james 14

Jon boat...no motor...you'll be fine. Treated wood will be fine.

From what I've heard (not sure of it's validity) they've got it opened up and flowing out as fast as they can. However, you also have all the lakes above it opened up and flowing as well. When it rains every single day somewhere on the peninsula a good portion of that ends up in the lake at some point. I was on Sanibel last week and there was so much water coming out of the Caloosahatchee it affected the color of the beach water and I could even taste the salinity in the water wasn't what it normally is. I don't fish the lake but I hope for you guys that do that they can get the levels down. I'd hate to see all the gains it's made it the last few years lost.

What you're calling "reserve capacity" for the Everstart is actually the "amp hour" rating. If you check the "amp hour" rating on the Optima it's anywhere from 55-75 depending on which size you get. I don't know how the amp hour is measured on the Optima but the Everstart is measured at 1 amp. The amp hour rating for the Everstart is pretty standard for most lead-acid batteries in the group size 29. I don't want to come across as steering you away from Optimas. The price was the factor for me and my experience with Everstarts led me back there. Optima_Jim could give you the full story on why you'd want to go with Optima and the choice would be yours after you weighed the supposed benefits with the cost. Most lead-acid batteries should give you 2-3 years if you treat them right. I also didn't notice any difference in power at full charge between the Optimas and Everstarts. If you get an Optima Blue Top make sure you get the one with the D in the name as those are the deep cycle versions. D34M, D27M or D31M from smallest to largest.

No I didn't. I've had no problems with Everstarts in the past and that's what I went with. If I knew for a fact the Optimas would last twice as long I might would've paid twice as much (or more) but I don't forsee it happening as that would require 5-6 years of service.

I had two Optimas on a used boat as well and had to replace them. Not that it had anything to do with them being Optimas but I did just go through this problem myself. Over the course of a couple months I had to replace all three batteries AND my charger. You really need to get a voltmeter and learn to use it as this is the only way to figure out your problem. Brand new Optimas should be resting at 13.0 - 13.2 volts. Mine were at 12.57 and 12.72 and would get me through about 7-8 hours of fishing before they were toast. When I'd get home afterwards they'd be WAY low...like below 10 volts. You take this measurement by touching each wire of the tester to each post...it takes about 5 seconds. You'll also want to check the voltage with the charger plugged in. Depending on the voltage of the battery at the time you begin charging you should see the voltage go up to over 14 volts. If your batteries are not charged (as verified by taking a voltage measurement) and the charger tells you they're charged and you verify you're not getting more than a float voltage (that exact voltage depends on your charger) then your charger may be bad. Other notes: Severely discharged batteries will not always be recognized by your on-board charger and may require a boost charge with an external charger before the on-board charger will charge it...otherwise it'll just tell you the battery is charged. Batteries that are left in a discharged state below 12.4 volts will begin to sulfate (they'll get damaged). Anytime you discharge a battery below 12.4 volts you are doing some form of damage. My grandfather also has the 12/24v option on his 50lb TM. That motor is at least 15-20 years old. I was looking at his batteries just the other day and noticed they are wired straight to one battery and in series to the other. Basically you should have three wires coming from your TM. Let's say two of them are positive and one is negative. Both + wires will go to the + terminals and the - will go to the - terminal on the first battery. Then the + terminal of batt 1 will connect to the - terminal of batt 2. When you flip the switch it switches which + wire it's taking power from. If it's working correctly you'll know it right quick when you flip the switch on high power. Personally, I'd leave it on 24v the entire time due to the fact you don't want to draw one battery more than the other. You'll get more battery life on the trip AND overall compared to using the 12v setting.

I'm liking the Mustad Ultra Point over the Trokar. It's stronger, the point is longer so it holds fish better, the keeper doesn't destroy my baits as badly and it's a little bigger. As far as size I almost never use anything smaller than a 5/0 unless the bait is really small. The straight shank hooks don't have as big a bite as a standard EWG so you need a bigger hook.

I've been using Power Pro for...well...it seems nearly 10 years now and have had no reason to change except for the fact that the color fades after only a couple trips. Even using a Sharpie to recolor the last 3-4ft doesn't last more than a single day. I'd be open to using another brand if there was one that for sure doesn't lose it's color. Preferrably it would also be offered in some sort of a subdued color besides yellow or red. Anyone know of a brand that absolutely holds its color?

Both things I was going to suggest. Mine had a similar problem and the dial on the back wasn't set correctly. In the process I found out that on engines with voltage regulators instead of alternators to charge the battery the tach got it's signal from the voltage regulator. You can move the wire from the one to the other and solve the problem in many cases.

How big is your boat? How much are you looking to spend?

Don't over-think it...just use frozen jugs. They won't hurt the fish and it'll cool the water nicely.

Watch CL for a while to get an idea of what's out there and how much you'll have to spend to get what you want. When the time to buy comes you'll be prepared and educated enough to jump on something that truly is a good deal. Also check any local boat stores/marinas that have websites with inventory online. I looked for over a year before I had the funds and the "ok" to buy a boat so I was ready as soon as the time and I'm confident I got a great deal.

Fuel effiiiciency can be helped greatly by not running at WOT. Get the boat on plane and cruise.

Just get a cheap aerator from WM and add a little ice to keep the water cool and the fish will come out more alive than they went in. Did it for years like that.

Video won't work on my phone but check your prop for any irregularities as they can cause it to make noise.

Get a 70qt cooler and set it lengthwise if it'll fit. You'll also need an aerator if you plan on the fish not dying within an hour.

A cooler will be your best bet without spending a lot. I've used both 70qt and 120qt. The 120 is nice but it's also BIG in a 12 or 14 foot jon. In a bigger boat it might not be so bad. The 70qt I had measured at least 24" long inside so I was comfortable with it for the short time I used it and it gave me a lot more room in the boat. I never had a big limit in it so I never got to test it that way but never had a fish die in it.

There's nothing wrong with buying new if you can afford it...I was just asking. One thing I would consider is not going with the brake upgrade and getting hydraulic steering and/or a hot foot instead. I don't use my trailer brakes and I have a tandem axle trailer with a 21ft boat. The 24v TM upgrade is a necessity IMO so good thinking there. Like others have said. Make sure it's big enough or that you at least understand how big it is and it's limitations in storage, fishability and handling of rough water. The 7' rod locker would leave half of my arsenal out on the deck...but I've gotten to where I rarely use my rod locker anymore.

Are you completely set on buying new? For the same amount you could get a bigger, faster, higher quality boat that may be only 4-5 years old.

I actually find that MG is better in the grass since the prop cuts better...or at all compared to the MK. I have to lift my MG out of the water MUCH less than I did my MK when I fish in thick grass. Yes the MK will sweep the grass away but the crap I fish can't be swept away...it has to be cut through. To answer your question 55lbs will not be big enough...at least not for my liking. A 36v would be nice but you'd be served almost just as well with the biggest 24v you can get which would be somewhere in the 80lb range depending on what brand you get.

Some of it is a learning curve using things I have little experience with (upgraded from a jon boat 5 months ago). I've NEVER had to check my batteries before and don't even own a tester...yet. I've had the same external charger for about 8 years so why would I expect my onboard charger to crap out on me while it looked like it was working normally? Well because apparently they're either made with less attention to quality and/or they endure harsher environments. I've also never had a prop nut come off and have never heard of that happening. I had an extra prop and pins but no nut. You can bet I have one now. And, now, after fixing the trim switch there is no way I could've done that on the water without having done it before. It required a deep well socket to a nut you can't even see. I may be throwing one of those in the boat as well. You said you learned the hard way and I suppose we all do...unless they end up reading this.

A boat IS a hole in the water in which you throw money. My last four trips on the water: 1. Cranking battery dies in the middle of a tournament 2. Prop falls off of TM in the first 2 minutes of the first stop 3. Battery charger starts giving me a "false full" and I lose TM at 9:30am during a tourney due to uncharged batts. 4. Trim lever on the shifter won't trim up and consquently I'm fishing a lake that is SHALLOW and requires being able to trim up when coming off plane. Dug the skeg into the bottom more times that I'd EVER want to in the life of the boat...much less all in one day....oh and the TM died again leaving me to be concerned I may have a bad battery. I fixed the trim button, bought a new TM (with spare prop, nut and pins) ordered a new charger and am currently investigating whether the batteries are an issue. Now I'm hoping the water that got into my depthfinder during the torrential downpour that hit it the other day hasn't ruined it. It seemed to come back to life after the sun beamed down on it for a while. I can deal with fixing things but GEEZ after having 4 trips in a row nearly ruined I've had my filled. Trying to stay focused on the fact that I'm blessed to have a nice boat and the sense to fix the inevitable little things that sometimes go wrong.

Jim, I bought my boat from a guy this past January and it had two Optima Blue Tops he said he bought in May of last year. I have a suspicion that one may be bad but haven't confirmed it yet (may be the charger...or may be both). I couldn't find anywhere on the battery to indicate the age but there is a bar code. Is there anything that can be done with warranty in my situation?

It really depends on what you're trying to clean and how severely dirty it may be. Just make sure it looks as good as it can without dirt and grease all over it.

nada.com I had a long edit typed out that disappeared into cyber-space. I would guess 500-700 bucks from what I've seen but check nada. Don't worry about getting the exact model number as most prices will be similar for the same year and horsepower. If you take the time to clean every surface inside and out you could get another $100. Looks go a LONG way in selling a boat, motor or even a car.

What tire are you running? Sidewall thickness can make or break a trailer tire.