Nitrofreak

I GET THAT A LOT TOO !! LOL!!! Don't forget to go to the "Location for 2013 Meet and Greet" thread and cast your vote for us CP !!

First, Thanx, it means a lot !!!, and No thanx it's not for sale LOL , especially for 500 bucks Ha Ha, I still have too much fun with her anyway. As for the price, it's really not how much it's worth to me, how much would it be worth for you? I have a sentimental side that plays with prices, this cat needs the money it seems for financial reasons and I feel his pain, that is if his story is true, so I would be willing to go as high as what the boat actually blue books at, maybe a touch more to help the guy out, see what the actual value of the boat is worth and go from there would be my suggestion, it sounds like he is willing to do anything to get rid of this boat so be careful with these kind of situations. As for the sonar units, I have no opinion, I have not ever seen nor used any of them to give you an honest answer, but on your test drive you can check them out, as long as they work and show good detail of the structure below the boat, they will be good units. The trolling motor should be ok, I personally do not like cable drives for the simple fact of, I am old LOL !! I like to stand the whole time I am fishing and having one leg propped up on a pedal wears me out, but you have a good chair on the front so it should be a comfortable fit. Your assumption is correct, it is a V-Hull glasser. As for you girl not having any room to lay out and tan, no comment LOL !! Once you take everything into concideration, one thing that I would suggest is to have someone with you that has operated a boat or that owns a boat that you trust to tell you the truth and let them drive the boat, since this is your first one the more feedback you can get the better. As a last opinion I would suggest the same as Sam and Jason, if there is a boat shop somewhere that you trust, no one will be able to tell you more than they can, an honest opinion from them is worth more than the price of the boat, your safety is second to nothing when it comes to purchacing a boat, especially your first one. Let us know what you decide !!! Good luck and be safe !!!

You would be suprised at what we run across !! As for the rest of your comment, a temp kind of thing is the best thing for you I would agree as well, we just don't wish to have anyone get fined and have a bad day while we are all out there to have fun. How big are the blue gill you normally catch? think you could bring a mess to the cook out afterwards?

I was looking for the D.C. fee for a three day licence and I can not seem to find it, anyone know how much that may be?

1) Your older than I thought, man you must be really old... like fossil kind of old...is that older than dirt??? lol !! 2) I can see you are familure with our state dept. 3) Since I do not have a gun...other than a water pistol... I would assume you are correct...the best I could do is make you look like you wet yourself and send you back home, oh wait, that stain will most likely already be there since you have to come through N Va. traffic. 4) The only thing that makes us dizzy is listening to you guys talk in circles all day. If your Mom is from Stanton, How in the world did you end up there lol !!, only thing I can say is it must have taken a lot from your Dad to drag her out of the valley lol !!, I would however be willing to place a bet that she is the reason for your generosity and hospitality the you have and so willingly offer.

I fail to see the issue with that, especially if you had the chance to spend that time with a good friend !!

We would love to have you there !!! Now this will not be untill fall of next year, will you still be 15 by then?, another note, we would prefer that you get your parents permission or bring a parent with you to have some fun, I can see that you are fairly new to the forum as well, welcome!! Knowing that you are new here, did you by chance get to read what we did with the last one?

The boat in question is a glasser or what we call a fiberglass boat, there are two types that are most common V-hull although some boats have more than one V but we wont get into that stuff we may do more harm than help, and there is also a flat bottom glasser, most of those are on show boats where you can look down through the bottom of the boat and see under the boat, some are pure glass others are a fiberglass mix, or fiberglass just as this one is and used for other commercial fishing etc... V hull gets its name from the way the hull looks up front, in this case look at the boat hull it looks like a V, flat bottom boats that I was talking about was actually an aluminum flat bottom boat, much like the one in the first picture but instead of the V hull it has a flat bottom almost all the way toward the front or bow of the boat. Aluminum flat bottom boats are much lighter and can be dressed up with storage lockers, live wells, fishing platforms, etc... if you can find a good deal on one you can make it what you want it to be and make it fit your needs, just make sure it's a wide one not a long skinny one, like posted before the wider the better and more stable it will be for you.

Well, what I was looking at is that it looks like a sun dried tomato, sun scortching can reek havoc on fiberglass and plastic parts, but if the owner is that coopertive it may be worth the trip, for me though 1900.00 is pretty steep for a boat that old and needing new interior. I purchaced a 17 foot Nitro that needed a complete resoration, I first saw the boat I thought no way, the thing was black with dirt from sitting near a gravel road, he was asking the same price as this one, the trailer was even rusted with metal patch work he tried to hide with new paint, the engine ran but not well, compression was good so I thought carbs or electrical, ended up being both, I told the guy 500 was all I was willing to go, he cursed me and I gave him my phone number anyway just incase he were to reconsider, I have had the boat for a long time now but it has taken a lot of work, I knew what I was getting into and I am thinking there are better deals. As for what you will be doing with the boat, I would think about either, and keep looking for either, try fishing from them both and get a feel for what you would like better, for what you will be doing you should enjoy both, fishing from them will make your decision much, much easier on you.

Oh my goodness, you did not just go there !!! I hope you are up for this LOL !!! First of all, Passports, REALLY??? are ya'll that special that we need passports?? you think you are from another country or something? He## we will let you down here for free, after all we like a good laugh from time to time, and a little target practice always comes in handy...LOL !!

Boat #1) Unless you have an extra few thousand laying around somewhere, thats a no, and there is no such thing as finding a cheap replacement engine, it's just not gonna happen, I will say it is a pretty good looking ride though !!! Boat #2) Keep looking !!!

Lets take it one question at a time. Q 1) A compression test will let you know what kind of shape the engine is in internally, mechanical issues that can be revealed by performing this test is very important, any weak cylinder will tell you that the engine will need some major work performed, this could be a result of carbon build up or internal damage, yes, your mechanic will be able to perform this test, make sure the compression is no less than 125 psi in each cylinder. Q 2) The transom is the rear panel going across the rear of the boat or what we refer to as the STERN,(back of the boat) the tightening of the bolts you were refering to is checking the transom for ROT, the wood panel that runs across the back will rot away and it can be difficult to see, the bolts should not tighten if the wood in the transom is solid, the check that I suggested checks the joining areas of the transom to the rear of the boat at each side and at the bottom. Q 3) It depends on who did the work, most owners will take it upon themselves to repair a hull by using shortcuts, if a pro repaired it you really should not see any damage, one give away will be that the jell coat on the bottom will look new, if the owner took a shortcut, most likely there will be a noticeable patch of some sort, it is normal to see some scratches or even a scrape or two, just make sure there is no exposed wood anywhere under there and no patches. Q 4) Turn the steering left and right first with no given pressure to the engine, it should be free and smooth, then apply resistance to the engine by having your friend hold in the opposite direction you are turning the wheel, this checks for worn teeth in the steering rack assy located at the bottom of the steering wheel, it also checks the free play from the rack to the engine, a small amount will be normal, but anything more than an 1/8 of a turn before the engine starts to rotate left or right is showing signs of wear. Q 5) Since this is your first boat, I would suggest that a test drive is not an option, without that I would definatly walk away from it, show him you are a serious buyer and he/she should have no issues taking you for a ride, I would be serious about fishing a cove or two with it as well to ensure the trolling motor, live wells etc... function as stated, make sure the nav lights and everything works while on the water. The last question you have asked is about if any of these tests fail should you walk away, well since you have said you only have X amount of dollars to spend, looking at the price of the boat really puts you right there at your max dollar amount you are willing to spend, I would suggest that if any issues come up that you do walk away, it really depends on what you find wrong and how severe the issue is, obviously, if it fails the compression test, you don't want to purchace the boat but if you have a nav light or something simular to that small issue, that really should not be hard to fix, but what if it runs into a wire repair? well a wire repair is not that expensive either since your friend is a mechanic he should be able to assist you with getting that resolved. As far as a glasser goes, I feel you will be glad you have one, one of two things come to mind when choosing a boat, 1st is where are you fishing with it, along with that question comes a host of others, will you ever travel to places that you wish you had one, open waters a glasser is much more stable in rougher waters, wind induced or boat traffic induced, storage for just about anything you have can be kept on a glasser, not quite as much as with a flat bottom. 2nd thing is knowing the waters you fish or eventually want to fish, can you do the same thing with a flat bottom boat? you can do anything with a flat bottom boat you can do with a glasser and then some, with a flat bottom you can get into some really shallow waters and manoeuvre it in some really tight areas, they are much more forgiving in cases such as banging a rock than a glasser would be, another thing is you have less to go wrong with a flat bottom, less wireing etc... They both have their up's and down's you just need to decide how and where each will better suit you.

Ok, so who is going to be the shocker this year, last year it was the Lions that suprised everybody for quite some time, this year it seems to be anyone's guess with the pairity as Glenn said. For a surprise/shocker team, I am going to go way out on a limb here and cast my vote for my Redskins to make the playoff's....wild card chance? ok, ok, maybe not, but still if they continue to play like they did against the Vike's, who knows. However, I will say Green Bay, there is a lot of depth on that team, almost too much, even though they have hit and miss this year and seem to be sputtering along, I think they will collect themselves and be there at the end of the year, they took a tough defence and just shredded it Sunday night.

LMAO !!! BRING IT !!! I look forward to seeing what you have to say my friend, knowing you, it should be a lot of fun LOL !!

It still looks like we have a lot of intrest in a good part of Va, From North to mid state Va. I am really looking forward to seeing one of these places for the first time, honestly the Potomac has a lot of interest for me and the Chick River does as well, I am up for any of the places on the poll, regaurdless, if the opportunity presents itself I would not mind being able to fish any of these places with a couple/few of you guys throughout the upcoming year.

Looks as if you guys have got a better plan, I LIKE IT !!!! I will go ahead and cast my vote as well then. There is a multiple vote you could have made if you wanted to. Thanx for your vote BB50. It appears you may have a question or two looking at your comment, do you have any?

PHEW !!!! I only made it half way down the page and couldn't take it anymore !!!

Section 19VAC30-70-170 of the Va state inspection manual. 5) Reject if any vehicle has unapproved lens or plastic covers, any other materials which are not original equipment or any colored material placed on or in front of the parking lamps. Depending on the officers state of mind and if he wants to give you a ticket, he can, fortunately 99% of our law enforcement officers have a lot of tolorence for such things, most are on the lookout for everyones saftey, generally they will not bother with such things unless there is some reason. Va, people are somewhat weird, there is no doubt, but you must understand, we have been putting up with you Northerners for quite some time now and it really drives us crazy !!!! LOL Just because it says D O T approved does not mean a thing if locals have their own rules, state rules, county rules, all regulations are different, and all enforced diferently. even if there is a measurement of some sort to meet D O T requirements, it does not mean it's legal across this great land of ours....although as cool as those things are they should be.

Good thing you don't live in Va. buddy !!! The first time you pull in for a state inspection those things would be rejected, Va. is very strict. But hey, THOSE THINGS ARE AWESOME !!!!!

Shucks I am just hoping for a better than 500 season from my Redskins this year, impressive at times and other times not so much, all in all I am pretty happy looking at our future. As for the superbowl, Atlanta is looking good along with the 49'ers, Giant's who knows, Broncos will need a little more fine tuning under Manning to make the big show but looking good right now, especially after last night, Brady and the Pats will hang in there I think but will fall short, Saints, they will not make the show this year either. I think this is going to be one of those years where it will be someone unexpected, only a few teams are really showing up right now, I think one of the teams in my opinion will make the show would almost certainly be the 49'ers the way they are playing right now.

Comment #1: Thank you for your comments as well about comfortability and needing a bilge! Yeah, I told the guy he was asking way too much. I inquired about it for reasons I'll post at the end. Thank you for pointing out the issues. Did not notice the ones you mentioned. It looked like it could be comfortable because of the decks and such and I could stand up and flip into places, but seemingly not so. Comment #2: I do know a good mechanic who could look at it. Although he knows a lot about "Cars" and older motors, he is not a specialist in boat motors. I do not know how different the two motor types are. The guy is claiming flawlessness in every gauge and in both the big motor and the trolling motor. He states the price is "Firm". Being the time of year it is here, I feel it is more of a buyers market which is why I am looking right now. I have been an automotive tech for 39 years, his opinion is better than none at all, take what he has to say under great consideration, all he has to keep in mind is that this is a giant weedeater, it's still a 2 stroke engine no mater how you look at it, boat engines are not all that different than car/truck engines, they still need air fuel and spark to run, the electronics on the other hand is where some get confused, make sure the amount of corrosion he see's is not accessive in areas, some will be normal, check around the master panel, console areas and guages, batteries as well along with areas under the engine cover. Steering, look for accessive play up and down left and right on the colum itself, as you start to turn the wheel, note the amount of free travel before the engine assembly starts to move in one direction or the other, a small amount is normal, make sure it turns free as well, have your friend hold a small amount of pressure on the engine assy as you rotate the steering wheel left and right, if the steering binds or becomes very difficult to turn there is a issue in the steering. One of the most important things you need to check is the transom, as stated above in BKeith's post, just drawing on the bolts will tell you a lot about the shape the trasnsom is in, one more check that will help aid in this is to push down on the bottom of the trans assy while the engine/trans assy is at a 45 degree angle , if the transom does not move or the engine assy does not move then the transom should be ok, small movement in the engine/trans assy may be noticed while you are performing this check, it could be from a small amount of play in the bushings on the engine mount bracket that is mounted on the transom, this is normal, regaurdless the transom should not move. Lay down under the boat and look at the hull, there should be no damage, any repairs that are obvious could be a major concern while on the water. BKeith's post above is a very good post, do everything he has suggested if you are going to consider this glasser, as for the price he is asking, IF everything is as he says it is and all of the checks are made and pass, the price seems fair to me, but your not done until he takes you out in the boat, drive it before you buy it, fish a cove or two with it and see if you are comfortable on the front of the boat. It's not the only boat that will be on the market, be open minded and take your time, you want your first boat to be as hassel free as possible, this one at least looks like it may have potential. Good luck and be safe !!!

BB50, we would love to have you and your family there as well, it will be in the fall of 2013, you have plenty of time to make plans, cast your vote and try to get it in your area, the most votes for a location listed will be where the next one will happen. We on the other hand do not have as much time, any reservations that must be made ahead of time must be made at least 3 months in advance, so knowing where the next one is going to be is important, please make sure you cast your vote and we hope to see you there !!! Zoff, thanx for the vote !!! I have not voted yet, the reason being is in the event of a tie, I will cast my vote as well at that time, I will put the tieing places in a drawing and draw one from random, so as you stated I am coming as well no matter where it ends up, I look forward to seeing you again soon !! As of now we are in a 4 way tie, Potomac, Chick River, SML, and Claytor, all of them are great choices and we are looking forward to seeing where this will finally end up.

X2 Jerkbaits work really well, the other things I like are hair jigs, hair jigs work really well for colder water, but they still have a great effect on getting fish to react on those stubborn frontal conditions. Another trick I like is throwing french fries with a small nail in the tail end of them when fish are suspended as you stated.

Alright !!!!! JSPOON don't forget to head over to the "Location for 2013 meet and greet" thread and cast your vote or vote's, you are able to cast more than one vote for where you would like to have it so we can have a record of the vote's please. I hope you and Eddie are able to join us this time !!!

I agree here too. Boat #1 I would not even enquire about, even if there were no issues, if you have ever fished from a V-hull you would not care for it as much after fishing from a platform flat bottom or even a glasser, but that is just my honest opinion, no matter the shape of everything, good or bad, not saying they are bad to have, just the one my daughter has is a 14' king fisher V-hull and after spending some time in that one, wide flat bottoms are the way to go, at least for me, the wider the better, so if you are thinking about aluminum boats, I would suggest looking into wide flat bottom boats, one other thing I noticed is there is no drain that I can see in the boat for water to drain into the hull area, a drain and a builge pump would have to be installed, I see no access to the hull to bail water should there need be. Boat #2 I would say it looks to be taken care of but pictures do not do boats any justice, nothing beats looking at them in person, if the waters you plan on fishing allow good use of a glasser then I would have to think about this one as a possibility, especially if you are planning on expanding your water usage to larger bodies of water, one thing to keep in mind is the cost of owning a glasser, maintaining a glasser is a little more costly than a wide flat bottom, things like taxes etc... may have to be a factor as well, but the glasser is much more stable under conditions the flat bottom would be questionable in. No matter what you decide make sure you have a reputable shop look everything over for you and also make sure you have the owner take you for a ride, don't buy it if the owner declines you for one or both, if at all possible fish from the boat for a few hours, that will most definately help you with a decision. Good luck and be safe !!!