Madhouse27

I had an older Merc 50 and when the starter went it made a single click when I turned the key. The battery and solenoid were still good thus the click. Not sure if it is a reptitive clicking. You can probably get the starter rebuilt for around $65 if that is it. If you don't mind me asking what are we talking about for a price tag on this vessle? I think you need to be leary of any used boat and particularly so for one that is 31 years old. As fireandice said it would be a good idea to have a marine mechanic look at this outboard. I have trouble getting excited about buying things that don't work and boats that start out real cheap sometimes don't stay that way. I certainly don't want to rain on your parade, but I do want to make you step back, take a deep breath and think before you leap. Buying a used boat can be an incredible experience...it can also be a real nightmare.

If you really need a boat to go fishing with tommorrow then go to a marina and rent one. If you need to scratch your itch it would certainly be better to drop a couple hundred on a rental than $10,000 on a new one. Take a step back. Really decide exactly what you want and what you can afford. With some more product knowledge and some patience you can find a deal that works on all fronts. I know you have boat fever but try to fight it so you can make a smart decision you can live with. Heck, the shopping for boats is half the fun. The northern part of the country is heading toward the end of boating season. There's going to be some awesome deals around in a month or so.

As usual it looks like the Red Sox have got their hands full. Varitek is probably out for the season. Talk of signing Lopez from Baltimore. d**n Yankees up a half a game in the East. They always make it such a struggle.

I got mine from Cabelas. It seems decent and the price was good. I haven't gotten around to putting it on yet. Anybody have any tips for doing the replacement.

Your life just changed for the better!

1998 Skeeter SS17 aluminum bass boat (17 footer) Yamaha 40hp Minn Kota AT65. Good enough to get the job done but not so good that I don't dare to put it where the bass are. We're going in after them

Tough to beat a nice new Yamaha

I happened to be watching the local news Sunday night and they covered the fishing event at Unity College. Our very own Britt actually got some tv time. She was using a Shimano spinning reel but I couldn't see what she was throwing. Sounded like they gave out $10,000 of the scholarship money. One guy caught a pickerel worth $2500 of it. Britt, hopefully you had fun fishing and will stick with it. They do have a women's pro tour these days in case you're interested.

Russ I have Adelphia, which according to today's mail is now Time Warner Cable. The Outdoor Channel is considered a "premium" channel so they whack me an extra couple of bucks a month for it.

I think this Houston vs. Clunn matchup is going to be more competitive than it appears on paper. With the short time format anything can happen. If Jimmy gets the spinnerbait bite going it could certainly put some pressure on the reigning champion. If nothing else we will see some mutual respect and good sportsmanship between these two legends.

Spoken like a true diplomat ;D Seriously, I think that alot of guys make the sacrifice and buy a "fish and ski" type boat in order to keep the peace. The wife goes out in it a couple of times during the first month of ownership then it's kind of forgotten. The hubby spends the next ten years of his life in a boat that really wasn't the model he wanted in the first place. At the end of this period he begins shopping for a new bass boat. At this point the wife is once again extremely interested in fun on the water and feels he should buy a 21 foot party barge with a 15 horsepower outboard so they can "entertain" on it. Go get your fishing boat, have your argument, then go fishing and be happy.

It sounds to me like you don't need a new boat...you just need another boat. I'd keep your current rig for your bass fishing and try to pick up a used center console to go play in the salt water. I'm not sure where you are located but up here in New England there are always steals on used boats once we get heading towards fall and winter.

Good one Lightninrod ;D

Brit this is kind of a tough one because you are fishing for tagged fish of various species. I've fished Unity a couple of times and it definately falls into the "stained water" category. I think I would concentrate on the pickerel, largemouth and smallmouth bass. I'd grab a couple of spinnerbaits. One in white w/silver blades and maybe a chartreuse one with gold blades. I'd also have a floating rapala in like the 9 or 11 size. Actually when is the derby? I'm in Bar Harbor and might be able to set you and your dad up with a little assortment of gear so you don't go blowing a bunch of money for a one day deal. I also have a friend who graduated from Unity College. He's pounded that lake. I'll ask him if he's got any words of wisdom as far as strategy is concerned. Brittany you might as well start spending that scholarship money right now. I feel a victory coming on!

In case anyone is interested here's a little update on this season's Ultimate Match Fishing show. Five of the six first round tournaments have been held with only Jimmy Houston vs. Rick Clunn left to go. That one will air next week. So far here is what has transpired. Paul Elias defeated Peter Thliveros, Mike Iaconelli beat Tom Mann Jr., Dean Rojas sent Edwin Evers packing, Tim Horton took care of Marty Stone and in what can only be described as a good old fashioned butt whooping Luke Clausen humiliated Gerald Swindle....final weight 14.14lbs to -.8 (yes that's negative point eight as in less than zero). Unlike his friend Marty Stone who took his beating like a man, Gerald chose to complain, pout and make snide comments to Luke throughout the competition. Those who remember Swindle's treatment of veteran Zell Rowland in the infamous "troll under the bridge" exchange will know what I'm talking about. Luke Clausen didn't have much to say...his limit in the first half hour did his talking for him. Once the winner of Houston/Clunn is decided we will have our quarterfinal match ups. What a great show.

Greg I think I'd follow Glenn's lead and put a big Yamaha on the back of that dream boat.

As always you guys have been a huge help. The house plan I'm currently working with called for a laundry/storage room situated behind the garage. I was thinking the laundry area would be better suited on the second floor with the bedrooms. With that moved I can extend the back wall of the garage to 29 feet which should do the trick. With the cold Maine winters I don't want my current boat outside....let alone its replacement down the road .

I'm going over some house plans with my contractor and had a question about garage size and the placement of the garage doors. I want to make sure I have enough room for a 20ft bass boat. Could one of you guys with a big rig please do me a favor and measure from your prop to the tongue of your trailer for me. Trying to decide on the design of the garage and necessary dimensions. I'm thinking that I'll be changing boats before changing houses. Thanks for the help.

LMAO 8-) You just might be right. Rick Clunn is so cool on some many fronts. Life is all about "feeling it" and there is no doubt that he is truly tuned in to the happenings around him. Clunn's the real deal and I'm proud to simply be one of his fans.

Jim what was the reasoning behind banning jet drives?

Open invite to anyone that is a member in good standing of Bassresource.com. If you are coming up to Maine on vacation or whatever, send me a pm and hopefully we can hook up for a day on the water. I'm on vacation the week of July 24th and will be fishing every day. Other than that week I'm available weekends. Come on up and have a lobster, some blueberry pie, a couple of fresh Maine micro brews and hopefully some hard fighting bronzebacks.

Congrats on the new boat. It sounds like an awesome deal. Hopefully you can post a pic or two.

I fish in some pretty rocky areas and I've never seen one of those guards on a boat. In theory they seem like they'd work. Not sure how they would affect performance. I tend to worry more about my lower unit housing than my prop but then I don't have a high end prop either. At the river tourney I was in last month a guy had an Xpress bass boat with jet drive. It was the perfect set up for that environment.

I know those Lindner boys swear by a flasher. Al uses his quite a bit on Angling Edge. I don't know the first thing about them.

The Starfire's are great boats. You know what you need to check. I hope it works out and you can get yourself into a tournament rig cheap. Follow your plan to have it thoroughly checked out before you leap. One way or the other, you'll be glad you did.