3dees

lots to think about. how much are you looking to spend? new or used? new can go from 12,000 to over 40,000. used, and you take your chances, but there are great deals out there. used with some warranty left is the best bet imo. you can fish from a 16' boat the same way as a 20'. the larger boats will be safer in big waters and provide more stability and speed. small tins can be pulled with smaller vehicles. take your time. the worse thing you can do is buy on impulse. whatever questions you have can be answered on this site and others.

like this. my dealer said not to worry. he will warranty anything he puts on a boat.

yeah, cold water is deadly for even the best swimmers.

use your mirrors. do not turn your head. in time it will become second nature. I have thirty years experience driving semi's in the city. don't worry about anybody else. they have probably seen much worse than you. most times they will offer to help. the pleasure boaters are more inclined to get antsy.

I wear mine when I'm alone and the big motor is running. I have a Mustang MIT and I am an excellent swimmer. I read the tag on the pfd and it says not for non swimmers. anyone else see that? it might only be for the auto-inflate. maybe I'm missing something but lots of people wear them all the time because they can't swim. I'm confused.

side scan has to be mounted externally. lss-2 and total scan transducers are both very long. lss-2 doesn't have this problem because when using side scan you should be going 3-5 mph as per the manual.

the transducer included will give you down scan and broadband. you can add a Lss 2 tranducer for side scan. the total scan will replace both transducers and give you down scan, side scan, and broadband. I have heard complaints about the total scan not reading with higher speeds.

yes, with nmea 2000. don't think it can use an Ethernet cable.

my Crestliner PT18. 150 Pro XS, 10' Talon, Lowrance HDS 9 touch on console and bow. started raining so couldn't get pics of inside.

amber for overcast days and grey for bright sun, although I like my amber lens most of the time.

if your boat goes in the direction the arrow is pointing, I wouldn't mess with it. last year I installed a new Motorguide X5 and the arrow stuck after my first trip. took it apart and nothing would fix the problem. seems like cheap plastic parts. it's a problem for many X5's. no known fix from Motorguide yet. got me a new boat and went with a Fortrex. MG should never have changed from the Tour models.

by the looks of it, it's going to need work (money). sell the AR if you must, but not for that boat.

I have been using these for years. never had a problem. cheap, easy to install and replace if needed. never had a boat long enough to replace them.

it's going to be hard to see any detail on a 4" screen from the bow if you mount it on the console. they are not expensive. save up and get another one. remember, if you mount the transducer on the transom and fish from the bow, your looking at structure and fish that you already passed. you can do it, but I bet you'll be adding another one sooner than later.

Crestliner PT18 with a 150hp Pro XS.

what's worse is an early spring but waiting for my new boat to be delivered.

after 35 years of glass I went with a tin six years ago. I fish rivers often and I will take my tin to places I would never attempt with glass. I have a Crestliner PT18 coming and it's a perfect boat for me. a bit expensive for a tin, but far less than glass. only you can determine if a boat is right for you.

I use a St. Croix Eyecon which is a walleye jigging rod. great rod and less expensive than the choices posted.

I just sold a hook 9 for another HDS gen 2 9" touch. came with the broadband and sidescan transducers, and Insight. 999.00 total. nothing wrong with the gen 2's. just because they are discontinued doesn't mean they are junk. I refuse to play the upgrade game. don't know if it's allowed here, so shoot me a pm if you want to know where to get it for this price.

is it an older unit? I can't find any info on it. is it maybe an Elite 9X? with Lowrance the X means sonar only. there is no way to add GPS. if you need GPS put this unit on the bow and get a unit with GPS for the console.

in 45 years I have never been to a motel that I couldn't plug in. sometimes it means plugging in the room itself. I always ask before I make a reservation. if the motel is anywhere near a lake, they are usually fishermen friendly.

wait, you added a fifth battery. there's the extra weight. need to move it to where. won't it take up space in a locker? not saying it's wrong. maybe for a situation like you had it would be great, but how many times are you going to be in a spot like that. a good starting battery should be fine for running your electronics and livewell. I just don't see the need for the extra expense just in case your battery goes dead. we can add all kinds of stuff just in case. at what point does it become excessive? you made it back on 36v so what's the problem. again, I'm not saying your wrong in your thinking. it just seems that some get a little too OCD with thier boats.

I have a box full of their jerkbaits. been using them for many years. never had a need to buy any others. I need someone to prove that those 20.00 jerkbaits will out fish the Smithwicks.

been a long time since anyone has mentioned Sluggo's. years ago I had a bag full of them. don't know what happened to it. I caught a good amount of LM and SM but never a pike. I think they were a great soft jerkbait, but seems they fell out of favor.