boat advice

[damonrowe]

newbie here, taking Asa 101, 103 and 104 next month. I plan to live aboard and cruise the coast of Florida and the Bahamas. I need recommendations for a boat style that would be comfortable to dive and fish from that will not break the bank. Can't afford a newer boat Ie Jeanneau, what "older" aka more affordable boats had platforms, my budget right now is 20k.

[deluxe68]

We would need more information, how many people on board for starters?

[Scot McPherson]

Without being able to tell you which boat to buy, I can tell you that with your chosen activities, you will want a boat that has a sugar scoop or swim platform. I think those will be essential for your added enjoyment making scuba, snorkling, swimming etc a lot easier to do for a family.

Fishing from a sailboat is a little tricky because of the rigging. This will be more a choice of equipment than choice of boat. If you are going to troll, then a couple senators and rods to match will be good. For fishing at anchor, or drifting over reefs you'll want shorter medium power and medium speed casting rods in the 5.5 to 6 ft size. Anything larger or too powerful and fast will quickly become problematic because you won't have a full casting swing available to you. You'll want a rod you can pitch with...If you fish you know what that means, if you don't...well then you'll need to learn what I just talked about.

Plastic squids let to drag 100 ft behind the boat are perhaps the most universal bait for most desirable fish that you troll for. Everything else will depend on what you are targetting and where.

You will need to rinse you stuff OFTEN...i.e. if you fish, rinse your stuff...including lures regardless of whether they are stainless hardware or not. You can use freshwater lures if you want as well but only if you religiously rinse your gear in fresh water and dry them before stowing them away again.

[Scott Berg]

Side note worth paying attention to:
if you want to fish from a cruising boat read Scott Bannerot's book; besides that, it's your first boat; get something you can afford and learn! Go for it!

https://www.amazon.com/Cruisers-Hand.../dp/0071427880

[damonrowe]

thanks for the advice everyone. I have been looking for swim platforms, did not know a sugar scoop was the same.

[JPA Cate]

Try Googling Sugar Scoop Sailboat Sterns, check the images.

Ann