# which boat should I choose



## wiudavis (Apr 21, 2009)

Hello All,
I have been reading several of your posts and have decided to take on a challenge of my own. My father in law is offering me either one of his two boats. They are both from auctions and have never received much TLC. The choice is between a 14-48 Ouachita or a 16-48 Monarch. The monarch has had all the seats removed and measures 74" across the top and 49" across the existing floor. I am up in the air on which boat to choose. They both have their pro's and con's but after looking at your pictures anything is possible. I have never owned a boat before, so I am not sure if 16' is too much of a boat. I plan to use the boat for bass, crappie, and catfish. All advice is appreciated. I have attached a few pictures of each boat. Also I can switch the motors around, 15 hp Johnson, or a 20 hp Mercury.


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## Jim (Apr 21, 2009)

:WELCOME:

Thanks for joining! :beer:

In my opinion, Bigger is better! Go with the bigger one and you will have more options, and you will appreciate the extra space in the future.


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## ilinimud (Apr 21, 2009)

I would go with the 16 footer, and the 20hp motor. Like Jim said, you will love extra space.

What about trailers? if they will swap for both boats can you use the best one?


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## michiganman18 (Apr 21, 2009)

I agree with the other two posts. The extra 2 ft and extra 5 Hp
Bigger is better in some cases. :mrgreen:


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## seaarc (Apr 21, 2009)

I agree you will need the extra space plus the seats are already out so that saves you some time and work. Take your time planing it out and then go for it. 

good luck 

Dave


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## Captain Ahab (Apr 21, 2009)

What they said!

Welcome to TB


Please add your location in your profile


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## Loggerhead Mike (Apr 21, 2009)

x2 on the bigger boat/motor

welcome


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## grizzly (Apr 21, 2009)

"too much boat"? never heard of that before, that's funny. 16 footer all the way and let's see that thing get modified!


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## LarryA (Apr 21, 2009)

I'd go with the 16 footer. The pic looks like a nice boat. Wish I had gotten something like that.


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## daltonmcgill (Apr 21, 2009)

i would get the 16ft


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## TOTONKA (Apr 21, 2009)

There is no such thing as too much boat. I have a 21' Jon and sometimes wish it was bigger. The only point where there would be an extremely minimal difference would be how low in the water the 16 sets vs. the 14 and I doubt either one will be in the water more than 8-10 inches.... And there's rarely call to float that shallow...

Go with the 16' and figure out how to put a nice livewell in there that boat looks like it's just about ready to go catch some walleye!!!


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## INGrandad (Apr 21, 2009)

Ditto. Too much boat? Not likely.


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## wiudavis (Apr 21, 2009)

That is what I like to hear. I am in agreement with the 16ft'r. Now comes the hardest part. The layout!!!! I will keep you posted on the progress. Thanks again for all of your quick replies. The 16' Monarch wins 11-0. Anyone have any suggestions, that must go in the layout? I was thinking a raised front deck , then drop down to a lower middle section with a bench on the port side and a small deck in the back.


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## ilinimud (Apr 22, 2009)

That sounds good. Add lots of storage room. Leave space for a nice livewell. Make sure you have a spots for rods so they can stay organized.


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## TOTONKA (Apr 22, 2009)

What's your budget?

What do you want to do with the boat? Fish, bowfish, duck hunt, joy ride, river fishing, lake fishing?

What are you going to fish for? 

If you're fishing panfish vs. muskie that could determine your livewell size.

See if you can snag that trolling motor too!

I like a front deck and a back deck. Under the back deck you can hide your batteries and fuel tank.

Most guys like to go with plywood here, I like to spend the extra coin and go with all aluminum/stainless + no rust, no rot, sronger, lighter!!

If you go with plywood, use stainless screws to hold it together.

I think for fishing, there are a few things that are a must if you are going to do it right...

1) a livewell
2) Rod locker @ least 7-8 ft long so you can use 1 piece rods. (or long enough for what rods you will use)
3) Flat floor (is nice more than a must)
4) Marker lights (So night won't stop the bite)
5) Comfy seats 

Just my $.02 hope it helps.

Make sure to take pictures and share!!

If you want some cool ideaslook at this site, their accessories are interesting and fun to look at.

https://www.gatortraxboats.com/Accessories.htm


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## MikeA57 (Apr 22, 2009)

I've got a 14' and wish every day that it was 16' or bigger. You'll love the 48" width, it's super stable. I agree about checking out the trailer very well too. (I've also got a 25 on mine and I wish it was a 40.)

One other question that ToTonka didn't ask was how many people will be in the boat when you go fishing?

Mike


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## ober51 (Apr 22, 2009)

I say 16'. If you don't mind me asking, how much is that guy charging for the 16' Monark?


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## wiudavis (Apr 22, 2009)

Thanks for the input Totonka. I am not dead set on a budget yet, that is still up in the air. I plan to use this boat in my subdivision mainly, we have two large lakes. I will be fishing for bass and crappie for the most part. However I live near the Illinois River so I will be doing some catfishing also. I imagine there will be 2-3 people in the boat most of the time. How hard is building a live well? It sounds difficult. 

As for the boats cost, it is free. My father in law bought me the boat at an auction last year. I think he pretty much stole it, but I am not sure on the price.


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## wiudavis (Apr 22, 2009)

Rookie mistake..I should search before I post. I just read an awesome article about building your own livewell. Much easier than I imagined.


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## baptistpreach (May 4, 2009)

WAIT WAIT!! Take the 14 fter! Whatever you do, dont take the Monark! Then, PM me your dad's number, and I'll take it off his hands :lol: 

Great opportunity! I hope you turn it into a fishing machine! The Monark's just keep popping up on this site, and welcome to the wonderful Monark Brotherhood!


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## wiudavis (May 4, 2009)

Update. Well the 20 hp Mercury was locked up. We removed the plugs thinking it might be "hydro locked" (I think that is the term) but the rope still wouldn't budge. I then went to the tradin post and bought a Mariner 28 with electric start and throttle cables. I got a heck of a buy on it, but when I picked it up I realized it was a long shaft. Two questions, how hard is it to install a steering console, and two is there any problems with a long shaft motor on a boat with a regular length transom? I realize the motor will be deeper in the water, but what other problems do you face?


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## Zum (May 5, 2009)

I'd seroiusly think about building a jackplate(or raising transom).
It will be in the water further,might hit more stuff
Wouldn't handle as good,especially in turns.
I'm thinking with that much in skag in the water the bow will "dig" in?
Plus more drag(speed) and I think maube more spray behind boat.
You can use it though.

Bend some aluminum with some wood inbetween it.(may not need the wood)
Pretty sure theres a few mods on here that did it.


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## seaarc (May 6, 2009)

Here's a link to what I used for my long shaft motor.https://www.thmarine.com/product.cfm?PRID=23

You can look in my gallery to see pics of it and my console. Not too hard to do this and it works great. Give me a holla if you have any questions.

Dave


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## wiudavis (May 7, 2009)

Thats for the help. Seaarc, thanks for the link. Now with that mini jacker, what is the other piece in the photo from th marine? It looks like a block of wood divided into 4 pieces. My brother in law is a welder, so I was going to have him fabricate me one of these beauties out of stainless. I wasn't sure what that other piece was, or if it were necessary. I like what you have done with your boat too. My outboard motor is also setup for a steering column, is there anything special that is needed if you place your motor on a mini jacker and have steering controls? I plan to build my column out of wood also, if I cannot find an old one at my local marina. Thank you so much for your help.


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## seaarc (May 7, 2009)

wiudavis said:


> Thats for the help. Seaarc, thanks for the link. Now with that mini jacker, what is the other piece in the photo from th marine? It looks like a block of wood divided into 4 pieces. My brother in law is a welder, so I was going to have him fabricate me one of these beauties out of stainless. I wasn't sure what that other piece was, or if it were necessary. I like what you have done with your boat too. My outboard motor is also setup for a steering column, is there anything special that is needed if you place your motor on a mini jacker and have steering controls? I plan to build my column out of wood also, if I cannot find an old one at my local marina. Thank you so much for your help.



Your welcome. Yes the other piece is just a block of wood. I am not sure why they cut the devision lines in it but it is needed, it gives you something to clamp the motor to, like the wood in most transoms.You will have to decide where you want the console to be in the boat so that you can measure to determine how long of a stearing cable you will need. I used a stearing setup by Teleflex there web site will show you how to measure for the cable. Here is a link for Teleflex https://www.teleflexmarine.com/steering-us/
I used one of the top three mechanical stearing system can't remember which one. You can check with a local marine supply store to see what they carry that's what I did. If you have access to someone that can weld that's a great way to go just cut a block of 2x? to put in it. The local marine store may have one in stock that you can get some measurements off of.
good luck Dave


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## ober51 (Jul 20, 2009)

Out of curiosity, any progress on your Mon Ark?


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