done

naaa, never settle, you need some type of biker tattoo (assuming you do not have one already), something really bloody covered with bones and guns. LOL

I would keep on the life jacket and keep a sharp knife handy just in case. LOL...no doubt. Just never doubt he is the girls father BEFORE he is a fishing partner. Keep treating his little girl with respect and HIM and you should be fine. Fail in either of those...well...better know how to swim...real fast. LOL.

First, before you put anything into it, have you tested the hull for leaks? I would wonder, sitting that long having stuff in it, if it has any. Maybe fill it up with a little water and see if anything leaks out. Ditto, on the bench removal, you will want to put something in there to reinforce the hull at that point. Consider using Aluminum as the superstructure for anything you add. I did this on my 14' jon a ways back. In the end I added a full casting deck to the front 2 swivel seats (one fore and one aft) and put a total of maybe 50 lbs to the boat. I could not see the transom, but you may want to look at reinforcing it before putting a motor on it. One of the mistakes I made on mine was putting a 8hp on there and it cracked in 2 places after a few months. Even though it was rated for up to 12 hp, I still cracked it. I reinforced the crud out of it and it did not give me any problems after that. Looks like a good little project and after the history it has for you, definitely a good project.

Alright guys...this is an honest question, besides having a HUGE lake to fish on, why would you want a boat that goes 70? I mean with mine at 45, it is tough to see and avoid debris in the channel on Wylie on a clear day. I would think 70 would be a death sentence.

Well I say you need a couple things. A gun collection is the preventative one. In case that does not work you need a heavy anchor, 30 ft of line, and a 60 ft lake. I got it all covered. LOL. I seriously hope my girls have a decent taste in guys. I am VERY old fashioned in how I think a guy should treat a gal (thanks to my grand mother and grand father), so anyone they date is going to have a tough time with me. Course I am also realistic enough to know that girls are NOT the angels we guys always like to think they are either

Oh I got the guns covered. LOL.

Just thinking back to all those times when I was a hormonal young man, hoping and praying to be surrounded by half naked girls. Now I have 4 daughters under 8 yrs old and that is an everyday occurrence. Not quite what I had in mind way back then. I guess that is further proof, in life, be careful what you ask for. lol.

Great. Now I will be going through all their watch instantly ones tonight. there goes my week. lol.

LOL...yeah I would say spending $15k+ on a boat makes you pretty serious, no matter what material a hull is made of. BTW, I am stealing that smiley. I know a PM who would love to see that one.

yeah the mods here will not censor unless you break the rules (as stated in the FAQ). I have seen folks post criticism of them without being moded. It is all about just showing common courtesy. Yeah, it is not sesame street. Folks will give you a little bit of grief here for poor spelling, grammar, asking anything more about snakehead fish, etc. But 99% of the time they don't take it too far. There have been some posts I noticed that seemed a bit across the line. Nobody dropping f bombs or anything like that and really not crimes against humanity, just a little too personal, IMO. Either way, this place still rocks, my fishing style and effectiveness the day I started here compared to what it is today, night and day. Have learned a lot from the guys here. And they have helped me spend hundreds and hundreds of my hard earned money in the process, lol.

Sweet. All said, I like the .40. Mine is a S&W M&P. Definitely a different recoil than a 9mm that is for sure.

So after 4 trips, 580 rounds, and God knows how much money being fired down the barrel, I have just about kicked all my mistake habits with firing my new .40. For any new shooters, look up the wheel of shame for shooting handguns it comes in handy. As for bad habits, lets see, anticipating the recoil (pulled down to the right), squeezing to tight (pulled to the right), too much finger on the trigger (pulled slightly left), and kept my left arm (I am left handed) bent (recoil would push my elbow in, bending my and resulting it shots going right). Needless to say, I destroyed the right hand side of many targets figuring everything out. 2 good things came from such a long learning curve: First, I got very comfortable with the weapon. Confident as well, 580 rounds went through, only 1 jammed. Second, With these trips and the varied weather, there is not a single coat I own that is not coated in GSR. So I think the CSI folks would have a hard time using any GSR evidence against me as I can guarantee I will be coated in it and have a alibi for it. Not that I plan on going on a shooting spree but it is always good to have every angle covered. Good way to blow off some frustration as well. Once I get my CCW permit, i plan on getting my wife out for some shooting, which, should be a warm up for some years down the line when I get to teach my 4 daughters to drive.

I would also add (without going into detail and breaking the rules), there is a lot of general frustration in the nation right now with the job situation (I know a few guys who are very concerned about being homeless in a few months), the politics (which thankfully are NOT discussed in here), and depending where you are, the weather has been pretty nasty. So we are probably seeing a lot of that coming into the boards. It guess it is a good thing that it is so out of the ordinary here that folks post about it when it seems to flare up.

True dat about the hull Rolo. That is what they have on mine. Good story. I remember many days on Erie in heavy winds. We had a 21 ft Bayliner trophy which took a beating, I remember seeing a couple guys out there one day in a bass boat, looked like they were standing on a log in the middle of that mess. As much as our bilge was working that day, I have no idea how they stayed afloat. We kept an eye on them until they finally motored out of there. I quick note on the newer Trackers...I ran into an old guy at the dock who had one about 5 yrs older than mine. We were both pulling out so we went up in the lot and chatted a bit. The newer ones actually have a significantly wider front deck. From what I gathered from our conversation, along with that the newer ones are more stable (I have never had a problem with it). Course, I have the "revolution" hull he did not, I do not think. Either way, I will say this, on Lake Wylie I have run into a lot of older Trackers. Longevity does not appear to be an issue with them.

I have an older aluminum modified-V that will beat you up in rough water if you are not very careful. Those are the times I wish for something else. The newer hulls on Tracker and other aluminum boats are far better and if I had the cash, that is the way I'd go. I have a new Tracker PT175 (got it this summer) and I can honestly say, I have been pretty pleased with the ride it gives me. I have had some serious wake, even jumped it a few times. The ONLY issues I have with my tracker are these: 1. The TM could really be a bit stronger 2. In heavy wind, it can be a challenge to stay put. The first 1, well, the boat was a steal, you cannot pay for NY a 8 oz strip steak and expect them to bring you a 14 oz Prime Rib. The second, I wanted a light boat, for towing and storage purposes. Light weight means it takes less to push it across the lake. I have out fished folks in boats 3 times the cost of mine, I have been out fished by guys in Pond Prowlers and yaks. It is a little presumptuous (to put it politely), to assume the hull material of the boat someone owns (or a lack thereof) is a reflection of the person or their fishing ability. In either way, who cares. We all have fun fishing. BTW, I saw your post on the new boat, good deal man. Good luck, and if you have not already done so, post some pics.

I would not on mine. Would never fit me and my 6 rigs on the deck with me f I had another person. Curiously, why would they not use the aft deck? Is this just a personal preference or you got more folks coming.

You shouldn't have any problems buying used if you're smart about it. Get it thoroughly check out by a marine mechanic, etc etc. People buy used cars all the time, some have good luck, some have bad luck, some say screw the luck and do the legwork to make sure they don't buy a lemon. Down here insurance is not required I don't believe. You'd be smart to have insurance just in case. And if it's not required, it d**n well should be. Hell, I'd love to see the state implement required marine drivers licenses. ditto..plus get the owner to take you out in it for an extended time. Check how it runs, how it planes, check the bilge for leaks, have him run all the equipment. Know what you are getting. I sold a very nice moded Jon to get my Tracker PT 175...was in great shape, and all decked out. I say that to point out, folks to sell good boats for good reason. Good luck.

I started with a Tracker 14' jon, and upgraded to a 2009 Tracker Pro team 175 txw this summer with a 60 hp outboard. For the money, I am not sure you can do better. It is light, moves fast on the water with the 60 (compared with my old jon anyway), easy to tow, easy to manage, has gotten a ton of fishing already.

nothing a few trips to the range and a few hundred rounds can't correct. LOL.

K_Mac as has been said earlier, find a place that will allow you to rent them and fire them. Stopping power and penetration mean nothing if you can't even hit the target. I tried a few of them out. Went with the S&W M&P 40. The 40 has good penetration and great stopping power and more importantly ammo is easy to find. I narrowed it down to a Glock and a S&W. I went S&W M&P thanks to my sister. She is a cop in WNY, for the last 10 years they have been carrying either Glocks or S&W's. The Glocks caused issue for the women on the force and men with weaker grips as their lighter weight allowed the recoil to increase and increased jams. As I wanted a gun my wife could use, and after firing the S&W's I decided that's what I wanted. There are a lot of Glock guys on here who can tell you the good sides of those guns. I have run about 500 rounds through my S&W M&P so far without any jams. It has some kick, compared to my buds 9mm. it is a good weapon though, easy to break down and clean, comes with 3 grips so you can find the one best suited to you. BTW, the police went with the .40 round because Buffalo cops in NY kept running into issues with a 9mm not stopping suspects. A 40 will put 'em down. If you do buy one, I will be hoping the same for you that I do for mine, that the only thing it ever needs to stop is a paper target.

So will the sound of pulling back the slide and chambering a round in a .45

Just wait till the terrorists use a rectal bomb. Then the security guards will literally be doing to us what the airlines have been figuratively doing for years. LOL.

Yes, I have a poodle. so much for a "deterrent" : Well...it is at least a fluffy little speed bump.

x2 I am currently a Criminal Justice student and have read quite a few Criminal cases on this subject. In Massachusetts it is called the Castle Law. IMO it protects the criminal more than the victim. Do your research on the law, understand what you are expected to do before you pull the trigger. Someone busting in your door, isnt reasonable fear for your life, being at gunpoint is. Also check your law on where you can legally store your weapon, in some states it must be in a locked cabinet. That being said, I have a 100lb Chocolate lab, then last resort is my Remington 870 Supermag, locked in my room in a safe. 3 1/2", 12 guage should be suffecient. -matt- wow...this is getting more than I can handle. I am good with numbers, but this is way out of my league. Maybe I should consulate with an attorney first before buying a gun. I can't believe protecting your family/house can be a nightmare. I recently got a S&W M&P .40 for home protection. I definitely would say whatever you get, if you can practice with it first. Either way, learn to shoot it accurately. If you are protecting your home, you have to keep in mind, it will be over in 1-3 shots at most, you have neighbors and every miss risks their lives, and if you have family in the home, any miss risks theirs too. In NC, our Castle Doctrine protects me if they are breaking in, once in, it is a different ballgame. That being said, I got 4 little girls in my home, someone endangers them, I worry about them first, what is legal second. Also, be EXTRA, anal in deciding where and how to store it. Do not decide a an unsecure hiding place or telling a kid not to ever touch your gun will work. We had a 5 yr old killed this week in Charlotte after he found a handgun in a dresser drawer and managed to shoot himself in the face. Personally, I found a reliable small biometric safe which I keep next to the bed. I can get into it in seconds in the dark. And before you ask, cutting my finger off won't get them into it. Apparently it can detect the heat of a "attached" finger. LOL. It was expensive but, IMO, worth it to keep the kids safe.

This thing had me laughing reall good this morning: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/customer_service