Daniel Rodriguez

"You sound like you need a 16 ft. metal semi-v jon boat with a 9.9 engine..." You are probably right sir, and I am here to learn so I get the right boat. Right now I have a 10 ft. Bass Raider 10E which is great because it has taught me the basics of how to maneuver a boat using a trolling motor and various other things that have gotten me more and better bass as well as crappies and bluegill. I have even taken it on a tidal river and caught some yellow perch and catfish. ...I live fairly close to the Potomac and Patuxent rivers here in Maryland. From the amount of long, glittery bass boats I see flying by me on the highway headed to these rivers every weekend, I would imagine it's a VERY good place to bass fish. The current in these rivers are very strong, and I am very nervous about the amount of large boats and the inability of me to get out of the way in an emergency situation. I live near a Bass Pro Shops, but I have read some posts that say to stay away from Tracker and Triton...Does anyone on this forum have the same opinion? I am looking at the Tracker Pro Angler 16 or the Panfish 16 maybe, or I can go larger...i'm still not sure...What is a good "starter" bass boats from the Tracker or Nitro lines if I were to get only one from these two lines for now?

Thanks for the info Way2slow...i have 0 knowledge about boats...Maybe I'd be better scaling down the size to something that would fit in my garage...What's a basic-mid no frills level boat that would fit comfortably in an average size garage? I'm not really caught up on motor size, I use fishing to get me away from the hurry .

I bought the 31 Maxx and it is a beast to carry., it has to weigh at least 50 lbs...However, I have never run out of power and i fish alot with two people and for 5-6 hours straight. using my 40lb thrust minn kota..no problems..I paid $85 for mine at Walmart..It's cheap insurance...I bought the minn kota breaker from amazon.com...cheapest price and fastest shipping..When this battery dies, i'm getting a blue top Optima..

I just saw a 92 Stratos 201 pro on craigslist.com for $4200 OBO and he is not too far from me.. Think this is a good deal just by looking at the ad? http://roanoke.craiglist.org/boa/2439390329.html

I am looking for an older late 80's -early 2000's fiberglass bass boat. I would like it to be a Ranger or Champion, as I have heard they are heavy duty and made very well. I want something that is safe for me and my wife and 2 young kids. What do you guys recommend for a brand or model. My budget is 6-$8,000. My tow vehicle is a Toyota Tundra, so it can be as heavy as it wants to be, my truck is rated to 6,500 lbs towing..Thanks guys

Front wheel drive is not a good idea...20ft. boat, slippery boat ramps, early morning entries, late night exits on desolate ramps in the middle of nowhere, there is no way i'd do that...

I think you got your money's worth...i was hoping i'd get two years out of mine...guess i have to raise my expectations greatly!! good news..

If there is anybody looking to buy a rudder for these types of boat, there is a guy selling them on Ebay right now and he only has 3 left for sale... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BUSTER-BOAT-RUDDER-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3cb8923c81QQitemZ260794629249QQptZBoatQ5fPartsQ5fAccessoriesQ5fGear They are sold under the Buster Brand...I will report on mine when i get mine in as I just ordered one today...

I have the Endura c2 40lb thrust motor...I paid $160 ish at Walmart...i think either of those two motors would push that boat surprisingly well...

Your not supposed to go straight to 5 because the torque of the prop will pull the motor right off the transom, that happens on my 40 lb minn kota as well. I would have no problem putting a 55lb on an 8ft Pelican..I have a 40lb on my 10 ft Bass Raider and it's very slow and i fish lakes that are 50 acres or less and it takes a while to get around those due to the low speeds..I may get a 2 hp honda 4 stroke at some point to address the problem..