Hello all. Newbie here. I have decided to get into bass fishing a little more seriously, so my john boat just isn't going to work anymore. I've looked at A LOT of posts, forums, articles and looked at some boats. A 86 Ranger 18' 371v (solid but wear and tear showing), a 1995 Javelin 377a (wasn't taken care of well), and will be going to look at a 88 Hydra Sport tomorrow if I can get the guy nailed down.

My question is, as someone who's completely new to big boating, what's the obsession with speed that I see? I can't see why it's so important to go 70+ mph. Am I missing something, or do I "just not get it"? It's fun to go fast, no doubt, but does it have a purpose?

Also, please feel free to give me any advice on type, brand, length, etc of boat a beginning bass boater might need to know. I am trying to research and soak in as much info as possible. I don't fish what I consider big water. I'm in TN and Center Hill, Percy Priest, Dale Hollow, Cordell Hull, Old Hickory are all within an hour of me, so I figure we'll start there lol. Appreciate any info or thoughts you have!