First time boat owner

[OkieJoe72]

If you’re next to a husband yelling at his wife because he’s an idiot and can’t load the boat on the trailer, do not offer any advice. It will only cause the husband to yell at his wife louder.

 

[Shoot Summ]

We've owned a boat for over 25 years, they are a lot of fun, and can produce many hours of enjoyment.

Like anything they have to be properly maintained, and you have to match the boat to the activity.

I would be reluctant to get out on any lake in a small, flat bottomed boat. There are some big boats that make large wakes, even in a 20' deep V it can get rough at times.

I would prefer a pontoon, great platform for fishing, outboard motor that is easier to service and repair.

 

[dancer4life]

I totally agree with all said so far. I keep my plugs in at all times since I store my boat on a lift in a covered dock.
Another important thing is to make sure you keep your motor serviced and running well. You don’t want to get out on the water and can’t start your motor.
Remember safety is king. Here is a link to the Oklahoma Boating Safety and the the safety boating course

http://204.61.10.226/lp/lps.htm
https://www.boat-ed.com/oklahoma/?c...P4o8ABiuRU2MSpqBvT6WSRVUU2kI0mlRoC9iMQAvD_BwE
Have fun and watch out for the crazies!

 

[Chief Sapulpa]

You'll need to register both the boat and motor with the state. Insurance is not a requirement for registration although you'd be foolish not to have it.
Boat trailers do not need to be registered in OK however, if you travel to other states you may be hassled for lack of plates; I carry a bill of sale and a copy of this document with me when I travel: https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok...-policy/trailer-registration/noncomletter.pdf
I addition to the other gear recommended about you'll probably need a couple of dock lines and an anchor/rode.
Tall rubber boots for use at the launching ramp when the water's cold.

 

[swampratt]

Fish finders have not caught me any fish.
Probably do not know how to use one.
They will find you drop off's and the channel etc.

I like to troll and that will find fish. Follow the birds and I like to fish along a rip rap in a boat or a water intake tower if there is one.
Drifting shad in a river or a lake chanel is productive.

If you set out jug lines you can find area's in a lake that produce more than others.
Sometimes I park the boat on the land and set my poles out.
Usually park in the shade somewhere as being in that sun all day will cook you.

I do not take beer or alcohol of any kind on my boat I am there to fish and put meat in my belly.
Plenty of water and food of course.
I fished from a canoe for decades and was on Eufaula Lake when a storm came up I had one other guy in the boat and my causing and his 2 buddies were in a gas powered Jon boat.
They tossed the minnows from the bucked and the shad from the 5 gallon bucket. Bailing out water with both buckets
It was all they could do to keep that boat from sinking.
They made it to shore barely.

There was 1 fiberglass bass boat on the lake where we were with that pointy nose and he had that nose trimmed way up and waves crashing over
the front and trying to fill that boat.

In the canoe i would ride the swells from top to bottom and in the bottom of the swell all you could see was water No highway bridge in sight.

We took in maybe 1/2" of water in the bottom of that canoe.
We got to the shore which was the rip rap next to a bridge and a couple guys in the Jon boat thought we had died because we would disappear
in the swells.
When they seen how much water we took in they wanted to take the canoe out in it.
We emptied our fishing equipment and off 2 of them went.

17 foot poly canoe made by coleman.

 

[n423]

I had a boat for years and loved boating. My stepdad had a few boats at Eufaula and a cabin, lots of good memories. Be careful.

 

[Chief Sapulpa]

If you boat solo, make sure you use the tethered motor shut-off lanyard device and wear an automatically inflatable vest. If you fall overboard you'll want the boat to stop and if you hit your head at least you'll float until recovered. Also make sure you have a way to get back aboard from the water.

 

[Hangfire]

I had three friends die by drowning/hypothermia while duck hunting on Kaw Lake using a Jon boat when high winds hit and flooded their boat.
Participated in the recovery effort for country singer Craig Strickland when he died on Kaw lake while duck hunting in a Jon boat.
Participated in the shore search via our ATV club when two dentists from Tulsa died on Kaw Lake while duck hunting in a Jon boat.
The final analysis is that duck hunting is deadly, or Jon boats are extremely dangerous because they are designed for creeks and rivers, not open water.
Be cautious. In cold water, you have about 30 seconds before losing the ability to pull yourself out of the water. If you do pull yourself out, hypothermia will likely kill you if you don't have dry clothes to change into.
Boating kills thousands of people a year, be aware of the limitations of your personal watercraft.
If you do go out in cold weather and high winds, be sure to wear one of the self inflation life jackets so the rescue people can find you before the turtles get their fill.
If not, it will be a month or two before the water warms enough to generate internal gasses that will make a carcass rise to the surface.
You might be able to see that I'm not a fan of Jon boats on Arcadia or any open water.

Back around 76' myself and two other dumba$$es like me wanted to try duck hunting for the first time on Marion Res. in Kansas and one of the fellas had a small 'X' foot jon boat to get us out to a small island around 150 yds. offshore........with us and all our gear we had the little boat way overloaded and we pretty much knew it but being in our mid twenties, tougher than nails and invincible we went ahead and slowly putt putted out to the little island breaking thin ice as we went.

With no deeks, calls, blind or camo we never even had a duck come within shooting range and about an hour or so of being on the little island the wind came up pretty good and it started snowing and spitting sleet so we loaded back in the jon boat and started slowly putt putting back to shore.

We were darn near freezing to death and getting hammered by sleet and a strong north wind headed in and the fella in the front of the boat (I was in the middle) told the fella operating the motor to speed up and as soon as he did water instantly started coming in over the front of the boat and filled up turning over on it's side and we all three went under in about 8' of ice cold water and it was every man for himself.

I had just bought a brand new Remington 1100 12 ga. and was holding it in one hand and was wearing a bulky green Army field jacket with liner (which became like a sponge) and I had at least three boxes of loose shells stuffed in the four pockets and I sank like a rock never letting go of my new shotgun........luckily I touched firm bottom and pushed up hard but with all the weight I was barely able to get my face above water just long enough to gulp some air and I went back under again.

Going back under and somehow keeping my wits about me I knew that I was in deep **** and knew that if I didn't shed the heavy water logged field jacket filled with ammo and my new shotgun that I was done for.......I let go of the shotgun pushed up hard for another breath of air and was able to get out of the heavy field jacket while under water then pushed up again and this time I was able to keep my head above water and swim a few yards till I could walk out of the water.

The fella in the front of the boat had already made it back to shore but the fella driving the boat was afraid to let go of the up turned boat and was clinging to it........some people on shore saw what was going on and had quickly driven to the game wardens shack close by and while racing back to us he had called for a ambulance.

All of us on shore kept yelling at the fella still clinging to the boat to let go and swim to shore which he finally did.

It was a cold wet ride back to Wichita and being young we didn't realize then just how lucky we were to be alive.

After we left the game wardens were able to retrieve the boat and whatever else was floating and we went back the next day to claim it.

 

[kd5rjz]

If you haven't spent much time in a boat, you might benefit from some training. US Powerboating, NASBLA, and others offer online courses that can teach you some basics before you get out on the water. As others have mentioned, definitely put safety first. Warm water and low wind create a much safer environment to learn in, if you're in doubt when you get the ramp and see white capped waves crashing into the bank keep it on the trailer and don't become a statistic.

https://www.nasbla.org/education/taking-a-boat-course

 

[Dorkus]

They tossed the minnows from the bucked and the shad from the 5 gallon bucket. Bailing out water with both buckets
It was all they could do to keep that boat from sinking.

A trick I have used many times in my little 16 foot V-bottom is to go at a good speed and pull the plug. All the water in the boat will run out while you are going. It doesn't take too much speed, just enough to get you going.