Couple of interesting ideas there, may try them out. I put Scotty flush bases on the seats, and use the adj extenders to mount fishfinder and rod holders, right beside me , I find them handier that way, anchor mounts on 4 corners. Mine is a 10ft Fly Fishing for Reel wood punt. Sliding seat mounts make sense, oar hangars as well. The FIshfinder magnetic mount is what I use, pretty much bulletproof mount, put the transponder anywhere on the boat. Also, use a 55 trolling motor, it'll push a 14ft V hull along PDQ, got me off elec motor only lakes with severe wind as well, it's handy to have that power when you need it.
Great video! Loads of great information and ideas. +1 on the 40" minimum width, had a 32" it was so tippy. Thanks for sharing your experience with the Journey boats.
I prefer the Marlon 10'. The biggest advantages of the Marlon are its 30 lbs lighter which now that I'm in my mid 40's is a huge deal for lifting onto the roof of my truck. Plus the bottom width is 51" instead of the Journeys 45" which makes it way more stable and give me far more room. I have two permanent seat mounts, one on the back bench positioned centre-left and one on the front bench positioned centre with seats that slide and lock into the mounts. I have Scotty anchor mounts on the front and rear right side as I like mounts to be on one side only as to allow the other side to be free to play a fish. I built floor board out of 2" rigid foam with a vinyl layer glued ontop and I notched it for the cross braces so that it's a flat bottom, plus being rigid foam means my floor boards are the lightest you can get but support the weight of a 200lbs guy like me. The advantages of the Journey over the Marlon is the Journey seats are easier to mount due to the Marlon benches going right to the floor and requiring toggle bolts and the boat is heavier and supports 10hp motor over the Marlon 5hp. Also the Marlin has trouble planing unless you get a 5hp Yamaha F5 and front load the boat with gear. For me, I mostly just use a 55lbs thrust electric so not a big deal but if you fish bigger lakes and have an outboard this is a major consideration. To me, if I wanted an outboard, a Yamaha and front loading is far more worth it than throwing out my back due to weight and losing width. The Journeys are amazing boats though. In conclusion, If I was trailering and fishing bigger lakes more, I'd get a Journey hands down, but as a car topper and fishing small to mid size lakes that require difficult off-road to get into that makes trailering impossible, the Marlon is the right choice. Also if you fish alone a lot where you don't have a 2nd guy to help you take the boat off the roof, Marlon is better. 135lbs Journey with your arms spread apart is doable but you risk back injury (if you're getting old like me 😉).
Another fantastic tutorial. Super specific, well thought out and directed at the type of fishing we do here in the interior! One question - I know you said you'd do an update on the r-5 rod holders vs the standard scotty fly rod holders - any chance you could give a go/no-go answer? I need to buy some new rod holders and I'm trying to figure out what type to get.
We like the original Scotty Rod holders over the R5s. The R5s are generic (fit many rod styles) and therefore a bit sloppy with some fly rods (especially the ones with smaller grips and no fighting butt). We have also experiences some rod/reel combos jamming up when a fish pulls the reel into the housing and not letting it spin freely. Never had an issue with te original! If it ain't broke ....... :)
Great video. I currently fish out of a Scadden Renegade mostly. I do have a 12’ Jon boat, but it’s only 32” wide. I agree 40” is a minimum. I might get it out and do some work this winter to get it useable.
2 questions - are your boats in the video the 10's or 12's? can I fit both a gas and electric motor? It looks like it in one shot, but seems like the handles are right where the electric would go.
1) The boat in the video was a Journey 9-6. Their design makes them feel like a much bigger boat ... tons of room! :) 2) Our Minnkotas clear the handles and we often have both the gas and electric motors strapped on.
The Journey 11-6 is rated for 4 people ( journeyboats.ca/features-specifications/ ). But you're right, whichever boat you choose you should follow the recommended weight/people/HP ratings ...
@@BCFlyguys OK, i got 6.5' oars for my jon boat, fits diagonally in the bed. I just wonder how people without pickups do it. One day, i will not have a truck, which will make things interesting.
