I'm a complete amateur when it comes to fishing and boating. But my 12 year old loves to fish. He has joined the fishing team at school and will be fishing with a friend and his son who are much more knowledgeable than I am. So I gotta atleast learn a little. If we end up buying a boat, my 17 year old will be going with me too..and possibly my wife...and even my dad at times. So I don't think the standard bass boat will work with 4 or more people.

Option 1. Buy a smaller used pontoon that is geared more toward fishing. I've seen some with seats on the front that I'm thinking would work well. I'm thinking a smaller boat would be easier to handle.. but I may be wrong.

Option 2. My wife's cousin has given us a pontoon. The thing is huge. I'm thinking 30 feet. It has the seats on the front deck. It has a top deck.The wood decking is still in real good shape. 120hp Johnson motor. But has been sitting for over 10 years. I know that the motor was properly stored when it was parked. It has sit under a cover, so it is in overall good shape. Vinyl seats are still good. But I figure the motor needs some work, and possibly the wiring. Her uncle used the pontoon to fish on Smith Lake and would fish for a day or two before coming home.

I'm guess my question is would the bigger pontoon be worth the effort?