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I retired a couple years back, shortly after we retired, the wifes health went down the tube. I can no linger be away for more than a half day or so, sold the big boat and downsized to a 16' alum side console. Also moved back into a nice SUV, luxery but at far less cost than a pickup and less maintenence !! Sitting around the house and caring for the wife became depressing as was getting rid of my toys. However, I figured ways to meet the wifes needs and still get out on the lake. Smaller alum boat is actually much easier to handle and gives me much enjoyment with far less work. My SUV is very comfy and pulls the boat with ease, much easier to launch and retrieve than with a truck ! All in all....don't be afraid to downsize or step back a little, shop carefully, don't be in a big hurry, when life gives you lemmons, make lemonade !! I now have no rerets for my downsizing, it gets me out fishing without top of the line luxery...

Once I realized mine was moving, I properly positioned the winch stand and painted a couple marks so I can tell more easily when it moves. About two inches over a season, so slide the stand back to the marks then winch the boat back up....same again when it moves a couple inches.

In my youth in the early 60's theold wood boats were popular and I had a 15' Lyman and another guy had a 14' with a 25 hp motor. Running wide open about 25 mph he struck a sunken log ( early spring) and the entire transom came off with the motor still attached ! From my view right beside him the motor kept running clamped onto the transom for about 50 ft. But...the boat sank like a rock when it slowed down, no safety lanyard and he was not wearing a life jacket !! It can happen at any speed....not just high speed bass boats!

Mine does the same thing over time, about two inches each year. I just move the winch stand ahead that couple inches then hook up the winch and crank the boat forward, no need to take the boat off the trailer.

Or...stay away from salt water like I do, so much less work in fresh water only!!

Neighbor just bought a new pickup....80K plus... I bought a 1992 side console aluminum boat and outboard last summer, like new, mint condition, a garage queen. Paid 4500 cash, went to Bass Pro just to compare....same size, model etc almost 30K.....

Water inside the hull, flooded foam with water or other extra weight near the back ?? Just some thoughts here...neighbor has a newer 4 stroke outboard and a side by side comparison to my two stroke shows more of the engine hanging to the rear of the mount on the four stroke than on the two stroke which would create more weight hanging rearward from the transom. Not sure but does this newer motor have more overhang toward the rear than the previous model !! Thats all I got....

Back in my younger days I spent many nights out catfishing in my jon boat. An air cushion, sleeping *** on chilly nights and a bug suit...these really work! As I got older, my life turned me towards a van, that was awesome, wife and I even with kids spent many nights sleeping in the van, just need to set it up right. I had a nice 14' tinnie with comfy seats and a nice place to rest my feet while perch fishing and often would nod off while out fishing. One day the local sherriff boat came along and blew his airhorn just a few feet from my boat while I was snoozing !! Needless to say I did not wake up happy but he thought it was funny, wanted to be sure I was ok.....

Or a tapered wood dowel....yes spiders do like propane orfices as does mud daubers! Had issues with them in my motorhome! You need to use your toys more often to prevent these...at least that is what I tell my wife !!

Snap a pic of there bow reg numbers and file a claim with the local sherriff, boat drivers are responsible for there wakes. When I had my small tinnie, I had a few bigger boats go out of there way to try and swamp my boat. The sherriff gave me there address after filing a complaint, yes we visited....

All deoends on your wants and needs and what boating oportunities you have in your area. No one boat does everything!! I have had one of everything in my 60 yrs of owning a boat. Each and everyone one had its pros and cons, good and bad, less work and more work....so...you need to decide what your gonna do with a boat first, the buy accordingly. At one time, I have owned three boats at the same time, each one had a specific purpose..

Years back I had a Northwood ( made by Starcraft) after a couple years it started leaking bad, many loose rivets and developed a hook in the bottom. Had to drive it back to the Indiana factory and leave it over the winter, picked it up in the spring. That part sucked but they fixed it at no charge.

Fished lake Erie for over 60 years, all depends on how much chop you want to handle. How well do you do in rough water. In my opinion, the best boat is one 21' or over. The reason being is the average distance between waves is about 7' so capable of being on three waves at a time would give the best ride in normal chop of 2-3 ft. Next would be the popular 18' boat, easier to handle, still good for 2-3 chop but nothing bigger and limited number of passengers. I have owned and used 14' on lake erie but limited to 1-2' waves at best and 2 fisherman max. I currently have a 16' side console that is great, but do have to watch the weather and choose my days carefully. Been out in two ft chop and it is fine but more would be uncomfortable!! Everyone has different levels of comfort, width and depth make a real big difference, go wide and deep as you can. Go as big in length as you are comfortable with. Choose your days carefully, watch the weather reports closely and learn to pay attention to wind speed and direction. Storms don't just appear out of no where but they can move quickly, so know the forecast ahead of going out. It is probably more your boating knowledge and experience then the size of your boat actually....

Guess I get to give an opposite opinion....depends on what you are gonna do...a glass boat will give a smoother ride in chop over an aluminum boat, but it takes more hp and fuel to push a glass boat. The inside rot is a really big deal and expensive to fix, so be sure you know for positive if there is any buried wood. It will take a bigger vehicle to tow a glass boat over an aluminum hull. If there is any wood in an aluminum boat it will just be at the top of the transom and easy to replace, where a glass boat needs cut apart. So....what is important to you....ride, weight, towing weight, how big of an engine, fuel economy, repair and maintenence, appearance....only you can decide depending in your wants, needs and budget. I know, many are into these heavy four stroke motors now, we have yetvto see how well/ long they will last and what repair costs will be, only time will tell for sure. I am still sold on the old reliable two stroke, (not the efi models), easy to work on andvyou don't need to be a computor wiz to service them. My current motor is a 1992, purrs like a kitten, not hard on fuel, very little smoke if the right oil us used. My neighbor has a similar size 4 stroke outboard and while his fuel economy is a little better, he needs to run his motor for well over 6 years to makeup the cost savings as his motor costs wayyyyy more than mine did. Your boat, your choice...whatever you choose, have fun !!

In my state I challenged the market value of my home, I found out they have to show how the value was determined!! When they finally come out with it, I had a ball tearing it apart in front of all the people waiting in line. They couudn't prove anything and had nothing to compare value with. They can't just use their opinion, they must have a reference for value. Do your homework....

Congrats on the new toy!! You will never forget the memories you had in the old boat, but get ready to make new memories in this boat !!

Folks that take really good care of their batteries rarely have issues, no matter what type they are. But in many cases, batteries suffer from improper or lack of care. A friend works part time in an auto battery store, he often talks about how people attach the battery cables....no wonder the studs break inside and the threads strip out. They expect a warranty claim after a gorilla ripped out the posts !!

When the good Lord passes out brains, some folks must think he is saying trains, and asks for a slow one!

And probably d**n quick....but...at what cost?? Are they afraid to mention cost?

Like everything prices constantly fluctuate, however if you look at the last three years agm batteries have gone up in comparison to lipo batteries. We are seeing even bigger drops in lipo prices as the market becomes more competative and they become more popular. Not knocking anything, just the facts that agm are slowly going to fade away as lipo battery technology improves. Lead acid batteries have really dropped in price in the marine groups in my area. Not in automotive use, as people are always looking for the cheapest battery for there old car..

Finding a custom fit trailer sitting on a lot is slim, very slim....but trailers are made everyday and custom trailer mfgrs are out there. Might not be cheap, but they are out there !!

You mught find you need a bigger battery, depending on how much power you draw. I used to have a group 27 deep cycle battery rhat ran my fish finder, radio, and nav lights at night. Also my bubbler in my minnow bucket, and a small not often used trolling motor with no charging off my motor....and that would last all day with no issue. A deep cycle battery would be a must, and a good charger to recharge after use use....

Bottom line is...AGM batteries are being taken over by Lifepo4 ...which means fewer agm are being produced, so the agm prices are going up!!! The fact that Lipo's are gaining in popularity means their price is comming down!! So....if you need batteries right now, kind of a tossup....but in another year, like next boating season....I can see the lipos being a better deal...as they will come down in cost and the agm will continue to go up in price. That is my plan, my current group 31 agm's (3 of them) are on there fourth year, still doing great, but....after this year, it becomes questionable how long there gonna go....yes I will probably wait until they start falling off, but as time goes on, the lipos will become the better deal !!

Yes...go with swivel seats you wont regret it.

For me...it would be a bigger boat....semi V anyhow.