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Yes, I have looked at Seaark more than once, will revisit. The thing I like about the War Eagle is they allow a lot of customization if you do an order. Almost everything I asked for, he said he could do it in the factory. Now, having said that, I'd rather just find a boat a like and buy it, but that's probably hard to find.

War Eagle 860 and Catfish models by Excel brand and Express brand. The War Eagle 860, at least a Honda 90, but wondering if I could put a 100hp or 115hp on it or whatever Honda has. These are aluminum boats. I am open to anything and I guess it doesn't have to be aluminum.

What does 'good chip for electronics' mean? A chip where?

I have another thread about a troll motor. Since I am seriously considering a new boat, 'must have' features or, at least, things to seriously consider, come to mind. What are yours? I searched for this topic and found a years old thread but nobody really said much about specific things. What are your must haves or, at least, things you'd like to have? Such as... dual axle trailer instead of one axle easy to load trailer plastic bunk runners on trailer trailer has good backup lights spare tire lockable rod box capable of holding 7.5' rods automatic trailer straps onboard battery charger(s) LED lights on front LED's on deck for night fishing storage box large enough for paddles vinyl coating inside boat, not carpet big drain to wash away crud/mud/silt large live well, not just a small one wash down pump/sprayer (to clean boat on lake) fast troll motor w/some advanced features high end sonar / fish finder 4 stroke motor (quiet) (not a Mercury, favor a Honda) motor sufficient to reach at least 45mph hull handling rough water well length of at least 18' but not super long large front deck side console console w/good mount spot for sonar local dealer with good reputation rubber plug easy to access That last one on the list... I have a buddy who has a boat and the plug is a PITA to get to! Share some thoughts!

Went to boat show and seriously considering buying a new boat. The boat I am looking at is an 18'6" War Eagle, has 26" sides, and I think 88" beam, it's not a small boat. At least a 90HP motor, maybe 100HP. The boat on display is a 17.5' model and I think it has a 12v 55lb thrust troll motor, I know it's a Motor Guide. The 'only' 55lb thrust for THAT boat kind of seemed underpowered. I like to motor (with troll motor) between groups of trees while bass fishing, and faster is better. So, for a 1' longer boat (18.5'), I would certainly want a larger troll motor. Considerations for me... - what brand? I have always favored Minn Kota but not sure why. Do you think Motor Guide is okay? I tend to think of Minn Kota as 'smoother,' right or wrong. - what thrust rating? - what shaft size? - any feature you like that you 'must have' when rigging out your dream boat? I realize there are some high end troll motors. Not sure what I 'must have,' but I'm considering everything. At my age, this should be my last boat. Money isn't the primary factor, function is.

Well, thank you kindly. Going to a boat show tomorrow. Hopefully, will find good info, as both of the manufacturers I posted images of are going to be at the show! Looking forward to it. I have a good idea what would make the ideal boat for the types of fishing we do. I don't know if I will pull the trigger but I'm closer to spending the money now, lol. Can't take it with you.

It would be rare for a boat to give you much trouble in the time period of the extended warranty. I wouldn't buy it on a boat. They love to sell extended warranties because it is close to 100% profit. Only thing I buy an extended warranty on is something that has a good chance of breaking and it doesn't cost much. Like, a game camera I bought, the extended was only, like, $4 on a $60 camera. And I had a game camera go bad on me after only 1 year. Also, a fishing rod, where it's no-questions-asked replacement for a few bucks. I've bought that, too. Probably statistically, we're better off not to buy any of it lol.

Funny!

Dang, that will give me nightmares.

I fish for bass and crappie/bream and also some nightfishing for catfish and crappie. This boat layout below intrigues me. My boat should primarily serve my needs, as I fish alone alot because I often can't find anyone to go. But I like to bring a friend when I can, so, it needs to be good for him/her, too. I need a front deck for bass fishing, and a rear deck is a plus for a guest. I think a side console is preferred over center console. Live well, a must. Onboard rod storage a must; one on each side is even better. Want a washdown pump, catfishing is nasty. A center drain grate is handy for washdown. I'd like a motor capable of going at least 40mph but it doesn't have to be much faster than that. Economical is nice! I think I prefer 4-stroke because they are so quiet. I like a lot of open floor deck space for ice chest, tackle, big flopping fish, etc. With this first model below (Excel), my not-so-nimble brother could sit in the bottom of the boat in the chair at the back (but not on top the rear deck). Anyone have any models to suggest? Here is one below by Excel Boats, the Catfish model. I wonder if they have other models similar to this layout. Xpress Boats also has a catfish model that might offer a similar floorplan. Image is second below. I would not want that many seats in my boat. I have been intrigued with Lund boats but found that they have no dealers anywhere around here. I guess it's primarily a more northern USA brand. They appear well-made, though!

Budget? Generally, I'd guess $30k if I were to buy new, but I am very open to buying used.

A Lund type v hull or mod v hull that had a single seat in the back could work. Or even a deep hull 'duck boat' aluminum jon boat. A buddy has one with stick steer and I like it. No deck, but overall, it works ok, especially, since we like to catfish with limb lines and that stick steer is real handy.

LOL, boat for the feeble. Not me, for me taking my brother fishing. He is almost age 70, who knows how many years he has left, but he likes to fish and certainly needs to have some fun. I have a 17' bass tracker and he doesn't like to fish out of it due to its bass boat design, with the rear deck. He's overweight and has bad knees. I took him fishing and found him fishing, sitting in the little seat you use when running down the lake... you know, below the gunwales! Now, I'd rather not have two boat rigs, but if I could buy one that would work well with two kinds of fishing, and could find a used one, I might do it. I could use my tracker for bass fishing. My brother likes panfishing. Bream in the spring, white perch (crappie) in spring and winter. A real fast boat isn't necessary for any of this. Two types of boats come to mind. First is an open hull type, even a stick steer aluminum or glass 'panfish' type boat. Hard to fall out of. Second type is a small pontoon boat. Although, he'd have to stay behind the 'fence' to be/feel safe. Anyone got any ideas, ever faced this problem? Should be common, fishermen age! Ideally, needs to have enough horsepower to go, say, 25 mph or more in case you got to hightail it off lake due to a storm. Trolling motor sure would be nice to have.

Bluebasser86, I get your sentiment about the Academy Exide brand. I have bought a trolling motor battery in the past and it did not last long! You confirmed my fear about that brand. I think I will just get the Walmart Everstart, a store is nearby, the boat motor is only 40hp and I may sell this boat and upgrade!

A-Jay, I prefer to buy just a regular battery. The battery above costs quite a lot of money. I'd need to really get sold on that type of battery before I'd pull the trigger on it. And I may not keep this boat much longer; I'd prefer buying a regular battery.

1997 Tracker 40 hp starting battery is dead. I can barely get any reading out of it whatsoever. What is a good brand? Is Walmart Everstart junk? Academy Exide junk? What about Interstate, and where can you find those? It's not a big motor but it's sometimes hard to start, so, I need a reliable battery.

I forgot to add (but edited now) that I would like to be able to charge both boat batteries at same time from one charger.

Can anyone recommend a good stand-alone charger, to be used for bassboat and general use (side x side, other batteries, autos, etc.)? In other words, portable. I don't really care to spend $200 or more for one on wheels, I mean just something you can move around. I guess I need trickle capability for the bass boat once the batteries are charged up. (Other use around the house is sporadic.) EDIT: It would need to be able to charge two batteries at same time for the boat. For general use, if battery is down on vehicle, take it there and charge... portable! EDIT: I suppose budget is less than $150, but I'm open to what is needed to get a good charger that will last. Last one I bought was rated well but broke and that surprised me. I don't know how much a good one will cost; it seems they should be pretty reliable.

Will a trolling motor battery go 'bad' if you don't have a trickle charger hooked up to it all the time? I bought a trolling motor battery last year and already it's not holding a charge. But I let it run down, didn't go fishing for many months. It was stand-alone battery I use for a john boat. Same question for a cranking battery on my bass boat, does it need a trickle? Water levels are not an issue.

Do most people favor the silent one or the one with rattles?

Yeah, I know it isn't possible to pin it down, I said that. Just wondering if a general broad guess is possible, such as "A modern aluminum boat should do 35mph or more with a 60hp motor." Something like that. Or if, say, a 5mph range is possible, i.e., 35-40 mph or 40-45 mph. BTW, I was talking about an aluminum boat. If I had my druthers, I'd like to get one that'll do 40-50mph. In fact, 40-45mph might be fast enough, I am no speed demon but sometimes I'd rather go faster than 29mph, lol.

I have a 17' 1997 Bass Tracker with 40hp Tracker (Mercury) motor and with me, alone, it will go 29mph. Still considering buying a new boat. If I were to get a similar size boat and put a 60hp 4-stroke on there (Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha), any guess at what top speed would be? What about 70hp? 90hp? What if I buy an 18' boat? I know this is impossible to answer correctly, just wishing I had an idea. If a manufacturer builds a boat for me, do you think they can give me an accurate prediction of top speed or is that something that has to be measured after it's built?

Anyone ever used these weights? -- http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-XPS-Hook-Weights/product/10201093/ I actually bought these for adding weight to a catfishing line. My gosh, I don't think King Kong could crimp these. What's going on, anyone find them uber hard? These are weights shaped like a cylinder with rounded edges, and there is a slot the full length of the weight. It's marketed to slip it over a hook and then crimp in but I was just going to use them to slip over the line and crimp it when I want to add weight. I mean, sheesh, these must be made of steel, not lead!

Powerful trolling motor won't work... current too swift and too far between stops.

This pertains to catfishing, not bass fishing, lol. I fish limb lines at night. I pull up to a likely looking overhanging limb on the bank of the river and tie a limb line on, bait it and it's off to the next spot. I keep my motor running all the while I am doing this. It will take 1-2 hours to finish, depending on how many lines I have out. A friend has a jon boat with 30hp Honda and I like it because it is quiet and talk about easy to start! As soon as he blips the key, it cranks. When I fish with him, he turns his motor off when he gets to the limb and cranks again when leaving. We got this down pat pretty good and sometimes, we get the line on the limb and baited quickly, say, 30 seconds. A long time would be, say, a minute, minute and a half. Makes me wonder what is best for a motor... keep it idling or kill/start it. Any idea? Theory being, his starter would wear out faster, lol. But if you keep it idling, you burn more gas. Or do you? What a joy to have a motor that cranks in about a tenth of a second, lol!