# 1448 or 1648 welded jon--which would you buy and why?



## thebeatles67 (Feb 20, 2012)

Haven't quite made up my mind--the 1648 has the obvious 2 extra feet---can handle twice the HP of the 1448--up to a 50HP (though I won't be buying a motor anytime soon)--this is my first boat- I have a 55 acre pond I will be using quite a lot but Santee Cooper (Lake Marion) is less than 60 miles away---the 1648 adds another 60 pounds of weight or so but adds extra total weight capacity....both would seem to be rather stable with the exact same 48" width..........looking at a Tracker Grizzly with a Minn Kota 55 lb Edge trolling motor initially..any and all comments or suggestions very welcome....no money spent yet. Help a newbie make the right call. Thanks.

Mike


----------



## Johny25 (Feb 20, 2012)

I would go with the 1648 for the room and the ability to put more HP on it someday. Unless you fish alone then a 1448 would be fine. I always want more room it seems.


----------



## kkrueger (Feb 20, 2012)

I had a 1648 and loved it, but had to sell it. Then I got a smaller boat. What I learned was the smaller boat fit in my garage uncovered with all my gear in it ready to go. I found it was far easier to slip away for a few hours and fish. Often times I'd get home early from work the bigger boat and by the time I uncovered it, loaded gear and batteries, then reverse the process when I got home it almost wasn't worth it.

Of course you may have a different storage situation than me.


----------



## Jdholmes (Feb 20, 2012)

You'll be polking along pretty slow with just a 55 troller on a 1648...nice size though.


----------



## djchris (Feb 20, 2012)

i chose a 1448 over bigger ones because it fits in my driveway better and during the winter i can store it in my garage along with all my other toys...it's easier to pull and easier to manuver on the water. I had bigger boats but never seemed to like them all that much. you can get a 1448 for quite a bit less than a 16 footer.....i paid 3400 dollars for a 2008 that was still new just left over stock. that price was with trailer and out the door tax title and license. and i can pull it with my lil ol' s10 like its not even back there and still maintain decent fuel mileage.


----------



## UtahBassKicker (Feb 20, 2012)

1648. Bigger=Better in my opinion.


----------



## FishingBuds (Feb 20, 2012)

I have a 1436 that fits in a garage with two vehicles and a 1448 will too. I want and I'm waiting for the right deal on a 1448!

I love the 14 length, easy to load back on a trailer by yourself, I've borrowed a 16 footer before and I slowly quit borrowing it because of dreading loading it by myself.

Another issue I like is you can get through some tighter places that require you to turn tighter which works well on a 14'. When you add the 48" width it's a perfect one to two person boat.

BUT, on big waters I would have to have a 16', around me it's old pits and a 1448 works perfectly.


----------



## 200racing (Feb 21, 2012)

i vote 16ft

i tried to do it all out of my 14ft. fished 2 and 3 people at a time, ponds,lakes,creeks,rivers,jugging,bass tournaments. was perfect some of the time others times made you wish you weren't on the water. 2 peoples rods, gear and cooler fill it up fast and every pound hurts your speed. 

16ft will do anything the 14ft will and more. you never know what the future holds and a 16 can be modded to do about anything.


----------



## thebeatles67 (Feb 21, 2012)

Thanks to all that responded so far------Looks about 50/50 so far with the responses. I was set on the 14ft until I read so much about the 16 and now Im tossing back and forth. Keep posting --thanks.


----------



## Jdholmes (Feb 21, 2012)

I'd for sure love to upgrade to a 16 when I can find a deal, but I have a motor...if you are just talking moving it with a troller, I just can't see that being enjoyable.


----------



## lovedr79 (Feb 21, 2012)

1648. I have a 1448 due to the deal I got on it, still would rather have the 1648


----------



## KevinWI (Feb 21, 2012)

That two extra feet makes a big difference in space...plus they are usually a little wider at the beam and a little deeper, can handle a larger motor and plenty of room for 3 people and a dog. I searched for 3 years looking for one in my price range....I could have gotten a 14', but I knew what I wanted...larger, more stable....roomy. I have a very small one car garage and have a trailer tongue that is hinged, so I can just swing the tongue back to allow it to fit in the garage. (and not have a knee banger either!  ) it's the cat's ass.


----------



## djchris (Feb 21, 2012)

the grizzly 1448 and the 1648 are the same bottom width and top width.....only 2ft length differance


----------



## MrSimon (Feb 22, 2012)

I've had both sizes, and they are both nice.

Obviously the extra length is nice, but the layout can also make a big difference in fishability. My 1448 was a tiller and the 1648 had a side console. I fished three guys out of each boat, and the 1448 was better because the middle guy could fish out both sides without stumbling over the console.

With that said, given the choice of a 1448 and a 1648 with the same layout, I'd get the 1648 hands down! Boats look really big in the driveway, but they shrink fast when you put them on a lake.

Of course, storage issues and cost might keep you in the smaller boat, which would be fine too.

Oh, and I used the same trolling motor on both boats .... the difference wasn't really noticeable. Slow is slow


----------



## surfman (Feb 22, 2012)

Bigger is always better, the only reason to go smaller is because you have to.


----------



## djchris (Feb 22, 2012)

surfman said:


> Bigger is always better, the only reason to go smaller is because you have to.


This is not a true statement! i went smaller cause i wanted too.....i could have bought a 20ft ranger if i wanted to but choose the small tin instead.......bigger is better in most situations but not always.....its what you want to do with it or intend to do with it....


----------



## Ictalurus (Feb 22, 2012)

Wise man say don't buy biggest boat you can afford, buy smallest boat you are comfortable in. 

Both of those Grizzlies are nice boats, not much price difference either (if I remember correctly). If you can fit the 1648 in your garage (or wherever you chose to store it) then I'd go that route. Although, if you get the 1448 I believe you'll be happy as well. I have a 1448 and love it, I'd like a bigger boat, mainly just for the fact of modding another boat, but fishing three people in a 1648 would still be tight.


----------



## Aaron Lariscy (Feb 22, 2012)

Three people in any tin boat is a tight fit in my opinion I prefer two at the most.


----------



## dahut (Feb 22, 2012)

All right here goes... Assuming you can only have one boat (gasp!) - get the larger one.

Here's my thinking. I'm in South Carolina, too. I can say that if you're even tempted to fish Santee Cooper, the 1648 will seem barely adequate. The two extra feet, weight capacity and power sounds great - but it's not that much out past the lily pads. 
You work up to Santee-Cooper in stages.
For a 55 acre pond, it will be plenty big... maybe, too much so. But it's doable - - certainly better than nothing.

So how about the 14 footer? On the S-C system? Hmmmm, limiting, certainly. Worrisome, even..... that is some big, wide water, brother. If you've been out on it, you know what I mean. If you're a small boat newbie, and have not, well... you're in for a shock. 

On your side is the fact that boats are designed to do one thing: float. And if it floats, you can fish from it... if you mind your limits. So, safety first down there! The stump and stubble fields alone command respect from seasoned boaters. Never mind the sudden squalls, broken shear pins and gators.
On the pond, the smaller boat will be fine, if still just a little hemmed in.

Were it me, I'd get the bigger boat, a BIG trolling motor and move something over to fit it in. This is because I would love the chance to regularly catfish on Moultrie-Marion. A record blue came out of there recently, trot-lined @ 136 lbs. 25 pounders are commonplace. Now, do that in a 14 foot boat!


----------



## djchris (Feb 22, 2012)

don't see a problem catching a big cat in a 14 footer. however i do agree with bigger water a bigger boat would be better BUT other than the 2 feet difference in size the 1448 grizzly and 1648 grizzly are the same boat.....both are same depth same width. don't know how that would make a difference on big water? i don't know how big the lake your were referring to is but i have been on a dinky 14 foot boat on shelbyville here in illinois which is a rather large lake and was fine. every boat is going to have it's limitations no matter what size. me personally prefer the small boat over a larger one....can be had for lil money can be towed easier can launch one from pretty much anywhere and can be dragged across a sand bar or whatever if your in a smaller river. easy to power and easier to put in a smaller garage or shelter. easier to maneuver around obstacles...don't need a larger trolling motor 12v 45lb is plenty.....just an easy boat all around.


----------



## clamman (Feb 23, 2012)

All else being equal, take the 1648...you will not regret it !


----------



## fender66 (Feb 23, 2012)

> BUT other than the 2 feet difference in size the 1448 grizzly and 1648 grizzly are the same boat



2 foot difference is a huge difference when you spend the day in the boat. Trust us. You won't regret it.

I went from a 1648 to a 1756 and it's like a large room addition. (less the fireplace and big screen TV)


----------



## dahut (Feb 23, 2012)

djchris said:


> don't see a problem catching a big cat in a 14 footer. however i do agree with bigger water a bigger boat would be better BUT other than the 2 feet difference in size the 1448 grizzly and 1648 grizzly are the same boat.....both are same depth same width. don't know how that would make a difference on big water? i don't know how big the lake your were referring to is but i have been on a dinky 14 foot boat on shelbyville here in illinois which is a rather large lake and was fine. every boat is going to have it's limitations no matter what size. me personally prefer the small boat over a larger one....can be had for lil money can be towed easier can launch one from pretty much anywhere and can be dragged across a sand bar or whatever if your in a smaller river. easy to power and easier to put in a smaller garage or shelter. easier to maneuver around obstacles...don't need a larger trolling motor 12v 45lb is plenty.....just an easy boat all around.


Define "Big" catfish! LOL  

The Santee Cooper system being referred to here is massive. It is comprised of two lakes, Marion and Moultrie, connected by a wide, 6 mile long diversion canal. Taken together they cover over 170,000 acres of fertile swamp water, touching on 5 counties - each about the size of Rhode Island. Your Shelbyville Lake, by contrast covers a "mere" 11,100 acres.

These lakes form a unique environment, even generating their own local weather patterns! You are dead right... 2 feet won't make much difference there. It is _something_, however, and if it's all the difference you can manage, then you better take it.... and keep a weather eye out at all times. Storms come up in a minute on S-C, and the weather can turn fast and nasty before you know it.

Most Santee Cooper cat fishing guides use heavy, shallow draft boats. Tri-toons big enough for half a dozen people are not uncommon.
Why shallow draft? Because the big fish are most often found waaaay out in the old river channels of the lakes, which themselves are quite shallow. When the lakes were formed in the 40's, no logging was done beforehand. So, when the water draws down in the summer, well... boats run a great risk of foundering in the stump fields that blanket portions of the lake. This doesn't even mention night running, or the fogs that cover the lakes at times.

Taking his two conditions into account, i.e., small 55 acre lake and these gargantuan, Southern stump bowls, I'd opt for large and shallow draft. Something we don't know about are the facilities he has available at the small lake. The Santee Cooper lakes are littered with good boating facilities, but the smaller one's offerings could be a deciding factor.


----------



## thebeatles67 (Feb 23, 2012)

Thanks again for all comments. As for Santee Cooper--Im very aware of the dangers of those two lakes--that would be down the road but I think I could use the 1648 easily in the connecting canal or near the banks--absolutley would never go out into the lake for the reasons you mention.

Looks like the thread is split 50/50 so far on the 1448 vs the 1648--Ill be deciding in the next month or so. The 55 acre farm pond is where this boat will get 95% of its work out this year.


----------



## djchris (Feb 23, 2012)

thanks for educating me on the santee cooper lake! i had no idea it was that massive.........


----------



## dahut (Feb 23, 2012)

thebeatles67 said:


> Thanks again for all comments. As for Santee Cooper--Im very aware of the dangers of those two lakes--that would be down the road but I think I could use the 1648 easily in the connecting canal or near the banks--absolutely would never go out into the lake for the reasons you mention.


Thank you! As this is your first boat I was worried. Often we get the 'boating glint' in our eye without realizing what we are about. News stories and statistics - the wrong kind - are made of such things.

The choice is yours; you obviously have your priorities sorted out.


----------



## dahut (Feb 23, 2012)

djchris said:


> thanks for educating me on the santee cooper lake! i had no idea it was that massive.........


Its hard to believe until you see it - or not. Normally, you can't see the other side.....
Its no small wonder that world record catfishes are caught there, time and again. Not to mention sunfish and others. I doubt anyone ever expected this outcome when the system was created.


----------



## Jay415 (Feb 23, 2012)

I was considering the 1448 and 1648 Alumacraft. I went with the 1648 to have more room. I'm very happy with my choice and I store mine in my garage also. I agree being able to keep the boat garaged and stocked with gear is a big plus! If you can only fit the 1448 in your garage and not the 1648, then I would go with the 1448 so it could be stocked and ready to go!


----------

