boat and motor for 11 point

[snap]

I am looking to purchase a boat and motor to use on the 11 point river. Any suggetions that may help me ??? what are some specifics ...good and bad...thanks!!!

[Gavin]

All welded jon boats with 25hp jet drives are the motor boat of choice on the 11pt. Blazers, Xterminators, and Allwelds seem to be the most popular hulls. Hope you dont buy one though. Jet boats provide a great deal of personal mobility, but the really spoil a lot of other peoples ability to enjoy the river in peace and quiet. Cheers.

[RiverRunner]

Isn't there a 25 HP limit in both MO & AR on the Eleven Point? I fish the river a lot between Myrtle, MO and Dalton ,AR and it seems that everyone has a big motor with 25 HP stickers. I even saw a big boat with a 125 Mercury jet that had the 1 removed from the 125 on the cowling. It is obvious that hardly anyone is running a real 25, at least in the stretch that I fish. The last time I checked, nobody made a 25 HP V-6 outboard. You would think that the game wardens would start enforcing the law.

I fish the river out of my 20' White River jonboat with a prop-driven 15 Merc, and it does just fine, but you have to take 2 vehicles to avoid fighting your way upriver over the shoals. I have also fished out of conventional 14 ft aluminum jon boats and done fine as well. Just pull up the motor when going over a shoal.

[steve l]

Gavin, hear hear.

[riverrat]

I own a jet boat and love to fish Ozark streams for smallmouths, but I never use the jet for smallmouth fishing. I can't understand why anyone would choose a jet over floating or wading- it's not the same experience at all.

[snap]

Gavin...thanks and I know what you are saying. I am more interested in getting to spots and camping than roaring up and down the river. I am a wader ...cannot fish from a canoe...much less a boat. I want to be able to get somewhere...a few different spots in mind...stay for a couple of days, and move on. I want to carry my full campsite and is too difficult to do in a canoe!!!..Whiten is the best put in for me...and want to be able to get up river....I do not care for and would not be a fish the hole and race to the next one type of fisherman....most recently camped and waded white creek area 5 days without leaving!!!...could do it again starting tomorrow if I was able!!!..work obligation...

[Mark]

I'm with you Snap. Does anybody know where we can find a boat and jet prop? Surely, someone is the Alton area knows where we could buy one.

[jdmidwest]

If you are looking for a jet boat, try the shop in Doniphan. They know what they are doing and will set you up with a good rig. Or you can buy a kayak and fish out of that. I fish 11 pt both ways and wade in winter time. Depends on which end of the river I fish. Jet boats are noisy and a nuisance on the weekends, but since the 25 hp rule went into effect, it is better than the old days. I have seen water skiing below Whitten on the weekends before the 25 hp rule. That made for a big cluster f... The big boats tend to stay on the lower current river now. With the water flows of the past 5 years, most everything above Whitten has been off limits to even a jet. On a single day trip I tend to take the jet boat and motor up from Riverton to above Whitten and drift back. Can cover water faster if weather moves in. If I have more than 1 day, I take a float in the yak and wade fish the other day. Since the trophy area formed, the best fish are down below Turner in the deeper holes.

[Mark]

Thanks, JD. I'm with you on being responsible and considerate of others on the river with a motor boat. Snap and I have been coming down to the Eleven Point for 10 years and love the rugged wilderness aspect of the river, and sometimes too many motor boats interrupt the isolated feel to the river. But we won't be the ones you see racing up and down the river all day. We prefer to wade fish. The shortest trip you can make is seven miles and in a canoe we find ourselves paddling or "making time" more than we want to in order to get to the takeout spot by dark. That would be the biggest advantage of a motor boat vs. a canoe to us.

What's the name of the boat place in Doniphan?

Thanks, Mark

[Kicknbass]

I'm with you Snap. Does anybody know where we can find a boat and jet prop? Surely, someone is the Alton area knows where we could buy one.

Look on this web site or Call and talk to David Martin at Ernies Sales and Service out of Ellington, MO.

http://www.jetdoctor.net/index.php