Further North

Thoughts from my experience: Sub $5,000 and low maintenance are seldom found together. Same for sub $5,000 and infrequent repairs. Depending on your other priorities, you might be able to squeeze those three into one boat if you went with relatively new (say 10 years or less) and backed off the bass boat only requirement. You might get lucky and find something quickly if you stick to your list...but I'd be prepared for a long search. I hope you find what you need!

I'd go with option 2, but I'm sentimental that way...and cheap. I look at a boat like your Predator and - like my old CMV - see no reason to "upgrade". I'm not sure "upgrade" applies. If I manage to do something dumb and blow the motor, I'll replace it. I'd have wreck the hull for me to get a new boat.

Our job is to get him to the edge...whether or not he makes the leap is up to him...

I have a friend who has an Impact and know two other guys who have them. No complaints from any of them that I have heard. One thing I like about the Impact is much narrower gunnels than most Lunds...I don't like that dead space around the outside of the boat. Rumor has it that a certain Lund Predator may be for sale soon...I migh call that guy if I were looking for a boat.. I'd also check out the new Crestliner Bass Hawks if I wasn't in a hurry to buy this fall.

That's what I'd do.

No...I'm not wild about the way front weighted flies work...and there's not a lot of room on that short shank for extra "stuff". If I need depth, I run them on a sinking line.

Assuming you mean "Humminbird Graph", yeah, lots of us. Works great. Enables a whole bunch of features like "Follow the Contour" and other great things. Depends on what you mean by "compatible". Can Minn Kota trolling motors plug into Lowrance fish finders the same way they connect to Humminbird fish finders and allow Follow the Contour and other features? No. Can you strap a Lowrance transducer to the bottom of a Minn Kota trolling motor and have it work, or can you use the Minn Kota US2 transducer with a Lowrance fish finder? Yes.

...OK...they might be pike flies too... 7" - 8" long, tied on heavy (think Gamakatsu "Superline) 5/0 EWG hooks. The short hook shank forces you to tie sparse flies, the EWG hook makes them crazy weedless. The top one has already claimed two smallies and a pike, the bottom one had had a follow from a 40"+ muskie...and you can throw them all day on an 8 wt.

Right...like there's anything wrong with your boat...

Still one of my favorite boats...if I didn't have so much "stuff"...

Your boat (in bench seat configuration) restored my faith the boat industry. It was, "My God! Someone finally woke up and smelled the coffee!" Until about a month ago, had something happened to the CMV, I'd have bought one 2 minutes after walking into the local dealer. Love the layout, the utility...everything about it ('cept I'd mount an Ulterra, or maybe an Ultrex). Having the Bass Hawk come out would make that a tougher decision, I'd have to at least spend an hour pouring through specs...

I love Whalers... ...if they only had more storage...there'd be one in my garage.

I've had one Lund and am on my 2nd Crestliner. You can't go wrong with either. When all is said and done, my preference is Crestliner but that was more based on available layouts than any hangup regarding riveted/welded hulls. Prior to the boat A-JAY has coming out, there simply wasn't a Lund that was set up like my '05 Crestliner CMV...but the 2018 Bass Hawk is a virtual re-incarnation of my boat and I would be delighted with either. I am not a traditional "Deep-V" guy...the standard layout for deep-v boats doesn't fit how I fish: Small front deck, console (or consoles) then that huge, deep well full of seats instead of a raised deck with storage beneath in back just screams wasted space to me...but a lot of folks love them and they work great for them. I can't stand "stuff" cluttering my decks and I want as much of it as possible out of the way and stored in compartments rather than on deck in tackle boxes, etc. There's enough rods and nets on my deck as it is...if I had a @#$%*&^ tackle box up there these days, I'd boot it over the railing in the first hour because it was in my way...but that's me.

Gear ratio is personal preference, established around how you fish. I catch buckets of fish all year long with 7:1 reels...I can recall one trip to Lake of the Woods where fish with teeth wanted a certain spoon run at the speed a 7:1 reel moved it at a moderate cadence. Faster or slower reduced the number fish fast. Generally speaking (and I learned this here): If you move the bait with the reel, tend towards slower reels; if you move the bat with the rod, tend towards faster reels...within your own range. You can adjust up or down, but it takes some disipline.

What kind of boat is it? Brand, Model, size?

Here's a new one, just started shipping last week: http://tightlinesflyshop.com/tight-lines-guides-new-book-smallmouth-pre-order-save-25/ https://www.amazon.com/Smallmouth-Modern-Methods-Tactics-Techniques/dp/0811715590 ...received my copy Tuesday, great so far.

Cut off both plugs, strip the wires from 1 plug and both wires going to the chargers, twist the wires all together, solder, cover with shrink tubing, then wrap with GB Repair (Self sealing silicon) tape: http://www.gardnerbender.com/en/news/repair-tape Farm and Fleet carries it locally. I'm probably over the top with all of that...but my connections don't fail...or get wet.

I run 5 batteries in my boat (3 for 36 volt trolling motor, 1 for cranking/boat electrics, and 1 for electronics). This pushes me to two chargers (one 4 bank, on single bank), all Minn Kota. Not sure if Dual Pro is any better, kinda hard to put that into perspective when I've never had any issues with the Minn Kotas going back 8 years. I have both chargers wired into a single plug, back the boat into the garage plug into cord hanging from ceiling...I'm done in less than a minute.

Go with the onboard charger. To steal a line from Porsche back in the 80s... "Nothing else even comes close."

I'm right handed, cast right, reel left. No swapping hands for me, can't see any benefit. Someone said it early in the topic: Go with your preference...that's what's best for you.

I may be stating the obvious...but make certain the loop is the mono/leader and the wraps are made with the braid...

I think it's pretty close to the best of both worlds...one thing keeping me from making the jump is that I really like the power trim on the Ulterra. I didn't mean to imply that you did...I should have been clearer...it's just something I've seen before. Yes, the pedal is awful, as is the stow and deploy mechanism. Also...if you add iPilot later...you can't use the pedal any more...

It's not the electric steer that makes Powerdrives awful...it's other things...the stow and deploy, the foot pedal... Terrovas, Ulterras and to some extent, Ultrex trolling motors are all electric steer (along with some models from Motor Guide) and they work just fine. There are trade offs between electric steer and cable steer (fast response vs. set it and forget it, for one) that mostly come down to personal preference. I've had Terrovas and an Ulterra since they came out, and I wouldn't go back to cable steer on a bet...but there are others who feel just as strongly the other way...nobody is wrong...until they start calling the other guy's preference stupid...

Oh man...yeah...Powerdrives are awful and should only be considered if there is no way to squeak a little more $$$ in the budget

Jim, congrats on the new boat, you'll love it. Lund makes great boats and it sounds like the one you've picked will fit your needs well...but... ....do yourself a favor, and go to an 80 lb. thrust, 24 volt motor. I ran a 12 volt, 55 lb. thrust Terrova on a boat slightly smaller than yours...and it was frequently down to its last gasp after a day on the water...and it's waaaay under-powered for that LUND, IMO.... I'll bet dollars to donuts You'll be disappointed in a 12 volt trolling motor on that boat, and since your trolling motor impacts how you fish so much more than other electronics...I'd cut back there before I'd go to a 12 volt trolling motor. Given your age and existing/potential health issues, I'd recommend an 80# thrust Ulterra. I have a 60" version on my boat and it works just great, zero issues with anything at all...the mount and deployment work just fine with no interaction from me.