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HPBB - This was when I was in my 20's around 1989-90 and way before bass fishing was as big as it is now (da... I'm getting old ). Do they have a Geritol Tour for us ancient ones?

That looks like a nice fishing boat. One without all of the drama & cost that larger boats bring with them. I have a couple small boats and can take them places I wouldn't dream of putting my bigger boat. I wish you well and enjoy

I don't think that was a rule because we also had the registration guy that was also watching trucks/trailers watch the boat while we went to BK for lunch. We really didn't think we had a chance and all of this is very true (and funny in a way).

All FLW tournaments require: "All boats must be a minimum of 17 feet in length and have a rear deck." and "Maximum horsepower for all outboards used in tournament competition will be 250 horsepower...". No minimum hp requirement listed that I can find. I fished my first tournament by invitation of a local club on John's Lake just west of Orlando ( only a few miles from where I grew up). We got there 20 minutes late and everyone except the person taking registration was gone fishing already. We unloaded and went out not thinking we had a chance against the mega $ bass boats with a 45 min head start. So we just went fishing to have fun and even went swimming when it got hot. We each caught 4 keepers and missed a few right before weigh-in. So we tied up at the dock to watch the 35+ other teams weigh in. When it got close to the end and I looked at the #'s the other teams had and I mentioned to my partner that we had more than that on our "stringer". So we got the stringer of fish off of the boat. We won total weight by 3 lbs and I won the big fish pot with a little 4 lb'er ($500 + $250 bf). Not a bad day for a 12' aluminum v-bottom, 35lb minkota, a stringer, and 20 hp Merc that we hauled in the back of a truck because we didn't have a trailer. I agree 200% that fishing skills are not included with a $50k price tag.

When I quit counting fish when I was around 30 yrs old I had caught over 100 - 10+ lb bass and never had any electronics except a trolling motor. I also kept logs of all my trips (still have them today) and fished 100 - 150 days a year. Sight fishing, knowing the right vegetation, watching the birds of prey, where the bait fish hang, and looking at the shoreline can all give you a good mental map of where the big ones are. The truth is that I was probably better off with out electronics. Studying nature and your surroundings is better than staring at a little screen.

I have diabetes and my eyes are very sensitive to glare, reflection, or poor quality lenses. There is even a big difference in the expensive polarized glasses. I have given away several pairs of Serengeti, Oakley, etc.... because they are like looking through the "hall of mirrors" at the fair. Revo makes the best glasses on earth if you don't mind getting off the hip a little. My favorite pair is (Revo 9003) brown looking out of the lenses and blue from the outside looking in. just my .02

Getting the old off is a pain........ I just removed mine and used a rag with the 91% alcohol (from CVS or Walgreens). The 70% that you normally find hardly touched the glue. I got new numbers made just about as cheap as buying a package of stick-ons. This guy here makes several styles that look great. Also the quality is 110%: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&viewitem=&item=200010459846

You have may the Springfield "King Pin" threaded bases and posts. They just unscrew but may require wrapping a rag around the post and loosening with a pair of channel-lock pliers. To prevent them from getting that way again coat the threads with vasolene before putting them together. For the non-threaded type Cabelas does have a tool for them but I have no first hand use of one, you can find it here: http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=90351&hvarDept=200&hvarEvent=&hvarClassCode=4&hvarSubCode=9&hvarTarget=browse Good Luck, FL Dave

It's not as close as the picture may look. There is about a 1/2" clearance around it.

I agree on that 200%....... Now I'd just like to figure out how to get the hydrilla out of west lake or we need another hurricane to get the water back up Some are on the beds, but in deep water.

And an ultra rare pre-rat factory (Disney) "FL Native" to boot

and it works fine........... A 6" x 2" (12 ga.) galvanized hurricane clip from Home Depot bent in half with two of the holes drilled out to 1/4". Cut a 1 3/4" slit horizontal from the top and bend in to fit the original bracket and trim sides to desired length. Simple but effective 15 minute DIY. 8-)

The advantages of the switch would be to save the battery if one of the devices got shorted out from any of several ways or any device draining the battery when the boat is not in use. They can also save a lot of time when installing or troubleshooting the electrical. Battery switches are a good item to have (my opinion). Stay Safe, FL Dave

10" Moccasin colored Culprit (Growing up my nextdoor neighbor was related to & worked for the Dan family @ Culprit, 2 houses behind me was Donnie that I fished with and his dad "Don Gordon" that started another worm company in the garage called "Bass Assassin".... there was no shortage of free worms ) FL Dave

Thanks Guys, I have spent a lot of time sanding the hull down and patching every ding and stress crack. I have a gallon of Ranger Boats black acrylic resin paint for the bottom to put on soon. There is one place on the bottom in the pic that needs final sanding where I put more glass for reinforcement because I fish a lot of shallow water. The carpet, stereo, 2nd fishfinder, pedestals, seats, rodholders, etc... have been ordered. I have all the new lights for the boat and trailer & all new wiring, breakers, & fuse box on hand. It's a lot of work but I believe it's working out well so far. FL Dave

I got this 16' 6" Ebbtide Bass Bandit with a recently rebuilt 70 hp Evinrude from a friend who's father passed away. The hull is in good shape with very minor dings from normal use. The interior is in rough shape from not being covered. I am in the process of doing a complete hull up restoration to make it a bass/duck hunting boat. The interior and all electrical has been stripped. I have already got the magic-tilt trailer about 80% redone.... new winch, pin, & minor metal repair. It was stripped to bare metal and primed with two coats of Krylon flat black and getting two more coats of Krylon gloss black. I need to replace the bunks and side rails, install new lights, and new fenders (this next week). If anyone is interested in this I can update with photo's and details as I go. Happy New Year to all, FL Dave

I'm already where I want to be. I just wish I could move the calendar ahead a month or so............ I'm still trying to beat the 3 large mouth I caught in 45 min that weighed in @ 36 lb 7 oz total. There's no place like Toho during the spawn