bowtech_182

I am looking at buying a 14' v-hull that has no seats in it. I would like to add a deck on the front half probably halfway to the gunwale Would you recommend that I place the trolling motor in the front? It will be the only motor on the boat. Would that make it more difficult to get around the lake when not fishing? Would I want to move the battery to the back of the boat along with the ice chest and locker for PFD's, etc to help distribute the weight. I would also like to build a single bench seat in the back 1/3. Would under the seat be a good place for the battery? Minus the deck plywood and floor everything is going to be aluminum. I even thought about making the deck out of .100" aluminum with riveted stiffeners on the bottom to prevent flex. Sorry for the mess of question and I still have a million more. Being my first boat I am very exited. Andy

If you want to know how much weight you are adding to your boat Just use a bathroom scale with all the materials before you install them. Just weigh as much as you can at one time so lower the inaccuracy that those scales can have at the lower weights. You can even weigh yourself and then do it again with the completed deck before it is fastened to the boat and it will give you a rough idea. I would also recommend contact cement for your carpet. One trick is to apply to both surfaces, let dry, and reactivate one side with a rag soaked in acetone or MEK and quickly stick them together. I have used this procedure for aircraft interiors and leading edge deicing boots with zero glue failures. Andy

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It is aluminum and rather light. I would have a hard time getting it in the water since the stickers on the front are three years old and out of state. I am going to make some calls tomorrow about the title. From what I understand the registered owner is now deceased. Would I be better of trying to find a 12' flat bottom like I originally planned? I do need to replace the wood on the transom and there are a couple small cracks on the cover of the bow and on the top port side. I do structural repair on aircraft so fixing aluminum is real easy. the trailer is rough and needs some new tires. I just want to make sure that this will make an decent fishing boat with maybe a 45lb TM in back with a 30 in the front with a deck on the front and possibly the back at a height equal to the seats Andy

How good of a boat is an 11ft feather craft v hull for decking? I would like to put a front deck on it. How good of a fishing boat is it in general? I found a boat and trailer in fair shape for $175. Is this a good price? I would have to get a title for it so that would add some expense. Andy

I am looking for a 10-14 ft jon boat. I hear all these numbers such as 1232, 1236. I am assuming that that means 12 ft long and 32 or 36" wide. Where is the width measured from? What the minimum width that I should get if I plan on adding at least a deck up front. Andy

That makes me feel a lot better. Now I just need a trailer hitch, a trailer, and I guess I need a boat too

I am looking to buy a 10-12 ft jon boat. I don't have a truck, just my 5 speed Honda Civic. How hard would it be to tow the boat. I am mostly worried about the boat ramp. I only live 3 miles for the lake that I usually fish. can anyone offer any advice? Andy

Has anyone here tried a wacky rig with some weight on it? Maybe a large split shot or a 3/16 bullet weight above the hook? I have even thought about just using a jighead to rig it. Where I fish I need that extra distance that weight will get me versus an unweighted cast. Andy

Which one of these would you recommend for someone trying to learn soft plastics? The CXX or the XL? Maybe even some 6# CXX in clear? I looked for some Yozuri ultrasoft #6 or Roadwarriors recommendation but could not find it locally. I am prety much stuck to Wal-Mart, Dick's, and Sports Authority. Andy

Are there any disadvantages to using 8 lb Flo-blue XL. I mainly fish soft plastics and spinnerbaits. I picked up some 8lb Green P-line Cxx and had the hardest time seeing my line, which I really don't care about with spinnerbaits but I am having issues learning how to fish soft plastics and need all the help I can get. I also lost 5-10 feet of my cast which is important where I fish. BTW I fish onshore in heavy bottom weeds, with the biggest of my 3 bass I've caught being 3 lbs. Any other suggestions? Andy

today my 2year old got his fingers my Shimano Sojourn 6'6" medium fast rod and broke almost 3" off the tip. If I put a new tip on it what would it do to the action and the sensitivity? There is around 2 inches of rod left to the first guide. What are some other suggestions for a low cost replacement to go with my Shimano Sienna spinning reel? Thanks, Andy

I am looking for a new rod right now, What is the difference between IM6, IM7, and IM8? I see many different rods with those numbers. Andy

does anyone have any experience with the Berkley Bionix IM7 or the Berkley Lightning IM6 that are available at Wal-Mart. My 2 year old broke my Shimano Sojourn today and I need a new rod ASAP. Andy

Is this common practice then t-rigging with spinning gear? I guess I will try that. Andy

I have so many things that I want to search for, but the search function does not work very well. About 90% of the time it will just hang up. Is there any way that I can change it to reply with more than 50 results? Thanks, Andy

When fishing with t-rigged dingers how do you tell the difference between strikes and weeds? Where I fish has lots of vegetation for the worm to get caught up in. Are there any tips or suggestions? Andy

I rigged a pumpkin finesse worm with the flat side down today and caught a 3 lb largemouth on it. It is my third bass and now I am totally hooked. 8-)

Thank you for all the help. Andy

If I am understanding the first two replies, they are telling me two different things. Anyone else have any opinions? Maybe some links to some articles about the subject. Thanks, Andy

I am new to bass fishing and have a question about texas rigging Zoom finesse and trick worms. Should the flat spot on the bottom of these worms be on the same side as the exposed shank of the hook, or does it not matter? I am using Gammy offset EWG hooks if it matters. Along the same lines I have some 4" Zoom lizards. Should the exposed hook shank be on the top side or the bottom side of the lizard? Thank you , Andy