What To Consider When Looking For A Family Fishing Boat

Dad wants to seriously fish. Mom wants to leisurely cruise. Junior wants to race around and maybe ski. Sis wants to get pulled on a tube or board. The dog wants room to lay down without getting stepped on.

So the boat that enables both casting for bass and trolling for stripers, that enhances quiet evening cruises, that blows the hat off your head and puts a spike in its roostertail wake, that makes a two-person tube fly airborne over the boat wake….in other words the boat that makes everyone happy….

Really doesn’t exist. There’s just no perfect all-purpose boat, no perfect family fishing boat, and no perfect family boat — unless all family members want the same activity. This is especially true if fishing is a major reason for ownership.

Some Possibilities

That’s not to say that there aren’t boats that will pass-ably do the various things that family members want. A bowrider is one example. Usually, however, you’re compromising in some way(s).

Most bass boats, for example, as well as flats boats, don’t accommodate the entire family comfortably, since they’re geared to stand-and-cast angling. When choosing a fishing boat many anglers have purchased twin-console bass boats as a family fishing boat, only to be disappointed in the more cramped environment such a vessel possesses, even though it’s been billed as a boat that “the whole family can enjoy.”

If there’s any vessel that could possibly lay claim to being a family fishing boat for saltwater, or freshwater, or all-around family boat, it’s a pontoon. Provided it’s a large model powered by a big engine. Long-shaft high-powered electric motors can make pontoons reasonably maneuverable, and for some types of fishing (like in big freshwater lakes for catfish, bluegill, and crappie, and in near-shore saltwater for bottom drift fishing), a family or group of anglers can make a good day of it while also enjoying sunset cruises, mid-day beach excursions, and even float-about picnics or barbecues.

Basic Considerations

Obviously you have to establish priorities and start with that if you’re hoping to find a suitable family fishing boat. Many boats can be equipped with accessories to enable different types of fishing, as well as towing skiers/boarders/tubers/swimmers (think swim ladders), so your boat can do double- or triple-duty. I’ve owned numerous fishing boats that have also taken people skiing, tubing, swimming, shelling, birdwatching, cruising, clamming, and even doing aquatic research.

If you’re looking for a family fishing boat first, and a general-purpose family vessel second, here are compulsory items to think about, putting aside budget, trailering, and brand considerations.

• Size and power. You need room for the whole crew as well as for fishing activities, comfortable seating, and places or compartments for gear, cooler, PFDs, etc. Obviously, longer and wider is better. A fuel-efficient engine powerful enough to move a full-capacity boat and make good headway under all conditions is also important.

• Stability. Wide-beam boats are the most stable. Remember that the water is often choppy or rough, so this encompasses comfort and safety.

• Comfort. A head (toilet), cabin, and galley are mainly considerations for larger vessels, big-water fishing, and long excursions. A t-top or Bimini top provides shade on smaller boats.

• Fishing features. This includes ample rod holders, baitwell and/or livewell (which take up storage space), remote-controlled bow-mounted electric motor, shallow water anchor(s), and fishing/navigation electronics.

Whatever boat you seriously consider, try it out first on the water with your crew. Seek advice from others with the same, or similar, boat, and who have been down this path before you.