"CTC" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hey, I'm planning on buying a boat, motor, and battery (for the motor).
Any suggestions? Oh and it has to be 12-14 feet long, powered buy a
transom mounted electric trolling motor (theres not many lakes or
resivoirs around my place that alow gas outboards). Not like a big bass
boat, something more along the lines of a jon boat, And my max budget
is $1400.


Sounds like a perfect fit for a basic 12-14ft Jon Boat, or a Coleman Crawdad
(if they still make those) which was an 11-12ft plastic hulled jon-boat type
craft. I fished from one of those from the mid 1980s, until I bought me a
bonafide bassin rig just 3 years ago.

The trolling motor price will depend on it's thrust rating typically, and
that is a choice you should make based on what you want to do with your new
boat, based on how big and heavy it is, and how much gear you'll have on
board at any given time. As for brands, I'd recommend either a Motorguide or
Minn Kota. I've used both, and both work just fine.

Same thing with batteries, you get what you pay for. Get a "nice" high
dollar battery if you're going to go out a lot, and it's going to see an
appreciable amount of charge/discharge/charge cycles. If you are only going
to use it "here and there" a cheaper, lead-based off-brand name deep cycle
battery can be just fine. For high dollar batteries ($100), I like Optima
Blue Tops and Cabelas house brand AGM batteries. For a good value, Wal-Mart
sells a 29 sized Maxx series marine battery for about $65-$70. Depending on
how far or how long you want to be out any given day, you may need more than
1 battery too. And FYI, you can squeeze Wal Mart's 29 size battery into a 27
size battery tray.

You're also going to need a battery charger. For occasional and light use, a
basic Schumacher in deep cycle mode will suffice. Otherwise, plan on an
extra couple hundred $$ for a decent marine charger. And definitely spend
the money on a nice charger if you get nice batteries.

(Found the "current" Coleman Crawdad:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...n=B000220L6 Y)

They used to be "assembly required" (and mine is green) and now appear to be
more of a one piece deal. Nice little puddle scooter for the local lakes. I
still have mine for those private ponds that won't allow my 17 footer on.
IMHO, these Crawdads are a lot lighter to move than a similarly sizzed metal
jon boat would be. That's why I chose it some 20 years ago as my boat. But,
it may not be big enough for your needs...so YMMV.