Hello!  I am a newbie to the middle Allegheny River but just bought a place near Tidioute.  I am looking to buy a fishing boat  to fish (all seasons, all species) the Allegheny from the dam to Tionesta.  Any advice from the "pros", "semi-pros" and highly ranked "amateurs"  would be greatly appreciated!!!  I am not looking to impress anyone.  Just looking for a functional fishing boat that can take me where the fish are and interesting places to visit on the middle Allegheny River.  I can afford to spend +/-$7,000-$15,000 (obviously used price)
Aluminum?
Flat bottom or modified V?
Overboard: Prop or Jet? (interested in functionality over speed)
40 HP or 60 HP
16 or 18 foot (two overweight fisherman, child and their lunches)?
Trolling motor size?
 
Thanks in advance!!!

Thanks Walcat!!!

anything up there flat bottom and jet. its very shallow in spots and also big boulders under the water. go easy ur first couple times.

grazie lupo!

What they said, but, if you find a deal on a bigger boat and motor, go for that.  18' with 90 hp jet (or larger) will do just fine.  24v 55#+ thrust trolling motor/good batteries up front and a good rock anchor will help ya out too.
Can "almost" never go wrong with a little bigger boat.  
 
I know a 16' Lowe roughneck can get a little tight on space with any more than 2 people/gear on it.  

Thanks Eyes!

Not much experience with jets,ran a 30 horse Yamaha on a 18' skiff in Alaska in sept.Took some getting used to over a prop,but it didn't take long to see why that's all they run up north.Those flat bottom skiffs with Yamaha 30's, 3-5 hunters and gear 15 gallons of fuel were pushing us 20 -25 mph

Do a search on the SW board on jet props or boating the Yough (river).  I know guys use those same set ups there too.  There was a guy on here, something like Xtremeshallow or something like that.  He posted a video of his rig that he uses on the Yough.  Wicked fast & very cool fishing rig.  I'm guessing pretty penny for it too.  Search the NW boards on the same thing too, since that seems to be the standard in those parts too (upper right of the forums is the search).
 
My only experience on the type of river you are on, is from smaller boats or shore.  I'd recommend a boat that you can stand up and move around on.  Something like a bass boat, that is stable enough to move around.  I have a smaller aluminum V, that you can stand only if you are extremely careful, but not really recommended.  If someone else is in the boat, you need to let them know not to move...  I also have a larger more stable boat (17' - sits way too deep for your application), but could jump up and down on the gunnels and likely not tip the boat.  I stand and fish from it more than sit, which is a lot more comfortable, especially if you are using a lot.
 
Sounds like a fun property.  Congrats.

Russ,
Have you tried Wiegel brothers in Franklin yet?  http://wiegelbrothersmarine.com/site_page_734/
They are very experienced with jet rigs, which is no doubt the way to go for the Allegheny.  Not saying you can't fish it with a prop but it's like comparing a smartphone with a rotary dial.  The biggest factor I'm looking at is you said 2 overweight fisherman and a child.  Add in your tackle, batteries, and other gear and you've got a full load.  My suggestion would be no smaller than 17'-18' with a 90/65hp outboard. Remember that you lose horsepower when converting to a jet.  A 60/40 hp jet (which is what I have on a 16ft boat) with a heavy load will take forever to get on plane and will make it harder to run the skinny water areas.  Don't skimp on the TM either...try to get a 24V system with at least 70lbs thrust.  I skimped here when I boat my rig and ended up buying a new one 2 years later.  You're price range will put you in the used category for a setup like that so you'll just have to keep an eye out.  I would check craigslist for Pittsburgh and points north, also in the Harrisburg area and anywhere close to the Susquehanna river cause there's a lot of jets out there.  Hope this helps and if you have any questions feel free to email me at h20wolf@hotmail.com.

Just did a quick check on Craigslist and there were maybe 2 on Pittsburgh but looked under powered.  There were a bunch under Harrisburg though.  Maybe if you found 2 or 3 that you liked and worked a good price with the sellers it would be worth the drive to find a good deal on a nice jet rig.  Good Luck