kirk

Nope, they are not just for bass. I have caught a crappie and a huge snapping turtle on one. That was interesting, to say the least. Snappers have a negative attitude when hooked.

Remove your prop and check there is not bunch of mono on the shaft. That happened to me as well.

Nice Job!!! Looks really sharp.

Short answer is It depends. ;D ;D Longer answer: Depending on what you are comparing, and the load you are pushing. A new 4 stroke or DI engine will get better fuel economy than an older carburated model. Putting a new 90 on your existing boat, you might see a difference. But if you upgrade to a bigger, heavier boat with the new power, you may not see an improvement. That said, with any improvement, it will likely take a long time to run enough gas through the motor to pay for the difference in costs.

You actually WEIGH your aquarium fish? :o falls on floor. First I have come across that in 20 yrs of keeping aquariums. So, I gotta ask, how long is a 1lb 6oz Oscar? I have seen them up to 14" or so. I currently keep african cichlids (Frontosa) I notice my fish yawn quite frequently. Amazing how large some of their mouths are compared to body size. I suppose I would be blown away by a largemouth yawning.

Go to thehulltruth.com and do a search on "angler boats" It does not get worse than what happened to that guy.

Finalized all the wiring and took a test run yesterday. It is so much nicer to fish with the bow mount. I don't feel that the boat needed the extra power, and with the motor on the front, actually used it less as it was more efficient at positioning the boat. Thanks to all for the advice. K

fishinfool-- I think I will need to use slightly longer bolts and backing plates under the deck, as there is a significant amout of weight (and therefore torque) at the top of the motor when in storage position. For the short term, I may install it temporarily on the existing deck, and make a removable support for the top end, while I try the motor a few times. With my boat, I am fortunate, as the forward deck is a cover over the anchor storage, and I can access the underside easily. I will make a new foredeck, which will be a bit longer, out of heavier plywood, and do a better job reinforcing it than the factory deck. I don't have running lights in the way, but there are two bow chocks, and a cleat in the way which need to be moved as well. Good luck with yours

Funny follow up. Went out fishing Saturday AM with a friend. As we finished up, there was another person pulling his boat in front of us. Talking to him, somehow it came up that he had an Minn Kota AT 40 hand control slightly used. Asked what he wanted for it, and he gave me what I thought was a good price, so I bought it! He bought it last year, and wanted a foot control so he switched. For the money, it is worth the effort to see how I like the hand control, and if the 40lbs is enough for the boat. So, now I am trying to engineer the installation of it. My boat has only an 18" trianglular front deck, and the motor seems to be fairly back heavy when retracted, and it seems that it would be a good idea to reinforce the rear of it. Is there any rhyme or reason that every boat with a bow mount seems to have them installed on the port side? kirk

I am strongly considering upgrading from a transom mount to a bow mount trolling motor. The boat is a 16.5 foot aluminum V hull. Currently it has a 55lb thrust Minn Kota Endura, which provides plenty of power. Is there a real world difference in pushing vs pulling via an electric? Do I need to stick with the 55, or will I notice a huge drop in performance if I drop to a 40 on the bow? More importantly, how does one determine what the best shaft length is for a bow mounted motor? I can calculate the drop from the deck to the water, how far below the water is ideal? Is it necessary to have the prop at or below the maximum hull depth? How much nicer is having the foot control vs hand control on the bow? Well worth the extra money? Thanks Kirk

Time to De-Lurk. I have a 16' aluminum boat with a deep bow storage locker. It is open to the bilge, so it does get wet when water gets into the boat. I store extra lifejackets, my minnow bucket, some tools, and occasionally some tackle here. After an motor incident last weekend, I will now be carrying a set of tools specific to the boat. These will likely be "permanent" residents of this locker, and I would like to keep them in reasonably good working order. My first instinct was plastic bags, but the fear of tears/pinholes leaves that out. Next consideration is a drybag. Is this a good solution? What are other tricks or methods to storing tools and keeping them in good working order? Thanks kirk