bassboy1

No. Sometimes we lash a paddle back there. But, and I may not have expressed my point correctly, with a cable steer, I can turn it quickly, and be able to keep up with the course changing easily. The PD doesn't respond quick enough for me to do that.

Lowes and Home Depot sell these indoor/outdoor carpet sections, about 6 by 8 in a small roll for something like 15 bucks. Usually back on a pallet, near the carpet section. We have used this on a couple jons, and jon boat bunks. For what it is worth, it is fairly useful. Don't even venture into west marine, or boaters world. Between the big box hardware stores, and iboats.com, you can get most everything. Follow the BPS, and Walmart sales. Can get good deals on certain parts that way. Good luck, and have fun.

I didn't heed carts advice when buying mine. Now, I can't sell it. :'( Stupid thing ticks me off so much. Slow steering. Stupid foot pedal design. Slow steering. Pain to stow/deploy. Slow steering. Did I mention slow steering? On my 12 footer, which can't keep a straight course with a bow mount, it is killer, especially in elec only lakes, as the boat will "drift" side to side at the stern, and I have to make a corrective action as it starts, because if I don't, the boat will spin around faster than the motor will, thereby, I go in circles. Have to milk the pedal the whole time. And, it isn't an easy pedal to work. Stowing and deploying is a very tedious 2 hand job. Never cooperates correctly with me. On a bigger boat that will track straight, I can see it useful on elec only, but not a jon, or small vee. But, if someone is determined to buy one, I have a MK powerdrive, 50 pound thrust for sale. Everything is in good working, and cosmetic condition, but I don't like the motor design.

WOW!! I am guilty of quite a bit more than I thought. At least 85% of them, as a quick estimate. When your room (or house) is a horrible mess, but your fishing closet is perfectly organized, and dusted daily. When your room (or whole house) is painted bass green (creekside green from the Home Depot color cards if yall are interested) and has that whole bass fishing theme. When you sign up for a certain class at school, solely because the teacher is an avid bass fisherman, and deer hunter. (The only reason I plan on staying at my school next year, and not moving to a different one)

Well look at it this way. Water is a very inefficient medium to travel through. Unlike on land, if a boat is moving, it is going to be in gear. No coasting to save gas. Plus, you are having to drag a big heavy object along a surface that provides a lot of resistance, and is unable to cooperate with rolling objects, like a car uses. Really and truly, there really isn't an efficient way to travel through water. Think about how far you can paddle a kayak, compared to how far you can pedal a bike in the same amount of time, and on the same bit of breakfast.

About 5 gallons. 4 horse really sips it.

Never been a problem here.... : Caligynephobia means the same thing. Strange huh. Quite a few mean the same thing - can't mention how many times I saw fear of childbirth, and fear of alcohol just to mame a few. (funny those things kinda go hand in hand.) My favorite is phobophobia. Better not open that link. May have nightmares for ages.

I don't see the point of changing handles as a safety issue, if you blatantly post it in front of the world. Care to elaborate. :-?

My recommendation would be to stay out of 285. Dad has been SSOOO happy that he no longer lives, or works inside it. Still has an hour each way commute, but if you conduct life out of the circle, it is soooo much easier. Every time we have to go in their to get something, he always comments on how glad he is, that he got out.

Right now, it doesn't matter, I am in the doghouse. :-/

Looks nice, can't beat the price. Is that PVC trailer an actual trailer, or just a stand?? Personally, I woulda left the wheels on the chair, so you can roll back and forth along the boat. ;D Just gotta keep rod tips on the deck.

I live 45 mins. from Atlanta, and ain't never heard of West lake. Where is it, and how big? There is actually quite a bit of variety around here. There are quite a few large lakes around here - Allatoona, Lanier, Carters, etc. But, there are many great elec only lakes - mostly centered around the east side of ATL. But, if you head north about an hour and a half, (time over distance thing - sorry. To be honest, I haven't a clue the distance) there are some great stocked trout streams, and ponds. Plus, you aren't but about 6 hours to the Atlantic ocean as well. BTW, bringing some water would help too. I think we have about a foot left until all of the more than 20 some odd ramps on Allatoona are closed. Lanier is about the same. Carters lake, being the deepest in the state, has been closed for about 2 1/2 months now, as it is so steep, a little water loss, is a lot of altitude loss. Although I resemble 95% of those remarks Zel, I never really thought of it that way. Just seemed normal to me. Yall yankees sure do miss out on a bit. Those funny emails that seem like jokes to yall really are true.

Why do we drive on parkways, and park on driveways??? Why are apartments, called apartments, when they are connected??? How come, when someone gives advice, it is called his two cents worth, but then the person receiving the advice gives a penny for your thoughts???

Only 3 people fish T-rigs? Thanks yall, those are the answers I am looking for. I am pretty good on spinning gear, but am gonna possibly try and get it out of the equation in the long run, aside from drop shotting. Any more opinions either way?

I am ready to get a first real nice rod. I use T-rigs a lot, and would like to get a rod for that purpose. I use weightless finesse worms a lot. They cast great on my 6'6" medium action cheapo spinning rod. But, I can't cast them for $h!t on my MH 6'6" casting rod, that is very stiff, so probably has a slow action. The lure weight listed is 3/8 to 1 ounce, so obviously, I am not well tuned. I am hoping to use a casting rod for T-rigging. As said, I do a lot of weightless plastics, but also will use spotstickers (shakeyhead rig) a bit more in the future. It probably is too much to ask for, to try to use 1 rod for both, but worth asking. If yall use casting rods for baits like I mentioned, please don't hesitate to give me some advice. Thanks a bunch.

When I was little, I built a small trebushe out of tinker toys. Didn't realize it threw as far as it did, nor that the lamp at the end of the hall was in its range. Oooops. Maybe I will get around to building another someday, but knowing us, it will get used for a week, and put in the pile of other useless, but functional items stacking up in the back yard, and under the porch. (too much fun playing, er, um, I mean working in the woodshop, and with welders)

Sorry about that. I didn't realize how much the weights have changed in the past 10 or so years. But, what surprised me after researching it, was the GVWR is about the same, so the heavier truck has less capacity, than say our old work truck sitting in the back yard, even though the GVWR is similar. Learn something new everyday.

I would work on getting a real trailer for that. Utility trailers are absolutely GREAT trailers - for carrying stuff. ;D Now, get this, jon boat trailers are great for.... Wait for it.... Jon boats!!! The two rarely cross paths successfully. Trust me, you will drive yourself stupid trying to constantly load, unload, and drive with that. It will be worth every penny. Next, I would look for an outboard. An old Johnson or Evinrude, even way back into the 50s and 60s, if maintained correctly, will last a long while. Now, definitely get your safety gear at this point. Given the size of the boat, and the intended use, it isn't gonna cost you that much. But, it could be worth every penny. Then, add a bow mount trolling motor. Used MK all terrains, and edges, can be found for great deals. A 12 volt 40 pound thrust would probably suit you fine. Now, a sonar. Smaller ones, such as the eagle fishmark 320 and 480 will be fine (I run a 320) If you want to make it look nice, you can give it a good scraping, and painting. Research "roll and tip" and "etching primer" among other things. Also, you can carpet that thing. Lowes and HD sell Indoor/outdoor carpet, both by the foot from the large roll, or you can buy little 5 x 8 foot sections, usually near the area rugs. These are like 10 to 15 bucks, and are great for that, or small trailer bunks. Keep us updated on what you do. We seem to have an addiction for pictures.

I thought we had beat the dead horse enough here. Now, I may have misinterpreted it, but in one of the later posts, I think he mentions that the owner is just fine with taking it out for a test run. And, if he is trying to bargain, and get a prop thrown in, they would test it with that. I may not have put my point across well. I was not saying that just any ole' Evinrude is a good one. There are plenty of bad apples in that bunch. But, with all the naysayers, it was time to give it some benefit of the doubt. I agree, you need a prop in the deal, and a lake test, but I thought that it was kinda mentioned in some previous post, that he needs to bargain for a prop, and in another one, that he needs a lake test, and I feel he is probably able to put two and two together, and see if the owner will include a prop, and use it for a water test.

Just a little touchy.... Not much though ;D I wasn't bashing you directly. (Well, I wasn't trying to bash anyone, but it came out wrong apparently) I am a member of a couple forums just for boating, and boat restoration, and although I am 14, I would be willing to say I am experienced. This is my hobby, well moreso passion, as much as, if not more than bass fishing, and hunting. So, all my free time is spent tinkering with boats, and old outboards, or spending countless days just reading about them. But, I try not to answer anything that I am not experienced with. If I do, I will try to include something that tells them that I don't know first hand, but it is an educated guess. But, what I hate, is people, obviously lacking experience, who come on, and answer a call for help, with pessimistic responses saying it can't be done. In truth, it can be done, and many times, we are the people to guide you through it. If you can say from experience, that something won't work, or that is a bad deal, go ahead. But, if you have no experience, and are just looking at the age written down, and the cosmetic condition, don't say anything. Rant over. :( My collection is a little smaller, due to our budget constraints. 1988 Evinrude 4 deluxe 1979 Johnson 55 1971 Johnson 50 1969 Evinrude 55, that we just got for a killer deal. We need a V4, somewhere between 85 and 115 to put on the alumacraft we are restoring, and are just waiting for that magical deal to pop up (all but one of the 4 motors was a magical deal, and all but 1 of the 7 boats was a steal and a half too - so they are out there. Just have to know where to look, and how to deal...) Also, I would absolutely love to have an early 60s Evinrude 5.5 fisherman to put on our 12 footer from time to time, and I have always loved the lines on the Johnson Javelin 35s, in the candy apple red color. Not to mention one of the 1909 outboards. Got a feller on another board who has one. 1 of the very first few (ie - estimated to be less than #20) that actually was sold in America (many of the first ones Ole made were shipped to finland, for reasons unknown to me) Sadly, Oles original 1909 outboard, the very first outboard ever made, was thrown away by one of his workers many moons ago. :'(

I kinda skimmed through those later posts. Where on earth did all of yall old boat haters come from? Aluminum boats will last many many years. That 3 cylinder Evinrude is a great motor, and well worth more than half the purchase price, assuming it is as listed. You need to change the impeller, LU oil, and probably clean the carbs, since it has been sitting a year. But, if you do it yourself, that shan't be more than 50 bucks, assuming the carbs need a rebuild (new gaskets) If they are in good condition, you are down to about 20 bucks for the impeller, and LU oil. Impellers dry rot if not used for a couple years, and repetitive running without a good impeller will not allow the engine enough cooling water, and could blow it up. I don't know about the value up in your neck of the woods, but 'round here, 2000 would be reasonable for that boat. Sure, the carpet needs work, and cosmetics could use updating, but that part isn't expensive. Mostly elbow grease, and that adds good Karma to it. Offer him 1500, as there is no reason to pay more than you have to for anything, but I wouldn't be too worried it it went up to 1800 or so. That is a lapstrake style aluminum hull. It could be a starcraft, or crestliner. Seeing as it is an '81, there will be a rating plate, and it will have manufacture stamped on it. I just noticed you asked a question as to how reliable those Evinrudes are. They are the same as Johnson, and were owned by OMC (outboard marine company) Evinrude made the first outboard in 1909, and has been making some of the most reliable up until the late 90s, when OMC started to go under, and was sold to Bombardier in 2000. Those outboards from the 80s have probably the best simplicity/reliability to sophisticated technology ratio ever made. I mean, they are very reliable, due to there design, but also are very modern. Those Johnnyrudes well back in to the 50s and up into the mid 90s were bulletproof reliable designs. '62 - '72 had some shifter issues, but if you know what you are doing, they ain't a prob - we have 2 of those. Hope that helps. Oh, and for some of yall losers, that must have very materialistic minds, and think only the newest and most expensive is worth owning, I would be willing to make a bet that the older technology, especially that from the late 70s, and 80s, is more reliable than modern motors, and I would say that there is a good chance that the aforementioned motor will still be running strong, when this years motors have become too old, and expensive to practically keep in operation. Until you have some experience with it, don't start mouthing off.

First of all, I doubt your truck is 9000 pounds. Have you thought about backing it down the driveway and jacknifing it? Then, the boat is almost in line with the garage, and the truck is still on pavement. Then, even though it is a tandem axle, you should be able to push it in fine, as long as you don't need to turn it. I move boats, and other trailers, well over 2000, on up into the 3000 pound mark by myself on pavement. And, I am 14, and not quite grown all my bulk yet. (Just a lil' lacking around the ribs ;D)

A small jon boat trailer, with an extended tongue on one end, and extended bunks on the other will do just dandy. Or, if you don't have a battery, or heavy TM back there, you don't need to extend the bunks that much. The way I would set on up, not knowing what the bottom contour of your canoe is, bunks in the middle, and possibly back, and a set or two of rollers, in a vee formation, to conform to the bottom of the hull, on the front. But a bow eye on the canoe, and use a regular ole' winch, and winch post. Definitely get, or make some guide ons, tight to the hull, as this will help not only loading it, but driving it to the top of the ramp, as the canoe may have the tendency to want to bounce off the side, since no transom strap. The trailer axle would need to be just aft of the center of the boat, unless the motor/battery is back there. A single strap over the gunwales, at the back of the trailer frame, along with the winch strap will do ya fine. Good luck!!

Catching large numbers of small bass, in a pond that is loaded close to its max, and not heavily fished. Man, I am great at that.

They make certain aircraft parts out of that. Often, the stuff has the thickness of 3/4 inch ply, the weight of sheet metal, and the strength of - well I don't know that much, but it is WELL beyond the strength of the sheet metal, and more than likely the ply. Plus, the pieces I got to play with seemed to have some sound absorption, due to the hollow design. We have been hoping for years to find a load of that stuff, that is cheap enough, that we can afford it. Your best bet for finding that stuff is aircraft boneyards, and some army/airforce surplus stores (seen quite a few smaller pieces at those) But, it will come at a high price.