TommyBass

True... I blame it on the owners more than the dog though. Id be crazy ragged too if they kept me tied to a small tree in the front yard my whole life. People need to quit buying pets they can't take care of... should be a felony IMO.

tyrius: True, coal is much closer to home than oil in most instances. However, the oil you use to move that coal any distance still comes from across the sea, refined, etc. Either way, the movement of draglines, trains, trucks, and even the personal transportation of the miners and powerplant workers all goes back to being powered by oil. Until we run equipment off of coal directly (not going to happen) then the more coal you use = more oil used. I understand that there is wasted energy.. Im just stating if everybody went to this type of vehicle, not a select few. The few Chevy Volts that are made will probably never have any increase draw in the elecrical grid.

Im sure charging the batteries on that thing consumes a rather large amount of electricity, at least compared to batteries we are used to. Im not sure that the coal fired power plant putting that elecricity in your wall is any more environmentally sound than the gas you burn driving that small distance. Not to mention adding in other things like the diesel fuel semi's and trains are using to haul coal and limestone to those same power plants... or the fuel used in mining that coal. Granted, the electricity may come from some other sources, but thats a small percentage. Just something to keep you thinking

Does it have wood in it? My jon is all aluminum underneath. It also comes standard with the lowest floor being all vinyl. I love it... soft and cool both... it also dosnt weigh very much.

I think he gets a bad wrap for not much of a reason. Who cares if he can't deceide whether to play or not. You would too at that age and for that amount of money. He's good for the game, and is still better than the vast majority of the QBs out there. Sure he could of handled some things differently, but in the end I think hes still a decent guy who loves to play the game... you rarely see his amount of heart out of players this day and age. Im not a Packer/Vikings or even an NFC fan... just the way I see it.

Tracker gets down played alot, but when it comes down to it, they make a sturdy and very fishable boat. Great storage, comparable room, hp ratings, etc. Just make sure you get the bigger engine. You may also check out G3... they sell alot of very good boats in the aluminum bracket at pretty reasonable prices.

I thought he meant glue down the battery holder. You'd then use the strap to keep the battery to the holder. You'd obviously have to not glue the holder down through the center section so as your strap is free to move as needed.

you mean your "hull" hull? As in through the bottom of your boat? Fiberglass or metal? If its thick enough fiberglass you could use really short screws that would probably work OK. Either way I wouldnt risk screwing down through you hull just for batteries. If you dont have any other metal to screw it to, I would try the glue or possibly screwing them all to one piece of wood that is just long enough for your compartment, then you could stabilize that some other way.

Sounds great Big O! I'd like to seem some video sometime if someone ever gets a chance when they come out. I'm sure they'll be good!

I agree.... Bass it is. I think the bristles are just more visible than normal due to deteoration of the mouth. Plus, it could have just been an extra bristly bass to begin wtih : ). I am from central Indiana, and there are several lakes that hold fish like musky and walleye. But they are DNR stocked public lakes, not back water ponds. Those fish don't natively inhabit our shallow muddy waters. Plus, those arn't "teeth", they are bristles. Rest of the body looks bass like as well. Edit: I may possilby accept catfish as well, as I do not thoroughly know the extent of which their mouths have bristles.. but its one of the two.

So what your saying is its just more of an inconvenience to not power load? Sure angle of ramp matters, but if you can get your boat off without a motor you can get it back on without your motor being hammered down. I launch in strip pits which are electric only some of the time, and they have some of the steepest ramps you'll ever see. YES it is harder to load the boat, depending on the angle of ramp and wind... especially with a TM only. But its usually always possible.... just get a running start and winch the rest of the way if you don't make it. If you frequent lakes where your bunk setup dosnt allow you to do it properly, you can always add side bunks to keep you from floating off sideways, thats what they're for. I just get annoyed with the guys who have rigs that just want to hear their big engines run and give it alot of gas at the ramp, even when they don't need to. So to some it up.... Yes powerloading can be semi-useful, but it is completely unnecessary 99% of the time. Its more of a convenience thing... and even then it is over done.

No its not necessary. Just put the trailer in a little farther.

Just because he has trouble steering dosn't necessarily mean that he has to replace his cables. Most cable steering style motors have zyrcs (sp?) that allow you to grease the piston that moves side to side on the front of your motor. Adding some good grease to this is usually the solver of the problem, especially if its mostly occuring in cold weather. Alot of guys don't know this cause they put their boats up once its gets cold out. If that dosn't fix the problem then you can look into replacing the cables. I'm not saying that this can't be the problem, it can, but look into it before just dropping that much cash on it for possibly no reason. A properly maintained boat shouldn't have to have the cables replaced all that soon. So to sum it up.... I'd recommend looking over teh cables for signs of wear or rust... then greasing it, taking it out and trying it at slow speeds to see if it helped, and if not, then change out the cables.

Many of my friends and I have jon boats near the 1860 range. Large open floors with big decks, and plenty of person / weight capacity. We can serious fish with 3 people OK. 4 would be pushing it but its doable if your just out to have some fun. We can do 4 crappie fishing with ease. Plus you can beat it up and tear it up without worry. This one is actually a 1966 http://www.g3boats.com/GatorToughJons/?m=1966SC

Thanks for the input guys. Would it help if the livewell had more water in it, i.e. it is filled higher? I believe this tank is 31 gallons, and I figured the more full you could fill it the less sloshing that could theoretically occur. I never really considered the weight forward being a problem. I imagine with the light weight of a jon your not going to have many issues with the bow not rising, even with 20 gallons of gas up front. By the time you throw a 4 stroke and three batteries on the back I'd say you'll still be sitting lower in the rear. Either way its going to weigh less than a fiberglass boat. Heres the boat he is considering. It a G3 1860 SC with a 90 hp 4 stroke. Actual beam is 86". http://g3boats.com/GatorToughJons/?m=1860SC#

Not sure if its a custom livewell or a stock livewell? But you have to be careful, sometimes water can syphon itself out if a livewell is not setup correctly. Wouldn't think a manufacturer would set it up like that, but just something to think about. Plug would be my first guess.

My friend is looking at buying a new large jon boat, which has a 30 gallon livewell in the front deck section. It runs perpendicular to the boat and has a divided baffle. The boat also has a 20 gallon fuel tank in the front of the boat as well for added bow weight. My question to you all is will he have any issues with beating fish up having it up there like that? It seems many if not most of the main large jon manufacturers are going to front livewells to help keep weight off the stern... surely they have thought that through? Anyone with such a setup and experience? He will be fishing bass tournaments with this setup on occaision, but not usually in any giant bodies of water, just a few thousand acre lakes. Thanks in advance!

Raul I'm not sure what your trying to get at? I'm pretty sure most are aware of how QA/QC works, and most every company has it. I think the point thats being made is the QA/QC of Shimano's rod division is sub par. Out of 25 or so posts now there are close to 10 known rods of this type breaking. Obviously its not going to be every rod, but in QA/QC, even 1 in 1000 can be a poor production output, depending on your total numbers produced, usage, type of product, etc. Just saying that I have noticed this trend with Shimano rods being used by people I know (even though my 1 rod hasn't broke). Also, to look at your view another way: these same people who are "unlucky" or use their gear wrong in theory should then be breaking the tips off at the second eyelet on all other brands of fishing rods used. Luck and poor equipment usage know no brand names. (Unless all they use are Crucial rods, which is highly unlikely)

Nope... I have a friend with the same problem. He has broken 3 shimano rods in the last year... absolutely ridiculous. Its something to do with the rod, his all broke in the upper regions of the second eyelet as well. There is something weird with them, they are definately seeming brittle. I however, have one that I have not managed to break yet.

No, I have the exact same problem. Im not "missing" the fish, the fish is missing the bait, or at least the hook. I doubt it would mess the action up horribly, being as there are upteenmillion swimbaits with rear hooks. But someone mentioned to me on here that possibly the joints on it would not be made to withstand the force a fish would put on the rear sections of the bait - which is a good point. I love the BBZ 1 action but spite it for its hook. I've had much better hook up ratios on my trutungsten 4 inch (except the stock hooks sucked and I replaced them with bigger gammies). But I feel the spro has better action and the trutungsten's finish Im pretty sure is nail polish.. lasts about umm 3 fish.

Well I know nothing about the area your fishing. But it sounds like you had a case of the "baby bluegills". Generally if I get those little guys bothering my bait I change areas... I usually don't get many crappie when they are around. Try something closer to deeper water maybe. Good Luck!

-Put it on a removable mount and take it with you when you leave. -My removable mount has a pin, which you may be able to devise a way to lock that pin in or something. -Maybe try to use some type of cord lock like the style for tree stands, and lock it to a cleat or something?

-Netbait -Chigger craws -Zoom super chunks -Uncle Josh Pork -and sometimes Rage: I like the Rage action, but its cost and durability make it a rare use for me. They lose pinchers easier than any other trailer around and cost more than almost every other brand.

Jigs are great baits with their time and place. However, don't try to replace your texas rigs. Its pretty easy to get caught up in using them too much. In most tournaments I fish these days, my lakes are getting hammered by guys chucking black and blue jigs at the bank all day. Its all they want to do regardless of the situation. I just go behind them throwing any type of tube or worm in something other than black and blue and usually come out on top of them. Its a common weekend angler / bank beater mentality these days to chunk and wind a jig. Many times not throwing one is your best bet. I've never heard a good angler say "Man, I wish my bait and presentation were more like everyone else's!" Now I'm not saying they arn't useful, they are. I've caught many of fish on jigs, and they especially have a knack at catching bigger fish. Just telling you to not get toooo caught up in the hype, they arn't a cure-all. I've started putting together my own jigs now, but if I had to recommend something to start with I would go with a BooYa jig, maybe something like 1/4 or 3/8 oz. Don't get complicated on your colors. Either dark like black or natural colored. Paca chunks seem to be the best bang for the buck as trailers are concerned, but anything works really.

X2 Add a 250 HP motor hanging off the back, three deep cycle batteries, one starting battery, and full livewells and the rear end really starts to sag. My jon boat is actually a tunnel hull designed specifically for shallow water. 18 feet long stock with a 60" bottom (85" beam), around 19.5' long with added toons. It is stated to take off fully loaded with a 90 hp 4 stroke in 12-14" of water. I'd imagine the rear end sits down about 9" sitting still, but the front end drafts much shallower. I've drug it through 6.5" of water with my trolling motor before. Point of all that being, a non-specialized fiberglass boat that weighs alot more and whose motor sticks down alot further probably will be significantly higher. I had an 18 ft triton fiberglass a couple years ago and it wouldn't go where this boat will go, and would by no means take off anywhere close to as shallow.