Lonnie Clemens

State Farm is working with me on the situation. Thank you very much. Would like to thank everyone for their support and replies. It is good to know that there are people who understand. State Farm is working with me on the issue. It is good to have insurance, but it doesn't replace everything. I put a lot of work into that boat. Sincerely, Lonnie

Last Friday after work I went to check on my boat. Drove up to the storage facility and it was gone. I knew immediately what had happened. I called the Springfield Police non-emergency phone number and left a message. Then I contacted the owner of the storage unit. He told me that he was sorry that my boat was stolen and there was nothing he could do. The facility has a fake security camera and no insurance to cover customer losses. It was a place to store my boat in the city. It was a 14 foot jon boat with a 9.9 Mercury outboard on it. I have been upset all weekend, but State Farm is working on the issue with me. I don't know how much I will be compensated, if anything. Thank you for listening. Lonnie

You are right! I like jon boats. Bigger boats are fine too. But bigger boats have limitations.

Thanks for the comments. I appreciate it.

That will show Mary Ann!

I called the security office at Lake Springfield to see about purchasing a registration sticker for my boat. Talked to a woman named Mary Ann. I asked her how much the sticker would cost. She said, "How big is your boat?". I said, "14 feet long", Mary Ann said, "Oh, you have a small one". Okay, how big is your motor? She asked. I said 9.9. She said, "oh is that like a 10 h.p. I said, ''yes it is". Then she said, "That is a little one''. Then I asked how much the charge would be. Mary Ann said. "not very much since yours is so small". It ended up being $17.00 for a year. Not bad for Lake Springfield, lol. Now I have issues with my boat size.

I did just that. It helped! The battery went all the way to the front. The fuel tank is 3 1/2 gallons and I was able to move it forward a little bit. In spite of doing those things. The weight distribution is still a little off. I have two anchormate rigs on the left side of the boat-the front and rear. Then I have a tendency to set to the left side while operating the boat. There is excess weight to the left side. So I will have to shift more weight to the right side.

Hi Folks, Today I took my new jon boat out for a test run. It is a 14 x 36 green flat bottom jon with a 9.9 Mercury. The boat doesn't have much weight as there is no raised floor in it. I took off across the lake and the front end was nose up. It didn't really plane out. Then I realized there was about 4 inches of water at my ankles. I was taking on water from the back. Headed by the dock and moved the Marine Battery to the front of the boat. That helped out a lot and enabled me to see what the problem was. I am not able to set off to the right side like I want too. Had to set more toward the middle to avoid taking on water. Went by Menards today and bought two 70 sandbags and placed them at the front. I am wondering if 140 pounds will be too much with the weight of the battery included. What do you guys think? Should I possibly move one of the sandbags toward the middle of the boat? Or would it be okay to have both sandbags at the front.

This is getting more interesting by the moment. Lol!

Right! I am not sure why they do it. Have even heard that Tohatsu was making the 15 h.p. and below Mercury's. Haven't verified it though.

Thank you for the responses. Now I know more about what is going on. Just talked to an Evinrude dealer in Rock Island, Illinois. He said the 15 h.p. and below are also made by Tohatsu. I am sure they are good motors.

Just had a dealer tell me that Tohatsu is making smaller Evinrudes too. I was living in the good old days and didn't know it. How could we let this happen in America? I don't want to be seen by my river rat friends with a Tohatsu motor.

Thank you for the link. I will check it out.

Hi Folks, Yesterday, I decided I would start planning on the type of outboard I wanted as a retirement gift. It was going to be an electric start 9.9 Johnson-a 2018 model. lol Got on the internet to check out the prices and couldn't find one new Johnson. I guess I am oblivious. Have been seeing Johnson's and Evinrude's on the lake. But didn't know they folded up. I guess Mercury is our only American made company left. Lonnie

Thank you, I may take it out this winter, if I have the guts, lol

It is amazing at the emotional attachment that people can have with boats. I am still grieving over a jon boat that I lost a few years ago. I still think about each boat that I've had and the way I liked it etc.... Boating should be a family thing. Get a boat that your wife, children, and friends can enjoy. Boating and fishing is a family event. That way when you buy a new boat. You just tell the wife that it's for her.

I would recommend getting outboard and inboard motors serviced on a regular basis. That way there are no surprises and they are always ready when you need them. I bought a 1973 Mercury outboard a few years ago. Had it inspected and serviced at a boat dealership. It ran just fine.

Perfect!

Sounds like a nice boat. Curious to know how things turned out. I like boats made in the 1980's. Just more partial to the design.

I bought the boat and trailer for $550.00 today. I knew I wanted it when I first saw it. It is an old Landau jon boat. The previous owners took good care of it. It is made of heavy duty aluminum-solid boat. It will do just fine with a 9.9 Mercury. It came with a nice Lowrance Fish Finder. I am excited!

Hi Folks, Found a Landau jon boat for sale in the internet. It is 14 feet long and 36 inches wide at the bottom. The pictures look nice. Did a search for Landau Jon Boats on the internet. Only found just a handful. Has this company stopped making jon boats? Does anyone have anything to say about the quality? He is asking $550 for the boat and trailer. Has seats and a fish finder. Thanks ahead of time, Lonnie

Hi Volfan, I was wondering about that. Do you have any ideas for filling the benches with flotation material?

Hi Folks, Found a Sears Gamefisher boat on Craigslist today. Planning on looking at it tomorrow. It is a 14 ft boat, tri-hull, white in color, and in good shape. The trailer is supposed to be in good shape as well. My main question is this: Did the factory put flotation material in the benches or in the hull of these boats? It appears to have sealed benches etc... I really like the idea of having flotation material. The guy wants $300.00 for the boat and trailer. Thank you, Lonnie

Thank you for the responses guys. I appreciate hearing your opinions. Shopping for a good used boat sounds like a good idea. Have also noticed there are a lot of untitled used jon boats out there. Sincerely, Lonnie

Hi Folks, Tomorrow morning I am going to look at a new Tracker 1436 jon boat. I once had a Lowe 1436 and the dimensions of the boat were just fine. But now the quality of this particular boat is coming into question. I have read some good reviews about the Tracker 1436 and some bad reviews. The bad reviews are mostly about a flimsy transom. My old Lowe 1436 was 25 or 30 years old and as solid as a rock. Was hoping the Tracker would be the same. If I don't get enough replies tonight, I will go boat shopping anyway. The price is $759.00. Thank you, Lonnie