BassChump

I have an old Bayliner Trophy bass boat. Model 1710 with an 85 horse Force engine. It's a 16 footer. The prop on it is probably original or at least original type. The numbers stamped on the prop are F24 19. I don't really have a problem with the prop but I'm wondering if I should go up to a slightly higher pitch or diameter or perhaps a prop that is cupped. When I am going full speed, the engine kind of rattles just a little bit. I can hardly notice it but at WOT it sounds just a little bit different. The engine is in good shape. The compression is better than 150 on all 3 cylinders. Since it's just a Force engine, I always make sure it's in top shape. Usually what I do is just not hammer down the throttle. I'll back off the throttle just a hair once the boat gets up on plane and it sounds great. Since I don't have a tach in this boat, I'm wondering if I am over revving it at WOT. Should I be concerned or don't worry about it?

I didn't see if it was a Crestliner but I can say it was a small, older tri-hull. The guy had a woman on the front of the boat. I don't remember seeing any green but then again, I wasn't looking that hard at the boat.

It may not be a big deal to some but I was kind of excited. A 6 lb, 4 oz. I caught this on a lake I've never been on before. Fished the weeds and downed timber. I was working my way around a corner and was going to head around a guy that was fishing this spot for several hours. Just as I was getting close to him, he fired up his engine and took off. I figured that I should just bypass this place because he fished it for so long but I figured what the heck. I tossed in a 5 inch Senko in pumpkin with black flecks and wham!!! Caught her in about a foot of water. It was a good day. Air temps were well into the 70's, water temps were in the mid 60's, light winds and lots of bikini's around the lake. It was a good day all around.

I have an 1984 Bayliner Trophy bass boat. A 16 footer. Model 1710 with an 85 horse Force engine. It's been a very good boat for me and I have no complaints with it at all. My question is concerning the tires on the trailer. Bayliner used the same trailer for 4 different styles of boats and they had different tire sizes for each. When I got the boat, the tires that came with it were P 165/80/ R13 radials on it. The problem I was having was that the tires were hitting the wheel wells when I hit any kind of bump at all. If I hit a little larger bump, it would hit the wheel well and bump it up into the body of the boat. I'm not talking about huge potholes, just regular bumps in any road. I have a small utility trailer that came with 12 inch tires so I put them on the boat trailer and it works very well. On the other boats that Bayliner put on those trailers, they call for the 12 inch tires per the factory sticker on the trailer. I'm hoping to move to the Phoenix area sometime this year and with all the heat, I wonder how the 12 inch tires would do. Here in Oregon, we don't have the heat and my journeys to the local lakes aren't very long so I don't worry about the 12 inch tires at all but with the heat and longer travels to get to water in the Phoenix area, I'm wondering what I should do concerning the tires. The 12 inch tires are actually rated for for about the same weight as the 13 inch tires so should I be concerned??? If I go with the larger tires, I'll have to do something to keep them from hitting the boat. Raise the bunks a couple of inches? Add longer shackles to the springs maybe??? The tires that came with it are P165/80/R13. 83S. Rated for 1069 pounds @ 44 PSI max. The tires I put on it are 5:30X12. Load range "C". High speed. Rated for 1045 pounds @ 80 PSI. The tag on the trailer says that with that boat, it calls for B78X13. Load range "C". If I remember right, my boat weighs around 1300 pounds empty so I am assuming that I am well withing the weight limits of either of the tire sizes. Is the weight capacity stated on the sidewalls "per tire" or is that for a pair??? Not sure if I should just leave well enough alone or ??? I appreciate any thoughts you have. Thanks.

Well, it hasn't rain a LOT, just drizzly mainly but it's still tidal waters so I'm hoping the fishing is going to be good. I guess I just have to go check it out for myself. What water temps do SM start spawning? Should I look for an incoming or outgoing tide?

I currently live not far from the Umpua River on the Oregon coast. I've heard that it's first class for small mouth. I just got into bass fishing last year. I bought a bass boat and I've had great fun with it. Now that I have had some success with LM, I'm hoping I can have some fun catching a few SM. So my question is this. The weather has been kind of cool around here so what is the best temps and times to try the river??? I know that the water on the local lakes is around 57 degrees (give or take) so I'm suspecting that the temp in the river is well below that. It's been cool and rainy for the last week but it's supposed to be nice here this weekend and I was hoping it might be a good time to try for SM. Should I wait for the water temps to rise??? How would I fish for them? Do I use many of the same things and techniques that I use for LM??? What habitats would I look for??? Rock ledges, brush, weedlines or ?????? I've never caught a SM in my life so any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Well, here is my story. Last summer I took my girlfriend to a smal local lake that happens to have a very shallow ramp. Almost no vertical drop at all so when I'm launching my boat, I have to back the truck so far out that my front tires are in 6 inches of water. I can do it myself but I get wet so I told her to stay in the boat and when I get the trailer in the water, just put it in gear and drive it on the trailer. Apparently I forgot to tell her that the shifter was also the throttle. She hammered the throttle down and drove the boat up the trailer at full throttle. I gotta give her credit though. She centered the boat perfectly on the trailer and when the front of the boat hit the rubber stop where the eye of the boat goes, it launched the boat onto the canopy of my truck. My first thought was of course if she was ok. I honestly can't say if the "she" was my boat or my girlfriend. lol. Anyway, I'm thinking that my boat would now have holes in the hull, the lower unit on the outboard was toast and that I wouldn't be fishing for a very long time. Funny thing is, we just started laughing. We were cracking up. I still don't understand that but you gotta admit, it was funny seeing this boat all jacked up on the back of a truck. The boat was so far up the trailer that the engine was about 2 or 3 feet past the bunks between the rails. Once we stopped laughing, all I could figure out was to back up the trailer, get the boat to float and drop it on the trailer then worry about the damage later. I backed the truck so far back that I had water coming in the doors. I pull up far enough that the water stops coming in and then I had no choice. Dive in and see if I can unhook the boat from the trailer. It took me about a half hour to get the boat back on the trailer and get my girlfriend calmed down. She was laughing and shaking at the same time. Now that was funny. I don't care who ya are. That's funny. To end the story, I finally get the boat on the trailer and out of the water. This story has a great ending. As it turns out, there wasn't even a scratch on the boat or the truck. The outdrive was fine and the only damage to anything was a very small scratch on the prop. I can't even begin to understand or explain why no damage occured but I'm very thankful for that. My girlfriend got a good laugh as well. Because I had to go so deep in the water and it was a cooler day, I didn't want to drive home in wet clothes so I stripped down to my boxer shorts. Imagine this.... A 50 year old guy in vividly colored spongebob squarepants boxer shorts on the boat ramp getting the boat from the back of his truck onto the trailer. She was laughing so hard that I thought she was going to spew her lunch all over the dash. I'm sure the other fisherman and the people on the ramp had a good laugh with that as well.

Here is one for ya. Just start your boat. Don't rev it up in gear at the ramp. It creates a buildup of gravel or dirt about 20 feet out from the ramp and props tend to get dinged up. Jet boats are guilty of this far more than bass boats. Just a peave of mine. Also, put all your junk in the boat BEFORE you get on the ramp, not while your there. Another peave of mine. I've seen more people just sit there waiting and once they get their boat in the water, they spend 10 minutes putting all their stuff in there. Drives me nuts.

I grew up in the guts of Southern California, just down the road from Disneyland. Obviously no lakes or rivers anywhere close. My father took me to Huntington Beach pier a few times and we caught some fish but I didn't like it. When I was about 3 or 4, my family went on a vacation to the Kern River near Bakersfield and I loved river fishing for trout. When I was 6 years old, my folks bought into a private club called Quale Valley. It's next to what is currently Canyon Lake California, not for from Riverside. It was a poor mans country club but they had a pool, clubhouse and out on the backside, far away from everything they had a small lake. Being a private club, a private city if you will, I could legally ride my gas engined mini-bike on the streets. I rode out every morning at sun up to the lake and fished for bluegill every day we were there and I'll remember that to my dying day. The lake and the country club is no longer there but I can still remember my Zebco rod and reel combo, the rock I sat on every day, the reeds in the water, sitting there enjoying gods creations and never wanting to leave, those many years ago. As an adult, I moved to Oregon. I've fished for salmon but I really kind of let the kids do all the fishing. I just didn't get back into it until last year. My wife passed away a couple of years ago so I've just been working and taking care of my daughter. I sort of let the fun go out of my life for a while but in August of 07, a woman I had been seeing asked me to look at a boat she was interested in buying. I liked it but she passed on it. I bought that bass boat on a whim. (She regrets passing it up to this day). I got it cheap and I figured I would clean it up, sell it and make a few bucks on it. I took it out on the lake once and I fell in love with the boat but I had never caught a bass in my life. EVER. So I found this site, bought a cheap rod and reel, a few Senko's and hit the lakes. It took me a solid 8 months, fishing several times a week to catch my first bass but I was going to catch one if it was the last thing I ever did. I was getting discouraged but after I caught the first one, I was hooked. Interesting story is that the first bass I ever caught is also the biggest bass I ever caught. That's the bass pictured in my avatar. A 5.3 With just me and my daughter and not much money, the boat and fishing together has brought us so much closer together as a family. I can't think of anything else we like to do together more than going fishing. It's what has kept us sane thru some very hard times. I've passed on my love for fishing to my daughter and I'm thinking that fishing will be one of the most important lessons in her life. Conservation, patience, knowledge, creativity, luck, and decisiveness. All qualities of fishing that can be carried thru to every part of her life and she learned those things while fishing with dear old dad. Stuff she can tell her grandkids. I'm truly blessed. I'm now planning a move to the Phoenix area. I picked Phoenix for many reasons but one of the deciding factors was all the lakes around there so my daughter and I can go fishing year round. Whoda thunk.

Do you know any carpet installers?? We use a special stapler for doing staircases and other stuff. It uses smaller but longer staples and it's strong enough to go thru about anything. If you don't know any carpet installers, you can usually rent good staplers from either a carpet supply business or even Home Depot.

My personal best was also the first bass I ever caught. I caught it on a 4 inch watermelon Senko, bullet sinker pegged. I thought I caught a tree limb. It came up like an old boot but it's still the largest bass I've caught so far. That's the bass pictured in my avatar. 5 lbs, 3 oz.

I agree with Skillet, I am a carpet installer by trade and while I don't want to take money out of anybody's pocket, installing carpet just isn't all that tough. All you need is a good sharp knife, some glue and some elbow grease. It will save you probably $500.00 to $600.00 dollars. Pull up the old stuff and if it comes out in one piece, then you can use that as a template. Just cut it a liittle big and trim it in when you get it in the boat. Let us know how it goes. If you decide to do it yourself and you need some advice, just send me a PM. I'd be happy to help.

Hey Tommybass. That's the way I look at it. I always want something I can USE..... I don't want to worry if I get a nick or scratch. Same with my cars. I own an old Ford Ranger and an older Chevy convertible. They are both decent rides but I won't have a fit if I get a scratch. Well, maybe on the convertible but it wouldn't be that big of a fit. lol. I like my boat, it treats me well and if someone doesn't like it, they don't have to fish from it. hehe. It works for me.

I'm on the west coast. What channel is it on Directv?????

Hey Tommybass, Thanks for the compliment on the boat. It certainly isn't a new Ranger but for the money, I think I got a great boat. It works well for me and my situation. It's not the prettiest boat on the water but it runs well, has all the stuff and I'm happy with it. That's all that counts anyway. I wish I could afford one of those nicer boats but this does the same job so it's ok. It gets us on the water.

Hey Tommybass, No problem at all. I took no offense at all. Owning a lower end engine isn't everyones cup of tea. For me in my financial situation, I don't have much choice. I wish I could get a nicer boat and a bigger engine. Since I can't, I have to make do with what is available for me and that would be a Bayliner with a Force engine. I've been lucky so far. No major issues. If there was I'd be sunk. For 1500 bucks, that boat doesn't sound bad as long as the engine checks out, there aren't gaping holes in the hull and the trailer isn't a rust bucket. If it floats and it goes, then what else is there. It's just a matter of comfort after that. Since the guy doesn't seem to know much about it, if everything checks out, I'd offer the guy 1200 and see what he says. I got mine for a grand and it's been probably one of the best investments I've ever done. I take my 15 year old daughter fishing now and then and it has brought us much closer together so I figure just because of that, it was worth the money. Catching a few bass and trout here and there is just a bonus.

Well, personally I've had good luck with Force engines. I've never had a lot of money for luxuries like boats, clothing, food, shelter, that kind of stuff concerning basic needs. Fishing is a basic need isn't it??? Jesus said it was didn't he????? Hmm, that's another thread for another time. Anyway, my point is that I've had good luck with Force engines. I must say that if I buy a boat, I always make sure the engine is in good shape prior to my purchase. If it's questionable, then I'll pass. One time I even pulled the head off of a Force just to see if the cylinder walls were scored. It ran fine but something just didn't feel right to me so I offered the guy new head gaskets if I could peek inside. Turns out one cylinder was scored. I installed new head gaskets and went on my way. In other words, I make sure I'm starting with a good engine. I can fix just about anything else on a boat but the engine is a far too costly fix even if I do it myself. If I know the engine is good, then I've always had great luck with them. Just like any piece of machinery, if it's taken care of, chances are it will treat you well. If you start with a problem, it will many times always have issues no matter how much money you pour into it whether it's a Force, Johnson, Mercury, Evinrude or anything else. And no matter how hard we try or how much we educate ourselves, occasionally it just doesn't work out. It's a crapshoot no matter what. You just do the best you can and hopefully luck is on your side.

Actually it's not the hull that will have soft spots, it will be the interior wood on the floor. Just walk around the boat and feel the floor and decks. If they sag or are spongy, then the wood is rotting. Not an extremely hard fix but it is something you should be aware of. The hull is fiberglass so you can visually look it over and check for cracks from hitting stuff in the water, hits from the trailer while loading, stuff like that. Just look it over closely and if you see any large cracks, have the mechanic look at that as well. Some minor stress cracks on the top part shouldn't be any big problem but it pays to make sure. Good luck with that and let us know how it works out for you. I'm curious to find out myself.

I am an owner of a 1984 Bayliner Trophy bass boat. I can tell you that it's been a great purchase for me. The boats are light, easy to tow, the engine is basic but to me, that's a good thing. Easier to repair and maintain and the 85 horse is very easy on gas. I have had only 1 problem with mine. It took a while to figure it out because the mechanic was an idiot but when I figured it out, the repair cost me less than 2 bucks. Now that's my kind of fix. Just a fuel pump diaphram. Yes, Bayliners are entry level boats but they are popular for a reason. They get the job done. I love mine. I have less than $1500.00 into it and I'm very happy with it so far. The engines are sensitive to underlubrication so the "tune up" thing bothers me. I'd have it checked out by a mechanic very closely but if he gives it the thumbs up, I'd go further. To me that looks like the 16 foot (15' 10" actually) model and the 85 horse motor verifies that. It's the same motor on mine. A lot of people don't like the Force engines but as long as you don't EVER over heat them and make absolutely sure the fuel/oil mixture is correct, they are good basic engines. If you find any soft spots in the floor, then some of the wood is rotted. Not a huge problem but if you're not handy, then a boat shop would charge a lot to fix it. If you can work with plywood and a saw, you should be able to repair soft spots yourself. There should be a plate with the specs somewhere on the boat. Mine is near the throttle. It will tell you the model number and the max engine rating. Some of the specs on that boat. The model is a Bayliner Trophy 1710. It weighs around 1445 pounds, it's 16 feet long and by the way, that's a 1986 model. Not a 1987. It may have first sold in 87 but it's an 86 model year. At ***, it will top out at around 30 mph give or take. Anyway, I love mine and if it sank tomorrow, I wouldn't be out a bazillion dollars. I got my monies worth a long time ago. See if you could take a mechanic with you, have him check it out. It would be money well spent either way. He should do a compression test, look at both timing adjustments. Those engines have an idle timing and high speed timing so if it needs a "tune up" as the guys says, it should show up there. That is a 3 cylinder engine and it has 3 seperate ignition packs and those packs are very hard to find and when you do find them, they aren't cheap so have the mechanic look at those as well. If the engine passes, no soft spots in the floor and the engine and hull are in fair shape, then the rest of the stuff is basic. Lights, wheel bearings, trailer bunks, wiring. All easy stuff that I wouldn't worry about too much until I got it home. One other thing. Bayliner uses pretty cheap gauges on the dash so if a few of those aren't working, that is pretty normal. I'd use aftermarket guages if need be but again, that's not that big of a problem. Also, if you do purchase it, make absolutely sure that the engine overheat sensor is working. In those years, Bayliner didn't have a temp guage. They used a buzzer. Always make sure that the sending unit and the buzzer are in working order. The buzzer itself is located behind the console and the sending unit is on the back of the engine. It will have one small wire going to it with a small nut holding it on. When you take off the engine cover, it will be staring you right in the face on the rear of the engine. Hmm, sorry for the rant. I'm just happy with mine. It does a great job for me. I see all these beautiful boats that cost sometimes 70K and go 90 mph. A bit much for me just to go fishing. For that price, if it checks out, I'd say you got yourself one heck of a bass boat. If you have any questions, just shoot me a PM. I'd be happy to help.

Hi everybody. In a strange but really cool twist of events, I've got my home up for sale and I've decided to move my family to the Phoenix Arizona area. I'm hoping someone will someone out there either lives, has lived recently or otherwise is familiar with the area. I went there for a week during the holidays and liked everything I saw but I have a lot of questions I'd like answered. If someone out there has a few minutes, I'd love to pick your brain for a little while. I'm a widowed father with a 15 year old daughter. I also take care of my 81 year old mother and to top that off, I also am taking care of my older brother. Lots of stuff on my plate but I think a move would be great for all of us for many reasons. I'd like to know about the area, the lakes, housing, jobs,,,,,etc. I've done a lot of reasearch on the net but there is nothing like first hand knowledge so that's why this post. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

It's a fairly common style carpet and several carpet mills make it. You might find it at the Home Depot or Lowes but if you call some private carpet stores, they will probably be more apt to help you find it if they don't already stock it. I've found that the large outfits like Home Depot won't take the time to find what you are looking for if they don't stock it. It's manufactured with either a rubber backing or what's called an "action back". The action back is much like the backing on a regular residential carpet but the adhesive used to stick the fuzz to the back is waterproof. The rubber back is much easier to install because it's much more pliable and the action back is much stiffer but it's a stronger and somewhat longer lasting carpet. Either one would work fine but for me, when I replace the carpet in my old trusty Bayliner Trophy, I'm going to probably use the action backed stuff as it will be easier to remove in a few years when it's time to replace it. Remember to get some good quality glue to install it. The cheap stuff just doesn't hold up well. Again, ask the carpet store and they should steer you in the right direction. If you have any questions, just shoot me an email or PM me. I'd be glad to help. Good luck.

I've been installing carpet in everything from boats, RVs, houses and businesses for almost 20 years now and not in any situation has black carpet worked out in the long run. I've installed it before and every single time, whether it was in a boat, rv, home or business, the poeple ended up not liking it for either the heat problem or the clean issue. Not once has someone liked it in the long run. NOT ONCE...... If you're set on the asthetics over usefulness, perhaps you could comprimise. Take a look at the old style grass type carpet. The make it in a black/grey mix that won't get as hot as solid black but it still would give you some contrasting color. They also make a darker grey/white mix that would work and not get very hot at all. To top it off, it's generally cheaper as well. Just my 2 cents. Food for thought. Good luck.

I currently live near the Oregon coast. Cold and rainy most of the time although our waters don't get hard. I've decided to move (along with my daughter and 81 year old mother) to the Phoenix area so with a little luck by this time next year I too can poke a little fun at all the "northerners"...... Looking forward >>>>>>>>>>>

I've never fished Shasta but I understand it's pretty good and yes, it's a huge lake. The reason I'm replying to this post is that I just drove past Shasta last week and I wanted to let you know that the water is down probably 200 feet. I couldn't believe how low the water was. All the boat docks were on dry land and the launch ramps that I saw were dry although I did see a couple of boats on the lake so there must be a ramp open somewhere. I'd call somebody there to get more info before you make the trip. Just my 2 cents. Good luck.

I live near Florence Oregon and I've fished Tenmile lake all last year and you guys are right. It's bass heaven. I've caught bass there every time I fished it with almost everything I caught between 3 and 5 pounds. I didn't get into bass fishing until early last year but I spent last year fishing all the lakes on the central coast of Oregon. If you have a few days, I would make a point to fish Tenmile. If you have 3 weeks, I'd try to make it during the week if possible but I promise you, you won't be disappointed. The only thing that could be a problem is the weather that time of year. There just is no "typical" weather patterns in Oregon. It could be 70 degrees with no wind or it could be in the low 40's with blowing, sideways rain. Such is the Oregon coast. There are several motels and RV parks close to or on the lakes around here so accomodations shouldn't be any problem. There are many other lakes in the area that are great bass lakes as well. Tachenitch is a great lake and it will not be crowded at all. Never is. Several smaller lakes that I've done well in are in Florence. Just a short drive from Tenmile and Tachenitch. Sutton lake is a small coastal lake just north of Florence. Mercer lake is another nice lake although the boat ramp sucks. Munsel lake has produced some nice bass although not great numbers. At least for me but others have done well there. Tons of structure in Munsel so I'm betting a more experienced angler would do well there. If you like smallmouth, you can't go wrong with the Umpqua river located 20 minutes south of Florence in a town called Reedsport. A few lakes I haven't done well in are Woahink and Siltcoos. I've caught nothing in Woahink although I understand others have done OK. Siltcoos used to be "THE" lake for bass but it hasn't produced at all the last few years so they have stopped having tournaments on that lake to let it recover. I fished it for quite a few days but I only caught one bass. A 5 pounder but that's the only thing I've caught there. If you like variety, then you can't go wrong on the Oregon coast with all the lakes and rivers and it's not far from Bend. Maybe a 3.5 hour drive give or take. If you don't want to fight the crowds on Clear Lake and/or don't want to make that drive to California, the central Oregon coast would probably be the ticket for you. If you want any more information on the waters around here, just PM me. All these waters are within a 30 minute drive of eachother so there is plenty to choose from. If you for some reason you can't get your boat here, your welcome to use mine. It's not pretty but it's been a good boat to me. It's a 16 foot Bayliner Trophy bass boat. Fish finders on the consol and up front, 2 live wells, etc. It's just an 85 horse on the back so it only tops out around 30 but it will get you on the fish like anything else. I've had some people on this forum that were very kind and generous to me so I'm just "paying it forward" so to speak. If you need anything, just let me know. Any guy that would drive across the country for his fathers birthday is alright in my book. The picture below is pretty typical for the bass in Tenmile but I've seen others pull out some big'uns out of there as well. My best out of Tenmile is a 5 pounder but there are MUCH larger fish in there for sure.