Further North

"Should" is the key word in the sales guy's statement. I would (and have) install a charger to top off all the batteries every time i plug the boat in. If you run your starting battery down while you're on the water, it's a long way back on the trolling motor...or with a paddle.

The only difference I see between the M-Y Wedge/Yamaha support and a transom saver is there is no chance of a shock from the trailer getting transmitted to the lower unit. Given that I broke three transom savers on my old Lund Pro-V's trailer...I think there's something to this...but there's all kinds of boat owners running transom savers that love them.

Your boat has to be about ready to go...when is "The Day"?

The first thing I'd do is get a prop on the motor that is the same size as the cone housing...

...and the prop is vented as well... Sure sounds like it could be part of the problem.

Yup, you'll want a 3-bank.

You won't be disappointed with that Minn Kota, 330 D. I've been running the 440 D for about 6 years, works great.

My knowledge of props is limited to the fiddling around I've done with mine...but in the pictures, it looks like the prop has a smaller diameter than the part of the lower unit it butts up against...could that have something to do with the problem? Every prop I've had has had the same diameter there.

Interesting: ...the Yamaha Outboard Trailering Support is a M-Y Wedge with a Yamaha logo on it: ...I'd take that as a pretty strong endorsement.

Last time I checked I had 22 rods on board...I can't remember adding any or taking any out since then, so that's probably it for now I typically have 5 - 6 on deck at any given time. More than that and I feel like they're in my way.

Boomerang here as well. I have both the small and large versions - the big ones cut pike/musky leaders in addition to braid.

Mi11er, that's the beauty of side imaging. You don't have to guess.

They make some different products - the U-shaped one you've got, and the ones I use that look like this: ...they say you can just use one, but it offends my sense of symmetry...or I'm a belt and suspenders guy...or I'm just obsessive about some stuff...I use two.

That's it, right there - I want to fish, not screw with the boat. I've never heard anyone complain about having too much power.

Hmmm...I ran a Terrova for 6 years on my boats...it was neither loud, not jerky. Worked great, in fact. Just upgraded to an Ulterra t the beginning of this season. The XI5 is a great TM as well. Either would work very well, unless you have Humminbird electronics, the the Minn Kota is the only real choice if you want them to link together.

I've seen a lot of discussions about this...I've use transom savers on some of my boats (had three of them break on a Lund Pro-V with a 150 on it...that told me some kind of shock was getting transferred someplace...I went to the M-Y Wedge on my last two boats. It works as well as anything else at taking the strain off the hydraulic system and doesn't transmit any shocks from the trailer to the lower unit...which makes my happy even thought I'm not convinced it's really a problem. I heared some folks talk about trailering with the motor in a vertical position...but I've never owned a boat/trailer package that'd allow me to get anywhere this without risking banging the skeg on something coming out of a steep driveway...

Dan, not sure what your criteria are, "for the money", but I've had nothing but excellent results with Minn Kota chargers.

Good lookin' rig!

Good choice - other than cost...why would anyone go to a two battery 12 volt set-up? Just checked Cabela's for reference: for a 54" shaft, the 55 lb, is $1,260, the 80 lb is $1,500. $240 difference. Battery charger will cost the same; batteries will cost the same, space usage will be the same... For $240 you get more thrust, better on the water battery life and better overall battery life. That's how I'd lean too.

Sounds like a nice rig - you should go over to the boat forum and post some pictures of your new ride.

Brett's_Daddy... Help us out a little: What is the boat you wound up with (I'd like to know, just because it's been fun to follow your story and I want to hear about where you landed). This will become important as we begin to discuss the details of how you're going to mount your gear. What are the HB units on the boat now? What HB units are you considering...and what's your budget? My thoughts: No way I'd buy new electronics and cripple them with old transducers unless I was 100% certain it would not limit the capabilities of my new equipment. Might they "work"? Sure...but would they allow me to use all the capabilities of ny new gear? Probably not. You're not going to save any money by using the old transducers...the new units will come with new ones. Put in the time and mount the transducers that come with the new equipment. Get GPS. You're gonna want to mark places you've caught fish, or spotted good structure. IMO, a fish finder without GPS these days is less than half a tool... Get at least good 2D with down imaging...if you can float the little bit extra to add Side Imaging...do it. You won't regret it. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the major brands of electronics. They are all good, the biggest reason to choose one over the other is cost and how much you like the interface. Once you choose a brand...stick with it and build your system. I use Humminbird and MinnKota because they work well together (they are parts of the same company). If I understand things correctly, Lowrance and Moto Guide are similar. I'm not sure if Garmin can "talk" to either brand of trolling motor.

Max 5, 6 MPH. BTW...put me in the group that thinks this isn't a good idea.

Thanks Wayne. I'll make sure he doesn't do that. I was thinking he goobered it up trying to update the software...hadn't thought about waypoints. His system worked when we installed last spring.

Put me with the "no such thing as too much power" folks. If you have enough room for 2 batteries...in series or in parallel...and you can afford the price bump to 24 volt...I can't think of a single reason to not go to 24 volt...unless you already own the 12 volt and you're trying to squeeze longer fishing days out of it. I ran a 55 lb. Terrova for a couple of seasons before I went to a bigger boat (where I installed a 36 volt TM) and adding a 2nd battery definitely increased the battery life. I never went to a 24 volt system, but friends who have them are seeing more run-time than I ever saw, even with two batteries in parallel. I'd never drop down to a 24 volt on my boat...to many long days, days in fast current or heavy wind. Lots of folks run the 24 volts systems and love them, they're not wrong...but neither are us folks who think we need more...it's all in how each person fishes, how much room they have and their budget.

Not that I know of. I can check...but he's probably not that technically able.