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I like many others have gone completely with the 3700 and 3600 style storage boxes. I went with two of these Easy to use. I can pull these in and out of the boat with ease. My boxes are marked on the ends so I can see exactly what's inside. These bags will hold approx. 7 3700 style boxes. In a boat they act like those $40 plastic box organizers. At $12 you can't beat it.

I wacky rig my senko's most of the time.

Just what kind of experience do you have with a boat, whether operating or caring for one?

Spare tires are optional. You can negotiate that into the deal if you want.

I don't either. I could probably take the baits I usually use, throw them in a plastic grocery bag and still have room left over for a loaf of bread or two.

Unless the boat leaks like a siv and the trailer is completely rusted out with spun out bearings, the $400 he's offering is fairly reasonable. Look at it this way, at a $400 asking price you don't exactly have tons of room to insult him. Throw $275 out there, see how he feels about it and go from there. Just make sure you've got cash in hand. That always helps.

The first suggestion would be to get a Clymer manual or find a merc manual at someplace like Ebay. Check ebay for parts. There's a outboard guy close to my town that specializes in in repair of older outboards and he also has a pretty good used parts inventory.

You definitely want to stick with aluminum framed reels. I've never had any issues with reels that had graphite cover plates.

I've got the tab type myself. My best suggestion is to saturate the base with either wd-40 or penetrating oil and let it sit. Maybe a day or two. Then take a heavy flat screwdriver and bend in on the plastic tab with extreme force while you wiggle the base. You might want to have a partner help with this. If the plastic tab breaks it's no biggie, you can get the new bases at www.Iboats.com. In fact, you're probably better off to replace the bases after getting them out. Since I changed mine they come out much easier.

I did the big purge over the winter last year. I've gone with 2 of these I can add specific 3700 style boxes as needed and remove them. Very handy. I've got a smaller bag with Senko stuff in it and bags of plastic worms are kept in clear, ziptop larger plastic bags. I'm still probably carrying way to much stuff.

Here's a tip I've given my son whose decided to persue this career. The world will always need CPA's and good accountants. Bank on it.

A few things to ponder on this day Muddy, I'm not that far behind you either. Abraham Lincoln: And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. Ashley Montagu: I want to die young at a ripe old age. Billie Burke: Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese. Clarence Darrow: The first half of our lives is ruined by our parents, and the second half by our children. Francois de La Rochefoucauld: The old begin to complain of the conduct of the young when they themselves are no longer able to set a bad example. Madeleine L'Engle: The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been. Mark Twain : When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years. Oliver Wendell Holmes: Old age is fifteen years older than I am.

I use em on C rigs most of the time.

4 blades are good for providing lift on boats that are having a problem with that. You'll usually sacrifice some top end speed with them over a 3 blade of the same pitch. If you can get by with a 3 blader you're much better off.

I've got a lot of baits that I bought for those situations I think I might need them for one day. I've got far fewer that I actually use on the water. Every few years I toss out those baits I thought I should keep around just in case. unfortunately, I usually wind up turning around and re-purchasing more baits for the just in case situations.

I don't see anyone putting Nitro down on this thread. Nitro is what it is. BPS was the first to sell the package boat. Limited line with limited options and color choices and limited engine selections. They became so succesful with that selling and construction method that most of the name brands began mimicking them with an entry level line of boats. Early in the days, when BPS bought Nitro and began manufacturing them, there were some serious issues with workmanship and customer service, so serious there was actually a website devoted for Nitro owners to lodge complaints. Most of those issues have been dealt with but even now, any Nitro I've ever seen on the floor does have fit and finish issues. Not surprising considering the cost difference between them and the other brands. It keeps the cost down by limiting what's available on a boat and the options and color choices you can put on it. Customer service is also not one of their strong suits. I believe that can be a problem if you buy a boat direct from BPS vs. one of their dealers. BPS is also known for advertising teaser price points on their boats with engines sizes that are barely enough to push a fully loaded boat along at respectable speeds or provide adequate performance. Nitro's are also well known for depreciating quickly. A lot quicker than the competition. That doesnt' matter much if you're going to be keeping the boat long term but is an issue if you're thinking of selling the boat within 7 years. As for the choices? I don't know enough about Tracker Marine ProCrafts to steer him in that direction. If it's down to either boat and the difference is the dealers, I'd pick the good dealer anytime over one that has a bad reputation but I still advise upgrading the Nitro to a larger motor. I've seen many guys fall for that teaser priced boat that's underpowered. It's great in the beginning but when the newness wears off they suddenly become unhappy with the performance. In his case, he's got a family. Start loading a boat up with kiddies, the wife and stuff for a day on the lake and the 50hp shortage will start to show.

Which type of pedestal base do you have?

It's stupid cold out. The Meramec river is starting to ice up on the banks and it rarely does that. Yaargh... and I was hoping back in December to start taking the boat back out around now. Haaa!

Now, that's funny! They hold up pretty well if you don't use them! : I think you know what I mean. Unless you're hardcore on the water, these reels will suit anyone just as well as a Shimano or Revo or Pflueger which cost double the price.

I'm still using a 4600C3, a pair of one of the finest reels ever, the Ultra Mag XL plus along with a trio of 2005LP's. I've still got an old Red 5000 that I got for a 16th birthday present 33 years ago that I could still use if I wanted. I've bought into about 6 BPS reels this year to try them out. Still a Garcia guy and will probably switch to Revo's when the used market starts to open up.

Get the Nitro but upgrade to the 200 Opti.

What's your price range on a boat? Both the Nitro and Procraft are Tracker marine group. Both are what would be considered entry level boats so to speak. Have you looked around at newer used boats? There are a ton on the market right now going pretty cheap, they'll get even cheaper as guys start buying new from the shows. For what those 2 are going to cost you you can get into a fairly new, premium brand boat like a Champion, Stratos, Skeeter, etc. for the same price. As for the models listed. If the Procraft dealer doesn't have a good rep I'd probably go with the Nitro but 50hp underpowered isn't the greatest deal either. You'll lack overall performance and the resale value, not good on Nitro's to begin with, will be even worse because of it.

How are those things to throw. Being as long as they are I've got to imagine they catch a lot of air and might tend to be backlash prone?

Anyone from Georgia fish the Ocmulgee or it's oxbows these days? I wonder what the fishing is like there now?

You mean we're not the center of the universe shaped like a trisquit? :-?