Hot Rod

Sorry Man what a bad deal. This story makes me want to cry. I feel your pain especially because a similar thing happened to me this year. :'( Bought a new $20K boat in February then picked it up in March. When I picked it up I checked it over very well and all was in order. Signed the papers and towed it home 125 miles (one way) from the dealer. Got it home and of course the first thing I wanted to do was wash all the road grime off of it. To my horror I discovered a perfect 1/8" hole in the hull!!! I about died. After reganing consienousness I put 2 and 2 together and figured out that when they installed the hot foot, which they did after I checked over the boat because they place it where you want it so it is comfortable, they punched a hole in the hull. So I have a brand new boat, never on the water with a hole in it!!! Called the dealer told him to come get it and fix it then bring it back because I wasn't going to take two days off of work or miss satrudays of fishing to take it back to them for repairs then back and pick it up. This was on a Wednesday at their bussiest time of year. They were hesitant at first but chewed on it for awhile and Monday morning they showed up and towed it back in. I did have to go get it but the dealer apologized and gave me more than enough cash to cover my gas. He offered to give me a discount on accessories too. Still it was somewhat of a pain but turned out to be amicable in the end. I guess my point it that sometimes they have to think about how many people you are going to tell and how much business it might cost if they doen't do the right thing. If he just fixes your current outboard I'd ask for him to do the next scheduled mainenance FOC too since he'll have to be in there to check things out againat some point once he does the initial repairs. Hope it works out for you!

I have a Cuda 168EX and used it for about 3 years. Basically the same unit but has a larger screen. It was recommended to me by the Cabela's rep when I told him I just wanted a good basic unit. I think it was like $99 when I bought it. I have it on a 14' aluminum boat that I usually fish in small lakes that for the most part max out at 20' deep. I was very happy with it. It has served me well and was a decent value and durable for the most part. The only negative I have to say about it is that it gets goofey sometimes and will start showing depths that I know are wrong but that can be a problem with any unit. I suspect it was due to some interference. It only happens on occasion and usually a quick re-start of the unit solves it, though sometimes not. Generally it shows the depth/structure and the fish well. It has been a great "starter" unit and I've learned alot from using it as opposed to none at all. That being said, I recently bought a new boat that was rigged with a Lowrance X52, not top of the line by any means. The first thing I noticed was how much of a difference more levels of gray scale make as well as more pixels. My old cuda only had 4 levels of grey. The X52 has 16. It really helps make out cover on the bottom, bait fish, bottom composition and separates fish from other objects. Even though the screen on the Lowrance is smaller than my Cuda it has more pixels which shows detail better. I know what it is like saving for college so if your budget is limited to the Cuda I'd say it is a good buy to get you through to graduation and your first big payday. If you can afford a little more now, go for a unit with more grey levels and pixels. If not the Cuda should serve you well and is 1000X better than no unit at all. Good luck!

I have a 13.5' aluminum semi V with about the same beam. It is only rated for a 15 HP. The State I live in requires you to have a HP rating plate on your boat before you can register it. So you may want to check with your State. My State's web site had a form you filled out and sent in with the dimensions of your boat. Then they sent back the plate listing the maximum allowable load and HP, for a small fee of course. You may have too much HP if it is an aluminum rig. Good luck.

Just wondering what type of anchor, if any, are best for fiberglass bass rigs? I'm the somewhat new owner of a 18.5' Stratos. I fish mainly upland resivoirs with mud or slightly rocky bottoms. I don't need an anchor 99% of the time but occasionally when the family is along we we'll throw live bait for panfish i up to 20ft of water. Needless to say I don't have time to run the trolling motor and bait hooks Plus I figure it is best to have one for safety purposes and mooring as well. Weight is a concern because I'd like to keep the anchor in the boat all the time but I don't want to add any more wieght to the boat than I have to, especially if I start fishing tournies. Some of the anchors I've looked at are lighter and more expensive, some are heavy and cheap. Anyone have any experience with these for a similar set up? I had a mushroom anchor in my old aluminum rig that worked fine but I the those things are so heavy and it would take an even heavier one to hold a fiberglass boat in place. I assume one with colaplable flukes would be best. Any suggestions? :-?

My three favorite rigs for that scenario: * a one oz. (or larger depending on depth) single silver colorado spinner bait in white or shad color * a 1/2 ounce G jig with a Zoom Fat Albert grub in salt/pepper or watermelon * a blade bait like a Silver Buddy- my favarite is the 5/8 oz. XPS version made by BPS because of the colors available though I change out the hooks for red Mustad triple grips. My preference of the three is the blade bait but you can't use it in heavy grass or lots of brush though it is suprising how much wood/rock cover you can pull it through without snagging. You can just rip it through sparse weeds. It is something the fish don't see everday too. Another advantage is that you can throw it very far which helps sometimes when you are chunkin' it from the back of the boat, especailly in deep open water. Another idea is to throw the same C-rig as your boater in a different color, if he's catching fish that is and you aren't. Sometimes the subtle difference is enough to entice fish that didn't fall for the boater's offering. I've had that work before as a non-boater. If he's throwing a bright color throw a natural color or vice versa.

Your wife drives a beat '94 Mercury sable and you drive a rusty 97 Nissan truck with 150,000 miles on it but you just bought a brand new $25,000.00 bass rig! :)You think that same beat-up truck is the coolest thing you've ever seen... but only when it is pulling the boat! :)Your bass boat has more horsepower than your tow vehicle!

Hey thanks for the advice! I was afraid I would run into the same problem as Fire22driver with the transom. It doesn't appear that there is much room between the big motor and the off-set bend in the Stratos transom. Beyond the bend it looks like it is probably just fiber glass where the kicker could be mounted. I'll have to measure it to see if one of those mounting brackets might fit next to the big motor. Those brackets look pretty trick, thanks for the link. Yeah I saw those engine mount Minn Kota's too Bassinsoldier. Those might be the easiest and cheapest solution. All I'd have to do is throw another battery on board to get up to 36V (now I have a 24V system). That just could be the ticket. Thanks for the link on that. I'll bet that 202lbs would push it fairly well. I read a review on it and it said it pushed a larger boat at about 4 MPH. I wonder how many run-ins I'd have with the park service when they saw the big motor down before they all realized I was running an auxillary electric motor instead of the big motor. ;D If nothing else it sure would make loading the boat easier. Such a pain to unlaunch without firing up the big motor, especially when it is windy (which it always seems to be when I want to take-out). Thanks again

Anyone have any advice on a kicker motor for a bass boat? :-? I live near several limited HP lakes and would like to take my 18ft Stratos on them. I run it on them now but am limited to the electic motor since the max allowable HP is 20 on these lakes. The electric works o.k. but you can't get around the lake much with it (one of the lakes is 1600 acres). It doesn't seem as if the in-set transom of my rig would lend itself to a kicker motor. I've heard there are brackets but was wandering how the control of the second motor works? Can it be connected to the big motor like on walleye boatsand run from the console? What about fuel supply and throttle control? Does it require a separate fuel line and or a separate tank? I magine it would probably need a separate fuel tank since the little motor probably wouldn't be oil injected and the fuel would need to be pre-mixed unlike the big motor. The other thing is I'd like to able to take the kicker off when I'm fishing tournaments to keep the weight down and the speed up. How big of a hassle would that be? Or should I scrap the idea and just use the electric bow mount and leave it at that. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

My Stratos doesn't have an "official name", but around the house we call it what my three-year old daughter calls all bass boats with fleck paint -- "Sparkle Boat". ;D I can't imagine the looks I'd get from fellow anglers with that moniker plastered across the back. :-[ Neeless to say, that "name" will remain very, very unofficial.

2004 Stratos 285 Pro XL DC (brand new, never been in the water, I pick it up from dealer tomorrow) ;D 150 Johnson Lowrance Electonics (X-51 bow and console) 70# MK

Hey thanks Ranger! Good thoughts on the pilfer protection and the MPG that had not occured to me. I'm the kind of guy who can only afford to buy a new truck every 10 years and a new boat every 20 years so I'll be lucky if my new boat nerves ever settle down.

As a novice to trailering a fiberglass bass boat I was looking for some advice on trailering with a boat cover. I couldn't find any previous posts or articles via search. I know some swear by trailering covers while others swear at them. Any thoughts? Are they worth the hassle and price? Do they scratch or wear the boat finish? What are the important things to look for when purchasing? Will an aftermarket cover be sufficient or should I pop for the custom fit cover from the manufacture? Will I need to purchase a larger cover for a dual console vs. a single console? I wouldn't be concerned about it but I'm schedule to pick up a new Stratos 285 Pro XL DC next week ;D and the weather here in PA has been unpredictable lately to say the least. I have about a 100 mile trip one way and I could be running into some snow in the mountains no matter how clear of a day the weather man says it is going to be. I don't really want to drag a brand new boat through a bunch of slush, cinders and salt spray especially without a cover. Thanks for your input, HR

Hey thanks guys for the insight and your help. Turns out it was all a misunderstanding. I spoke with the boat dealer again today and finally got someone who knew what they were talking about. Turns out it wasn't a five pin round like the salesman told me during two previous conversations. It is a five pin flat. The salesman thought it was called a 5 pin round because the terminals are round not the connector itself! With the 5 pin flat I'll know what wires to connect where since it is a standard set up. Thanks again!

Just some thoughts that might get you started. One of my boats (my only boat for 25 years) is a 1965 13' aluminum semi-V. I didn't completely trick it out but I did hook it up a little to make it more fishable. The boat is so old that it didn't have a hull id/weight capacity/max HP plate either. The state I live in won't let you register your boat with out one. So there is a form they have you fill out stating the dimensions of your boat (the form for PA is available on the PA Fish and Boat Commissioner web site). You send it in then they send you back a plate bearing the weight capacity and max HP. So I'd check with your state agency in charge of boating and registration to see if they can do the same. Some one else made a great point about the loss in stability in that type of boat when you put in casting decks. I avoided that problem in my boat by just cutting a sheet of marine plywood to fit in the bottom of the boat between the 2nd and 3rd seat. I then used L shaped galvanized brackets to bolt it directly to the seats. That way you don't have to put any holes in the hull. It gives you about 3" of height and cleans up the floor so you aren't tripping over the ribbing/strafes in the hull. That little platform made a huge difference in comfort and fishability. I had some left over carpeting that I tacked on to the deck too for added comfort and sound proofing. I can fish standing up even in rough water with no problem. As for the trolling motor mount. You can buy a special mount for the bow in BP or Cabelas. I just left mine on the transom though and it's easy to use. When I'm fishing I just run the motor in reverse so that the stern of the boat leads the way. It is much easier to control this way. The only time it is a problem is in high winds or choppy waves. You'll get some water over the transom then it you are backing into the wind/waves. It is a pretty handy set up everything is in arms reach. I mounted a cheap graph to the 3rd seat where I can see it easily. I also mounted a drinkholder/tray to the side of the hull. It is great for holding a few lures, your drink and a bottle of fish attractant. GOOD LUCK!

Howdy all, I am happy to say that this is my first post though I have been checking out the site for some time. I'm even more happy to say that soon I'll be picking up my first true bass boat. I found so much great info here I was hoping someone may be able to help me with a question. The boat trailer has a 5 pin round connector. The 5 pin round socket for the vehicle only has numbers on it so I don't know which wire (running lights, left turn, right turn, brakes, back up) to connect in which order. Does anyone know if there is a standard wiring set up for the 5 pin round. Seems like there is a diagram on the web for every other connector type. I suppose I could wait till I go pick up the boat to see which wire is where, but I'd like to have the truck all wired to go so I don't have to deal with it then. The boat is a few hours away too. I know which wires are which on the truck just not where to connect them on the connecting socket. I talked to a couple of local RV dealers and they didn't know either.