In 1973 Linda and I bought our first bass boat, a top of the line (at that time!) 16 foot Arrowglass with a 70 horsepower Evinrude motor. It was our second major purchase after getting married. I pulled it with my 1972 Cutlass Supreme convertible, our first major purchase. It was not exactly the best tow vehicle but it got us to the lake.
We had been looking at boats for months and knew we wanted one with a raised platform up front and in the back for fishing. Most boats back then were open, with no casting platforms. When I joined the Spalding County Sportsman Club that April most of the members had SingFisher open boats with stick steering and a 40 horsepower motor or something similar. My boat had the second biggest motor in the club, at that time.
We went to the Atlanta Boat Show and fell in love with the Arrowglass, and it was almost in our price range at a whopping $3500. That included the boat, motor, trailer, trolling motor and depthfinder. I loved that boat.
We picked it up in Atlanta on a Saturday morning and went to Clark's Hill for the weekend. It was everything I hoped it would be and we caught an amazing number of bass. We caught so many fish we stayed late on Sunday, leaving at dark to head back to Griffin.
Headed home on the new at that time I-20, there was almost no traffic. But on a long straight stretch a guy from South Carolina in a pickup truck somehow managed to hit me from behind. He said he was changing radio stations and guessed he looked away from the road for a minute.
I was heartbroken. The boat was crushed on the left back corner and he hit it so hard the front of the boat ended up resting on the trunk of the Cutlass. It took about three weeks to get it fixed but it looked as good as new. I guess that set the tone for my boat ownership.
Each time I bought a new boat I stepped up in length and motor size. Now I fish out of a 20 foot Skeeter with a 225 Yamaha motor. And I love this boat, just like all the others in between.
It seems what goes around comes around. In March while taking two young anglers out in a tournament I hit something, either a stump or a mostly sunken long, and damaged the bottom of my Skeeter. It cost $4600 to fix it - more than my first boat cost!
There is something special about running down the lake first thing in the morning with the wind in your hair. Nothing feels freer. I got that feeling the first time I rode in a boat and get it every time now. I hope it never goes away.
The ability to fish in comfort and to fish efficiently is the reason bass boats were developed. Skeeter came out with the first bass boat. With a trolling motor up front and a comfortable seat, you could control the boat much better and enjoy fishing all day more than what we had been used to.
Jon boats were the standard fishing boat in the south for many years. Flat, open boats with hard bench type seats and a trolling motor in the back worked. Before electric trolling motors I spent many hours sculling a boat for my uncles and father. We youngsters got to paddle most of the time but we still loved it.
It was not unusual back then for one person to fish while the other paddled. That is why trolling motors are a standard on every fishing boat now. They allow you to fish while easing along fishing, not paddling.
No matter how expensive boats are, an awful lot of people have them. I prefer fishing boats but boats now come in specialized applications. Boats for skiing have come a long way too, and pleasure boaters can ride in rough water in dry comfort because of design improvements over the years.
If you have a boat it is probably a love/hate relationship. You love the pleasure the boat provides but hate the problems that always come with them.
But it seems the love always wins out!
