ThomasL

Two stella 1000fa's(one going on ebay thats brand spanking new soon)with about 150.00 in spare parts just in case i ever need them i have them without searching the world over! One new twin power 2000 i just got yesterday(will soon buy spare parts also) and coming to a happy man soon a new japan stella 2000 to replace the 1000 i am selling!,need it for a loomis glx light action to pull small cranks,the 1000 is for crappies and smallest stuff! Oh almost forgot my striper reels,two shimano spheres 3000's for the hopkins,bucktails,trolling rebels! ;D

I voted shimano but i would like to see JAPAN shimano! ;D Daiwa for baitcasters... Toying with the thought of a japan daiwa exist in the 2506 model,but i have two stella 1000's fa's,one being brand new,watch out ebay!!!

Turfman the only reply i will make is that i chose motorguide because i liked the foot pedal better than the minn kotas,the motorguide is smaller and more streamlined,i also looked high and low for a original gator mount in the pound thrust i wanted and found it in minnisota finally.If i could buy another one just like it i would for a spare someday if i ever buy another boat.Oh and lowrance for me on depthfinders!

I plan on upgrading my x86ds which is a 240x240 pix 4 grayscale unit with a 4.5" screen with either a lowrance x96 320x320 pix 5" screen or the eagle480 480x480 pix 5" screen.Each is 199.95 but i have read some reviews on the eagle with several negative reviews on it,which would you choose? :-?

They did but the rights i am told were bought out by the company that owns stratoes,i have no problem with that,the boats were well built and only small problems like hose clamps,etc were ever a problem which anyone can fix.There are some models out there still left

I have been talking to several marine dealers on bumblebee boats but have had difficulty finding a brochure until i found sanford marine,not only did he send me a book pay postage but talked to me in detail on bumblebee.Even though he didn't have any in stock,he helped me to make my mind up,thanks again and those around him please give him some business for me!

I am looking at a boat online at b&b marine and wondered if anyone lived near there to have a looksie for me,i am 11 hours away and would hate to drive that far and not like what i went to see.

A suggestion,look at those bass hunter boat seats and aluminum frames,measure across the width of the inside of the boat,Go buy some square aluminum tubeing and have a welding shop weld it together like the bass hunter models,you can mount base plates on the frame and put removeable seats on it also.I also see two storage holes in the last picture,looks like a good place for a small 12v battery for a depthfinder to me! ;)By the way i would not consider that a kayak more like a sneak boat for duck hunting,i noticed slots in the floor and sides,might be able to fab board mounts for a short front deck or seating instead of my earlier responce.

Depend on what was used to seal it in,4200 3m is a medium caulk,5200 more of a permanate fix,going through the same thing now with mine only mine came out easy because it had no caulk around it! Installing a inline check valve on mine.

;DHave two homes one in middlesex,other in dunn,boat is in middlesex,nc because of the # of thefts in dunn,sits under a 30x30 carport with a cover on it also,no bird poop or bug poop!

Saw the line capacity on the finese after i posted it along with daiwa making a us 2000 model reel but shimano does not.I need a little larger reel to hold 8 lb test better than my current stella 1000 can with a slightly larger spool but not as big as a 2500 series.

Looking at the shimano stella 2000 and the daiwa certate 2000 made in japan,us reel is not made in the model 2000 and i need the extra line capacity.What is the model 2506 finesse custom certate anyone? :-?

Well i finally tried about the boat weld-craft 1544 friday with some likes,dislikes.First the likes,had more room and stabibility than the 1436 with tiller i had,handles the water better,was faster.Now the dislikes and questions,with those who have this size or similiar bass boat with the mid range(40-75)hp range if you are the only one in the boat does it lean to one side(you in the console)when sitting still,i assume this is normal for a lighter weight aluminum bass rig.Now for the problem i encountered,i noticed that when my wife was in the back and i went to the back of the boat to check the transducer i could hear water coming in the boat with me sitting in the middle of the lake! :oI opened the back hatch and water was coming in quick!After several minutes i realized where the water was coming in at,it was flowing in from my bilge tube on the outside of the boat which was under water because of the weight at that time i was back there. :-[Now shouldn't there be a backflow on the pipe to keep water from entering the tube and shooting out the bottom of the bilge pump!Am i going to have to put a shut off valve in line to keep water from entering the tube. Also the hole on the outside of the boat does go under water when i first start to get on plane.Its no problem when i or she are on the front deck.I do have two batteries(110lbs)and gas(50lbs)in the back with the engine weighing in at 190 for a yammie 40. HHHHEEELLLPPP!!!! :-/

My only concern would be when resale time comes i would not want a 17 1/2' boat with a 25 on it,i think i'd look for a smaller(shorter boat) if i had to stay with the 25,also look at the weight of boats to see which is lightest for a 25hp motor.You will get more kick from a 2 stroke over a 4 i believe.In boats g3 makes a 16',alumacraft make the mvtex,express makes a 16',lowe has that stinger160,a welded aluminum boat with a console and deck will probably be several hundred pounds lighter than that tracker also.

Helms83,lets see if i can help ya,i also looked down at ak and when i looked he had a low inventory,stay with at least a 14' 48" wide boat,the best brands they sell sea ark,alumacraft,weld-craft(i have )the roughnecks are good but you'll see them everywhere.I had a 1436 and sold it,was not stable enough for me,catts boat is about the same as my weld-craft,you should be able to buy a console boat with a 12" tired trailer and that yammie 25 2 stroke for around 6k,another place to try is r&k marine in knightdale,neil has just started carrying alumacraft and may work you a better deal.

Not mechanically inclined?Couldn't tell by the good job on the trailer!Well done.Nick go with what low budget hooker says and has done,good info.If possible i would use aluminum studs,track for the front deck instead of wood because of weight issues,also a aluminum floor in the middle around .080 gauge would work then you can carpet or rhinoline.As for depthfinder transducer you could fab a bracket and fasten over your transom,cabelas has these but can be copied.They make trolling motor mounts for a transom mount trolling motor that would be cheaper than a bow mount and by the look of size of your boat 36lb thrust should be fine.

Hopefully this will be a good thread with many answers,how is your tackle box laid out?Do you purchase certain lures on brand name,weight,or do you walk in a tackle store and whatever catches your eye you buy no matter who it is made by? I personnaly buy by brand,example,only use terminator and strike king premier spinnerbaits,topwater choices are heddon,spros prop20,minnow type baits by yozuri ,owner rippin minnows and bagleys bangolures.I know this limits me to certain baits but hell most of use probably need to rid ourselves of some tackle anyway and just start using and having CONFIDENCE in a lure more. :

If you can go with aluminum look at the weld-craft boats,they make 18-19 footeers with base plates near the front deck for two extra seats then a removeable extention that covers those pedestals.

I know this is beginning to be a old topic now but i'd like to chime in on the stratos,not to step on toes.I do agree the 70 yammie to be the first upgrade,next would replace the depthfinder with at least something in the lines of the x96 lowrance,and yes a larger trolling motor than 40 lb thrust but not to the degree and going to a 24v,motorguide and minn kota make 12v models to 55lb thrust which would be better than the 40,a spare tire and mount along with a motor mount would be nice,at this point you are in the 15-17k range aren't you for a boat rated for a 75 in 17 1/2' length.I have not priced them but ranger makes a 170 model that 17' rated for a 115,skeeter a 16'8" rated also for a 115, but i don't know how price compares to the stratos.One more thing i would remember,being it is a entry level fiberglass and only available in four colors,when the time comes for owners to upgrade will not the market be flooded with these boats being sold off?You know once taken off the lot you loose 20-25% off the bat... :-/

Is this last part right,take out all the spark plugs at once?I thought you took one out at a time and turn the engine over four times to get the compression reading and do that for each cylinder.I thought if you took all plugs out the engine,it would read higher than one at a time? :-?

Flyrods are a personnal thing,do you like faster action rods?medium or slower actions rods, what size flies will you use,will it be mostly used for bass,trout?A six is a good rod for smallies, largemouth,bream and should throw to a size 2 with no problem and as small as a size 14. In that range if i were to spend 200.00 it would be a sage in there lowest price range,a loomis gl2,st croix avid,might want to look at cabelas rods,the top one or the pt i believe it is,scott makes a nice rod the v2 in that price line.Look on flyfishing websites theres always someone selling one or look here www.tradenstuff.com

I consider finese(light)baitcasting under 1/4oz lures and 4-10 lb line, i had a loomis 6' light action baitcast rod paired with a old lews speed spool bb1lg that i sold and wish i had kept.It would cast 1/16oz blakemore roadrunners with ease,but then again i have been using baitcasters since i was 7 years old,a old red ambassador 5000.!

Well i guess i am not the only one also that has to load his boat by himself,i know some may look at me weird when loading back up to go home. I tie the boat to the dock,get the truck back down the ramp,go back to the boat and with the trolling motor head it toward the trailer with enough speed to float it mostly on the trailer,hop out hook the rope and crank er in since i do not have a drive on trailer,takes alittle more time but is safer to me than trying to drive it on with the big motor.

Not to get any feathers ruffelled but before i bought a bass boat i went the canoe route,and all three were not the cheap variety,a square stern esquif mallard(rowed terrible because of the square back and water churning behind it)a scott lilcanoe,nice but tippie,was light though,and a wenonah.All being tippie to someone thats fished in a bass boat there whole life.If access to the remote areas limits you to something that has to be carried in may i suggest looking into inflateables,the good kind,avon,soar,zodiak,etc i know these will run in the upper 1000.00 range but will last a long time.

Good info above on props and rpm's. If i had to guess i think i'll be running in it's upper range of rpms 4500-5500 with my setup,the boat is only 550lbs,add 189 for motor,110 for two agm batteries and 50lbs for 6 gallons gas,then two people. You can see it at www.weld-craft.com/SpecialtyBoats.htm