Rob,

I am not sure whether you intend to buy a new boat, or find a project boat.

I would recommend something like a Lowe Roughneck welded jon boat. This is for stability. If you are going to put seats in it, you are going to need stability. Tracker makes the model Grizzly, they are nice starter boats too.

These Roughnecks are fully ready to customize, and even the 14ft model can handle up to a 30hp motor.

To start with, all you need is the boat, motor, and pedestal seats. If you cannot spend a lot of money right away, you could do just a little every year.

Try and get the biggest boat that you can afford, when you start putting on equipment, you will see that a 14ft boat gets full pretty quick.

topwater