lew

Duber, go back and read what you just posted and I think you'll see why the Lowe is the better choice for you to buy. I don't think there's any comparison between the 2 boats. As for the motor, it'd be in your best interest to max out the horsepower if you can swing it. If it's rated for a 75 and only comes with a 50, your more than 30% underpowered and that makes a huge difference if your carrying 3-4 people plus all the gear. Those 3 girls of yours are gonna want to go tubing behind that new boat too The smaller the motor on a boat, the harder it has to work to do the same job. If you go with the maximum HP, it'll cost you a bit more, but it'll be working far less to move the boat and could infact even use less fuel to do the same job. Just something to think about.

That sums it up right there Hookset, well said !! Cherish your friends and family while you have the chance....you just never know.

I've been using a BPS Gore-Tex suit for a couple years now, and although it's neither model your looking at, it'll definetely be worth the $$$$. If your like me and don't come off the water just because it's raining, you'll be more than happy with it. It's a nice feeling to be able to stand in the rain all day and still be warm and dry. Gore-Tex is also nice in the way it allows the material to breath and let's the persperation out, rather than trapping it inside the suit like so many other materials. I went with a larger jacket than needed just to give a bit more freedom of movement for casting, plus it's easier to wear a heavy sweater on cold days. Go for it and guaranteed you'll be happy you did.

Good luck with the purchase Joyce, Princecraft is an excellent boat.

Check to be sure what the maximum horsepower recommendation is on those boats. Alot of times boats have what appears to be a very attractive pricetag, but in actual fact the boat is so grossly underpowered it couldn't get on plane even if there was only one person in it. I've seen Legend boats with 50 HP motors advertised very cheap to the unsuspecting or inexperienced buyer, but when you read the fine print you find the boat is actually rated for up to 150 HP.........3 times the horsepower that comes with the package. It would hardly pull it self away from the dock. Just be sure what your buying before you sign the dotted line.

A friend used to pull his 16' aluminum outta the water every fall, unhook the trailer from the truck, drop the tongue to the ground and walk away till May. He never covered it with anything and the boat would fill with water in the fall, then freeze solid and be covered in snow all winter, and in the spring, he'd syphon the water out, stick it back in the lake and fish for another season. The boat never leaked a drop of water all the time I knew him. You may be OK

Joe, it was reported up here a couple hours ago that he used 2 handguns then committed suicide.

Welcome home Jim and thanks for the softwater report, it's good to see you and Corey got in some fishing down there. Congrats on the 1st Tennessee bass.

When I hadn't seen you around for so long Gary, I fgured your musta slipped away to the Sunshine State or something. Good to hear your recovering so well, just be sure your ready for Lakair in June, Amy needs you to drive the boat. Take care of yerself Gary and do what the doc tells ya !!

Thanks Peter, unfortunately, that's becoming an all too common sight lately. Very sad indeed.

Thanks for the pictures Harry, I was wondering what Haida's new home looked like. Alot of history in that Ole Girl !!

Hey Mike, I think you & Moosebunk should get together and write a book. With the trips you 2 take, along with your stories and photographs, it's be a best seller fer sure

It's looks good Roger and congrats, you'll be the pride of the Toonie Series. You made a good move going with the new and bigger motor too and you should be really happy with that set-up. Sorry you missed the Odyssee, I looked for you all day but can certainly see now why you weren't there.

Incredible trip Mike and some beautiful fish to go with it !!

Hey Chris, always good meeting up with you again and nice to see you finally decided to join our board, it's a good crew and you'll enjoy yourself here.

Afraid I'm gonna have to disagree with you on this Wayne, it's always been my experience with both deep cycles and cranking batteries that if their kept fully charged all the time, they'll last a lot longer. Mike, the 3 batteries in my boat are still the originals from 1999 and are as strong as ever and I can still easily get a very long day outta the 2 deep cycles and often spend 12 hours a day using the troll motor. I have an on-board charger and plug them in at the end of EVERY day, even if I've only used them for a couple hours. The cranking battery is kept charged by the alternator. I store them in the basement during the winter, but charge them every 8 weeks. Start with good batteries, keep the fluid level full and charge them very frequentely. And I have NEVER in my life used distilled water, just the stuff straight outta the tap.

Great to hear the trip went smooth and safe Art, sounds like a fun day, and you can't complain too much about a few minor mechanical troubles on a maiden voyage.

Hey Mike, I don't think your friend in the Belle River booth thought it was too funny when I told him the O'Brien fish wasn't the world record.......yet It's fun to stir the pot the odd time Good yakkin with you again and I'll see you on Pigeon.

Bassmaster, there's a very simple test to tell if your putting the line on backwards. Normally, with the spool laying flat on the floor in the correst position, the label will be facing up, but not always. Wind about 30 - 40 feet of line onto your reel, then drop the rod tip down close to the floor, so the line goes slack. If the line then starts to unwind, twist and fall off the reel, it's on backward, but if it stays on the reel , your good to go, but it's always a good idea to check it a few times to be sure it's going on properly. I've never used the P-Line, but it should spool the same as regular mono. If your still having problems with it, don't hesitate to ask the questions on this board, it's the best way to learn.

Tom, I've been following your posts about how dry things are up your way and the increased risk of alot more forest fires than usual. It's too late to expect much snow now, but hopefully you'll get enough rain to minimize the fires. We didn't get much snow down here this winter either, but we've had soooooo much rain lately, that walking across the lawns is like walking on a wet mattress.

I was smilin all day Don

hmmmm, I can't say that didn't happen, but I never saw it myself personally I bought all my stuff at JB's and he had some excellent deals as always and not just on baits, but also some fantastic savings on rods & reels too. All I know is, I left the show with a smile on my face

Thanks MB, reading that report was an excellent way to start my Sunday. You folks had an incredible season up there and thanks for taking us along on so many of your trips !!

I picked Squid up in Burlington about 6:00 this morning then headed to a restaurant in St. Kitts where we met up with Loonietoon for breakfast before the show. Got chatting to the fella at the table beside us and turns out he's the owner of Luremaking.com so we had a nice gab with him while we ate. Got to the show at 8:00 and it was already getting busy and the place was loaded with OFNers so it was good to see so many old and new faces. We sat in on the seminars from Dr. Casselman and Gord Pyzer and they were both very interesting and informative. It was my 3rd Pyzer seminar and it's always a good show with him. There were alot of really good bargains to be had for musky gear, and although I spent about $200, I probably saved $60, plus I won another bait in a draw. That's my 3rd Odyssee and they get better every year. As always, it was great spending the day with all the old OFNers, and just as good meeting up with a bunch of newer faces......Jen, bigbuck, lil Joe..... plus several more whose names I'll remember 2 minutes after I post this If you've never attended the Odyssee and have any interest in musky fish'n at all, you should mark the next one on your calendar.....it's a great day.

Mornin Joe, that sounds like quite the boat cruise for Art, and it'll be good to see the pics and hear the story of the trip. I've crossed the Chesapeake myself, but it was mostly UNDER the water thru the tunnel. Myself, I'm heading out at 5:00, picking Squid up at 6:00, then off to the Odyssee to spend the day talkin muskies with the boyz.