tntitans37216

My kayak gets closer then my boat. In a boat you get the splash sound from waves while a kayak just goes over or through waves without sounds. I have a sit in kayak and I like having the deck above me but I have read the sit on top are more stable but both you have to try and flip them. A canoe is like a bus and a kayak a sports car. Some modifications that you might want to do to any kayak is to install a anchor trolley and rod holders. Make sure to get a rod holder that locks the reel in or make a rod leash so if you are trolling you dont lose a rod when a fish hits.

You could get two pulleys and turn the kayak upside down (if water hits it) and thdn you could pull it up higher and more out of the way.

I boat a boat from a friend, to good of a deal to pass up, but it is a fish and ski type of boat that has been modified. When my friend got the boat it had a normal cheaply made front fishing deck up front and 4 seats in the back. He took out the back to seats and made two small storage compartments and moved the driver and passenger seat back some for better comfort. It's a nice very solid boat but my only issue is what to do with the fishing rods. He just took a couple of poles and just laid them between the seats on the floor aiming up on the deck. That works fine if you have 2-3 and just going to be there temporarily. But sometimes I go fish and then meet up with friends and hangout with them and then go back fishing later. So I would like to have them more out of the way and if you are walking around the boat I don't want to step on a rod either. What are some ideas that you have used or seen? Sometimes I go out with 6-8 poles so I can tie different lures on different poles and switch quicker and sometimes I go out for catfish and have 4 big poles. I will attach a couple of pictures so you can see the setup style. Their is two front seats that life up and have some storage under them. I have a couple of ideas but I don't know how well they will work. One idea I got from a friend was to use one or more of the compartments as vertical rod holders. Put some pvc or rod holders in the compartment and when I'm ready to go fishing lift the lid and all the rod holders are there and just keep the rods standing up like you see in saltwater or center console boats like the TWRA has. Where they have the holders attached to the console. I liked the idea of the driftmasters rod locker that is offset to keep the rods out away from where you are sitting and it locks so you can keep your rods in it, but I can't afford to spend $200 on that. I'm just trying to get some ideas and thoughts. Thanks for your help.

I went to the entrance to Percey Warner Park over off Vaughns Gap next to the dog park. Take that road all the way back then it is shallow enough to walk across the water, a little slippery but not to bad. hen you can walk down the other side of the bank to the deeper areas.

I know about all the lakes, but I am trying to find good ponds or rivers to fish. That way when I'm on a new work site I can go to a near by place for a quick fishing moment. I recently found the Little Harpeth River near Steeplechase. Any body in the area have good spots?

I bought a newer boat last year, 14.5ft 1985 model with a 85hp engine. Then my friend needed some money now for his new Saltwater boat so he gave me a really good deal on his old 16ft bass boat with a 115hp motor. I am going to sell the 85hp boat but i had a question about the props. the 85hp motor has a stainless steel 3 blade prop with no dings and just about brand new looking. The newer boat with the 115hp prop has a 4 blade aluminum prop that has been dinged up. My friend said when their is two people in the boat it takes a little bit to plane out because so much weivht is in the back (fuel tank, batteries, etc...). he has the fins you can attach to the lower unit but never got around to put them on. Doesnt that help plane out quicker? but to my prop question. I have read that 4 blades are better at lower speeds (taking off, crusing, turning) & 3 blades give you higher top end speeds. I have also read that Stainless Steel props are the best vs aluminum. So my question is which would you rather have on your boat a 4 blade aluminum (I would look to replace the dented with same) or a 3 blade stainless steel prop?

I am still having trouble. I replaced gas line & bulb to motor & checked the intake in the tank. no blockage or gunk. has anyone had issues with the gas lines in the motor area. I havent replaced any of the lines in motor area.

I think I have narrowed my boat engine trouble down to the gas tank's fuel pickup. I have replaced gas lines, cleaned both carbs out, replaced bulb, & replace fuel pump. It still will run for 20-30 secs & then run out of gas & the bulb goes loose (not holding the prime). I have been told air is getting in the line somewhere. I think it might be the fuel tanks pickup. I can't seem to figure out how to get that part off the tank so I can see if it is partly clogged or has any holes in it. My gas tank is the Tempo TP18T 17.5 gallon gas tank (http://www.marinepowerservice.com/BoatingStore/browse_detail3.cfm/productID/20652.cfm). Does anyone know how to get the fuel pickup up & out to check it? When I turn it, it just spins (doesn't get tighter or looser). Does it just pop up & out? I just don't want o break anything. Thanks for all the help. I always get great advise here.

I bought a newer boat & has a 1985 75HP Mariner on it. For some reason it won't run for long. I can pump up the bulb & it with start up & idle, but not run long in gear. If I pump the bulb the engine will run strong & fast for 20sec (rough guess) & then bog down & cut off. It did one day on glassy water got it to run for a long time, but if I went full throttle it would bg down & cut off. Or if I let up on the gas & then got back on it it would bog down & cut off. I thought it might be the carbs clogged. I took both carbs off & the top carb was a little dirty. I cleaned them & put them back on. Still having issues. I replaced the bulb (still same issues). I took the cover off to the fuel filter on the engine & had some gunk. Cleaned out & ran again & still having issues. Rechecked to see if any new gunk that pushed into it, & it is clean. When I do pump the bulb a lot the bottom carb will leak gas out but not the top. Checked the vent on gas tank & it is ok. Even tried with a different tank. Some times when you squeeze the bulbs it deflats & takes a little bit to become full again. A friend told me about a trick about priming gas line then putting your thumb over the line & run engine & see if it builts any pressure. I tried that & no pressure. My guess is the fuel pump isn't sucking the gas up & the carbs are running what gas is primed into them. I know some automotive things but new to outboard things. Is it easy or hard to replace the fuel pump. My guess is it is behind the black diagram behind the fuel filter that is held on by 3 bolts. Any help on this would be great. Thank you this site is the best. Chris

The boat on the trailer isn't a issue. It tilts up by the push of a finger but also tilts down to the ground by a push of the button so it's not lifting the truck or anything like that. More of a perfectly balanced on the trailer. I did find a spot in the front side compartment where I can move a side wall down & get to the area up front. I can put bumpers & life vest (the ones no one uses but to make you legal for passengers) up there.

That might be more then I want to spend. I kind just have to adjust to the lack of storage but will gain speed and hopefully fuel mileage. The blocks on the trailer is to keep it down. With out them the boat flips back from the weight of the engine. I think the trailer is made for a boat up to 16 ft, but this boat is 14.5ft. If I moved the boat forward then the back of the boat wouldn't line up to the back of the trailer. I'm not sure about the boards under the boat, they do seem very long. The carpet on the side rails needs to be replaced badly, wood good just not the carpet. I just wonder if a previous owner replaced the boards under the boat and just used some long boards they had sitting around the house and just never got around to adding the carpet. The boat was only $950 which the engine is well worth that.

I just got a new boat, mainly upgrading the engine but I may upgrade the boat all together and go with the newer boat style. The newer boat is a 1985 14.5ft with a 75HP Mariner compared to a 1972 16ft with a 55HP Chrysler. I will add pics, but I can tell right off the bat the newer boat with go a lot faster (bigger/newer engine and a lot lighter). It takes a lot of strength just to lift the front of the trailer with the old boat and the new boat I can actually push it around by hand (well I am 6ft 250lbs). I will have to swap over a lot of things from the the old boat to the new boat. Like the trolling motor, all the wiring (I had power block and fuse block for everything electrical), and the new boat the wires needed to be redone. It was a crazy mess. Boat the biggest thing I will miss with the old boat and I am trying to figure out with the new boat is the storage issue. The old boat had a front compartment door that you could store a ton of things up front under the fishing deck. But the new boat doesn't. What has everyone else done about storage (tackle bag/net/etc..)? Has anyone cut a hole in the drop down area to the front fishing area to store things up front (bumpers, life vest, etc..)? Also would that weaken the fishing deck to much if you did? If anyone has any pics of storage ideas or any storage ideas that would be great. Thank You Chris

I have a trailer with that same type of connection. You just push it forward and it locks in place. You have to pull up and back to unlock it. The down side is you can't really lock it onto the truck. What I do when I use the trailer is put a lock around the safety chains so someone can't just pick it up and move it. They will need to cut the chain or lock which is hard to get around with the chain hooked into it. hen when I a not using the trailer I ave a lock trailer lock that goes into the coupler so no one can hook it up to a truck's ball and us the lock for the chains to lock them tight to the trailer so thy cant be used either. One thing you need to do when hooking up to the trailer is when you have the trailer on the ball, you may have to drive forward just a hair. If the the vehicle is pushing back it is hard to push the coupler up to lock. So if you go forward for a hair it takes the pressure off and makes it easy to lock the coupler. If not you will be trying to push the trailer back away from the vehicle which is easy unloaded but not so fun with weight. Another trailer care to look at is before you leave for each trip is to make sure the lights work on the trailer. The flashers, turn, and running lights are easy but checking the brake lights aren't. I usually put a block on the brake pedal to apply the brakes so I can check the brake lights. If it is a older trailer you might want to jack the trailer up and grab the tires at 3 and 9 a clock and move the side opposites toward you & away and see if their is any wiggling. Then spin the tire and listen to see if you hear a sound from the bearings. Bearings last a long time, but over time of being dunked in the water and more mile put on it the bearings with wear down, and when one goes out the others will too. Usually 2 on each wheel (one on the outside and one on the inside of wheel). Very easy to replace. Ofcourse checking the tire pressure before the trip of the weekend is also a top priority. A tire blow out isn't good when you have a single axle trailer. With a double axle you are still able to keep moving. Most blow outs happen because a tire is low and runs on a flat tire. Also while you check the tire pressure you can take a quick look at the trends to see if they are good and not showing any wires or anything abnormal.

$600 can get you a good deal or a lemon. I got my boat about 3-4 years ago for $700. Its the one on my profile. It is solid and has a 55hp. It has worked out great for me. I did have to drive 7 hours to pick it up and 7 hours back. I bought mine through Ebay. The first person who won the auction didn't pay and I had already talked to the owner a couple of times before the end of auction so he emailed me when the first person didn't pay. I bought it in Jan so it was cheaper. Winter boats are cheaper as for summer is when boats are the highest price. I would try Ebay and Craigslist first. We have a local Autotrader magazine that has some boats in it that you could check out at your nearest gas station or so.

Nice pics

Your biggest question is about portability. A kayak you can move with one hand & just need a hand full of gear. A jon boat you need a trailer, motor, but can take more gear (& people).

From people who visit the Bass Pro in Nashville. It has been months since the flooding in Nashville and I sent a email to Bass Pro asking when they might reopen the store in Nashville (Opry Mills). They sent me a reply today and said it is shooting to reopen this Sat (Sept 18th) and to call before going to make sure. Good news for the fishing anglers in and around the Middle TN area

Nice Pic

I have checked the compression level before and if I can remember I think it was in the high 80's for both. It might just be to little of a HP. How fast does others go with a 55HP engine on a 16ft fiberglass fishing boat?

I am going to try and save up about $1000, I'm not loaded so I can't afford to much, but I have a old 1972 16ft Terry Bass. I like the layout, but the engine isn't enough. It starts whenever I need it to but it can only push the boat about 21mph (by myself) and 11mph (with 1 or more people). I think it has the original engine which is a 55HP Chrysler engine. I mapped my usage and get about 1 mpg, so it sucks the gas without the power. Should I take the boat in and have someone work on the engine to get more power, maybe it's not working at all power, and stay with the dependable engine. Or should I use the $1000 and try to go for a 85HP or so maybe 80's used motor? Boat rated for 85 max. The newer engine should have more power (just even if I compared 55 from old to new), better gas mileage, but I run the risk of it not being as dependable? What's your thoughts, should I upgrade to a new more horsepower engine or update mine (which isn't a 100% sure if you can get any more speed or gas mileage from the engine)?

Towing is easier then it looks. Just make sure to make wider turns. Also back up slowly, one to get use to the trailer (the smaller the trailer the quicker it turns) and also if someone/thing comes behind the trailer. Poll ideas: Cheap way is to make a poll holder from PVC pipe. Google PVC poll holder and you will get lots of ideas on a design. Depending on your boat and personal choice of where to mount and style.

I saw a Johnson Super Seahorse RDS-250 Outboard Engine for sale online and I was wondering if anyone has any info about this engine? I don't know much about year or anything. The serial number is 2380542. Any info about this motor would be great. Chris

Nice boat

that is a great mapping site, thanks

Good catch, nothing is better then setting a new PB