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Oil canbreakdown over time. Auto manufacturers typically recommend changing oil every x miles or x months. I assume this logic could apply to your lower unit oil. What maintenance is recommended very year?

I installed the same one on my boat. Do you find that it affects you top end speed? I'm sure it would not for the boats that keep it completely out of the water at wot, but it did mine.

I just installed a hydrofoil on my motor and see a huge difference in staying on plane at lower speeds. A downside I had not anticipated was additional drag. It actually reduced my top end speed. Still, I am glad I installed it. I could probably tweak my prop to address the wot issue, but it isn't that big of a deal to me.

I agree with reel mech in his article. If you have the reel's owners manual by all means read it and familirize yourself with the controls for your reel. Having the reel adjusted for the lure you are casting has everything to do with sucessful casts. Here is an encouraging story for you: My son and I have been fishing together for two years now, just about every weekend except for winter. He just turned 9 last week and has always used Zebco 33 spincating reels and the ocassional spinning reel. He has been wanting to learn to use a baitcaster for a while now, so for his birthday he asked for fishing equiment money from everyone. I took him shopping and he bought an Abu Garcia Ambassador C4. We set it up on a old 6-6 med ugly stick we had while saves for a better rod (he want's a BPS Crankin Stick). We tied on a plug and he began to cast in the back yard. I was dissaponited to see that he would only cast a few times, get frustratd and set it down. He lated came back and cast a few more times and that was it for the day. I thought to myself "you are never going to get the hang of this if you don't work harder at it than that". Then we took the boat out yesterday. There was a night and day difference in his casting. He had 5 backlashes in 7 hours. I am not sure what made the difference, but he did so much better and loved his new reel. Maybe actually fishing made it more interesting. Maybe catching a fish on it and felling the difference made him want to try harder. I don't know. He has not mastered it yet. His casts with a 3/8 oz. spinner bait are still only going about 20-30 feet, but that is great for a beginner, and more importantly, he is having fun doing it. So adjust your reel and keep at it. You will get the hang of it. My son alreay says he would ever wantto go back to spincast.

It doesn't matter what you drive, as long as it works. You are fishing...that is what matters. I happen to pull with a large truck, but that is only because I have that truck for work purposes. I would use anything I had to get me to to ramp.

2006 Ford F-250 Power Stroke diesel. I have to remind myself I am pulling a boat.

Why would this be considered courteous?

On another post someone mentioned always disconnecting the trailer light harness before backing onto the ramp. I had never heard of this, but it makes sense. I would assume that the hot lights comming in contact with the water could cause them to blow. Do you disconnect, and it this a common recomendation?

How many batteries do you have on your boat?

The ideal way to check a battery imo is with a hydrometer. You can pick one up at most any parts store for $5.00 or less. This checks the specific gravity of each cell and will tell you the state of charge as well as if you have a bad cell.

What kind of budget are you working with for this boat? I have a fiberglass Stump Knocker 2 that works great for what you are discribing (and it is even for sale). Btw, I am in Wilson, NC. Lost of local boys on this site.

I'm not sure I undertsand your question. It should be very straight forward. I would mount the transducer to the tm with the proper mount. If you do not have one with the Lowrnave you can get one pretty easily. The transducer wire goes to the unit and the other can be direct wired to the battery. I suppose you could wire a plug to the power wire to use with the boat's pre-wire jacks, but I have always wired it directly to the battery. I don't know if this helps or not.

A friend of mine who is a tournament competitor prefers this type of tm. He says that he just nudges the handle with his leg to steer.

Have you installed this locking system yet? We would love to see some pics.

I just bought a 2000 17' Xpress bass boat with a 90 hp Merc. I am very pleased. I think you will get more sound from water lapping against the hull with an aluminumn boat, but I have not noticed enough difference to bother me at all. As for handling, I don't have anything to compare to. This is my first bass boat. I had a 14' Stump Knocker with a 25 hp Johnson before this. So clearly, I think this handles great. It is a smooth ride as long as you have your trim right. I assume you will have hydraulic steering. What size boat are you looking at?

Which bearing would this be, on the pedal or the motor?

I have always owned Motor Guides, and assumed that the difficult steering under full power was a result of propo torque. Apparently Minn Kota has resolved this issue. How do they avoid the prop torque issue?