Bass newb

Ya. Lay has yielded me some nice fish. Coosa a daily spot for me.

The local dealerships wouldn't budge from 28k. I said fine, Cabelas has it for 26.5k. Screw you. I went and got another 1k knocked off and tax and all got it for 26.5k. Cabelas threw in a $250 gift card and Ranger threw in a free boat cover $200 gift card, and two free Mustang vests and boat ratchet tie downs for the rear. It has a maxxum 70lb variable thrust tm, and maybe another option or two, I feel good about the transaction.

Thanks. The beauty and styling was very eye catching. The attention to detail was very appealing, but the real kicker was I can stretch my legs out and sit comfortably. I'm very tall, so that's rare in anything, much less a boat. The price was right as well .

Warm up consists of 30-60 seconds idling according to the manual. It says nothing about avoiding wot at any temperature as far as I can tell.

I'm delighted to hear that about Humminbird. I am a little let down that their menu/system navigation is so poor for an american made product. Maybe I should go back and give it another evaluation, as my first one was not positive, and led me to believe it was just more common japanese menu convolution. Garmin though, would you agree, has taken great strides and is now on par or even better than offerings from the others? Or do you have a suggestion for me to consider? All of my research and hands on tips the scales toward garmin. The ease of the "quick release" cradle is awesome and unmatched as well.

I'm new to all this stuff but can't speak highly enough of the user friendly and value packed Garmin products. It's my understanding that Lowrance and Hummingbird used to offer superior products but within the last year Garmin has pretty much put a stronghold on the industry with value and user friendly features. ..not to mention panoptix, and industry exclusive. .. I've purchased 2 garmin units, probably going to get a third, and it's really not even a competition at this point. Don't get all riled up if you are a Hummingbird or Lowrance lover, I'm just giving my short experience in the world of a "newb" at all this stuff, and Garmin is the clear winner to me. I really can't say enough about the 73sv and the 43dv that I have. The display is very readable in the bright light with polarized sunglasses on, and it even auto dims at night. The menu/controls on any of these units is pretty crappy as with most japanese electronics, but I'll say that Garmin is the best here as well.

Thanks. Do you know anything about the link that you posted? I'd be willing to pay up to $300 for a machined version, made out of a stronger material. My wood version won't be very strong, but it'll get me started right off with my 73sv unit until stronger provisions can be made.

Why exactly are you not an opti max guy?

I've seen the garmins next to the elites in displays at bps. The garmins are far better imo. I bought a 43dv and a 73sv. Garmin is leading the way in the sonar these days. Panoptix is unparalleled. I didn't think the panoptix transducer was compatible with the 73dv. Did you just buy a transducer and plug it in? What model? Can I do the same with my 73sv?

Thanks for the link. I thought about it and staining some wood and then slicking it up with some outdoor polyurethane would be the quickest and easiest way to get what I want.

I need to have a piece of polycarbonate or aluminum machined to accept these two round gages on the left and then another square-ish hole one the right for this fish finder that I have. Short of going to my machine shop and asking for this work, does someone do this kind of work? Pictured below is the panel that I'm trying to replace. Thanks

I got a 73sv for $500 just a few months ago and love it. Thanks for the heads up on the striker...i was going to get one for my new boat but no gps is a no go. Am i misunderstanding something? This has gps, is that different than maps? http://www.cabelas.com/product/Garmin-reg-Striker-sv-Sonar-GPS-Combo/2187185.uts?productVariantId=4504179&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=44-137159314-2&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=04368279&rid=20

How do out of town bass fishermen manage all that charging crap at a hotel? Very long extension cords?

New

My opti max 115 has a 60 amp alternator.

Why this doesn't happen is the question. Seems like it'd be natural to wire like this but guy tells me that you don't run long enough to charge.

Thanks for all the replies. The state of Alabama doesn't title boats. I decided to spend a lot more money on what I really wanted instead of getting a great deal on something I didn't really want. Ranger z175.

It's got this fancy on board dual charger and I was disappointed to find out that I still have to plug it in? Is this normal? Is there a fix? Boat is a 2016 Ranger z175. Thanks.

http:// Made the leap my first bass boat! Ranger z175!

Thanks for the replies. I looked at the boat and trailer and all seems nice. The boat is actually bigger than I thought it would be. I wasn't really looking to spend that much money but I just might.

So when i tick off the back of a boat, that ain't cool?

The craigslist.org doesn't have too many for sale but the few it has are in the 11 to12k range. I'm not looking to buy a certain price boat, but 11 or 12 definitely isn't the deal I'm looking for.

Really? This guy at work was telling me to jump on it. He said that 10 -11k was common for that boat. Guy still owes 7500 on it.

Mercury 60, good condition, supposedly less than a 100 hours, are these fuel injected? He wants $8200. He says it's well worth it. My plan was to get a deal this winter when deals could be had. Have I found my "deal"? Input appreciated.

I'm looking at a well priced bass tracker tf 2012. To me, I'm a very big and tall guy, it seems like the recessed deck would be annoying and make the boat feel smaller. What do you guys think about your experiences with either?