bassboy1

Here is my personal opinion. Take it or leave it. I only like aluminum boats. I don't really like glass boats, as I don't fish lots of high stakes tourneys. 18 foot Alumacraft will get me where I need to go. But, I also, have an extreme dislike for Trackers. Also loathe mercs in general, and dislike 4 strokes, so the Honda is out. Sense a pattern here? So, I am no help to you. ;D But, if I had to take one of those, I would probably take the Stratos, if fishing large reservoirs. I don't know if the merc is a 2 or 4 stroke, but either way, I like the Honda 4 strokes better than and merc. Plus, the stratos, though it is glass, is still a good boat, and I don't feel that Trackers are a good boat (personal opinion for those who are going to start defending themselves) But, given those 2 options, I would clear the slate, and start again. This is my 2 cents worth. Take it or leave it, but remember, this is my opinion, based on my own observations, and nothing more.

NEVER do anything to your outboard without a manual. Even mechanics that work on these daily use manuals for certain things. Now, after a few times, it will become pretty much stuck in the back of your head, and you wont need it, but I usually open it up to the right page, and glance at it a few times, even if it is something simple like a water pump rebuild. Also, replace the LU oil fill and vent seals after every change. They are cheap - having a LU crack because water seeped in, and froze is not.

That is only the case with motors that have Maximizer (Minn Kota's term - I don't know what Motorguide calls theirs). Ya see, on a conventional trolling motor (ie, without Maximizer) the same amount of power is drawn, no matter what speed setting you have. If on a lower speed, the excess power is just wasted away as heat, which is bad on the brushes. Now, motors with Maximizer use only the required amount, which means they are more efficient. But, if you are getting a motor to be used only for heading across the lake at full speed, then fish with a different one, you can skimp, and would be just fine without Maximizer.

Yep. I have a rudder I had made for that reason. When in the bow, I had it extended a ways down, and going straight, it worked fairly well, but then it didn't want to turn correctly (contact point in the bow, and contact point in the stern, and nothing in the middle - didn't steer well) When I had the rudder, and was in the stern, it worked absolutely perfectly, but then I was still stuck in the stern, so a transom mount woulda served the same purpose.

Good work so far. I absolutely hate grinding fiberglass, and I absolutely hate cold weather. Better you than me. ;D

If it is your main source of propulsion, go transom. On a run across the lake, you have to keep fighting the foot control to stay on a steady course. Keeping a hand on the tiller is a lot simpler. Plus, if you have a bow mount and it isn't the MK powerdrive, or the MG wireless series, you will have to be up in the bow too, and in a 12 foot aluminum, the stern sticks up in the air, and is a total bi*** to operate. If you had a powerdrive like motor and sit in the stern, the weight is distributed correctly, but I have a probably unjust hate for those motors, so you aren't getting an unbiased opinion here. Either way you take, you will want to run it from the stern. Where you fish is a different story, but it is a must to run from the stern.

Wrong. First of all, I own a deep vee. Second of all, it is 15 feet, so it would be classified under your specs. Third of all, it is aluminum, and fourth of all, it was made for the Great lakes, not salt. ;D ;D Did I go far enough? A deep vee is decided at the transom. If the hull has 20 degrees or more of dead rise, then it is a deep vee.

Buy it now, before somebody else does. Even if it isn't what you want, I am sure you could make out a little better in the long run, provided the boat isn't all holey, or patched with fiberglass. The thing I would check on the motor, is if it turns over. Those 15 Johnnyrudes are a fairly well desired motor. On smaller Johnnyrude motors, hours aren't really that important. Unless abused, I would expect many to live well past the 100 year mark. The first thing I would do to that, would be to rebuild the water pump (30 bucks in parts, and less than an hour to do). Then, the carbs may need rebuilding, but again, that is about 20 bucks, and closer to 20 or 30 minutes. Other minor stuff too - plugs, LU gear lube etc. Unless that engine has major problems, even if it doesn't run, that is a great deal, and you better be glad you weren't closer to me, as I would ****** that up before the day was over. Yes, you will have to work on it, but in the end, you won't end up spending that much on it. Getting the motor running, provided you do it yourself, and do ALL the recommended things (some people skip some) shouldn't be over about 100 bucks. You will probably want seats and such in a boat, but you would have to add them to most any boat you buy. Besides, BOAT stands for Bust Open Another Thousand. Or, if you don't want it, you could always come out pretty well. I had a deal almost exactly like that, with the same figures, and when it is all over, I should come out with about 600 net PROFIT. Your call.

Remember that the maximizer only helps, when you are at a lower speed. If you run at all out, the maximizer isn't doing jack squat. But, if you are using it at less than full throttle, the Endura will use the same amount of power that it would at full throttle, but the Maxxum will use proportionately less.

There are enough people at the iboats boating forums who have done this, to get you where you need to go. Jump over there, and see if they can help.

It isn't going to take much at all for that little boat, provided you do it right. Ideally, your anchor rode (all the rigging for it, including line, chain, shackles etc.) needs to be 4 - 6 times the water depth.

Nope. Just paste the IMG code one below another. Some forums have a limit of something like 7 pics, so you may need 2 posts, but not 15. Just reply to your own post with the rest.

Umm. Some pictures would go a long way.

That is why I too love my 'loominum rigs. Gravel driveways, dirt roads, its all good. If my trailer gets beat up, I will touch it up with a spray can, to keep it from rusting, and someday, it will get wire brushed, and repainted. The boat is aluminum, and the paint will scratch, but I can patch that purty easily. And, major hull damage isn't likely. Riprap size rocks don't get thrown up that often, and if they do, you need to slow down a bit. Now, my Grumman that is for sale, is in near perfect condition, as I haven't had the chance to use it. I need less busy parents that can take me places. :'(

I used my zip code here. It may be different in different locales. http://www.metalsdepot.com/Cart3/viewCart1.phtml?LimAcc=$LimAcc&aident=

Start typing, then hit the BACK button. Read, then hit the FORWARD arrow button. So long as you hit the forward button, your text will still be there

When trout season opens back up, you should head to the Hooch. But, it is closed right now.

Haven't seen one sold, but that should be fairly easy. Any sort of device that attaches the tiller, to the steering arm of the motor shouldn't be hard to concoct. Even a piece of aluminum rod, and a couple zip ties will get you. You could put a bigfoot trolling motor switch at the console, you could control on/off from there.

I was fishing with my dad, at a nice Park in NC, near Blowing Rock in July 2006. The Moses Cone Manor, for those local to there. The warden there was asking everybody for their license. Apparently, my dad was the first that whole day, who did have one. He started to ask me, and I just flipped out my ID, showing that I was 13. (I was 6'1" at the time, so I coulda been older) I am sure though, we woulda been fine, cause he was a real nice feller. Now, I was there earlier this year. I had caught a 2 1/2 pounder, and was walking down the trail and this female warden (not the ugly type either ) came up behind me, and asked how I was doing. I commented on the 2 1/2 pounder I had pulled, plus the 14 incher I got right before it. Apparently this wasn't the answer she usually hears. She stopped and asked what I was using. I showed her my senko (get your mind out of the gutter folks - I am talking a lure here). She was quite surprised, as apparently nobody ever catches anything. Before, when it had no bait limitations, all people pulled out were small bream. Then, this year, when it was deemed natural trout waters, which are artificial, single hook, nobody was getting anything. She went on to tell me, that this lake hadn't been stocked, since Moses cone had created it (which makes me wonder why it is natural trout, in a man made lake, that Mr. Cone stocked with bass and trout, in the end of the 1800s). Now, this time, I was 6'3" and everybody I meet has thought I was either 16, or 17, even though I was 14, but she didn't bother checking for a license. The DNR people on my local lake are real nice too. They are way underbudgeted, and a little on the "slow" side (they forgot to tie off their boat a time or two, having it float off - stuff like that) but they are real nice, and do their best to help fisherman, as much as possible. Point is, they are not out to eat you. For the most part, they are real nice people, and often fellow sportsmen. Plus, the pay is real horrible in some senses, so the only ones doing it, are the ones that really like to do it, and just love to be outside, and help others. They don't do it, just to write tickets, so for the most part, they will be real cooperative.

The swap and sell forum on many boards is probably your best bet on a cheap troller. This site has a lot of members, so they often have cheap trollers. 2 of my 3 have come from here. Or, if there are some localized boards, where you live, they are a great place too, and you can pick up, and not pay to ship.

Nope, I dont see "rude" in your name anywhere? : Just asked for an explanation..... Sorry, in a grumpy mood today. > It doesn't really have a story with it. I was joining a boat repair/restoration forum, and I needed a handle. I am a bass fisherman, and a male, so that fits. I just threw a one on there for the heck of it. It stuck on all the rest of the forums to, as I can't remember more than one anyway.

Have you tried using mapquest? Plug in your address, and it will come to a map. Then, at the top right of the map, it will have an option for aerial image. Sometimes, I have found that it works better for the rural areas, than Google earth does.

Pretty obvious, wouldn't you say?

Do you have a copy of the last one, without the writing (can't understand what it is. I may be a teenager, but I certainly don't speak it). If so, would you mind giving me a copy?

If you watch the instruction video that you can click on at the end, and then at the end of that, click on them blowing up a nalgene. In case some of yall don't know what a Nalgene is, it is a virtually unbreakable Lexan 1 quart bottle that is used mostly by hikers. It tore his hand up pretty bad, when it prematurely went off.