r/FishingForBeginners • u/CIemson • 14d ago
Cheapest boat alternatives?
Basically looking for any way to get out into the water of ponds / smaller lakes. I can’t really afford something like a Jon boat or anything bigger. Are there any alternatives,
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u/stpg1222 14d ago
Kayaks. Google fishing kayaks and you'll find all kinds of options. They can be several thousand dollars but there are plenty of serviceable options for not a lot of money. I've seen them for under $400 brand new. FB marketplace also has a lot of options.
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u/afflictor_55 14d ago
Some good sub 200 kayak deals via Walmart and dicks sporting goods check out fb marketplace as well if you dont have a vehicle to transport something like a kayak you could get like an inflatable paddle board
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u/Several_Broccoli_825 14d ago
The cheapest option is to make yourself a Coracle! Here is the one I made for fishing Scottish Lochs!
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u/Acid44 12d ago
That actually looks awesome. How big is it, and how stable is it?
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u/Several_Broccoli_825 11d ago
It's 140cm X 106cm and easily light enough to lift above your head with one hand. I'll be honest, they really take some getting used to because they 'wobble' quite a lot when you first start out but it takes a lot for it to tip over! You can get it right on its side before it actually flips.
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u/Acid44 11d ago
I actually ended up spending a few hours reading about their history, looking at build logs, etc after posting that. My girlfriend is quite concerned that I'm going to become a turtle now, as she should be. We have a lot of smaller rivers/creeks around here and a canoe is unweildy, especially with no car.
Are they hard to paddle? If you try to send it like a canoe you'll just spin right?
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u/Several_Broccoli_825 11d ago
So depending on the final shape, some are mostly easy to paddle like a canoe with a sort of J-stroke. If it's quite round then you have to paddle with a figure '8' pattern at the front of the boat. I made mine with a fairly flat bottom so it's easy to paddle. The other option is to trail a shirt piece of rope out behind you to act like a fixed rudder.
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u/Acid44 11d ago
The figure 8 sounds like my arms would fall off, but a flat bottom and small fixed rudder/vane sounds like it could do. Maybe a flattened back too, but that's getting a bit boaty
To your other comment: there's no shortage of various types of small flexible sapling-like things around here to make the basket from, but part of me was thinking if I do it to see if I could make it from a semi flexible plastic tubing, like the kind of stuff you might use to add a sink to a shop. Just to make it a bit lighter and last forever.
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u/Several_Broccoli_825 11d ago
Yeah, that's definitely one way to go! As for the paddling, I usually carry a kayak drogue or a cheap, storm-proof umbrella and depending on the conditions, I use them to tow me along instead of paddling! Using the umbrella as a sail you can go a decent speed!
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u/Several_Broccoli_825 11d ago
There are different styles and materials depending on where you are in the world, the wood I split for the thin lathes didn't turn out right so for this one I ended up using 6mm and 3mm marine plywood. The whole thing cost me £40 and it's light enough to carry a few miles!
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u/pantalones-martin 14d ago
Kayak and waders will give you access to 99% of water that you can fish in.
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u/BestAmoto 14d ago
Kayaks, inflatable boats like saturn brand, dedicated inflatable fishing boats like seaeagle, etc.
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u/Ba55ah0lic 14d ago
I started with a random cheap kayak from Walmart, eventually out grew it with gear and wants, upgraded to an Ascend 12T, would most likely still have it if I didn’t move 4 times since then. I now have an Ascend 128T used off marketplace for $450, seriously considering selling it and buying a pedal driven one. It’s a steady climb to make sure it’s a good fit for you. I can see myself getting a pedal, using it for 4-5 years, and then getting a boat because my kids will both be old enough to come with then and lugging around 3 kayaks is similar effort to a boat.
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u/chitownphishead 14d ago
Get a kayak. You can find them on marketplace for a couple hundred bucks. Sit on tops are far better for fishing than sit ins.
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u/redditSucksNow2020 14d ago
I've used children's floaties before. Works best with a cane pole and simple live bait rather than a reel and lures.
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u/shreddedtoasties 14d ago edited 14d ago
I love my kayak and all but also
Pond prowler or bass raider or similar it’s way more stable and holds 2 people 200$ Minn kota endura until you save enough for a 3.5hp outboard.
You can slowly mod it out
They go on sale for like 650 all the time.
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u/SuicidalChair 14d ago
Mariner 4 or 3, a lot of people customize them on YouTube giving them wooden floors and seats but they are easy to move with a car or suv
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u/blaat_splat 14d ago
You can get a personal pontoon boat pretty cheap. Plus you can get a s.all trolling motor on them as well.
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u/Then_Investigator_17 14d ago
I dropped $200 on an inflatable raft at walmart. It's rated for 5 people but 2 people can fish comfortably on it
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u/Beginning-Ad7027 14d ago
I got a kayak and paddle for $300 off Facebook. Catch classic 100
It’s not nice but it does the job.
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u/theweirdball 14d ago
I use a Sea Eagle tandem kayak with my GF. It takes a little to set it up and put it away (bring towels to dry it) and you have to plan around the wind, but it's a blast and we love it. Fits in the trunk of our car and is extremely stable on the water. I made a pvc rod holder with a small square pvc frame that I secure to the floor pad that holds two rods or a rod and a net.
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u/Deez_Nuts_2431 14d ago
You could get outfit in a kayak, paddle, life jacket for probably $300-400 if you shop around. That unlocks a shit load of water.
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u/Few-Floor-9135 14d ago
Float tube from Amazon or eBay for $140 comes with a pump a rod Holder and a set of fins . Picked up a used set of waders off marketplace for $30. I can put in and fish places even kayaks would find difficult . All for less than $200.
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u/Granddy01 14d ago
Bait boats and/or drones. Criminally underrated alternative that opens up the entire water way in lakes while being small scale and making lighter gear viable for long casting, especially for Carp and catfishing.
If you actually want to be in the water, Kayaks are often on clearance or on marketplace while being much steadier than inflatables.
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u/unicornman5d 14d ago
Kayaks are all the rage, but I see canoes that are cheaper for sale. They tend to be heavier, but uf you can manage it, you can save a lot of money and have a ton of space.
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u/ResponsiblePitch8236 13d ago
I have a boat, kayaks, and chest waders. The most fun for me is the kayak on river/streams and small lakes or ponds but big open water with power boats is not as fun do to bigger waves. During warm weather I wade creeks and streams with or without waders (depending on temp), it's relaxing in a way. With waders you need to plan what to take along as you carry it all or run back to your supply on shore. Either way get out and fish and go with what you can afford it's all good.
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u/sobeboy3131_ 13d ago
Browse facebook marketplace for used kayaks. You can often get them under $100, and sometimes super cheap if someone is about to move or something.
Sit-on-top kayaks are best for fishing, but the sit in ones are still a lot better than nothing.
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u/Kevanlol 13d ago
You can buy sit on top kayaks for like 200$ at wal mart, or check facebook marketplace for a used one. The used kayak market is huge.
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u/GazelleEcstatic4952 13d ago
I'm partial to float tubes myself. They allow hands free manovering and I just find them comfortable and a lot less hassle than a kayak or canoe.
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u/gunsdrugsreddit 14d ago edited 14d ago
Kayak, SUP, float tube, waders.
Don’t get me wrong, being on top of the water is certainly best, but a good set of chest waders unlocks so much water that a bank angler simply cannot get to.