rattletrap00

All, As I work to spec out my new boat (21' Dual Consol Ranger or Triton), I was hoping you could chime in on the importance or effectiveness of the windshields. It would be nice to have some wind protection running at 70 mph - especially in the spring and fall. How do the various windshields perform and is there aftermarket upgrades to improve effectiveness? Do you feel the windshield is important??? Thanks!

My biggest fish (6 lb) came from Lake Barkley using a 1/4 oz orange and black rattletrap. In fact, on the trip we took, we each averaged about 40 fish a day using the rattlers - most in the 1 to 2 lb range but my brother in law did have a 10lb on the line.

If specing out a new boat, what GPS would you recommend to install. Do any of the various mfgs (garmin, etc) offer electronic marine charts for inland lakes?

Does anybody use their Bass rig to pull Skiers and Tubers? Just curious as to how friendly you find the bass rigs to be for this type of use? The only way I will get my wife to agree to a bass rig is to convince her we can use it on the weekends for family stuff. Any help with "examples" would be appreciated.

From a pure "engineering" standpoint, I like the Ranger better for all the reasons mentioned above. The cost is the only thing I am shy about - seems the rangers are about $2K more when equipped the same. On a side note, will the Ranger's push buttons work with the the Merc Verada digital system?

All, Much like many of you who are getting back into fishing after a time away with young kids and school, I am looking to get back into the swing of things this year. First stop - new boat. I am basically down to looking at the Ranger Z series or the Triton XD series - looking for a little input from anybody who has knowledge of each.