Had my first tournament as a boater Saturday. Knew something was up when lights on the trailer wouldn't work. Got to the ramp and the motor would not crank. Put the boat in the water and lost all power. Apperently it was bad battery that I thought had been replaced but my dad had not put a new one in in 3 to 5 years. Trying to put the boat back on the trailer I broke the grummets off the trolling motor. I finally got the boat back on the trailer so me and my partner drove an hour back to my house, dropped my boat off, went another 30 minutes away from the lake to get his, and them drove back by 9 to finish the tournament. In the end we did not catch fish. This is just a day I want to forget. I'm rethinking becoming a boater right now....

FWIW, even as a co-angler, the more prep I do, the more I enjoy the tourny. Consider doing a dry run the day prior and check everything. Rolling out of bed and going fishing with no worries is worth the upfront work.

FWIW, even as a co-angler, the more prep I do, the more I enjoy the tourny. Consider doing a dry run the day prior and check everything. Rolling out of bed and going fishing with no worries is worth the upfront work.

+1! Just knowing everything is ready to go will help you sleep better the night before.

The day before I made sure I charged the batteries, I put them on a tester and check they have a charge. I think what happen was I was trying to start the engine with the kill switch and I may had blown a fuse but I had power at first then I had nothing. The trolling motor was all my fault though I should of known to pull up before I got to close.

Do you opperate that boat often?

The bad days makes the good days that much more sweeter!! Just make sure you learn from your mistakes.