Stevo_fishes

I agree, most of the trailer is solid, just under the cross member is where the damage is. I’ll probably get it repaired some way just to buy some time. Any trailer recommendations? It’s a ‘96 nitro 180 fs. 17.5 feet long

Hey yall, I’ve had this old nitro for a year and some change. It’s been a great boat and we’ve taken it out several times. When I bought it last year the previous owner showed us where some rust/ damage on the support bars of the trailer. Figured this was normal as it’s a tube trailer. It seems to have gotten slightly worse, but I believe there’s still time to fix it. I believe if I use two metal plates and sandwich the old part of the trailer then secure with big bolts it should hold for a few more years. However I’m open to any suggestions. Thanks!

I get it now, haha. I’ve caught some 14” blues on a 15 foot surf rod, and I can only imagine the fight on a 7’6”. I really want to compare a $100 shimano to a $100 Daiwa. I got a fuego last year and it’s been great. Definitely will try for blues when we go to Houston in late august (not sure if that’s good bluefish time, I’m predominantly a bass fisherman)

When you mentioned taylor blues I figured you meant blue fish, what about schoolie bass? I go surf fishing occasionally, but have dedicated rods and reels for it. (ones a fuego) The miravel would be a size 2500 and I’d be using it for just finesse largemouth fishing, the occasional stocked trout, or the regular white bass run we get

I think I’ll get the miravel on digitaka, never thought a jdm reel would be possible with shipping and price. I’ll be using the setup for weightless soft baits or very small hard baits, and for just overall more finesse tactics. I’ll probably end up getting the bait casters off the same website, their prices and shipping is to good to pass up

Hey yall, back in March at the bass master expo I picked up a couple lews Mach 2 rods for a really good deal. I’ve been fishing my whole life and have definitely been serious about bass fishing for the better part of 3 years. (I’m 16 by the way). I used to have cheaper set ups, say around $40 and just some cheap mono. Now I’ve come to appreciate more expensive gear and have started to expand a lot. What spinning reel for around $100 would yall recommend for a 6’11” medium light spinning rod? I’ve already decided on a tatula for the 6’10” casting and a slx xt for the heavy casting.

Definitely, probably won’t do it till I replace the front deck’s carpet in a month or so. Should the standard size tray, 17”x9.5x4 be good for my boat? Haven’t been able to find any shorter ones

I was hoping I would be able to do it by myself. The deck is pretty simple, no foam or anything, just the plywood/fiberglass and an empty space, I’ll definitely look around for someone who’s done it on the same model

Sounds good! Just checking, the 17” x 9 1/2” x 4” should be good for my deck?

I still have the original motor guide brute that came with it, I considered upgrading, and some friends suggested I stay with it just to learn and since those motors are pretty solid I figured might as well stay with it What would be a good size tray? I was planning on aluminum. I found a sonar mount with a cup holder that would straddle the tray. I don’t want the cup holder on the tray since that would limit what sizes of bottles I can fit in it due to the sonar mount being over it.

Hey y’all, I’ve been thinking about doing some small upgrades this season on my boat, a 96’ nitro 180 fs. These include putting new carpet on the front deck, a bow mount bridge sonar mount with a cup holder, and maybe a recessed trolling motor tray. Are the trolling motor trays worth it? Do they reduce deck space? My boat isn’t the biggest 😂 just thought I’d try and update the front deck a little

Appreciate it! First time out dad put the plug in the livewell drain and rest of the short outing was history. thankfully some guys at the ramp helped and we've successfully taken it out a few times. The guy who owned the boat before me kept up with everything except the carpet and gelcoat which i wetsanded and polished to look like new, so newer tires, up to date registration which was rare in my search experience, and all the legal requirements like the cushion, horn, extinguisher, and lifevests. I recently changed the oil and it didnt look horrible for being older than me. The rack and pinion cable is pretty stiff and after undoing it on the helm side im definitely going to attempt to remove it without taking off the motor. Figured its worth the $150 cable and some sweat to do it myself. Really hoping i dont have to remove the motor haha. Besides that im planning on replacing the impeller and checking out the bearings. Now i just need to find a mechanic that could check the old mariner every year or so just for peace of mind. Ive heard mixed things about cabela's marine services but they wont service anything besides mercurys. They will service the nitro but again, ive heard mixed things about their services. Being 16 and mechanically inclined, im not too enthusiastic on the idea of paying someone good money for something i can do for just the price of the part.

I'll get some better pics, since I took this one in May, I got rid of the little cushions and ladders, not sure why there's little cushions on a bass boat with a decent deck. My ultimate goal is to make it a local tournament worthy rig in the long run, over the course of a few years. I know most people prefer 21 footers but this one could fit in my garage when I move out and I would definitely consider getting an early 2000's 150 yamaha vmax to boost its looks and speed. I plan on doing small things now such as gauges and lights, windshields and carpet. If yall think it's a good idea I'd probably get the different outboard around college (I'm taking some college classes right now so I'll only be going to 4 year university for 2 years). Anyways, with the prices of boats now, I figured I'd hold on to this one as long as possible. ( a brand new boat of similar size is around 40k). My neighbor and a good family friend both have boats about 10 years older than mine that they take everywhere so I don't think I'm too far behind!

Definitely! Our first attempt taking the boat out, we stopped by the gas station to find they were out of ethanol free so i put premium octane in it. a month later, the first time i filled it with ethanol free it all of a sudden it wouldn't wanna idle! A buddy of ours told me it was most likely the fuel system, but I wasn't too interested in spending $150 on the fuel pump alone. (I'm thankful whenever the time comes that parts are still available for it). Got some seafoam as recommended and put about 2/3 of the bottle in about 15 gallons of gas. I then ran it on the muffs before going to the lake and thought i had a gear lube leak! turns out it was just the gunk, and the engine has idled perfectly ever since. I've been working with carbs since I was 9 because our old lawnmower needed a deep carb cleaning every 30 minutes it ran but I would prefer to the leave 4 or 6 carbs in the outboard alone until the seafoam doesn't do its job anymore. Is this a good plan?

Definitely! I’m trying to get the gas level as low as possible before completely emptying it and filling it with the non oxy stuff. While I’ve filled it with the non oxy gas I don’t know about the dude before me😂. Definitely don’t mind the cost since it’s definitely cheaper than getting carbs fixed due to ethanol related problems and I figured I could reuse the old gas for my weed eater. Dad’s been towin it for me so far! Lookin to get my first truck in the very near future so I’ll have my whole setup!