hey everyone. im kinda new to this forum and new to fishing. this year has been my first full year seriously fishing and actually catching fish. i dont really know much about the inland lakes except lake pleasant and eaton. i really want to head out to pymy, wilhelm, and possibly shenango with my dad before the summer ends. unfortunately, i only have a 14 foot boat. i have oars and an unrealiable electric motor. would i be alright on these lakes with my boat?

Welcome aboard matt.

I have a 14 foot jon & have been out almost every weekend this year.
Just watch the weather & pick the lake accordingly. Wind direction plays a big part...
Pymie will be iffy almost any day without a reliable motor; can kick up quick!
A south wind on pymie - even a fairly light one (5-10mph) - can really get it churning. (for a small boat)
Take the same wind speed from the west & it's not bad.
There have been a few times this year I thought it was good from the dock, only to get out a ways & find it capping.
Headed back to a safe harbor & fished the shallow water.
Just play it safe & when in doubt, don't go out.

Tight lines

alright. thanks alot. from what ive seen the shore fishing at pymy is great so i might get into that too

14 ft is fine but i would not go out with out an outboard.  with you having a 14ft you dont need a 20 you could get by with an 8hp which are on craigslist quite a bit.  keep your eye open and find one cheep.  pymi is a big inland lake and it can get ugly very fast. Welcome to the boards as well good luck to you and be safe

well, I feel silly now.

in the day, I used to fearlessly Canoe shenango-
was it safe? yep, except when It wasn't. (nothing happened but one day gave me a scare)

so... I think it greatly depends what you mean by "safe"... Just like icefishing, you've got to figure out, what conditions are too dangerous to test (and that includes the distance from the boat launch) and stick to it.

well i do have a couple gas motors. since im still sorta young (19), my dad still has somewhat of a word over me and what we do with the boat. 1 or 2 of the motors would be perfect but we need a new transom to put one on. i think we should just sell this boat and get a new, sturdy boat and put one of the engines on. thanks for all the info everyone