Further North

While I'm not too worried that will happen, I did have an instance where the charging cord for my trolling motor remote developed a shot and took my cranking battery down to nothing. It was a loooong ride back to camp on Lake of the Woods on the trolling motor... To avoid that, I went to the electronic equivalent of "belt and suspenders", and isolated my electronics from the rest of the boat. I dunno if it was a great idea, but it had a positive unintended consequence: the imaging on my fish finders has never been cleaner. Can I prove it was because of the switch? Nope. Do I care? Nope. ...and I have built in back-up if one system goes Tango Uniform.

My preference is cast right, reel left. I've been teaching myself to cast left, reel right because there's times when that's handy. ...but I never switch hands. I've also been teaching myself to cast my fly rods lefty...that's been a bit more of a challenge... I spent some time on this a while back, and there was a reason why the habit developed, it had to do with older baitcast reels and and how they worked. I posted it here and a search would turn it up; it was interesting.

https://www.kipawapropellers.com/store/p13/Kipawa_112_Three_Blade_Propeller_-_Minn_Kota.html https://www.amazon.com/Kipawa-112-Weedless-Performance-Propeller/dp/B00ZHC4ZCU I've not tried them, but have been tempted. I would be more interested in extra thrust for rivers, rather than speed, but it might do the trick.

Interesting solution...do you have to tighten it up every time you put the hitch in? That'd get old fast. It doesn't qualify as a pet peeve for me, but it's just something I've always done. I towed campers for decades, and leaving that hitch hanging on the back of a truck was just a complete PITA. In addition to whacking my shin, or the shins of others, that great big grease covered ball is a great way to ruin a pair of pants just by touching it as I load something in the back of the vehicle.

Were I on an electric only lake, I'd be looking at those electric outboards that popped up here a while back.

Interesting. I just turn up the radio...

...it's all kind of moot..I ran a Craigslist search for 200 miles around Omaha...only one Lund came up that might fit the description and the ad showed being deleted by its author...which usually means it has been sold. Just out of curiosity, what does "converted runabout" mean?

Of course...but that wasn't what I was telling the story for...I was trying to convey that the market and condition sets the price, not perceived or potential defects... For example, if someone were to tell me I needed to take several hundred dollars off because they wanted to move the console back, I'd likely suggest they were looking at the wrong boat... Trolling motors older than about 3-4 years are pretty much worthless, so I'd have that accounted for already, and the motor would have been tuned on it's regular schedule, the water pump replaced, with paperwork to show the last two. Yep. What I was getting at was that it's better to know the market that to try to drive things down based on things that are likely already accounted for in the asking price. I know that had I priced that Lund that way after checking our market, I'd stay close to the price for at least a few weeks...but I'm never in a hurry to sell something like a boat, a car or a truck. It costs me nothing, and I can run a pretty big "inventory" on 10 acres... The last three boats I've sold have sold inside a week, one at my target price, two slightly above, because they were priced to market...

Good point. Off to check...couldn't find the weight of the 80# vs 101# Vantage on Minn Kota's website....and tha drop to 101# will change my math above a little. Found this, which might be the best overall solution: https://minnkotamotors.johnsonoutdoors.com/electric-outboard-motors/electric-outboard ...assuming Minn Kota is the target brand.

That boat...assuming good condition...would sell for $3K, all day, every day around here. ...I'll tell a story where that might not work: We just sold a 2006 Ford Freestyle with 120K miles on it. It had been well maintained and had been kept in a heated garage for the last 10 years, and in an unheated one the two years before that. I did a lot of looking at the market, condition of other similar Freestyles within about 200 miles and priced it accordingly, allowing a little room for negotiation, because a lot of people don't feel like they've got a "good deal" on a car. We had five people looking within a day of posting it on Craigslist. The first young lady showed up, said she loved it, wanted to bring her friend "who knows a lot about cars" out to look at it the next day. "OK, but I have someone coming to look at it at 1:00 PM, you need to be here and made your decision by then." She comes back with her friend, take it for another short drive, and come back ad ask what I'd take, "$4,150" The friend counters at $3,800, with "It's got some scratches and small dings, and there's a little rust underneath." "Just like every other 12 year old car with 120,000 miles on it?" "Well, yeah...the highest we can go is $3,900." "OK, if no one else buys it in a couple weeks, I'll call you", and I called the next folks who wanted to see it and sold it for $4,150 an hour later. ...what I'm getting at is lots of people price their cars/trucks/boats to the market, and take all those things you brought up into account when the price them. Folks who think they can negotiate down from there wind up frustrated and get to look at a lot of boats that get sold close to the original asking price. It pays to do your research up front and know what your market looks like, and the the market in areas you're willing to drive to to make your purchase. There's a lot of things that doesn't work for. The transition to darker green looks like paint, look at the section that is the same color going up behind the motor. ...and even if it has been sitting in the water for years, still doesn't leak and the motor runs well would be a bonus.

I was going to jump on the 36 volt bandwagon (because I'm a 36 volt guy)...but then I started thinking about the math... 2 X 80# Thrust is really 160# thrust... 1 X 101 (or whatever Motor Guide is) is...101... Battery weight (I'm going with Interstate 29 series as sort of an average, and rounfing up to 60# for easier math) for 2 X 80#: 240# Battery weight for 1 X 101: 180# So... 2 X 80# gives us: 240#of batteries/160# of thrust = 1.5 pounds of weight for every ft. lb of thrust. 1 X 101# gives us: 180#of batteries/101# of thrust = 1.78 pounds of weight for every ft. lb of thrust. Seems that adding a 2nd 80# TM would be better, everything else being equal. I'd go 36 volt, 101# thrust every single time, if I had one TM. Given the choice between adding a 2nd 80#, and replacing my existing 80# with a 101#...given the constraints of the original question...I'd add a 2nd 80#.* *What I'd really do is find someplace to fish that wasn't electric only...but some folks don't have that option. Edited to replace 112# thrust with 101#, because the MK Vantage isn't offered in 112#. All changes are on bold.

I agree on the knowledgeable staff at the retail locations. But...Most have a bias, and all are going to sell what they know, what they have, or what they are incentivized to sell...not what is best for the customer. There are also a fair number who have no real idea how everything works... Regarding the menu systems: It's kind of a Mac/PC thing, where different interfaces work better for people who think in different ways. I've had to use both Macs and PCs for 30-some years because of what I do (High end printing in the corrugated box/display business) and once you become adept at both, you quickly come to the objective conclusion that they are the same for all practical purposes, but that they get there differently. While I have a preference for Windows, I'll never claim it's better than macOS, and I'd have a vigorous discussion with anyone who claims one is better than the other for everyone. Same with or fishing electronics. While I have a preference for HumminBird, I won't wave the HB flag and tell everyone they are the best for them. Yup. ...and I'd beat you both because I leave my HB units on my boat. ...but I'd do the same with any maker's units...

It's the only thing that really matters...and it has to work for the person using it, not the peanut gallery in the interwebz.

Good choice. I'm glad I don't have to work within the constraints you've got. I had a 1750 for a while and it was just a little to small for me.

Yep. But there's no chance I'll do it. Step on a musky bait or fly just once...

I know a lotta people like to do this...but no way am I walking around my boat deck barefoot...

You've looked at the Crestliner Bass Hawks?

That'll work!

They are all about the same. A screen is a screen is a screen...compare resolution, if that's what's going to drive your purchase... Personally, I'd go with the one that had menus that made the most sense to me, so I could find and use all those features I paid for.

Short answer: No.

If I had to pick between that Tracker and the Crestliner Fish Hawks you were looking at last week, I'd pick the Crestliners every time. More versatile for the water I fish, which is a lot like the water you fish, I am guessing...since we are only a couple hours apart. ...if that Opti 75 weights that much...yeah, that seems heavy to me. A Suzki DF140 weighs 410... ...there's a 2011 Tracker just like that up in the Twin Cities for a grand more...so put me in the "overpriced" boat with @J Francho Yeah, pun intended....

I would rate them the same way, and agree 100% on the trolling motor. (I run a 36 volt, 112# TM on my 18 1/2' Crestliner, but I'm nuts...)

It was 5.5° here this AM...right now all lures are top water lures...

Great to hear and glad you're happy with it. I'm also a Suzuki fan, wait'll you find out how little gas it uses... We fished Lake of the Woods for a week last summer, every day, all day, all on less than one tank of gas. Filled it up when we got back, pennies over $80.00.

I'm not sure what I'd do in that situation...it's a ton of work to get my trolling motor batteries out... It is a complete PITA to get my electronics battery out. I seldom run my big motor enough to charge the starting batteries, most lakes in WI just aren't big enough... Sounds like it's time to rent a house...