Gerry

It was a 2006. It went for mid $30K USD.

I've owned a Lund ProV, Triton TR21, and Ranger 620. Although they were all very good boats, each one was a bit better and different than the previous one. Sold the Ranger last summer and that was a sad day for me.

Yup, agree with your assessment about Hampton. They are our preferred hotels also. How did you like PEI? I visited last year. My late brother lived in Moncton....nice place. Don't forget to visit the monument honouring the 3 RCMP officers who were gunned down.

Surprised to hear this about the 5.0. Mine is a 2012 and so far it has been very good. More power than the 5.4 and better fuel economy. I guess I'll hold onto mine a little while longer.

Agree with Garnet....fight it the way he recommends.

Yep, the term is and should be 'Walleye'.

Although I don't drive a Tundra, I have the greatest respect for that vehicle. It is indeed, probably a simple matter of the Tundra being late in it's redesign and that this deficiency will get addressed in it's next makeover.

Wow Ironmaker, that's quite a leap there. So, you're saying that the IIHS and all of their employees, along with the independent Brd of Directors are all lying criminals. For the others who are probably more inclined, check this out: https://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings

I had a complete rear of my ACL at age 56. Surgeon advised me to not have it repaired and to try to live with it being absent. I got a 2nd opinion and got the same story. I got fitted with one of those $1,800 braces that was mentioned previously, had the knee scoped to clean out the torn cartilage, and took 8 weeks of physio. A rebuild of the ACL is a very intense procedure and the rehab depends on your age........most cases it takes about 1 year. Both surgeons that examined me at the time said that there could also be complications, like being left with a stiff leg. That was 13 years ago and I'm still without the ACL. It hasn't been great, the pivoting like was mentioned is the biggest issue, can no longer run or jog even. can't fold the knee (like crouching down), but otherwise it;s been OK. I do have pain but this is mostly due to arthritis. So, you can count on being out of commission for at least 6 months.

Ch312's statement that these motors are known for carbon build up is flat out wrong. I've been running Optimaxs since 2002 and have not had any issues. It appears that the OP isn't the original owner and that might be the problem. Some people cheap out on oil by using off brand types and the Optis, like most other 2 stroke, DFI engines, have strick requirements when it comes to oil. Even different year Mercs have different oil recommendations. Repairing might be the cheapest option but not the best. One would have to discuss it with a qualified dealer/mechanic.

As you see in my profile pic, I have the Ranger 620 DVS. I've owned it for approx. 7 years and it's been very good. All of the ones in your list would be good rigs IMO.

Fishing Erie limits you in the size, anything under 19 ft and you'll have to really pick your days and stay relatively close to shore. Bigger boats brings higher price tags unfortunately. Aluminums provide rougher and wetter rides than glass......I've had both, a Lund ProV and currently own a Ranger. Your family members might not enjoy getting wet and bounced around. Either way you'll be pushing $50k for a 19 footer, properly equipped. Forget about trolling with a higher power motor, I.e. 150+ hp, it doesn't work....you're trolling too fast. When choosing a kicker, a 9.9 is all you need for anything up to 21ft. Hope this helps.

Same here, I prefer the original but this one's not bad.

I drive it each yeah year for the past 10 yrs or so. I've done both and I prefer the The West Virginia route. Someone mentioned I-95, this is wrong, it's I-90, Buffalo to Erie, toll costs $3.90 US. The West Virginia route is slightly more complicated in that there are more changes in routes, i.e. I-90 to I-79 in Erie, then it's I-77 to I-20, then I-95 and finally on to I-75. There are 2 more tolls but they are minimal, $1.25 and $0.50 (I think). Be careful around Summersville, WV, they love to ticket Canadians for speeding.....a very inhospitable place in my opinion and so I never give the businesses there any of my money. Your GPS will probably take you to Daytona along I-95 to I-4 through Orlando and that's OK. But if you go through I10 in Jaksonville, to 301 then be careful along this route.....plenty of speed traps. The only other matter is weather through Eire and the mountains in WV......pay attention to the forecasts.

If you're getting IKEA type cabinets then forget about putting quartz or granite...they are too heavy for the cabinets. Personally, I prefer Quartz and granite over Corian type materials. Quartz and granite are indeed harder materials but unlike what has been stated here, Quartz does not absorb. And neither does granite provided it is sealed, and this needs to be done every 5 years and takes 10 minutes.......nothing to it.

How much time do you spend At the cottage? I have a similar problem, CPAP with no power athe cottage. I can tell you with certainty that your options are limited. In my situation, my wife and I both have a CPAP unit, and I had to invest in approx. $1,000 ($2,500 if you count the generator) to solve my problem. A 25 to 30 watt solar panel is completely inadequate. I have 2 Trojan 6V deep cycle batteries costing $150 each and 2 solar panels totalling 300 watts (150 watts each) and even with this setup I will still need to run the generator for 6 or more hours if I go more than 3 days with no sun. Yes, turning off the humidifier will save on the draw which is what we do.

A bowrider will require a longer shaft and more power......a 12V model won't do. I have a Minn Kota, 24V, 80lbs thrust, and 52" shaft that I plan to sell soon. It's been sitting around for some time. I bought it new some years ago as a spare for when I was doing bass tournaments but used it only once. When I sold the Triton bassboat I gave the purchaser the option of taking the 42" shaft or this one. Obviously, he chose the shorter shaft one as he wasn't planning on fishing bigger waters, So this one has been sitting around since then. This unit would run you approx. $1,500 with tax if purchased today, I'm looking for $500. If interested, hit me up in the spring (I'm in Florida for the winter).

Nice truck, Gallie. When I was in the market for my 2012 F150 I had to decide between the Ecoboost and the 5.0L. Test drives showed equal power and real world reseach showed back then, and continues to show, that the mileage is about equal. So I was left to wonder why they wanted a $2K premium for the Ecoboost. In the end I couldn't reconcile that difference. And added to that, turbos are another thing to repair/replace. Now, there is a world of difference bewteen the 5.0L and my 2006 5.4L. The new engines are much more fuel efficent and more powerful.

Ranger 620VS, 225 Merc Optimax, 9.9 Pro Kicker, Minn Kota 101lbs, 4 batteries and 189 Litres (50US gallons) of fuel I get 58mph. With 1/4 tank of fuel she'll do 62mph.

My most sincere condolences to you and your family. The loss of a child, at any age, is one of life's most difficult things to deal with....so I'm told. I've followed your journey albeit not making many comments. But like others have stated, your daughter was an inspiration to us all. My wife and I came close to living the pain of such a loss as this past April and May, our 37 yr old daughter was striken with menengitis and encephylitis. She spent 5 weeks in ICU at Hamilton General, with half of that not really conscious, unable to walk and feed herself. She has recovered to some degree but her prognosis is still uncertain. This came out of the blue to a bright, witty and well educated teacher who is unable to return to work for the foreseeable future. Life can change is a hurry.

I have one. The ladder is only about 16 inches when in the folded position, about 26 inches when opened.

I don't have problems backing up a trailer also (except the short ones) but I can see where this would be useful when you get your partner to do the backing, who may not be as skillful. This happens in tournaments when fishing pro/am events and the amateur isn't used to your rig. I think it's innovative.

Ah, the drain plug. I've only done it 3 times!!

Hooking up a charger to a cranking (main) battery is a good idea. As Lew stated, you can leave your batteries in the boat all winter. Also, if you park your boat for extended periods, the on-board computer on the main engine draws constant power, as does your GPS antenna. And, if you happen to leave a light on in the boat, this can draw the cranking power below which is needed to fire up those bigger motors. If you mkae short runs, the alternator might not have enough running time to replace the charge that you used up with electronis, downriggers, etc. A car is the same.

That's why I always liked rear wheel drive. Half of the steering was done applying power to the rear wheels. Love it. Try that with a front wheel drive.....you wouldn't get around the first bend.