Dashunde

Yea, she can help load/unload, but that's a secondary issue.. first I'd have to figure out how to haul any boat over 12ft in a short bed truck. We have a family house at the 7 mile marker on LOTO and we go frequently but its far too rough for anything smaller than 26+ foot, but we also like to float and wanted quick day trips for a change in scenery... in hindsight I kind of wish I'd have kept the Champion for traveling use on Mark Twain and Table Rock. Then again..going to Mark Twain.. it takes longer to hookup/drive/unload/load/drive and finally unhitch/cover/secure at storage than it does to just drive 2.2 hours to LOTO where our larger boats/seadoo's are sitting there waiting on the hoists and usually full of fuel courtesy of Dad. Speaking of Dad.. he wants a little fishing boat for inside their cove.. maybe I'll just give him the 2hp Yamaha and rent whatever I need for floating MO's rivers?

I already have a 2hp Yamaha 2-stroke that runs really good. So, maybe I should consider a flat-back canoe? It would fit well with any shuttle service, so would the tiny motor, and its obviously the right boat type for intended use. But.. its a lot more tippy and its notably longer which will be an issue when trying to haul it anywhere with a Tundra crewmax shortbed. My neighborhood frowns on trailers and misc stuff sitting around the house, and I'm not going to pay storage for just a Jon boat, I sold a really nice Champion F&S mostly because of storage issues.. cost, covers, mildew trying to get a foothold, darn mice, etc.. I don't want another Jon boat/trailer hogging up my 3rd car garage, thats the main reason I sold my like-new 2008 14' Lowe w/15hp Yamaha in the photo below.. and it really just wasn't the right kind of boat for anywhere I wanted to go - too small/slow for cruising large water, and it was way too nice for banging around on rocks. I'm in STL and we're starved for good small lakes.. no public lakes like KC's Longview, Blue Springs/Jacomo, Smithville or Hillsdale, otherwise I'd have kept that nice little Lowe in the photo.. In fact, I'd probably still have the Champion if decent lakes were close by.

Hi all, I'm trying to zero in on the right kind of lazy days float trippin' boat that'll fit well with a pickup and small camper set-up (no boat trailer) Ideally I'd like to put in and motor up-stream till I run out of gas (or battery), maybe camp overnight at the turn-around, and float on back to where I started. I'm considering something like a flat-bottom Lowe L1240 that can ride the truck bed or on top of our RV trailer. It seems the best option is the wide flat bottom for stability, especially with a young kid climbing in/out and some gear aboard, but I have no idea how well it'll really do on typical float trip waters here in MO (especially in the shallows?) I'm 230 LB, wifey is around 120, daughter is 50 pounds and growing fast. (Plus whatever gear we take) What would you guys buy for use with a tiller trolling motor or 4-5hp 4-stroke? Thanks!

Lot of info there, and thanks for all of it. Well... I stumbled upon a 2005 Lowe MV1462 (high sided deep/mod V) with a 15hp Yamaha 4-stroke and nice trailer, all of it is in like new condition, I dont think its even broken in yet. Its been sitting silent indoors for 8-9 years. Still has the sharpie marks on the bottom of the hull where they laid out their rivet holes. I took it out on the Quiver the other day, it does fine, needs ballast or another person up front and I've determined that I detest 15+hp tillers, so its getting forward controls asap because I much prefer a steering wheel and for better balance. It hit ~24mph with just me weighing down the tail, and should do even better when I move forward, raise the motor a bit, and can use a trim position up from dead bottom. It has lots of spray and pulls right hard enough to annoy me plenty as-is. So its not so hot for the Meramec, It'll be a bit heavier with a steering wheel, its also only .050 metal. I know the 14 footer isnt ideal for any of the STL waterways... but it fits in my 3rd car garage and leaves room for the mower, grill and plow tractor Its a shame about the MO being dicey, I'm only 10 minutes from the ramp at Augusta, its even angled upstream instead of sideways to the flow. But I know a guy who regularly puts a 14ft Tracker in at St Charles...? Now that you know what I have - Where are a few good places I should use it? Keep in mind, and I know this is blasphemy around here... I dont fish, dont even own a rod, but I love boating and you folks are the ones to talk to about that around here Also... since I'm already here.. would my boat be any good on the Gasconade if I put in at Hermann or Gasconade MO?

Hi all, I'm trying to settle in on what hull I want to buy for use on all of the waters around St Louis... Meramec, Quiver, Missouri & Illinois rivers. I'm thinking a 14 footer semi-V would work fine, but the catch is that I want to "float" it on most of the Meramec when levels permit. (is that just dumb?) My wife and I like to float with the kid and I think the Meramec is the cleanest waters with the best scenery we have available around here, but we're not crazy about needing a canoe too. I have a nice 2hp, 6hp 4stroke and 15hp and I'm trying to pick a hull that'll work decently on all waterways with just a quick motor swap. I'm also adding a tiller handled trolling motor for silent running if the floating thing works out. Ideally, we'd put in somewhere (seeking location recommendations) West of Pacific, motor upstream and float back. Currently at the top of my list is the Alweld 1444 FV double seat - it has a V nose that transitions to a flat bottom at the transom. They also have 1442 V that is 5.5 deg at the transom, its a little cheaper too. Both are around 250 pounds empty. My hopes are it would be fine on larger/rougher waters doing 20mph or so with a 15+hp, yet still flat enough for a shallow draft with a 2-6hp despite my 240 pound fat arse in the back. Or should I just add a flat-back canoe for the floating stuff and move up to a 16 footer with a 25-35hp for other waters? Waddya think?