SinDale

Ive put in before with one of the back tie-downs still connected too! I tied the boat to the doc, went to pull the truck away, and hear screaming! i look back, and my boat is on the trailer sideways, and half out of the water. It bent the side guide up pretty bad, and am now questioned 40 times whenever I take my buddy Brian out fishing. Another horrible mistake, was not locking the winch one time when i first bought my boat. I pulled the truck up the ramp, and the boat slid down the trailer and was standing straight up behind it! it took 4 of us to lift the transom and slide it back onto the trailer. That took my speedo, transducer, and some paint with it... Besides those, theres a few dead batteries, drain plug (get on plane and pull!) and a going under the bridge forgetting about a rod...snap! Good stuff! thanks for the stories, it makes my reflection a little less painful!

I had a 28hp on my 15' Lowe, that has a live well, console, floor, etc. I had the same issues. i put the foil on, and it was a definite improvement. Cornered better, jumped on plane and can cruise on less rpm. I didn't see any negative side-effects that people talk about, and it added a few mph even! I still had a hard time getting on plane when i had 2 others with me or a full box, so I bought a 45hp merc. It took off for sure, but wasn't that stable. I was hesitant to put a foil on the larger motor, so I bought an adapter that mounts under it, so no holes! Sure enough, it grabs the water better in the turns and in chop. My advice, max out on hp safely, and put a foil on. They say that they drastically improve performance on smaller outboards, and I have to agree. I had a SE Sport 200 Hydrofoil on the Johnson, and a SE Sport 300 Hydrofoil on the 45 with a sportclip. Check out sesport.com for details on them. Everything I read says they are the best. Good luck!

upgrade the x52 on the helm to a GPS / Depthfinder combo. Getting to your favorite hole and finding new ones is key! I'm a map nut besides, but seeing drop-offs on screen is huge I'd think! I just picked one up and can't wait to start playing around with it. other upgrades that come to mind: vhf radio, tunes, rod holders, spot light, tackle storage, aerator, I agree with the second anchor (pref a different type so your prepared for multiple scenerios) paddles/dock hook, toys, TOYS, TOYS! The madness never ends! Enjoy it!

Rochester here! I fish for steelies in the streams in Jan, ice fish for perch and pike all winter, troll for browns in april and May, bass fish from June till September mainly in the Thousand Islands or Irondequoit and Braddocks, troll for staging kings till they run in October, then I hit the streams again. Only time i don't fish is when Im at work, and then I'm online reading how to improve! I fish from the Oak to Sodus, mainly in the bays or within a mile from shore. No clubs yet but would like to join someday! Im glad to see a few from around this neck of the woods. If anyones looking for someone to fish with, send me an email! shanepdale at gmail.

my depth starts flashing whenever I get out of water or the signal is disrupted from turbulence too. I moved mine down a bit so the bottom of the transducer is a 1/4" under the bottom of the boat and it seemed to help a little, but I broke the bracket bottoming out during a wind change at the beach. I'm seriously considering a thru-haul as it sounds like they are more reliable.

Actually, after second look, the transom doesn't look that deep. a 30hp or so might be too much if its shallower. Definitely get in touch with StarCraft to find the Max rating and go with that. Whats the config of the inside? The pic appears to have a drivers console or something in the middle.

I have a 15ft. aluminum deep V Lowe. It finished and 2 guys was difficult to get up on plane with a johnson 28hp so I upgraded to a 45 merc(classic 50). My plate is worn off so I'm not sure what its rated for, but it does just fine. Looking at your boat, and if your not putting a floor/console/livewell, etc. then I'd assume a 25-30hp will get you up on plane nicely. If it were me I'd look for a 2 cylinder johnson because they're the lightest in that range. Make sure your transom is solid and braced appropriately for an outboard too. Good luck!

I went out walleye/bass/perch fishing last weekend in my boat, but puddles are starting to freeze, and its snowed the last 2 nights so I guess I'll winterize the motor and pull the battery and electronics too :'( Can't wait to get into the steelhead at the creeks and pull a few pike thru the hard water! A little cold weather won't stop the fishin!

You can put a hitch on ANY car and pull an empty aluminum boat on a single axle trailer all day long. Launching could be difficult without the right amount of power -vs- weight, but a boat that size without the goodies (Floorboards, outboard, etc.) is carryable from the parking lot anyways even if your car didn't have the bollucks to pull it out of the water. As an example, Tracker's 16' deep V is only 350lbs... which sounds bigger than you have in mind anyways. I have a weighty 15' deep V Lowe with ALL the toys and I pull it without any issues with a front wheel, 4 cylinder, 13 yr. old minivan. (wife's ride that we take camping BTW, I own a truck ;D) Anyways, my point is that putting a class II hitch on a station wagon will pull a small Jon boat, no problems. You can call the dealer for weight specs, but if I were in the situation, I wouldn't want to roof-ride when I could pull. Just my opinions.... Good luck!

looks mint bro! Nice work! Let us know how the first water-test goes!

I have a friend who used rhino liner and its mint. Quiets it down without too much weight, grips perfectly when you're walking/standing/casting, and it waterproofed a few leaky rivets!

It's been entertaining checkin out everyone's rides! Here's mine: 15ft. Deep V Lowe with a "Classic 50" Mercury (MAX hp on boat is 35 : ). 36lb. trolling motor, 2 pedestal seats and drivers console) 6 rod holders, aerated live well, 2 downriggers, planer board mast, vhf, Eagle fish finder, tunes (pioneer stereo and iPod with 2 6 1/2 alpines + 1 bass tube). Its the perfect small water ride in my mind... It goes 35mph and handles the chop well, and I can pull it up on the beach or in the shallows!

I own a Lowe and proudly endorse them whenever I can. I use to have a jon, but traded up to a deep V 14 because its more versatile. Lowes are built to last. My friend owns an Alumicraft, and its thinner grade aluminum than my old one, and has shallower sides. I guess it all depends on what you're interested in. Strength -vs- weight. Dependence on electric though, I'd say weight wins. Pack light and don't forget the oars!

Nice job bro. You can hardly tell its the same boat. Where did you get your hatch? How are you powering your boat? With a tiller or are you still working that out? Send pics when you're done building a jack plate if you could. I need to raise my motor up 3", becuase the motor mounts on it are spraying water in the boat when I'm on plane.

I would build a plate to mount to out of 2 x 6 pressure treated, reinforced with angle brackets. Or go to iboats.com and buy a "Transom Motor Mount Adapter" for $30