Purchasing a used boat from a dealer % rate

[aplumma]

The tell tail or pisser hole is a visual if the pump is working. The older motors have two alarms at least on my evinrude it is a low oil and a thermal overheating gauge. I do not have a water pressure gauge on a 1989 GTX150.Not a bad idea but I have lived without one. I will warn you that my boat at full throttle is consuming 9/10th of a gallon per minute with 2 14 gallon tanks. If you have a single tank keep an eye on what 1/2 tank is visually until you are sure the gauge is working correctly. I would bring an extra gas can till you are sure. I first filled my tank and then ran it to 1/2 tank then refilled it and it took 7 gallons so I know that it was accurate. I also have a flasher unit that is accurate when going fast so it warns me before a slower rising bottom bites me. If you do find yourself in to thin water I trim the motor up quickly and chop the throttle before the rpms rev up. This will give you a better chance of not ripping the lower unit off as the boat drops off plane. Then use the trolling motor and get to deeper water after changing your shorts. 

Art

[grimsbylander]

13 minutes ago, AKRISONER said:

sorry i keep saying misfish, its grimsby that was talking about opening up the lake!

Grimsby, you are saying that theres a guage that actually measures the water pressure on newer boats. I honestly have never seen one! I know that mine didnt come with one. im stuck with the standard tack, volt and speedo (doesnt even have a trim guage)

had the boat running, idling and going when i went to check it out...everything appeared to be working perfectly. New hydraulics on the trim as well replaced last year.

I do indeed want to figure out what height to get the motor mounted to. Who knows what level he has the motor at currently. From what im reading online guys like to run the prop to pad at 3 1/2 but im sure the guys on BBC would have some input I will definitely post up about it.

I like your comment about not using an autoinflate while running...rumours are now saying that may have been the issue down on okeechobee...nothing confirmed yet.

Life jackets: I don't know anything about what exactly happened on Big O but I do know there are multiple other instances of guys getting hurt because of the auto-inflatables. Two issues 1) they don't always inflate and inflating most of the time isn't good enough. I wear mine when the big motors off and I'm fishing only. 2) the school jackets are foam filled. This provides padding in the event you catch a rogue wave,,etc and get pitched. I wear the padded jacket when buzzing along and switch to fish. It's no big deal to do that because my regular jacket stays tethered to the kill switch so I never forget that either.

I'm kind of surprised there's no water pressure gauge but I'm not a Skeeter/Yamaha expert. Personally, I wouldn't go adjusting motor height without one. I can drop my water pressure 5 psi just with my trim button. You could easily add one I would think. Check to see if there's a tiny 1/8" hole on the leading edge of the lower unit  just below the cav plate.  There's always the " if it's not broke, don't fix it" approach but I'm a stickler for weird crap on my toys. lol Word of advise on motor height...the guys on BBC will tell you the perfect height BUT you don't necessarily want it! You want it set so you have good hole shot and decent top end of course, but, in your case it's also important to have good "bite" in choppy water. Those guys will wring a half mph out of it but run on ponds all day.

Last thing, do you have a spare prop and hub? I carry a spare stainless prop but on GBay at least get a cheapy aluminum as a minimum. Make up a toolkit with fuses(see what the boat is using), elec. tape, pliers, multi screwdriver, stainless screws, extra boat plug(don't ask), and a small socket set. Generally, the only thing to worry about on a bassboat is the loose nut behind the wheel.

Let me know if the boat's gelcoat needs sealed. Search ProTec on BBC.

[grimsbylander]

3 minutes ago, aplumma said:

The tell tail or pisser hole is a visual if the pump is working. The older motors have two alarms at least on my evinrude it is a low oil and a thermal overheating gauge. I do not have a water pressure gauge on a 1989 GTX150.Not a bad idea but I have lived without one. I will warn you that my boat at full throttle is consuming 9/10th of a gallon per minute with 2 14 gallon tanks. If you have a single tank keep an eye on what 1/2 tank is visually until you are sure the gauge is working correctly. I would bring an extra gas can till you are sure. I first filled my tank and then ran it to 1/2 tank then refilled it and it took 7 gallons so I know that it was accurate. I also have a flasher unit that is accurate when going fast so it warns me before a slower rising bottom bites me. If you do find yourself in to thin water I trim the motor up quickly and chop the throttle before the rpms rev up. This will give you a better chance of not ripping the lower unit off as the boat drops off plane. Then use the trolling motor and get to deeper water after changing your shorts. 

Art

Georgian Bay has one slow rising spot...it's called Wasaga Beach! lol Many areas you can be 10 feet from shore in 60 FOW or a mile from shore in 6". The change in depth can be less than the length of your boat! If you're running on GBay and look down to see <3' of water, it's too late. lol

Fuel: Yup more fuel...but, I used to run around Gbay  in a tinny with a Merc 35hp and everywhere you go is at WOT. Running many miles all day I burnt a lot of fuel and carrying an extra 5 gallon tank sucked. Now, my boat burns more fuel per hour but I run a lot less time! What used to be a 25-30 min run is now 10 and that's not flat out. Still more fuel but not as bad as I thought it would be.

[OhioFisherman]

5 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

For the most part Ohio, I have never fished distances exceeding 14 kilometers from home base as fuel supply and simply the time it takes painfully driving my short arm tiller make it not worth it. There is obviously really good fishing to be had within this range from base camp. 

With a boat that does 50mph instead of 12....the lake really starts to open up, just like misfish said. The only limitation now will be weather due to exposure once you head 20+ k to the south or 16k to the west. Pick your days!

In like 25 years of going there I made it as far as Table Rock 2--3 times, there really was no clear benefit of traveling that far. LOL risk vs reward? a lot of rocks on the way?

Besides your fuse panel your boat motor may have a fuse under the cowl, if it goes bad on you your motor won't start, had that happen on my mini merc one time, luckily I was within electric motor range of a marina, I always carried spares after that, and never needed them again.

[aplumma]

I think the biggest difference between the rivers and lakes is up North you have basins that the glaciers striped of soil and the rock areas are more cliff like. Down here we have basins that are full of sediment and not cliff like. Running major size rivers usually your dangers are flotsam  or deadheads more than sheer walls and shoals. Our smaller rivers they tend to have very thin water and rapids so a bass boat is NOT the correct boat. You can run them in a canoe but I hate float trips and having to park a vehicle at the down stream location to pull out. For those rivers we use a jetboat that can go both up and down river under power. 

Art

[Moosebunk]

On 2/14/2018 at 2:00 PM, BillM said:

Tillers are great, but getting out of the weather in them can be tough.   If you're doing a lot of crappy weather fishing, you might want something with a full console that will accept a custom stand up top.  

But as far as making use of the space you've got, big tiller hands down.  Easily room for 3 guys or more.    I think it really depends on the type of fishing you do, that should dictate the boat you'll wanna go with.  

 

On 2/14/2018 at 1:40 PM, Sinker said:

I think the most versatile boat is a 16ft tiller. You can fish 3 no problem, with a lot more room than a lot of much bigger console boats. You can handle some big water, and easily launch into smaller back lakes. You don't even notice it behind the truck towing, and fuel is next to nothing. Simple and effective. I've had the same boat since '93, and I catch as many fish as any other fancy boat, I will guarantee that. I've had tons of people ask my if my boat is an 18 footer too....they look at it and say, wow, that's a big boat.....but its not really. Just deep and wide, and tons of floor space to move around. That's my opinion anyways, I've been in and fished from all kinds of boats, and I like fishing from a wide open tiller the best. 

 

S. 

Read the thread to this point...

Not for one second would I trade the last 8 years fishing out of a 16+ foot tiller. Lake Ontario, Lake Nipigon, the Larry and Ottawa, St.Clair and right into skinny little back lakes with crap launches, none of it ever a problem. Chasing spring gar it gets into shallower water than even the bass boats really ever need to go, but then come fall will roll in the big water for skis and eyes.  Full control, no probs with three guys and their gear reaching plane and 30mph, handles the big water, a 60HP that sips fuel, and under 2000 pounds boat and trailer which pulls like nothing, you had me believing in the beginning that your starter boat could very well end up being the boat you're happy to finish with too. 

15K is a good budget for a used fishing boat.... and like Bill, on a HELOC would be a good way to go.  Right now they're about prime plus one give or take. So around 4 to 5% I'd think...?

[AKRISONER]

18 hours ago, aplumma said:

The tell tail or pisser hole is a visual if the pump is working. The older motors have two alarms at least on my evinrude it is a low oil and a thermal overheating gauge. I do not have a water pressure gauge on a 1989 GTX150.Not a bad idea but I have lived without one. I will warn you that my boat at full throttle is consuming 9/10th of a gallon per minute with 2 14 gallon tanks. If you have a single tank keep an eye on what 1/2 tank is visually until you are sure the gauge is working correctly. I would bring an extra gas can till you are sure. I first filled my tank and then ran it to 1/2 tank then refilled it and it took 7 gallons so I know that it was accurate. I also have a flasher unit that is accurate when going fast so it warns me before a slower rising bottom bites me. If you do find yourself in to thin water I trim the motor up quickly and chop the throttle before the rpms rev up. This will give you a better chance of not ripping the lower unit off as the boat drops off plane. Then use the trolling motor and get to deeper water after changing your shorts. 

Art

Art this is actually one interesting point because what used to take me a very very long time to drive to wont take me very long anymore. Plus in a 14 foot tinny your one 25 litre jerry can is a small reservoir in comparison to a boats fuel storage. 

Same plan as normal, decide where you are going, and then never exceed that distance, only hit spots that are on the way home if you want to change it up.

your boat burns over 4 litres of fuel per minute???!!! how much power are you pushing holy cow.

On G bay, if I see a problem going fast....i may as well brace for impact cause its game over for sure. This is one thing my old man taught me, you only drive the boat fast on your 10th pass over the same spot and even then, you dont drive fast because you never know what can be floating in the water. 

Grimsby is 100% correct about how stupid Gbay is...in fact one of my favourite fishing spots is on the side of an island that is about 400 meters long. The first 100 meters  of shoreline is a flat area with a shoal thats 10 fow 50 meteres out from shore but then drops to 60FOW basically instantly... the next 100 meters and you can hop out of the boat onto shore and your boat is sitting in 60FOW, the next 100 meters is a 15 foot deep set of flats that juts out 200 meters from shore, but if you get within 20 meters of shore theres just a random shelf that comes up to 2fow is almost like a natural wave break because on the other inside of the 20 meter rock wall its still 10 FOW right up to shore, and then the final 100 meters of shoreline is a giant 12 foot deep weed bed that spans out from the island 500 meters out into the middle of the lake, and the weed clumps all have open channels of exposed rock....if thats doesnt describe how georgian bay works....then i dont know what does... Lucky for me Pointe au baril's main drive paths are very very well charted and marked, so it allows you to easily get to a generalized area safely when running a good GPS and following the bouoys...typically when going to new areas and due to the complete lack of charting on Gbay i drive where I am going on the driveline and then pull the motor up and drop the bow mount to figure out the rest. Luckily G bay has some very very clear water as well so typically its easy to spot rocks when driving slow like that or being on the bow mount.

18 hours ago, grimsbylander said:

 

 

Last thing, do you have a spare prop and hub? I carry a spare stainless prop but on GBay at least get a cheapy aluminum as a minimum. Make up a toolkit with fuses(see what the boat is using), elec. tape, pliers, multi screwdriver, stainless screws, extra boat plug(don't ask), and a small socket set. Generally, the only thing to worry about on a bassboat is the loose nut behind the wheel.

Let me know if the boat's gelcoat needs sealed. Search ProTec on BBC.

Excellent details from an experienced boater, these tips are gold.

From my visits with the boat, the gelcoat looks really really good, the thing is a garage queen, got dropped in a lake, fished for a day and then was taken home. boat was waxed etc regularily...not a single mark of dock rash or anything on it.

Im still torn about my storage situation, I have a boat house that i can park it in, or I can throw it on a trailer but then I wont have anything to neccesarily keep it out of the sun and elements...thats a whole other debate...to park in the water inside a boat house, or to put on trailer outside weekly. The hull is going to get stained regardless unfortuntatly for me, the inside of channel of pointe au baril is tea stained due to the sediment at the bottom of the lake, i dont get the benefit of that gin clear water 2 kilometers away. 

 

14 hours ago, OhioFisherman said:

In like 25 years of going there I made it as far as Table Rock 2--3 times, there really was no clear benefit of traveling that far. LOL risk vs reward? a lot of rocks on the way?

Besides your fuse panel your boat motor may have a fuse under the cowl, if it goes bad on you your motor won't start, had that happen on my mini merc one time, luckily I was within electric motor range of a marina, I always carried spares after that, and never needed them again.

yup, definitely need to get a pile of fuses to throw in the boat

12 hours ago, Moosebunk said:

 

Read the thread to this point...

15K is a good budget for a used fishing boat.... and like Bill, on a HELOC would be a good way to go.  Right now they're about prime plus one give or take. So around 4 to 5% I'd think...?

I got offered 4.5% on the Heloc...I think youve shown us bunk, the boat doesnt catch the fish, the fisherman does.

Edited March 1, 2018 by AKRISONER

[BillM]

Lots of charts available for Gbay, make sure you pick up the latest Navionics for the units you're going to run on the new rig.

[AKRISONER]

35 minutes ago, BillM said:

Lots of charts available for Gbay, make sure you pick up the latest Navionics for the units you're going to run on the new rig.

Haha bill, you think im a maniac? lol Im running the latest navionics software, you cant drive that lake without it!. If you think that stuff is accurate unless you are driving main drive lines, you have a death wish ahaha. 

 

Huge swaths of the lake are either A) totally uncharted see example below or B ) just very sparsely charted aka missing entire shoals, rocks and other fun things that will destroy your boat lol

Its probably a good thing i spent 15 years driving a boat that couldnt go over 20kmh...kept the leg on the bottom of  my outboard.

hey...im not complaining cause this slows the flood of citiots down...I could probably sell the autocharting that ive done in the area lol...but this way my fishing spots dont get ruined as easily.

 

Edited March 1, 2018 by AKRISONER

[grimsbylander]

Personally, I wouldn't leave my boat sitting in the water all summer. Trailer, boat cover and throw a tarp over it when it's going to sit for a week.

[BillM]

Running outside the channels in Gbay is like playing Russian Roulette.   From 100ft to 1ft in a matter of feet.   Gotta love it!   I've got a couple of new spring pike spots that require long runs.  that should be interesting    

Edited March 1, 2018 by BillM

[grimsbylander]

^^^ lol Russian Roulette is about right. With the amount of people that hit rocks, we used to joke that the water in GBay was just an optical illusion.

[aplumma]

The carburetors on mine are the gtx series which are quite fuelish. The motor needed to be rebuilt a few years back and I milled the heads, once over on the pistons and a few other tricks to get more power out of it. I figured while i was inside to modify it for more power. I run a 3 blade SS cupped prop. and carry and use the aluminum one when I am up North. A full set of plugs, fuses, basic socket set and hand tools, distress flag and flare gun are always on board as well as the Canadian legal requirements. One item I also found really useful is a nerf football it can be jammed in a hole in the hull in an emergency. So far I haven't used it on the fiberglass boat but it saved the day when I popped a hole in the aluminum boat running the rapids. Flat out with the SS prop I am doing 57 MPH which is just plain fun in my mind it helps that gas is around $2.50 a gallon in the summer. 

 

Art

[AKRISONER]

1 hour ago, grimsbylander said:

^^^ lol Russian Roulette is about right. With the amount of people that hit rocks, we used to joke that the water in GBay was just an optical illusion.

if youve never hit a rock on Gbay have you really boated?

1 hour ago, aplumma said:

 gas is around $2.50 a gallon in the summer. 

 

at that price, id probably buy gas just to burn it for fun...holy crap! Marina gas these days is pushing 9 bucks a gallon pluma lol

[Lape0019]

Congrats on the purchase!

After reading through all of the posts, I will say that a WP gauge isn't a requirement but is highly recommended. I didn't have one on the Tracker with the 75 but the new boat has one and I will be paying close attention to it. with the Tracker, I never played around with engine height or anything so it wasn't an issue.

If you have a jack plate and make adjustments to it, the WP gauge will allow you to see if you have gone too far (drop in pressure).  If you don't care for max speed, I wouldn't even touch the setup. It has worked for the previous owner for years so it will probably work for you.

And from what I have seen, you probably won't have any issues with chine walk with your setup (that's what scares me the most for this year). It may not be fast enough for you to worry about. Drive it like you would your buddies Legend to start with and figure out its idiosyncrasies. Every boat is different and it will take you a while to truly understand how it handles. Take your time and figure it out. It took me almost 2 seasons to fully understand or anticipate what my old boat would do when I chopped the throttle or trimmed up.

Oh! and APLUMMA (as always) provided some great advice there but be careful when chopping the throttle. With bass boats, its better to trim down first and then decelerate instead of just chopping the throttle. Nasty stuff has happened to people who just decided to decelerate with the throttle. May not be an issue with your boat because of the size and HP/speed but just keep it in the back of your mind.

I know for me, coming out of a 75HP boat and going into a  225HP boat, I will be taking her easy for quite some time. I know how to drive a boat at 45MPH. Not so much at 70MPH. You are pretty much in the same scenario. With extra speed, comes extra precautions so take it easy until you understand what the boat will do and how it will handle certain situations.

[AKRISONER]

1 hour ago, Lape0019 said:

Congrats on the purchase!

And from what I have seen, you probably won't have any issues with chine walk with your setup (that's what scares me the most for this year). It may not be fast enough for you to worry about. Drive it like you would your buddies Legend to start with and figure out its idiosyncrasies. Every boat is different and it will take you a while to truly understand how it handles. Take your time and figure it out. It took me almost 2 seasons to fully understand or anticipate what my old boat would do when I chopped the throttle or trimmed up.

 

I didnt even know Chine walk was a thing until now...holy hell that scares the Bejeesus outta me.

I can imagine there are a lot of idiots out there that would hop in a boat that can do 100 and basically pin it the first day on the water....not my intention at all. Pointe au baril is typically too friggin rough to be running that fast anyways...i mean you can do it, but it also beats the living hell out of your boat. I will slowly learn what it does at each speed progressivly getting quicker until I hit top end. At this point I think the 45mph that our alumacraft can do feels very fast so I can only imagine what pushing past 50+ would feel like...I dont even really think I am one to drive that quick unless conditions are totally ideal and Im purposely deciding to drive really fast...I find driving around at 40mph plenty quick to get around anyways. 

The boat doesnt have a jack plate to allow for quick adjustments like that so I definitely wont be messing around with my outboard height until Im done getting the basics the way that I want them...then i can start talking about making adjustments, but until then I am sure that the boat will run just fine, the fine tuning can come once I am settled in with it. Its a small boat with a pretty big motor for its size...the insurance company tells me so  

Edited March 1, 2018 by AKRISONER

[aplumma]

I guess I should elaborate on chopping the throttle. I will be running around 50 mph and as i approach a wake go back to 1/4 throttle before you hit the wake it will raise the nose quickly and then power back up to match the speed of the other side of the wake. You will not really have time to trim the motor and since you are not getting off plane you should be able to not needing to trim the motor. With less than a one foot chop you can trim out till you are running on the pad with no issues of chin walk. The water splashing off the side of the boat will tell you when you are solidly on the pad.It will be right next to the driver or slightly behind. The best run is down wind with a 1 foot chop you are sitting about 2 ft eye level above the water so the feeling of flying is real. If you can't trim out porpoising increase your speed till it settles. Most bass boats either are off plane or on the pad. The 89 Ranger 18ft does not like to go slower than 28 mph and finds the pad around 30 it really depends on how the boat is loaded. I have 3 batteries and 185 lbs of fuel in the back of the boat. on rough water or when I need more control from porpoising I will fill the front live well to give me a little more nose weight. When it really gets snotty I will have my fishing buddy sit on the lip of the front casting deck. Finally wax is your friend for keeping scumlines down and don't park against black rubber tire. They are a bugger to clean off the finish. 

Enjoy.

Art 

[grimsbylander]

That boat will not chine walk at 50-52 mph. It only happens when the boat rocks on the pad and I just can't see that boat getting enough  transom lift to fall off the pad. 

My best speeds are into the wind, not downwind, with a good chop. 

Every boat is different and driving time is the only way to learn. You'll figure out the best trim to come out of the hole, the best speed for jumping wakes(lol), er, safely crossing wakes, and what a comfortable running speed is. If you know an experienced driver, get him to go out with you. You'll learn more in one hour than will will in a month on your own. That includes loading and unloading the boat on the trailer. Super Important!! I assume it's a bunk trailer? 

BTW, where's a freaking picture?

Edited March 1, 2018 by grimsbylander

[AKRISONER]

The 3 batteries and livewells are all located in the back of the boat so pourposing is definitely a concern, I imagine I have enough power here to push through it though. I dont believe that  I have enough power to chine all over...every video on youtube of it the guys are pushing well over 60 and this boat isnt ever going to get going that quick.

You guys really are some crazy buggers, chopping throttle and jumping wakes ahhaha holy cow. Plumma are you literally saying you will be pinned at full throttle then slam it back to 1/4 throttle and then power it back to full? or are you saying you are at full throttle, and then drop to 3/4 throttle then back to 4? hahah holy cow the day i try this will be a day that I am feeling very adventerous...ive always just backed off the throttle no matter what the boat and quartered wakes then sped back up...never been one to hammer it over the wake, i prefer to be not concussed lol. 

Grimsby, i literally only have acquaintances with bass boats, all of my immediate fishing friends and family are either in multispecies boats or the young guys are running 16 foot aluminums. Gonna be on my own on this one...as far as I am aware, i am the only full time cottager up in PAB with a bass boat, we get a few visitors around but nobody thats there all year. I think last year I saw 2 true bass boats up there all year lol

Interesting you guys are saying chop makes your boat actually go faster? Im guessing its that it provides more air space beneath the boat reducing drag? Ive never thought of this concept.

I wasnt going to bother posting pictures of my boat in someone elses garage, i figured itd be better to get photos once shes on the water! but because you ask, its too hard for me to not want to share with you guys lol  

 

Even funnier is you know I have a bunch of photos on my camera of it lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lape0019]

That's actually a really nice looking boat! and considering todays bot in the 17.5' world are powered by a max 115, a 130 is pretty big for that thing. My buddy had a pro craft the same size and another buddy has an Astro (pretty much same boat) with a 135 and both topped out around 50-55 with the proper prop. One had a jack plate, the other removed his. I know one has had some chine walking. not sure of the other but this really only happens at max speed and most learn to drive through it. It's just minor adjustments to the steering wheel to keep you on pad. Or the other option is to trim down a bit until the boat settles down.

Until you are comfortable at WOT, you won't have to worry about it and like I wrote earlier, you may never even have to worry about it.

I am also interested in what Lumma means. This thread has been beneficial to more than just you as I need to learn how to properly drive this thing as well. Luckily for me, many of my friends have18.5 footers capable of 60+ and one of the pro staffers who has had the same boat (and is buying another) has offered to take me out.

Regardless, congrats again! looks like a great boat that has been really well cared for.

[grimsbylander]

Pretty boat and it'll zip along nicely. 

Every boat is different regarding crossing wakes and running in big rough water. Especially throttle position...don't get hung up on where the throttle should be. What you want to accomplish when crossing a wake is to back off enough to drop off the pad which will drop the transom some. Art said raise the nose, same thing but regardless the boat angle will change and put more boat back in the water. This will increase stability as you cross the wakes.

[OhioFisherman]

Dang Akri, it looks new? LOL on inland lakes here you have about 2 minutes max at or near top speed before you hit a no wake zone.

[AKRISONER]

2 hours ago, Lape0019 said:

That's actually a really nice looking boat! and considering todays bot in the 17.5' world are powered by a max 115, a 130 is pretty big for that thing. My buddy had a pro craft the same size and another buddy has an Astro (pretty much same boat) with a 135 and both topped out around 50-55 with the proper prop. One had a jack plate, the other removed his. I know one has had some chine walking. not sure of the other but this really only happens at max speed and most learn to drive through it. It's just minor adjustments to the steering wheel to keep you on pad. Or the other option is to trim down a bit until the boat settles down.

Until you are comfortable at WOT, you won't have to worry about it and like I wrote earlier, you may never even have to worry about it.

I am also interested in what Lumma means. This thread has been beneficial to more than just you as I need to learn how to properly drive this thing as well. Luckily for me, many of my friends have18.5 footers capable of 60+ and one of the pro staffers who has had the same boat (and is buying another) has offered to take me out.

Regardless, congrats again! looks like a great boat that has been really well cared for.

 

1 hour ago, OhioFisherman said:

Dang Akri, it looks new? LOL on inland lakes here you have about 2 minutes max at or near top speed before you hit a no wake zone.

Having looked a a few boats in person and 1,000,000 online I pretty much knew instantly when i saw it that it was going to be the one I was purchasing. If you want to tell how a guy has taken care of his boat when you go to see it, look at his garage, house and truck.

The truck in the driveway was washed and its winter time, the house and gardens were all well kept and maintained and his garage floor was cleaner than my kitchen floor lol. I kept trying to find marks, dents, scratches, dock rash, loose screws, rust...anything...and i couldnt.

When he got it running for me the second time i went to close the deal with him, he had fogged the engine in the fall so he cleared everything out, and put all new plugs in it for me. It was basically exactly what you would hope for when buying something used from someone. I generally take really good care of my stuff but even I doubt that i can keep up the level of maintenance and cleanliness that the boat is accustomed to lol.

 

Is it the third saturday in May this weekend? 

[OhioFisherman]

LOL, spring fever has a whole new meaning this year?

[aplumma]

That a really nice boat. It is the same lay out as my Ranger. The amount t of throttle chop depends on the size of the wake. I run in an area that has tinnies and 50ft yachts the effect is to get the boat off the pad and stable but the nose is high to keep you dry. Depending on the amount of air you get under the boat will tell you if going into or down wind is it's preferred direction. The Reason I rescued this boat was it was the last year of this hull design which i fell in love with. The boat was owned by my fishing buddy who moved to the coast and decided to sell it to get another style of boat. I rebuilt the lower deck and replaced the electronics. Replaced all of the seats and steering was changed to hydraulic. Rebuilt the motor and added a 24 volt system for the trolling motor. Lots of love and work went into it because of the memories of fishing with my friend Tommy T. 

Art