Maggiesmaster

My 12 yr old lab has gone with me since she was a pup. I trained her to lie down when the motor is running, but when it's off she has free rein of the boat. We've had great times on the water--she's my favorite companion. She's very sick now--I've taken her to the vet the last few weeks...I'm afraid we won't get to fish together this year. Don't know what I'll do.

I'm really fond of the Lew's Tournament Pro. Bought a Revo S last summer for $150. Didn't like it, returned it and got a Tournament Pro from Cabelas for $200. Just bought another Tournament Pro for $154 from Ebay.

I ordered a Revo SX but didn't like it; it didn't cast 1/8 oz. worms well enough for me. I spent the extra money for a Lews Tournament Pro and am very satisfied. You can get them for about $160 on Ebay. Mine came at a higher price from Cabelas. Actually, I've got a BassPro Carbonlite (gold colored) reel that I bought for less than $100 that's almost as good as the Lews! I understand the current black models aren't up to that quality, though.

I bought an Abu Revo S & didn't like it. Sent it back to Bass Pro & got a Lew's Tourney Pro. Great reel!

I've got a Powerdrive V2 on my 14 ft. jon-style bass boat. The cable control malfunctioned but Minn-Kota sent me another one under warranty. My greatest gripe is that it's got a 48" shaft, which is about 12" too long for my boat. Mounting the transducer required drilling a 1 1/2" hole in the handle, but it works well. Variable speed is nice; I leave the switch on 'continuous' and control the speed with my foot. This way makes it a lot quieter. If the shaft were 12" shorter it would be great. Makes a noticable sound when the head turns, though.

I've owned many boats, all of them riveted, and none of them ever leaked at a rivet. In my younger and crazier days I fished the Mississippi river in a 14 ft. riveted jon boat. We knocked so many holes in the thing that the aluminum welds make it look like Frankenstein's face--but it never leaked at a rivet. Not saying all welded boats are bad, but I'm not afraid at all of buying riveted boats.

When I re-wired mine, I used welders wire my brother-in-law bought from an electrical supply house. One idea I've heard about is to pick up a set of jumper cables the proper length and use it. That's prob. cheaper.