Ohio Archer

Normally, with the ramps around here, I don't have any problem my Sierra and truck cap. Sometimes, though, I need to back down far enough that the rear wheels are almost in the water. If that happens I'll open the cap door and use the side of the opening as a hand hold to swing up on to the bumper (watch the edge of the door!). Reloading the boat I just reverse the sequence. If a dock is available I will do the same as mentioned above...back close enough to hop on to the dock. Having a set of knee-high or higher boots work just a well but be careful climbing onto the trailer with wet boots.

The Ulterra has auto deploy and stow via the remote. It can raise and lower the shaft as you need it via the remote. Lots of videos out there on its capabilities. But along with those capabilities cost a much higher cost.

Do you have the trailer package for your vehicle? The codes listed for your vehicle will tell you. The codes for my Sierra are listed inside the glove box area. It's a pain decoding them sometimes, though. Check your state laws as well. Some have laws that require trailer brakes over a certain trailer weight regardless of what the tow vehicles tow rating is.

I weighed my worm bag...15 lbs. Too lazy to go thru it. Most are left overs from tournament fishing in the '80s and '90s. They are all still in good shape. Be using them when spring rolls around. Hopefully, I'll go thru a few of them catching fish.

Never owned one but I've seen quite a few of them out on the water. I hear ya about the costs. Stopped by the local Ranger dealer for a small part. Got to talking about how much the prices have risen since I bought a new Champion back in '86. Back then a $22K boat was a lot. I about gagged when he told me the MSRP on the Ranger I was leaning against was $100K but lowered to the mid $90's to let people think they were getting a bargain. At the rate things are going I won't be able to afford a new aluminum boat in 2-3 years. If I were making the same amount of money at the same percentage that boats have gone up I'd be making well over $100k/yr (and that was while I was in the military).

If I see someone coming at me or on a crossing path I will generally turn away from them long before we get close. If there is not enough room to make a large turn I will come off plane and turn away from them. There is no way to tell if they see you or not. Sometimes it is just better to give ground than fight for position. Prayers to the families.

Radar, engine data and Bird's eye chart view all come to mind. Had 2 LCR units in the 80's and 90's. A Lowrance and an Eagle starting in '99-'00. Used the Eagle again '07-'12. Just got a new Helix 7 followed by the 999 when I got back into fishing last Sept.

The Helix 7 and HB 999 I have more features than I'll use. The displays are crisp, 2D, side and down scan are really good (didn't know I needed SI/DI until I got the Helix). The best feature I could imagine would be to have the units run without interference from digital trolling motors. I have a new MK Terrova that I'm putting on my boat. I haven't got it completely installed yet and haven't run it with the two birds. But, based on all the problems people have been posting, I figure I'll have to deal with that when I do get everything completed. Transducer cables should already come with extra shielding instead of customers having to buy "upgrades" or add filters.

The warranty on electronics is usually based on time from the purchase date not hours on the unit. The hours are just something they included in the software. You could ask the manufacturer why they include it but CS may not know. I'm sure the techs and engineers have a reason for having the info.

I had my two batteries hooked in parallel (+ to +, - to -) and ran everything off of them. Motor, electronics (Eagle, Helix and a 999), TM. Had no interference issues at all. I know it is not the accepted method but it worked for me. 12V to everything and double the run time. Never ran out of batteries even with the TM on 4 or 5 all day. I have an older (2002) 12V MG 5-spd foot control TM so that probably helped. Now I'm upgrading to a 24V system with a digital MK so everything will be separate. The TM on one circuit and the electronics/motor on a second.

As far as I know, the numbers just show the number of hours the unit has been run. I would imagine the number would be more important to an individual buying a used unit. It would keep the seller honest, to a point. You wouldn't be able to sell a used unit with 200 hours on it as new. Same as outboards...and my truck.

Used to live in Homestead and fished Lake O a lot. Everything is a delicate balance since man tried to "fix" the Everglades. You would think we would figure out by now that we don't know squat about Mother Nature. John Anderson sang about it well... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8sh9P3X33w

It had 13K on it with 6 months left on the factory warranty. I added the extended warranty just prior to the factory warranty expiring. The repairs done under it were not major but the costs added up quickly. I think I had 60K-70K on it when the extended warranty expired. I bought it in Dec '05 and have approx 175K on it now.

Find out who is rebuilding the motor and search for their reliability and reviews. Ask for a test ride before buying it. You won't be able to do full blown runs on a new motor but it will tell you a lot about the boat.

I must be the in the minority as far as using an extended warranty. Just before my truck's factory warranty expired I bought a 3-yr extended warranty. About 6 months before it was due to expire I started having issues. I paid about $1200 for the warranty and had about $3000-$4000 in repairs done. So I came out ahead. I had two repairs on an '86 Merc Black Max...blown powerhead covered under the factory warranty and then a wrist pin snap ring came out and destroyed a cylinder on the replacement head just out of warranty ($1500 bill I had to cover). I don't jump at every extended warranty offer that comes along but I do look at it as a safeguard insurance plan just in case.

I'd take SI over GPS especially since there are some many GPS apps for phones nowadays. SI shows the bottom so much better than DI or 2D sonar. Sure, if you're fishing off-shore structure then GPS is handy but SI gives a great view of all the things you have been missing.

The box should have listed what the unit was capable of. I check all the info I can find online before going to the store (and not just the advertisements which can be wrong). That way I know what I'm looking for and can ask questions that I already know the answer to or need some added info on to see if the sales folks know what they are talking about. Some units look the same but have different capabilities. Some can share info and display images from other units. If you haven't installed the unit take it back for a refund or credit toward the correct unit.

If they were completely charged before the were "left" they should be ok. If not, it is possible that they could have frozen. Pull 'em and check them...voltage check, electrolyte (fluid) level. Put them on a charger for the rest of winter. Mine are in the our unheated garage but I put them a charger from time to time to keep them up.

Online manual: http://boatinfo.no/lib/mercury/manuals/135-150-175-200.html#/76 I searched for "repair manual 2000 mercury 200 hp outboard" and got a dozen different sites come up. Most are multiple engine sizes, though.

I have a Bluetooth speaker that I use with my iphone. I keep it low enough so I can hear it in the background and cover the constant ringing in my ears. My boat came with a built-in radio but it doesn't work and will be coming out this spring.

Since I only have experience with the newer Humminbird units, look at the Helix line with Sidescan Imaging (SI). They give you the traditional 2D sonar as well as great SI imaging. Well under $2000...with built-in GPS.

It's also not meant to be used as a motor-toter or transom saver while traveling although some people do use it that way. Since it is a new boat, did you get the owner's manual for the motor? How to use the tab should be in there.

To take pressure off the trim/tilt system while storing or parking the boat.

Ok, I think I heard of them closing the smaller ones but not the bigger stores. I think BPS buying Cabelas is still in the works but they are building a new BPS and closing the older one in a defunct mall near here. We have a Walmart on either side of us (5 miles either direction) and now will have a BPS about 7 miles south and a new Cabelas 4 miles north. I don't make enough money to live that close to them.

How bad does things have to be for Walmart to close unless they are building a newer location?