porkpie

Not to often I see Field listed as a fishing destination. Although there are plenty of lakes and lots of river in the area! Nice fish, congrats! Where where you staying in Field?

Frost on the roofs for second time this year in my neighbourhood this morning. Kids were wearing shorts last week lol.

2 years and a day, motorguide Xi5 gps cut out. Thankfully had a bass pro extended warranty. Great motor otherwise. Then I went back to Minn Kota. Had the same thing happen, had to buy a replacement GPS head unit. I’ve also now rebuilt that minnkota, and was told hopefully the motherboard doesn’t crap out on me as they’ve been discontinued for that generation. They all have flaws, and the only people that don’t have issues are the ones that only use them a few times a year. It’s nice to have variety on the market that doesn’t cost $5k for a motor.

I get a kick out of how curious the deer are….

I’m licking my lips…. I don’t get to port hope much anymore, too far…. But the next solid rainfall in late Oct/Nov, I know where I’m heading. If anyone remembers the old days….. whoohoo!!

Last alloy prop i had repaired here cost me $50. That was a quite a while back, but I’d call and ask. These guys can make em as good as new!

I wouldn’t call anyone, and I’d carry on about my business how I saw fit. The more phone calls you make, the more you advertise your intentions, and the more confused you will become anyway.

Not a record. Show me a natural that big. It would be cool to catch though, just not a record.

Nice, what river you on? I’m using the Milwaukee M12 9 inch saw on the bike now. Small but mighty. The electric saws are pretty darn amazing for clearing trail of minor impediments.

Where? Gen 7 fuels still saying corn in gas. I get gas at Jocko Point all the time, still corn gas from what I’ve seen. Who you buying from?

I’ve only ever run the good stuff. Yes it concerns me. I use stabilizer and a shot of seafoam. I’m not a fan of corngas.

The trifold hard covers are excellent. You want one that folds upright and gives you full use of the bed. I had one on my last truck and it was fantastic. I use deflectors on my last vehicle and my current ride. Cruse Amazon warehouse deals you can often get bargain priced accessories for common vehicles.

I got many years of reliable service from my old F150, I don’t think you can go wrong. One thing ford does well is 5L engines. Mind you I had the 4.6, which wasn’t the ballsiest engine, but it certainly did the job reliably!

Another satisfied legend owner…. Although I joke, that truly sucks. Sorry about your warranty issues.

Read the room fellas, you missed the temperature, and you're overcooking the roast. Further, ever tried charging a child under 12 for a grip and grin? Nothing bad will ever come of this, even if posted on facebook.

Great fish, he won’t forget that one!

I first saw that idea on an incarnation of this very website some 20 years ago, except with milk crates. Still a cool idea though!

Can’t go wrong with a zuke!

I have the MKA 21. My terrova is a 2015 model, and it works great. There is always a tiny bit of slop when you have a removable plate, but in my opinion the convenience factor is worth it. I like that one because you pull the pins and it pops right off, it’s lockable as well. Great setup. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t work with the current terrova? I have had the slide in aluminum version in the past. It works fine, just not as slick as the composite one.

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again. The motherboard for those older ones is no longer available. I just confirmed this with aikmans. I’m repairing mine at the moment and brushes and seals etc are available. Motherboard not so much. Not a problem unless that main component goes on you. You should be leary of buying used stuff by now. Unless you have the ability to walk away from deals when something doesn’t seem right, you should probably stick with newer stuff. They have the terrova with the mini remote for sale for $2k plus tax at cabelas. I’d buy that before I spent $1800 on an 11 year old electric.

The motor in the photo that you have displayed in your other post of your new boat can’t be upgraded to a Minn kota ipilot head unit. Only the black V2’s and upwards can be. I’ve “heard” of some V1 conversions but I’m not sure how reliable that is. Yours is pre V1, or basically the original MK bow mount. For the money people are asking for used, I’d be looking at a 2016 plus MK. As I’d mentioned in a previous post, my MK is in Aikmens for repair and he mentioned to me that anything other than the latest gen MK’s he’s been told motherboards have been discontinued.

I would put my 5K away, and save another 5K for next year. I’d take up river fishing for smallies and salmon and trout for a season. Then I’d find a 16 foot bare hull with a 30hp 4 stroke and put a flat floor in the front if your that type of angler. I spent my first 7 or 8 boating years in a Lund SSV 16 with a 30. I did all kinds of fishing out of that boat, caught all kinds of fish, and towed it all over the province. Did a lot of down rigging out of it on big water too. I would not invest in one of these old tubs. I’ve watched too many guys at the ramp on various opening days praying to no avail that their motor would turn over, or that they wouldn’t have some other problem. And then they try the home repairs because marine mechanics are expensive. I’m a frugal guy, have 3 kids, one I’m putting through university, and 2 more to go. I understand the need for budgeting, but I’m far enough down the road that I don’t waste my money on crap anymore. My time is valuable, and when I want to go, I want to go.

I don’t thin powerdrives are as bad as a lot of guys make them out to be. They certainly pull you around. The pedals have been notorious for crapping out though. What a lot of people don’t like is the release mechanism. And it’s really not that bad, it just takes some more dicking around than a terrova does.

I'll first go into reliability. I have had one Motorguide Xi5 gps head unit crap out on me. Motor worked fine, but GPS died 6 months outside of warranty, fortunately it was the one and only time I've ever had an extended warranty on anything (bass pro) and they made it right. I've also killed a Minn Kota Terrova GPS head unit. That one wasn't under warranty, and I got lucky with a Canadian Tire clearance deal when they were still carrying the ipilots and I replaced the head and remote for a few hundred, otherwise the repair would've been in excess of $600. My Terrova is currently at Aikman's Sporting goods getting the brushes and seals replaced because it sounded like someone wash beating on dog squeaky toy with a hammer every time I turned it on. Minn Kotas, even the Terrovas aren't bullet proof by any means. I've had many issues with pedals, head units not turning, replaced a board on one once etc on Minn Kotas over the years. They all have issues. The Xi5 was a pretty sweet motor for the 3 years I had it. The replacement got moved on with my old boat. I guess if I had to pick it would be a Minn Kota. However Aikman's just told me that the last gen pre Bluetooth the motherboards have been discontinued now. Keep that in mind when buying used. As for your boat, a 55lb will work, but yeah wind will occasionally be a pain in the butt. If you troll a lot and use the motor to steer, you'll kill even a group 31 after about 6 hours. Flat dead, and the more you do that the shorter lifespan of the battery. I used to get about 2, maybe 3 seasons of heavy use on a 31 series with a 55lb thrust on my 16 footer with constant trolling. If you can swing it weight wise, I'd try to go 24 volt. Just my 2 bits.

Thanks for the write up. I feel like I’ve got several good years ahead out of my current batteries, but it will be nice to see how these things hold up as I’ll be looking at lithium for my next set.