Jeff Browning

Do you spin on 1 Talon? I live near the Ohio Rive and spend a decent amount of time there. I see a lot of boats sold with one anchor - I’ve been curious how they work in the wind/current. AJ - what did you gain by moving the motor back 6”?

AJ - noticed you don’t have a jack plate. If you were building the boat again would you get one? Seems like a good place to mount the Talons vs the brackets. How do you like them? With spot lock would you buy shallow water anchors again? Jeff

Fry, How do you like the Verado? Any problems? Jeff

Thanks for the info guys! From one retired enlisted man to another; thanks for your service and Happy Veteran’s Day (upcoming) AJ!!

Thanks for the input. I went, actually met with the dealer and crawled all over the 2075 w/ 250 Pro XS first. The 1875 next to irt seemed small in comparison, going with the new boat I think. I like the idea of an extended warranty option.

AJ - I found a 16 Pro V Bass w/ 200 HP Verado, trying to decide between going new and used. Through the local dealer can order a 19 for about 12K more than the 16, equipped the same. Is there a huge difference between the Verado and the Pro XS? I’m still new to boat owning and fishing, and I can afford new, just want to be smart about it. I’m just a recreational bass fisherman and hopefully, maybe, my next boat will be my last as I’m getting up in age/ Jeff

If I select the 360, or one of the transducers as the source, will the unit still use the transducer when the 360 is retracted? When i get into shallow water or fish the Beaver River, up by the dam, I retract it so that I don't bounce it off a rock. Does the system automatically switch back to the normal transducer when the 360 is stowed? The transom transducer us all I'd be using when scouting.

I have a 1199 HD SI up front, an 899 HD SI in back, and the transom mounted 360 unit. When I select 360 in the front of the boat, I get what look like spokes on the display. The only time this doesn't happen is when both units are on 360 view. I usually have the console unit on 2d and map, while the front unit, where I fish, gets all the work switching between displays. I looked at the HB site and they talk about two units and one transducer. I have a separate HDSI transducer for each unit and in the networking menu each is assigned to their own unit. Anyone else experience this? What was the remedy? I searched "360" and "humminbird" in the forums before posting this. If it's a duplicate of someone else's post; I'm sorry. Jeff

When it comes to updrages...be patient, I got the 1199 on sale online, the 899 at Cebela's (in store) the manager said he'd honor the prior sale price (it never hurts to ask) and the 360 from Field and Stream (on sale too). Sometimes the brick and moartar stores have awesome sales too. How the heck are youo guys posting pics? If I was looking to upgrade I'd love the BCB in the ad. Those are nice boats!!

I too was on a budget, wanted soemthing decent, that I could resell when I wanted to upgrade and here is what I did.... Bought a 2008 175TXW w/ 50 hp for $7000, fished it for a year to see how much I'd really use it; got hooked on the sport!! Upgraded to a Humminbird 1199 si (bow) $1299, 899 si (console) $500, 70# trolling motor $600, Humminbird 360 transom mount $900, added the other battery for 24v, adjusted the motor and had all componenets installed for about $800 for a total of ~ $4300. My plan was to upgrade to a new or slightly used bigger boat, but I fish mostly by myself and will start tournamants this year with a co-angler (local club) but when I compared apples to apples...sure I could have upgraded to the 75hp Merc for another $8000... My point is, that if you buy a used/new boat and you want to change anything you're into more money. So get what you want or think you want when you buy it and/or leave room in the budget for gadgets which you will most likely want at some point. I had the old black and white depth finders... If I could figure put how to load pics I'd show her off a little. But it says I can only upload 153k... My .02 Jeff

The SW PA Bassmen do tournaments all over western PA and Eastern, OH. I think they even go to NY for one or two.

Thank you again for the info on the motor. I will order the shop manual form Mercury and do some of the work myself. While the lure of having a boat that no one has messed with but me is appealing, the thought of a payment is not appealing. Listening to your opinions on upgrading I think I will go that route and have the motor serviced. I will change the fuel line, filter, and plugs and check the tank for contaminants. Thanks for the input!

Guys, in your experience, are my engine issues just typical of a 2-stroke Merc? I am not equipped to get deep into the motor and just talking to some guys around the river they seem to think it's no big deal. I've been a mechanic for over 20 years, all be it on aircraft, I can't stand it when things don't operate like they are supposed to. I will look into the wiring issue for the 24 and 36v options. I didn't even consider that, but it won't keep me from doing it. I love that kind of work too - so long as I have a place, out of the weather, to do it. Thanks again for the input. Jeff

Thanks for the replies and lessons learned. The TM is 45# and when I was on the Ohio the wind came up and I was blown all over the place. The motor would not hold position. I'm hoping a bigger TM would help with that, plus the 24v system should run for a little longer on non-windy days. The 50hp, 2-stroke, runs but is finicky. It starts and runs fine when cold, but after I've gone to a spot, when I need to start it I have to choke it every time and it's difficult to start without increasing the throttle to nearly 1/2. I've had to pull start it several times until I learned how to overcome the issue. I believe a 4-stroke would be less finicky and start normally (I could be wrong) because the other boats I see with them start like car engines. I will have the engine looked at this spring as I don't have the money for the electronics and the engine this year and don't want to finance things like that. I plan to explore a little more this year. I'd like to get to Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River and Erie. I know I need to watch the weather up there. I don't "NEED" a bigger boat, and any tournaments I fish will be local club tournaments. I am running out of storage, but that's mostly due to my not figuring out the most efficient way to organize my things yet. I work a 14 day on - 14 day off schedule and plan to fish even more this year!! I will spend a lot of time in the boat this year.

What pushed you in the direction of the new boat vs. upgrading what you had?

Okay; here's a question for the New Year that I've been wrestling with. 18 Months ago I bought a 2008 Tracker 175TXW w/ a 50hp 2-stroke. It came with a Humminbird 597 DI and the black and white stock one on the front. I have saved and have the money to pay for the following upgrades in cash: I'd like 2 Humminbird 999 si's or Helix 9 si's, the 360 unit, a talon and an 80# trolling motor. Eventually I'd replace the 2 stoke 50 for a 4-stroke 75 but that's another year off. I can sell the boat to a neighbor for $7500. My question is this...if you had the cash for the upgrades would you upgrade the boat you have (paid off) or sell it and buy (finance) a new, 190 TXW w/ a 115 for a little extra space. My plan has always been to upgrade with cash so I save then spend. But I'd take the money from selling the boat and put it on the new one. I know that new ones don't come with all the stuff I want, but the motor upgrade, which a new boat would have, is what's making this decision hard for me. I'd love to hear your thoughts/opinions. Jeff

Thanks for the welcome guys. RacerX, I have a 50hp motor which limits my access to some lakes. If you, or anyone in the area, want to fish or talk about it or share experiences etc. I'm up for it. Lake Milton, Mosquito, Shenango and Tappan are about an hour from me. I too plan to explore more this year. I'd like to try the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair - I need more experience for Lake Erie. I've heard the weather can come up fast.

I posted this as a reply to another post - sorry, I don't have board experience. Anyway, about me... Retired military, now in the oil/gas industry. Moved down from Alaska and am just learning to fish around here. I've caught Walleye, Crappie, Saugeye, Sauger and catfish but no bass yet. I'm targeting small mouth but any fish is fun to catch. I fish mostly the Ohio River above and below the Montgomery Dam and go a few near by lakes when I can. This year I plan to expand where I fish to lakes and rivers further away. I bought my fist (bass) boat about 18 months ago and it has really changed how and where I fish. I'm addicted!! I hope to fish some tournaments this year - I love to compete in anything, it's all about having fun for me!!

Retired military, now in the oil/gas industry. Moved down from Alaska and am just learning to fish around here. I've caught Walleye, Crappie, Saugeye, Sauger and catfish but no bass yet. I'm targeting small mouth but any fish is fun to catch. I fish mostly the Ohio River above and below the Montgomery Dam and go a few near by lakes when I can. This year I plan to expand where I fish to lakes and rivers further away. I bought my fist (bass) boat about 18 months ago and it has really changed how and where I fish. I'm addicted!! I hope to fish some tournaments this year - I love to compete in anything, it's all about having fun for me!!