MN Fisher

NWS and Accuweather both say mid 50s at best, WC says 65...maybe

Send that back here - 4 of the next 5 nights they're predicting lows in the 20s here.

Still affordable through Amazon - these are the ones I put on the F-9 trailer. I paid $21 last year...they've gone up to $27 now for the whole kit. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008CE0W5Y/ref=emc_b_5_t

We need an 'Angry' emoticon here. That's just so wrong, but I guess some people are just selfish and unobservant.

Contact Dobyns - can probably get them to send you a new butt piece. Then it's just a matter of scraping the old one off and gluing the new one on.

"Minnesota - don't like the weather? Wait ten minutes and it'll change."

Chris (FryDog) posted a pic of his place in another thread - both you guys are north of me and they said the more north spots got more snow.

And so it begins.

And with Black Friday sales coming up in just over a month...waiting is a good thing.

Acquired over many years. Dad taught me plumbing, electrical and woodworking growing up. I got into hobby electronics as a late teen - got to the point where I was designing circuits, doing the layouts, etching the PC Boards and assembling. Spent 20 years doing computers - was everything from an operator to the interim MIS Director (they offered me the position permanent, but the pay wasn't up to snuff. After the bottom dropped out of IT early 2000s, I worked manufacturing doing metal work, hi-pressure plumbing, wiring control panels, pneumatic controls...the works. I also worked retail for a bit...was assistant manager before a higher paying, manufacturing job was available. Just takes experience...this was actually the first time I'd worked with rivets, believe it or not...I just logically applied other things to how to do it.

We're here to help....and being retired, I'm here off and on all day long.

Okay - do NOT run a 12v TM from a 24v battery...BAD THINGS HAPPEN. You should be fine with one battery for the TMs - but if your going lead-acid, I'd shoot for a 100ah 'true' deep cycle. This is the one I'm running for my TM. https://www.amazon.com/ML100-12-Internal-Terminal-Rechargeable-Battery/dp/B00S1QCK94/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=100ah+agm+battery&qid=1665702623&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIzLjU4IiwicXNhIjoiMy4wMiIsInFzcCI6IjIuNTUifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-5&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18630bbb-fcbb-42f8-9767-857e17e03685 I've also got a 35ah Mighty Max AGM running everything else. Make sure you get a quality charger - ya, the NOCO Genius 5x2 I have is a bit up there in price - but when I finally have the money to upgrade to LiFePo4, the charger doesn't have to be replaced as it's Lithium compatable.

I just recently got a Victory 73H/MF. I can say that while it comes in at a little over 4oz, it's well balanced and feels good. I even put my Patriarch 7.9 on it for home-testing as that's the reel it'll get next spring. Still well balanced and doesn't feel heavy at all. Yes, this will be my spinner/chatter rig.

Are the TMs 24v? If the battery has both CCA and Reserve ratings, it's a dual-purpose, not a pure deep cycle.,,in any case, an reserve of 140 translates to 58ah. Given you don't want to drain a lead-acid battery (wet-cell, gel, AGM) below 50%, you have an effective 29ah - that would run a 30# Endura C2 for less than an hour at speed 5. What's the thrust rating of the TMs? Are they going to be run separately or both on at the same time? Always put a circuit breaker between the battery and what it's powering - as close to the battery as possible. No matter what, I'd run a separate, smaller battery for the electronics...some TMs will cause interference with your fish-finder if both are running off the same battery. Get a timer for the livewell, you don't need it running all the time - I actually used a programmable digital timer that cost me all of $15 on Amazon connected to the recirc pump.

Ask questions - I did the wiring for the F-9 from scratch. I'm very familiar with electrical systems, I actually worked wiring control panels in one of my jobs.

And a forum that concentrates on small boat mods is tinboats.net. Lots of pictures and instructions.

Then you're already way ahead of me. Boat with trailer was $700, TM was $300. Mine was a winter project as well, started with the trailer refurb last September, rolled the completed boat out of the garage last week of June.

You can do it much cheaper than they do. My total expenditure, including buying the boat, motor and TM was around $3000. Course you have to look for deals...the boat is a 1972, the motor is a refurbished 1973 electric start Evinruder 25hp, and the TM was a factory refurbished MinnKota Edge 45. Aluminum was purchased from a metal supplier, not a big-box store, carpet was a remnant, plywood is BCX that's sealed with Spar Urethane, not Marine Grade...which is twice as expensive...etc, etc, etc.

Original empty weight was 215lbs - that's according to the pamphlet By the time all was said and done - without gear, motor and batteries, I'd estimate it at around 250-275lbs. The original seats were removed, so weight was saved there, and being mostly aluminum, it really didn't add a large amount. Here's a shot of the framing before the decks were mounted.

Filling un-used space with foam is a must. Keeping any framing to support decks as light as possible is also key. Phil mentions wood - long as you keep it minimal, it's not too much of a concern. 1/16" Aluminum angle, 1/2" plywood, carpet and rivets turned this. Into this Was typing and linking as you posted, my friend.

Given their CWR format - I can see this working...just take the top 5 they weigh as the day goes on. Personally - I'm all for it...who would you rather see win - the guy who pulled in five 4# or the guy who pulled in twenty-one 1#.

Average trip out...minimum of a dozen...can't get any more exact than that.

Same reason - but RH casting and switch the handles on my spinning to the right side...cast with my left.

It'll be next year before it gets used...this year's a wash because of things going on. Ya...spinners, chatters, small hard swimbaits (Bucca Gill/Shad, etc) are the target lures for this and it'll be getting my Patriarch 7.9 (32-IPT) mounted.