evster

Just to update this, I took it to Thomas at Arc-Tech Precision Welding in Cambridge. I was very impressed, and he's a fellow fisherman so we talked fishing a bit as well.

I'm currently not with the boat and don't have any pics on hand, but I'm pretty sure I know why its happening. The transom is more angled that what I've seen on most small boats (rather than vertical), and the motor thats been on it for a while is a 25 hp Honda 4 stroke which I suspect is pretty heavy for this transom. I've had it for about 5 years now and did notice the small stress on the bracket early on, and I've been using a transom saver for trailering it. However lately I've been taking it camping and took the saver off for the trail down which was extremely bumpy, so that probably didn't help. And its also been at the cottage and I think some others have used it and probably trailered it on bumpy roads in the fully tilted position. I just realized this was happening though and then noticed the cracks when I inspected it. So I'd like to try and just patch it up and keep an eye on it. At this point I really don't want to replace the motor\boat for what we use it for. So just looking for bandaid solutions.

I need to have someone repair a bracket on my boat, it's starting to crack and I'd like to get it repaired before it gets too bad. The repair would have to take place on the boat directly since the bracket is riveted in on one end so I can't remove it. I'm located in Waterloo and am calling places to see if they would do it but I thought I'd ask on here in case there are any recommendations. I'd prefer to stay somewhat local but will be willing to travel a bit if there's someone that comes highly recommended.

Nice! Looks like fun.

Boats rated for a 30 hp. I have a 9 pitch prop on there now, maybe I should try something else. I also need to fiddle with the pin and try it set at different spots. Its the only motor I've had, but it seems like its running ok based on sound, etc. Maybe its all I'm going to be able to get out of this boat.

How has it been running? I have pretty much the same motor in 25 hp and feel the same way. It will plane up with just me, gas, tackle and a couple batteries, but when I add another person or my wife and daughter it doesn't plane. Add a 3rd person or some more gear and it plows. I figure the boat with all gear is about 1000 lbs or so. I am considering buying a different boat and motor but maybe I should look into this a bit more. Maybe its a fuel problem as well. When you played with the choke while running what exactly did you do? Did you just pull the choke out and it sped up?

Nice! I bet that was a blast.

Thanks for all the input guys. I will be checking a few of these places out for sure. Tow vehicle upgrade is definitely going to happen at some point in the next few years, and I do have access to a truck for the bigger trips when I have a couple people with me and a bunch of gear.

Wow, been a while since I posted here. The whole busy life, having kids thing took over for a while. Anyway, I've been fishing the whole time and now its time to get a new boat. Right now we're really trying to decide what we want and what our budget will be. Our biggest limitation is tow vehicle. We thought about upgrading it but its not the time. So we'll be limited to something around 3000 lbs to leave room for gear in the trunk. Right now we're thinking the best thing for us would be a 16 foot aluminum of some sort with maxed out HP (I'm tired of driving an under powered boat). Would like to go 17 but not sure if that will push the weight too much. Anyway, I'm wondering if people could recommend some boat dealers they have had pleasant dealings with in the past. I'm willing to travel for good service. I'm located in Waterloo and travel up to Huntsville area pretty frequently, so anything along that route is perfect. Also, any recommendations on boat would be awesome! We'll mostly fish the smaller lakes around Ontario. Would love to get out on the big lakes but I don't think I'm going to find something I can tow and feel comfortable in. Mostly bass fishing, however I do like to troll around occasionally.

Oh ya. Whoops. It definitely is restricted to Canada, I just didn't read the original post carefully enough. Sorry.

http://www.ctvolympics.ca should work for you. I've been using it and loving it, the quality is great as well. Go to that site and click the "watch online" on the right. They let you watch every networks coverage and you can go back and watch events you missed, its pretty sweet.

I always have a spinnerbait tied on one rod, and its usually white. I don't have a specific brand either. I find the strike king ones work well I think...I always forget what brand they were after they have sat in the box a while. They catch a lot of species to. This year I have gotten smallmouth, largemouth, crappie, pike and musky on them. I usually like to throw them when i'm checking out a new area and fishing it fast, since they are pretty much snag proof.

Awesome stuff! The first one is really catchy.

Also, I found it easier to learn with a heavier bait. Once you get a feel for it you'll be able to throw lighter baits with less tension set on the reel. And like GCD I like heavier line, 20 pound might make some nasty birdsnests but I have a tip for that to. First off, don't cast too hard at first until you get a feel for it, just start with short casts. But you will get birdsnests and this year I figured out a nice little trick for getting them out and it so far has worked every time. After it has nested, pull the line out until it catches. Put your thumb on the spool as tight as you can and give the reel three or four cranks, then try to pull it out again. 8 times out of 10 it gets the knot out, but on real stubborn ones I might have to do this a couple of times. So far I have never had to pick a knot out.

Ya, i'm thinking some real heavy duty salad tongs are in order.