Choosing boat for Ohio River

[bluegrasser]

Hopefully some of you ohio river veterans can weigh in.

I have a 14' jon boat that I have used for a lot of shallow water fishing in rivers like the Dix and Cumberland that can go from 15 feet to 1.5 feet just like that. But, I want a bigger boat so that I can start exploring the Ohio River (I live in Louisville).

I'm going to stick with an aluminum jon for all the shallow water, shoal running I do. But I want a bigger size and a center console.

I'm looking at various makers from Tracker to G3's in the 17' to 18.5' range.

B&J Marine has a neat tunnel hull 17' G3 jon boat with a 70HP outboard that would serve my needs well on the smaller rivers and lakes I fish.

Is this big enough for the Ohio R or do I need to keep looking at the 18 foot range?

Thanks for any comments.

[demodan]

Call Richie, at Plapps Outdoors...he knows boats...and the river very well.
You need to call him before you make your decision, at least talk to him about it.

[buzzking]

I agree on calling plapps, they will find you a G3. 17' 70 horse will be plenty for creek running and such. However, if you plan on making long runs up and down the river those can be time consuming at 40mph. I would stick to a V-hull boat, whipping in and around the bends in creeks could be a little interesting in a tunnel hull. JMO

[ToddLahey]

I am fishing out of a 17'10" ranger and it is ok you just have to be careful like everything the river can be dangerous.

[peter]

Here here.

[mhall]

G3 is a good boat. If you live in Louisville you would probably want to have a closer dealer than Florence Ky. B&J will give you a good deal, and if something goes wrong they will stand behind it, just my 2 cents.

[bluegrasser]

Thanks for all the comments fellas.

I will definitely try to get a hold of Richie at Plapps for some guidance on boats and the Ohio River.

Also, I went by B&J Marine at lunch today and they were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Not to mention that I really liked the 17' G3 tunnel hull they had. It was pretty sharp.

Fun things to think about when it's 20 degrees outside!