Looking for the right boat

[Baitcaster]

Hi,

I'm new here. I need some advice on picking a boat mdel for my first build. I have lots of experiences with rigging boats, but have never built one before. The boat I choose will be used for salmon and trout fishing on Lake Ontario and other large lakes, so it needs to be seaworthy and stable. It will also be used for bass fishing in deep and shallow water. it should accommodate up to 4 people comfortably. Finally, it has to be trailerable.

I am leaning toward the OD18. Is this a good choice for my needs? Thanks in advance for your input.

Cheers,
BC

[Prarie Dog]

Baitcaster, looks like you picked the right boat. There are some guys on here that have built 0D 18's and know a lot more about how they work with 4 people. Flat bottoms are less load sensitive than the v bottomed boats.

[Cracker Larry]

Yes, the OD18 would be a great choice. It is seaworthy and stable, can handle 4 people, and we use ours in 6" of water up to 1000 fathoms I love mine

[Sicarii]

Hey Toronto! On a clear day I can see you guys across the lake (Rochester). I am about to start building an OB17 for similar usage. I am garage space limited so I can't go larger than this. Good luck with your build, I will be very interested if you do a builder's thread.

[Baitcaster]

Hey Toronto! On a clear day I can see you guys across the lake (Rochester). I am about to start building an OB17 for similar usage. I am garage space limited so I can't go larger than this. Good luck with your build, I will be very interested if you do a builder's thread.

Hey Rochester! Can you see me waving at you!?

Yep, size is a consideration for me too. I have just enough room to build an 18 footer in my garage (however, it will cause some domestic unrest when my wife has to park her car outside in winter!). Currently my salmon fishing is restricted to the pre-spawn when they are up shallow at the river mouths. My current boat is way too small to get out in the deep water for summer trolling.

[rjezuit]

I would stay away from a flat bottomed boat on the Great Lakes. They pound way too much in a chop which is the norm rather than the exception.

[Cracker Larry]

Have you ever run an OD18 in a chop? It doesn't pound at all if you slow down a little. I've run mine to the Bahamas, twice. Savannah GA to Cape Fear NC and back, run almost every inlet on the SE coast, the boat can handle a chop

[Baitcaster]

I'm glad you guys raised the "pounding" issue. My current boat is a flat-bottom jon boat and she takes a beating in choppy water. I certainly don't want that in my new boat. I presumed that the shape of the OD18 hull would handle chop considerably better than a jon boat. However, it is still something I am concerned about. I'm thinking a v-huill may be more appropriate - but I just love the look and lines of the OD18. What to do?

[Walley hunter]

A chop on the Great Lakes is not the same as a chop on the Atlantic. The Great Lakes are relatively shallow impoundments that build a wind blown chop which cannot not escape and hits one shore and bounces back. In the Atlantic the chop just keeps going to the east normally or breaks on the shallow beaches. JoeH built his OD16 for the Detroit river and Lake Champlain and good days on Erie and Huron, he didn't take it out on choppy days on the big lakes unless he got caught. For fishing tournaments he goes on a V bottom Lund usually and finished 2nd the last tournament I know about. That's why he is building his current boat. You can't beat Mother Nature on the Great Lakes.

I totally agree with rjezuit.

Here would be my preferences on the Great Lakes for 4 people, C17 ,12 degrees deadrise, OB17, 6 degrees deadrise, C19 cutdown would give you 18', 12 degrees deadrise. While the FS17 is a fine boat it's not big enough for 4 fishermen.

You can do the C17 two ways, since your that far north you might enjoy having the cabin and launch as soon as ice is out. Or make it a center console moving the console to the center of the boat. There is quite a bit of space between the console and the motorwell.

[rjezuit]

A chop in a 50° lake is much different than a chop on the ocean in the Bahamas. A wet ride on Ontario would be most unpleasant. Look at all of the boat around you on the Great Lakes. Do you see flat bottom boats? There's a reason for that. Dry ride, less pounding, easier to cut through tall closely spaced waves at the expense of a little room and gas mileage. I have not been on an OD18 on the Great Lakes but I have been on a lot of boats, some flat bottomed. It's not really comparing apples to apples.