T_Dot

by far thats my fav, only way to roll in my opinion

we are looking to hit up tapps this year. hopefully we can catch you on the lake. other than that, where else do you fish, or are looking to fish?

seattle and vancity

anyone from vancity here?

if you are about to buy it, i would suggest fishing from it first. that way you know how much weight you can add. you will also know how much leg room you will need. on that note, wider is always better

LINK: - http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1172115652

if you have tried out something simliar, and are happy with your experience. get it. no sense in getting something different, and something you havent tried out. though if you were going to go with i jon boat, i would suggest a 14 foot, instead of a 10/12 foot. the extra feet makes a difference, and it could still be a car topper. stick with the plastic boat, as it looks like you had a very good experience with it. go with what works.

i just got a few props, and will be testing them out soon ill post my results as they come

try a different battery. if its still the same, return it for a new one i just got 2 55s myself, and im pretty happy with them

honestly im debating if i should go that route, and move the 55# to the bow. if i setup the batteries @ 24v, is there a way to run 12v accessories of them? thanks

do you stand and fish off the seats already? if so, add a deck so you have more room

i beg to differ i use the group 29 everstart maxx-29 battery. you can pick it up at any walmart. for $65, its the best bang for your buck. i have an all electric 14ft jon boat, and this battery does everything i need it to. i power 3 motors, fish finder, and lights... i will be adding a livewell soon too. alot of people who fish electric only bass tourneys out east swear by this battery. you will notice most of the participants use this battery. if you ever have problems with your battery, no matter where you are in the country you will always find a walmart. their warranty is more than one year. as for me, i dont see my self using a different battery

i 2nd that i learned the hard way one time, and now always carry a 2nd backup battery

i have a 14ft jon boat as well, and currently it is a car topper. i was going to build a livewell out of aluminum, but now im having 2nd thoughts. i like having it as a car topper / hand carry boat. adding more permanent weight it not an option unless you have a trailer. if you build it out of a cooler, you can remove it when you dont need it. as for me, i dont need a livewell for every fishing trip. most fish go back in the water right away. cleaning a cooler is much easier than cleaning a permenant livewell

ive been playing around with my setup, and have been trying to break there 5 mph barrier, while staying in the 12v range. here is what i have come up with BOAT: - 1436 Alumacraft | 135 lbs - http://www.alumacraft.com/jon_pdf/14.pdf through the top speed without going on a plain forumla, i should be in between the following speeds ESTIMATED TOP SPEEDS: - 12 FT BOAT: 4.44 KNOTS = 5.11 MPH - 14 FT BOAT: 4.83 KNOTS = 5.56 MPH WEIGHT: - 150 = boat - 350 = 2 persons - 050 = 2 12v 55# minn kota endura motors @ 25 lbs / motor - 165 = 3 everstart maxx-29 batteries @ 55 lbs / battery - 050 = estimated gear weight these were on the boat while testing but where not in use. - 050 = 2 12v 30# minn kota endura motors @ 25 lbs / motor - 765 = estimated gross weight SPEEDS: - 1 rear 12v 30# = 3.0 mph - carrying only 1 battery - without carrying 2 12v 55# motors - 605 = estimated gross weight - 2 rear 12v 30# = 3.3 mph - carrying only 1 battery - without carrying 2 12v 55# motors - 605 = estimated gross weight - 1 rear 12v 30# & 1 rea 12v 50# = 4.0 mph - carrying only 1 battery - without carrying 2 12v 55# motors - 630 = estimated gross weight - 1 rear 12v 55# = 3.5 mph - 765 = estimated gross weight - 2 rear 12v 55# = 4.5 mph - 765 = estimated gross weight my final setup will be the 2 rear 55# motors. what i found is that when playing with the motor depth in the water, i can either slow the boat up by dropping them further which causes more drag. i can raise them up just below the surface and get optimum speed. though i noticed on the way home we were averaging 4.2 mph, which i found a bit odd. these are brand new batteries, so i suspect they were not fully charged from sitting in the store for long periods of time. i also dropped down the 1 front 30# motor in the front for steering. i noticed a speed drop so i dont use it while making runs. if i dropped the motor in front, it would reduce the speed from 4.5 mph to 4.2/4.3 mph. though i believe if i switched to a 3rd 55# thrust up front, i can break the 5.0 mph barrier. above is another setup using my boat. i didnt go with a 24v though. i chose to go dual 12v. if i went with a single 24v, and my motor died, i would be out another $500, and be stuck without a motor. now if an motor died on me now, i would be out $250 and would still have another motor. i do like how he kept it simple, and broke the 5.0 mph barrier. im still debating if i should step up and go to a similar route, but what puzzles me is that i would have to add switches to the 24v setup if i want to use those batteries for my lights, live well or fish finder. i dont want to add switches, because if i forget to turn one off, i might fry my electronics. ... oh decisions decisions what are your speeds and setups? thanks

thanks

first off check your local listings out for used boats http://geo.craigslist.org/iso/us/ma see if anything looks right for you. since this will be your first boat, might i suggest a 12 - 14 ft aluminum. great for first time boats, and very easy to resell if you want to upgrade. i started out with a 12 ft aluminum. lucky i had a year to borrow the boat. we used a 30# thrust minn kota to power the boat, as we fish alot of the electric only lakes. more than enough power for a light aluminum 12ft boat. though i suggest picking up a 2nd battery, as you dont want to get stuck without any power. with the above setup i was able to manuever through all the local lakes and ponds. i was even brave enough to go through a 3000 acre lake a few times. from there, i found out 14 was perfect for me, especially if you had someone fishing with you. i now have a 1436 alumacraft jon boat which i can call my own. its light enough where i can keep it as a car topper. its a great first time boat. goes almost anywhere on the lake, and most people cant go where we go, as we can go in as low as 6 inches of water. check your local basspro shops for jon boats. pick them up, see if they are light enough for you.

i 2nd that

saftey first do you have gloves, a mask and a suit?

... let me put it in simple terms as you haved tested the motors yourself going from a 30# to 50# or 55# is like going from dial up to high speed. once you go high speed you dont go back... i personally will not go back to 30# hope that helps

it all depends on the water and wind conditions... but ive had a group 24 battery before, and they dont last too long when you are using a high speed constantly. especially if you need to make long runs in the boat. with my old setup, on a group 24 and a single 30# tm, i could easily fish 5+ hours. though that all depends on the weather conditions. i always bring an extra battery with me. i learned the hard way a few times. ive been testing out group 27 batteries in comparision to my old group 24 batteries, and boy do they last much longer. not only that, they hold a good charge for longer periods = longer runs. i keep track of my speed via gps. that way i know when the batteries are dying. there was this day, where 1 group 27 battery we had outlasted 2 group 24 batteries. that was a day of really strong winds / current. we could have made it back to shore via the group 24s, but it would have been slow. im going to pickup a few group 29 batteries from walmart. if you want to check them out yourself, they are the big yellow everstart maxx-29 batteries. best bang for your buck.

interesting... looks like i will be chaning out my props for sure... atleast after i get some use out of the current ones

i have used a 30# minn kota & a 50# minn kota on my 14 ft flat bottom jon boat. with a sinlge 30# transom mounted motor i was able to reach 3.0 mph. if i went dual 30# tms, i could reach 3.2 mph. with a single 50# transom mounted motor i was able to reach 3.6 mph. i will be picking up a 55# thrust minn kota soon. that .6 mph is a noticable difference, especially if there is wind or a strong current. i suggestion going with the 55# thrust motor.

what are your tops speeds on both boats, just using the tm? thanks looks like i will be getting a 55, as i have a 14ft boat. which is right in between what you have.

do you have any stats of the increased mph or do you know how fast you are going just on the tm itself? i have a similar motor thanks