airshot

Most shops charge in excess if 125.00 per hour for labor...can you afford that seeing how this is your first boat?? Can you do your own service and maintainence ?? As others have mentioned, I would recommend an 18-19' aluminum boat with deeper sides. Less expensive to maintain, less fuel to burn and a better resale down the road. Every year a number of folks loose their lives because they thought they could drive an 80 mph boat !!

Guess seasons end has folks in a bitchy mood....definitely won't respond anymore !!

My fish go into a cooler with ice, then get filleted, and cooked, no matter what the temperature is ! Lol...

Two things are against buying an older fiberglass boat....age and a tight budget ! While old glass boats might be cheap or even free, they are costly and expensive to overhaul. Aluminum boats have very little wood which makes them much easier and less expensive to overhaul. Glass boats being heavier, give a smoother ride in choppy water but take more to to get them on plane. Have owned both in my 60 years of boat ownership, I have learned.....today I so I'd not even look at a glass boat anymore. Having rebuilt a couple wood Lyman boats, the all wood boat was easier and less costly than overhauling a glass boat. But in the overall scheme of things, the aluminum hull is easier to maintain, and overhaul and carries a much better resale value....consider an aluminum boat, more bang for your buck and easier to work on !!

First thing I would do is cancel the 1K payment made to BPS for the labor and batteries, hopefully you used a credit card !! You could use one if the interstate batteries for a start only battery, charged by your outboard. You do need a good deep cycle battery for electronics only, charged by a charger. If your running a trolling motir, you will need deep cycle batteries for that trolling motor, depending on the draw and voltage requirements. I would have a serious talk with the BPS service manager as they definitely screwed you over !

Double that amount and get a good battery with a good reputation and the BMS system. It is for a boat....no place to skimp and ruin your day. If an extra 88 bucks is a problem, consider another hobby.

My V bottom is off center 4-5" and has no issues tracking straight. Go fishing and show us what you catch !!

You are demanding to much from your starting battery ! Deep cycle batteries normally do not work well as a cranking battery and are not recommended for that by most mfgrs. A cranking only battery is a safety so you don't get stranded on the water. Your alternator will keep that battery topped off. You need a good deep cycle battery to run your electronics ! Trolling motor should have its own batteries and chargers. Deep cycle batteries don't care for high charge rates from alternators. I run a single group 31 deep cycle for all my accessories, charts, bilge pump, aerators, lights, radios etc and can run all day with power left over. Cranking an engine really sucks power from a deep cycle battery as they are designed for lower continuous power draw.

While dual purpose batteries don't last as long as a true deep cycle, he should not run out of battery after three hours !!

Time to run some tests to find out. Could be either fuel pump or new hose or fittings

Can't see enough in your pic to tell if batteries are wired correctly or not. The cables disappear from the pic to know where they go. On my boat..there are two deep cycle batteries for trolling motor only ! One group 31 deep cycle for accessories, fish finder, lights, radio etc and have yet to run it down over an 8 hour day ! One group 24 start engine only battery. Start battery is charged off of outboard, others have built-in chargers that I plug in while boat sets in my barn. Never have I run the batteries down where power is to low to run my stuff.

I think you just realized it might be time to replace your carpet...also consider the type of carpet you replace it with. On aluminum boats I use shorter nap because a couple of minor scratches don't mean much, but on nicely finished glass hulls I use longer nap for better cushioning. Crud, dirt and other stuff can get trapped in the carpet, so cleaning that carpeted bunk on occasion can help.

Check all the batteries with a good von to be sure the readings are accurate. My boat runs two group 31 deep cycle batteries for the trolling motor which draws far more than your electronics and I can run for 8 hours ! On the few occasions I have used Interstate batteries, I have had results similar to yours, which is why I stopped using them years ago. Many folks have had great success with them, but not me or my two neighbors. My current batteries are "walmart" from 2019 and still going strong. Go thru your wiring and check co for good clean solid connections...poor connections can cause weird things to happen..

Like anything there are some tricks to get it right. Have done it a few times and they came out OK. Getting the cover on right and keeping it tight are the keys as you add the snaps. Some extra hands and non marring clamps will help a bunch. Don't be afraid to put the cover on and off a few times before starting the snaps, you need to get a feel for how the cover fits before you start making holes !! Good luck, hope you have lots of friends....lol...

Just remember, better to be to long than to short !!