Goldstar225

I built a front casting deck for my 14'X36" jon boat several years ago. It didn't increase the stability but it worked for me at the time. If I were going to do it again I would prefer to use a boat with a 48" bottom.

I had been using a RH baitcaster swapping hands after the cast for 35 years while at the same time using LH spinning rods. Finally got to thinking it made no sense to me. I bought a LH baitcaster just to try it out. Adapted easily so I changed to all LH baitcasters.

I sold my previous boat last year that had a 1986 Yamaha 70 HP. Other than tunes ups & lower unit service I replaced the oil tank twice. It was still running strong and well when I turned it and the boat over to the new owner. I actually expect my Mercury 115 Pro XS 4S to outlive me.

Congratulations on your first boat! Hope it gives you lots of pleasure.

Aluminum foil shaped over the fill spout secured by wire wrapped and twisted tight. Was the cap vented? If so make a small vent hole in the foil.

Im far from an expert but I'm inclined to agree that the hub needs to be checked. Just as a point of comparison, I have a 2018 PT190 with a 115. With the original 21 pitch 3 blade I would hit 5500 RPM at 48 MPH (GPS). With my 4 blade 19 pitch X7 prop I'll max out at 6000 -6300 RPM st 46-50 MPH (GPS) depending on conditions and load. Are your speeds GPS or speedo? The speedometer on my boat consistently reads 5-7 MPH high when above 35 MPH.

I'm pretty much the same way. I leave a note for the wife on where I'm launching, the area of the lake I'll be fishing, my truck license number and boat registration number. I'll also write down the number for the county sheriffs department for the lake I'll be at and then text her when I come off the water.

I have two helix 7 SI units, one console, one bow. IMO the SI works fine on the trolling motor. I have no problem spotting brush piles, logs and stumps with mine. I do have a concern that I'm missing detail that I might see if I were using a 10 or 12 inch unit but I went with what fit the budget. (Actually I was going to buy one helix 7 to start and another later. My loving wife bought me two at once for an anniversary present.)

Did that as a kid on the farm. Strapped my tackle box to the rear luggage rack. Used two pieces of plastic water pipe wired to the handle bar as dual rod holders. No farm pond within five miles of my house was left untouched!

I'm with you on the no need for speed. My boat will top out at 50 but you'll usually find me at 30-40 MPH. I've no problem with the go fast guys as long as they're safe. I actually enjoy watching a tournament blast off and remember the days of the shotgun starts.

I've had a light weight 12'X36" jon boat. Given a do over I'll take the bass raider.

Ethanol free gas + stabil for many years. I use seafoam to run through the fuel systems for cleaning.

I'm another who won't tow without a transom saver. One may not be needed as much if you can travel with the motor in a vertical position but if it's tilted that creates quite a bit of leverage on the transom while bouncing from road imperfections.

I gather from your write up that you don't have either the NFB or hydraulic steering systems, just a direct cable steer. I have a NFB system on my boat and it does work well and I like it. There's no way that I'll say it's as good as a hydraulic system since it still depends on cables. One thing to consider is that even with NFB, if you don't get your torque tabs sorted out, the cables in the NFB will still be under strain despite the fact that it won't be felt in the steering wheel.

An easy year so far. $93.00 for the kit to change my top end oil and lower unit lube. Fingerscrossed.

I mostly catch and release but do keep some each year to eat. Love the taste but crappie or catfish from a clear water lake rank higher on the taste meter IMO. On the other hand I can't stand the taste of trout.

I recarpeted my '87 TX17 five years ago. You have wood in the front deck and mid-section. The rear deck is aluminum. My wood lasted 27 years and most of it was in good shape but since I was going that far I chose to replace all of the wood. I couldn't find marine grade ply locally so I used cabinet grade. Cabinet grade has no interior or exterior voids to hold water. I sealed the wood (top, bottom and edges) with epoxy resin that I got from West Marine. I used stainless screws to anchor the wood. It took a 27' run of carpet to do the 17' boat. I used contact cement to secure the carpet. When I sold the boat a year ago everything was still in great shape. I may have gone overboard but I wanted all of the old glue cleaned from the aluminum to ensure the carpet had a good surface. After trying various means, a cup core wire brush in an angle grinder did the best and fastest job of removing the old glue.

My previous boat didn't have a recessed tray. I screwed my pedal down.

I do the same thing.

It's not so much the high bow, just the speed needed to get enough lift on the stern to get on plane. My PT 190 will not level out until I'm at 20+. From 5-20 I'm bow high. As Way North Bass Guy said, a hydrofoil will probably help but I'll leave that to others since I've never used one.

Despite some naysayers, don't be hanging your head that "it's only a bass tracker". My current boat is a 2018 Tracker PT190 which I bought after carefully considering other brands. My last boat was a 1987 Tracker TX17. 30+ years on the water and now serving it's new owner. I don't share the concerns of the wood deck. The wood on mine lasted 27 years before I felt the need to replace it and then only the front 6" of the front deck was bad. Like any boat, take care of it and it will last you a long time.

Congratulations! Heck of a deal on a darn good boat that will serve you well for many years. Now go get that thing wet.

For the waters you describe, I would be perfectly content with a 14' X 48" jon boat with a trolling motor with a small outboard as an option.

I've always used a sit down seat. I got an adjustable butt seat the middle of last year. I'm liking it so far.