DaveInGA

jbmaine, Yes, that information was quite helpful. I'm not at all familiar with the 4-cycles, but am very interested due to the quiet, clean running and good gas mileage. Anything I can do to save on gas is a good thing. Regards, Dave

A retired gentleman at my gun club I shoot skeet with has a Honda 15HP 4-stroke with less than 8 hours time on it he's not using and wants to get rid of. He's offered to make me a good deal on it. It's either a 2006 or 2007. I don't know anything about Hondas and wanted to get feedback from someone who owns this motor. Thanks, Dave

You don't want to get too rowdy with a 15 HP in those 10HP lakes. Those Fish and Wildlife guys aren't dumb. If you get going too good and start passing all the 10HP's around you, they'll notice. In addition, they'll stop you and it won't be the stickers on your motor cover they'll want to look at. It'll be the Model and serial number labels on the motor and they'll know what they mean. Just so you're aware, Dave

I've fished out of those type boats before and they're generally not much fun to fish out of. I agree with LBH, if you can find a jon boat and trailer, you can tow it with either car. Just get a smaller one the two of you can carry and you'll be fine. Remember, craigslist.com is your friend when it comes to finding cheap jon boats. You may have to do some painting and fixing up, but you can find a boat cheap on there that'll do what you're looking to do. Buddy of mine and his grandfather used to haul two jon boats from the side of the road down to the river with no problems. At the time, we were both 16-17 years old. Regards, Dave

This may be just what you're looking for: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp;jsessionid=BPO5YIKVMOCC4CWQNWRSCOQK0BW0IIWE?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat21276-cat21278-cat21324_TGP&id=0021475016662a&navCount=2&podId=0021475&parentId=cat21324&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IH&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat21324&hasJS=true&_requestid=48861

I've got my boat, it's a 16 foot long by 54 inch wide fiberglass boat, pretty much the same size and shape as a jon boat. I am wanting to paint the bottom with Interlux Brightside paint. The plan is to use all Interlux products the same as LBH did. I'm using the Interlux Brightside to paint the sides and bottom. The problem I have is I have no idea how much primer I need, nor how much paint. Interlux Brightside comes only in quarts. I'm thinking I probably need two quarts of primer and two quarts of paint, but if one quart will be sufficient, I don't want to buy more than I need. Can someone give me an idea of how much paint it will take? The boat is basically new, though it was stored outside for a long while before I bought it. Thanks, Dave

Jig man, Yes, it's a big deep cycle from Sam's. As far as the radio, I just want to listen to talk radio and get the news/weatherr when I'm out there by myself. Surfer, Ues, the boat is similar to gheenoe, but it's bigger, wider and is very similar to a jon boat in size, room and dimension in the interior, but I've already found it more stable in the water than a jon boat and it draws less water. I already own a 36 pound thrust Minn Kota TM. Regards, Dave

Finally found a suitable boat and am in the process of planning for the rigging (new Riverhawk B-52 boat0. I'm trying to keep things simple and as clean as possible. Here's what I'm looking at right now. Would love to get comments: 1. Running lights for night runnning - dedicated fixtures on the outside hull VS. plug-in poles. I can install the dedicated fixtures on the front easily, but what about the tall back light? Maybe a folddown or a telescoping pole? 2. Bilge pump w/plumbing - 500gph Seasense model that Academy Sports stocks (very compact with a low price) vs. an Attwood combination pump (more expensive and a bit larger) with integrated float switch wired directly to the battery with an inline fuse. Better choice? Best location to route the tubing and outlet for the water? 3. Trolling motor wiring front to back - 15 ft. of dual lead 4/0 copper cable with 3/8" and 1/4" hole terminals soldered at each end. Buddy of mine is giving this to me, so no cost involved. 4. Trolling motor battery - The biggest group 27 I can find, probably the largest TM battery Sam's Club sells, since I'm a member. 5. Igloo Marine cooler w/seat (Live well) 6. Igloo cooler, small (food and drink) 7. Cabin lights (small lights for night fishing, internal to the boat for rigging and putting on a minnow in the boat) - I'm wondering if that LED rope lighting that has become popular might not work well. Here's some I'm looking at: https://ssl.adhost.com/noveltylights...pid=262&step=4 Anyone have a good solution on rigging these? 8. 2 each 12V cigarette lighter style outlets - For simplicity/neatness sake, I'm thinking of getting one of those Minn Kota boxes with the battery gauge, external lugs, and integrated 12v plug. I'm thinking one 12 volt outlet on the battery box at the front of the boat and and one at a rocker switch panel in the rear of the boat should be enough I'm guessing. Any suggestion on the number of rocker switches I really need? I'd like to do the "less is more" approach. Wiring it is a non-issue with my background. Learning what works best is. 9. Insulated, powered minnow bucket, 12V capable (will use 12V outlet for aerator) - Am looking at the larger minnow buckets carried by Academy Sports. Anyone have a suggestion on which one or how large a one? They don't seem to be expensive. 10. AM/FM radio - Am considering a portable/handheld transistor radio. I'd like to get , if anyone makes it, a AM/FM handheld integrated with CB or VHF capability (and NOAA weather), that would be best. Since I don't carry a cell phone, a CB would be an excellent emergency communication tool. 11. Decking to level bottom of boat (no carpet, painted with non-skid surfacing material) - Right now I'm looking at either 1/2" Marine plywood or pressure treated plywood painted on the top surface with the Rustoleum two part stuff they have for Garage flooring. I plan to add the non-ski shark bite to the paint. I'd leave the bottom surface exposed so it can breathe and won't rot. 12. Exterior (in the water) fishing lights to attract baitfish - BPS (and others) sell simple waterproof lights that you tie to a cleat, plug into a 12v outlet, and just drop over the side into the water. Seems easy. Does anyone have a particular recommendation they've had good success and dependability with? I think they also have them at Walmart in Gainesville (Big stock of marine stuff there by the lake or at least there was last year.) as well. 13. Some clips to store my oar neatly on the side or bottom of the boat. Anyone have a recommendation? 14. A fishing net to seine minnows or other baitfish. Anyone have a particular brand they've been really happy with? 15. Rod holders for transport and for trolling or just being able to securely put my rod down with the bait in the water. I'm figuring on two racks of three each for transport and eventually four each of the "trolling" type. I'd love to hear suggestions on this one. 16. A mushroom or river anchor (8 to 10lbs) and 50' of 1/4" or 5/16" nylon or polydacron rope, and maybe a small bucket to store it in (bucket can be used for bailing in an emergency). I have nylon yellow rope. I also have a bucket for rope/chain/anchor storage I think. 17. Two 10' pieces of 1/4" cotton rope for docking situations. 18. Emergency first aid kit, flashlight, bottle of sunscreen, small assortment of basic tools (2 screwdrirvers, wire cutters, adjustable wrench, cheap stainless knife/multitool) - Already have the first aid kit, the flashlights, the sunscreen, the basic tools and the multitool, though it isn't a cheap one. I'm aware whatever I keep aboard the boat can be "swallowed" by the water at a moment's notice. I plan on carrying a decent knife and my leatherman when I fish, but keeping a cheap multi tool aboard for those "riskier" moments, like cutting fishing line away from a prop. 19. Tie down base for coolers - one of those jobs with 4 angle brackets you mount to the floor and have a strap/ bungee cord to lock the cooler in place.

Actually, in my case, GA Bass hunter is right. At the end of the day, my fair skinned self would be blind and burnt to a crisp. I like white boats and would love a white interior, but I'd be fried if I did that. Hence the light grey or tan. Dave

A buddy gave me a Humminbird Matrix 17 fishfinder. Trouble is, it didn't come with the wiring, base or transducer. Can someone point me to the online dealers with the best prices on Humminbirds? Thank you, Dave

I'm picking up a new fiberglass boat at about half it's retail price. The interior was painted a fairly dark green and is too hot for the Georgia heat. I'm going to have to repaint it either light grey or tan. I've found a couple options so far and wondering what the best option would be for durability. Right now I'm looking at either Duraliner bedliner in grey or Rustoleum garage flooring two part epoxy with added shark bite for traction. Any comments or suggestions welcome. Thank you, Dave

Gentlemen, Thank you for the information. Does anyone know a good parts source for this engine? Thanks, Dave

Way2slow, I don't know, I'm new to boating in freshwater and to two cycles in general. That's why I"m asking, to find out. If it's a non issue, that's great and I'll move forward from there. I just picked up a rig today with a 1976 Johnson 15HP Seahorse on it and I didn't want to ruin the motor before I got going good. Dave

I've been doing some research and determined TCW-2 has become hard to find. I'm wondering what the deal is about older two stroke motors and the newer and more easily available TCW-3 oil. How far back in time can one go and still buy a motor that's compatible with the new oil? Does anyone know? I'd rather not buy something where I'm stuck with a motor I can't find oil for. thanks, Dave

There seems to be two schools of thought about these plastic bass boats. Those that have had them seem to the most part love them, but have later sold them for larger boats when the could afford a larger boat. I was looking at them as a "get me on the water fishing" boat for as small amount of money as possible and the issues related to stability with smaller jons don't seem to happen with the plastic boats. I think I may end up having to get one of these, fish the smaller resevoirs and river until such time as I graduate tech school, am back to work and can afford a boat to go out on the larger lakes with. I'm thinking a 30 lb thrust motor, a single battery and an older 7.5 HP two cycle Evinrude of Johnson oughta set me up about right for the time being. I think I'll shop for a used one of these. Thanks everyone for their help. Regards, Dave

Gentlemen, Thanks again for the answers. What I think I'll do is go look at new jon boats with the wife and see what seems large enough and fits the budget. Reading your posts and thinking about boat necessities generated additional questions though. If you would be kind enough to answer them. 1. What is the minimum thickness gauge of metal I want to buy in a jon boat? 2. I notice the Tracker boats comes in a maximum width of 1436 for their riveted aluminum boats. Does anyone know of a company that makes 1442 aluminum riveted and could they provide a link? 3. How much gasoline motor is enough motor? I don't want to "hot rod" but I do want to be able to get across the larger compounds and lakes to where I want to fish. So I want one that'll be comfortable getting the boat on plane, but not one that makes me feel I'm prepped for take off. 4. I've noticed there are a lot of older 7.5, 9.9 and 15 Hp motors for sale at good prices. Is there any brand or year age wise of those I want to avoid or a brand and year I want to seek out? 4. I plan on buying a hnad operatedl trolling motor, as I don't feel I need a foot control (as a young man, I used a hand control a lot down at the coast). What would be the best lb thrust for good battery life in this size boat? Again, I'm looking to keep costs on the low end as well as minimize weight in the boat. 5. Does brand of motor matter much? 6. Low Budget Hookers, I really like your boat as you've got it setup. Simple and elegant. What's the grey material and do you find you miss the extra decking or not? I'm debating a setup that has an extra seat bases for "riding/driving" and have a center seat bases for "fishing." Regards, Dave

Gentlemen, Thank you for the information on the Bass Hound 10.2. I have more questions based on the information you gave me. First, I'm 6" and about 260 (gotten old and fat). My wife is about 5'3" tall and weighs around 175. My son is 6'2" tall and weighs around 220. The wife will likely go with me on an off/on regular basis, perhaps 20% of my outings. My son has just graduated college at UNC Chapel Hill and will live and work in North Carolina, so he'll only be with me occasionally. I suspect a good bit of the time I'll be in the boat alone, but when I have company, I'd like to boat to be big enough to carry the gear, my son and myself safely when he is here. I also have a buddy about my size that I've talked to that told me he'd love to go fishing as well. In addtion to the above information, I live near Athens, Georgia. There's several large lakes near here, some with water as deep as 200 feet in some places. Big boats on some of these waters generating large wakes at times. Lake Lanier and Lake Oconee and another large lake on the GA/SC boarder, can't think of it's name, are all within reasonable driving distance. I also live near several "electric motor" only watersheds. There's also a fairly slow moving river called the Oconee River nearby. So I'd like to get something, if I can afford it, that is big enough for the big lakes, but small enough and light enough it'll run with an electric motor. I'm mainly interested in fishing for crappie, bluegill and bass, in that order. I do have a good bit of electronic/electric skills (Am an electronic technician/telecom engineer) and do woodworking as a hobby, so I have a table saw, drills, power saws, etc. My father was a mechanic, so I can fix most anything if it's not needing machine work done on it. I also have a carport we don't use for cars where I could keep a boat and work on it/modify it if necessary. Seats are a necessary item for me, as I've had knee surgery and I have long legs I need to keep at a 90 degree or better angle. I am somewhat concerned about riveted john boats vs. welded and wondering if that is mostly marketing hype or a big problem with the riveted johns. I'm thinking, based on your responses so far, that I'd be better off getting as much jon boat as I can handle by myself, then gradually adding a trailer and upgrading it. I can certainly handle wiring and such as that. I even have big soldering irons and solder to solder, rather than crimp my connections, regardless of the wire size to eliminate corrosion issues. How much motor does it take to run a jon boat? One last thing: My wife is somewhat afraid of the water, so stability is a major issue. Thanks again for your help, Dave

The Sam's Club in my area has the KL Industries Bass Hound 10.2 with a Minn Kota 28 ft lb. thrust for $860.00 or so. Seems to be a decent little boat, but I wanted to hear from folks that have bought this boat or boats like it. I'm wondering how it handles in the water, what size gasoline motors folks have used with theirs, what the results were, how they liked the boat, what they didn't like, will it get up on plane at all, that kinda stuff. Would love to hear your opinions on the boats. I'd rather get the 120, but it's not in the budget and Sam's only carries this one boat. Thanks for your help, Dave

I've settled on a Riverhawk B-60 as my boat of choice, having gotten one at a great price. I now need to select an outboard motor for it. Here's some specifications on the boat: Riverhawk B-60 Fiberglass boat Capacity 4 persons or 550 lbs length 15ft. 2 in. Beam 5 ft. Weight 195 lbs. Hp Rating 15hp Transom Height: 17" Here's a link to a pic of the boat: http://www.broadwaytackle.com/servlet/Detail?no=5 While the boat is rated for 15 HP, I've been advised by a friend who's road in one that 15HP was "scarey" when riding in and he is of the opinion that a 10HP motor would drive the boat just fine. I'm all about saving some money on a purchase, so I'm looking at the following motors: 2005 Tohatsu 9.8HP 4-Stroke Outboard New Short shaft 15 Manual Start Weight: 81.5 lbs. $1699.00 + Free shipping = $1699.00 Notes: Battery charging system option is $159.99 Nissan 9.9Hp 4-Stroke Outboard Used, Excellent Condition Short Shaft 15" Electric Starter Battery Charging System Weight: 110 lbs $1495.00 + $175.00 shipping = $1670.00 2005 Mercury 9.9 hp 2-Stroke Outboard Used, One Season "Canadian fish camp" Summer of 2005 Short Shaft Weight 75 lbs $1299.00 + $175.00 shipping = $1474.00 Any and all of these motors can be purchased online less expensively by far than I can purchase locally. Can someone suggest why I should pick one motor over the others, other than weight? I'm not familiar enough with any of them to make a fully informed decision, though I have read up on the 4 stroke vs. two stroke debate. I'm also looking at trolling motors. I'm told a 46 LB thrust or larger will move the boat in good shape and I could probably get by with a transom mount or hand controlled. Any suggestions? Thanks, Dave

Yes, I think you've got it sized up that a $50.00 to $60.00 uppper limit is about where I'm at price range wise. We don't have an Academy in this area, though one is being built in nearby Athens, Ga, but won't be ready until late fall. I'm probably looking at the Berkley rods, the BPS and Cabella's house brands from what I've seen so far. And I think you've hit the nail on the head length and size wise. I went to WalMart today and this is what I found, with all rods tried with an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5600 mounted on them: 1. 7 foot Berkley Bionix Rod, Medium, 1/4-3/4 oz., 8-20 lb - On closeout for $49.00. (This rod felt real well balanced with a 5000 or 5600 on it, but seemed a bit on the heavy side and maybe a little whippy, for my right arm, bothered by arthritis and tendonitis, to swing all day.) 2. 7 foot Berkley Cherrywood, Medium, didn't get the other specifications - $18.87 standard price. (This rod felt really good, light and well balanced. I wish I could have tried it out in the medium weight.) 3. 7 foot Berkley Lightning, Medium Heavy didn't get the other specifications - $28.94 standard price. (This rod felt real well balanced, light, but couldn't find it at this store in a medium action.) 4. 6' 6" TeamDaiwa V, MH 1/4-1oz., 10-20 lb - On closeout for $40.00. (This rod felt light and well balanced.) 5. 7 foot Abu Garcia Conlon, MH, 3/8 - 1 1/2 oz., 10-20 lb, $35.00 standard price. (This rod felt well balanced and seemed well made for the price. Am interested in other's evaluation of this rod.) I can't get to an Academy or a Cabella's, so those rods are out of consideration. I do, however, have a Bass Pro Shop within reasonable driving distance. They may be my next stop to check out rods. Do they carry the Berkley Lightning lineup? If so, I can compare their house rods with the Berkley Lightning. mj, It's a shame I don't have a Cabella's nearby. Those sound like the rods I would really like and the price is right. Regards, Dave

flechero, I paid fifty bucks for the 5500C and 64.00 for the 4600WS. I'd like to keep the price down to a reasonable level, matching durability/quality/price, etc., with the reels I've purchased. I only plan to purchase these two rods and reels as my bass fishing combinations at the present, as I'm just getting back into serious fishing after a 20 plus year layoff of anything but panfishing with my children. So I have a good bit of gear to buy to get back on the water. My tackle box/lure purchases are pretty complete as of now for bass, but to give you some idea of where I'm at budget wise, I'm planning on spending around $3000.00 to $3500.00 for my boat, trailer, outboard motor and trolling motor. (A Riverhawk B60 w/trailer $1400.00, Used 15HP Merc two cycle outboard $1500.00 and 40-50 ft.lb thrust Minn Kota troller.) So basically I have a good bit to buy I plan on crappie fishing as my primary fish (I like to eat em.), bass fishing as my secondary fish, then flyrod for bluegills and finally tightline for catfish. To do this, I'm going to purchase appropriate tackle for each types of fishing. So in the addition to the above, I plan on purchasing: 1. Several crappie specific rods/reels and a jigs gear for crappie. 2. Two bait casting rod/reel combinations for bass (Abu Garcia Ambassadeurs and good solid rods to go with them. I may buy more later, but the spotted bass is the primary on Lake Lanier (Fish there in my buddy's bass boat.) and so crankbaits and topwaters along with worms seem to be the better combinations. One slow and one fast should do it for those for now 3. Basic fly rod combination outfit for bluegill, anybody got a recommendation? 4. Two spinning rod/reel combinations, one fast and one slow retrieve. Anyone have any recommendations. So there's what's on the to get asap list. As you can see, it's a pretty good amount of stuff to buy. So I'm avoiding top end price stuff and going for medium prices and trying to get reasonably good stuff with solid durability. thanks for your help, the choices have gone up so much since I last fished seriously I can't believe it. Dave

I'm picked up a couple of the Abu Garcia reels the local Wal Mart has on close out at an excellent price. One is a Abu Garcia 5500C Ambassadeur and the other is a 5600WS. The reason for two different types is I want one for fast retrieve for crankbaits and one with slow retrieve for worms. What would be a couple of good rods for these reels? I plan on using 12 pound test and my two primary fish sought are spotted and largemouth bass in Lake Lanier, Lake Oconee and various watersheds in Northeast Georgia. Most fishing will be done by boat, with some shoreline fishing. Thank you, Dave

That's a pretty good link. Are there others and what are the "contenders" in the 15 HP two cycle motor brands? thanks for the link, Dave

You guys are definately making me feel good about my choice of boat. I feel like, after all the research I've done, it'll be perfect for my applicaiton, which is small ponds to medium sized lakes with motor restrictions. Ok, now that it's obvious I need a two stroke for the weight savings, what are the lighter and more durable, dependable two stroke brands rated at 15HP and is there a good place on the internet to buy a "program" motor or some such? Thank you for helping me with my selections. Regards, Dave

Brandon, Thanks for that information. That's what I was looking for. I think I'll try to pick up a used 15HP and swap out to the prop you suggest. The only four stroke with a reasonable level of weight I've seen was the Nissan/Tohatsu at around 80 pounds. I think I'll be better off with a 60 pound 15HP two stroke. Regards, Dave