NJBass12

You may want to consider upgrading your locks to something better. New locks are around $35 each and pretty easy to install. Another option is to take some of the more expensive stuff out of your boat. My boat came with an alarm for the compartments....I guess that is another option too.

Bass Cat Puma FTD

Looks really good. Can't go wrong with dark gray

You can use regular car wash soap to wash it down. Do not use dish soap. Dish soap will strip off all the old wax and leave an un-protected finish. Put a good coat of wax on their and use a good spray quick detailer type product everytime you get off the water to wipe it down.

Reading all these stories I thought I would offer a tip just incase some one falls in and has trouble getting back in the boat. Work you way back to the outboard, using the trim switch on the motor trim the motor down. Stand on the cavitation plate, hug the motor and trim the motor back up all the way. The motor will lift you out of the water and you can slide down along the top of the motor right in to the boat.

Just a few additional things that I thought of.....Throw cushion, air horn, flares, wistle, first aid kit, some tools, jumper cables or a power pack that you can use to jump a battery.

Good luck cwen! I'm dying to get out, hopefully next week.

I depends on the club and the format they fish. In my club all our tournaments are a buddy draw format. It's a team effort, it's based on the weight the boat brings in. The non-boaters are just as important as the boaters. I've fished in other clubs with different formats and this is my favorite. We could not function without non-boaters.

Congrats!!!!! Very nice, lots of luck!

The strike...especailly a small mouth crushing a moving bait or a large mouth busting through the weeds after a top water frog.

Looks awesome!!! Then again I'm biased.

125 is definitely better, although still a bit underpowered. I was looking at boats for a while before I purchased one. It always seemed like underpowered boats were a tough sell. Offer him 5K and take it from there. Check the NADA value on line. There are some good deals out there. Viper's are pretty sharp looking boats. Do not know how well they ride. Good luck!

B basspro215....I feel your pain. I got a boat over the winter. I'm dying to get out and I feel like winter is never going to end! We are in the middle of another storm in NJ.....12 - 20 inches

Check for stress cracks, make sure the transom is solid, check lower unit oil and of course have a compression test done on the motor....this is just a few things from a very big list. Honestly I would take it out for a ride and see how it runs with the 90. Sounds very under powered to me with a 90. You may have a problem getting on plane with two people in the boat, fuel and live wells full of water. A friend had a 17 foor Nitor with a 75 horse motor and I would have to get out of my seat and sit on the front deck so that he could get on plane.

Get a good trans cooler, change your trans fluid on a regular basis (I do mine every year just to be safe), and do not tow in overdrive. You should be fine.

Congrats!

They build a high quality product thet they stand behind. Mf first baitcaster was a Daiwa Procaster. I've had it for over 25 years and I still use it from time to time just for kicks. Still works great. My first spinning reel was Daiwa too, still have it and it works. Years back the bail spring on my Regal spinning reel broke. I called Daiwa to order a replacement. They sent me 3 of them for free. Now I know they are not expensive, but the fact they did that was great. A few years ago one of my Daiwa Tough & Light rods snapped when I swung a bass up on to shore. The rod was 2 - 3 years old. I called Daiwa, they told me to send the rod to them, 2 weeks later I had a new one. They do not advertise Life Time warranties on their rods but they do stand behind them. The fact that they stand behind their products means a lot to me. Their reels are very smooth, they have an awesome drag system and feel comfortable in my hands.

Another vote for G-Blanks.

I have a couple Powell rods and they are awesome. I have not used their crankbait rod. For crnkin I use a Daiwa Tough & Light crankbait rod, this is glass composite. The glass rods are a little heavier. But my strke to land ratio is much better so I do not mind dealing with a little extra weight.

1998 Bass Cat Pantera II

It really depends on the type of waters you are primarily fishing. Although 18'8" is not a huge boat, I personally think it it big enough. For the lakes that I fish in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, I think a 19' boat is perfect. I have a 19 foot Bass Cat and I feel like I can go just about anywhere with it. It's big enough to handle some pretty rough conditions and yet because of it's size it makes fishing and maneuvering in and around docks and cover easier. Obviously you are going to sacrifice on deck space and storage, but only you would know if you need the extra deck space and storage. 18'8" boat is also easier for storage if you are parking in a garage and a little easier to tow.

I have a tough time falling asleep as well. The worse part is when I finally do fall asleep I end up waking up every 15 minutes and checking the clock. I get the worse night of sleep. I'm usually running on adrenaline during the tournament. Sure makes the ride home tough.

get a "Guest" on board charger

I have a boat similar to yours that I converted to a mini bass boat years ago. My boat is 14 feet, 56 inch beam. I added a front casting deck and floor boards throughout. Everything is covered with marine carpeting from Bass Pro Shops. There are three storage compartments under the front deck, one for the trolling motor battery and the other two are for storage. I have a butt seat up front and a swivel seat in the back. It's a great boat, especailly for smaller bodies of water that only allow trolling motors or where there is a 9.9 restriction. I have a bow mount trolling motor and fishfinder on the front deck. Two people can fish comfortably out of it. I've one several tournaments out if it. It's not as stable as my Bass Cat but it is the perfect boat for smaller bodies of water.

Is the clear coat peeling? Going by the picture the finish looks chalky, cloudy. You may be able to bring that back to life. Try working a small area with some rubbing compound and see what you get. You can also take it by a detail shop and see what they think. Estimates are free, much cheaper than getting it re-cleared.