboat. Whether you want to be able to go anywhere in a hurry and with no worries in a River Pro or you aren't in such a big hurry and just want to have a reliable boat that will allow you to have a great time like the Canadian just make sure you enjoy a river.

The Author, Brad Durick is a member of Catfish Angler's pro staff and hails from Grand Forks, North Dakota and is a avid river rat on the Red River of the North.