larht

Yes, the connections are all corrosion free but, just to make sure, I cleaned everything.

Yes, the connections are all corrosion free but, just to make sure, I cleaned everything.

I believe the batteries are good. They're brand new! I did test the batteries for water level and they were full and I always hook them up to the charger as soon as I return. I guess I suspect my charger may not be doing it's job,but when I initially plug it in I get the red light which indicates it's charging, then later on, the light is green which indicates it is fully charged. I don't want this to happen again.so I don't know if I need a multimeter or if I need a "toaster" (load tester?) to determine the shape of my battery before I hit the road again. Lucky for me, I wasn't too far from home. but what a pain if I had been.

This spring I upgraded my trolling motor from 12v to 24v,I got a motorguide digital 82lb thrust unit.I had it professionally installed with two brand new batteries. I have mostly been using it on electric motor only lakes and until last weekend,no problems. I got halfway up the lake,About 30 minutes of running time, and started to lose power,so I turned around and headed back to the launching area and with the help of my fishing buddy and his constant paddlingwe made it back loaded the boat and headed back home. I called the dealer that installed the unit and he said that the batteries have a "memory" and that if I don't discharge the batteries low enough before recharging them that I may have this problem again. I have two questions 1. Is this so much bull? 2. What can I buy to check the level of charge in my batteries before I leave home so this does not happen again?

You're on an electric motor only lake.You are at the far end of the lake and it will take you 20 or thirty minutes to get back to the loading ramp with the trolling motor, a storm comes up rain and lightening. Do you fire up the gas engine and fly back to the ramp, or take your chances with the trolling motor only?

Thanks for the link Ghost Rider, I see what you mean about "marine" making things pricey! I didn't even think about a manual over ride, that could be a real problem without one.

I'm thinking about putting an electric winch on my boat. It's a bass tracker pt185,18.5 feet long,aluminum. I'm probably going to need a little surgery but I won't want to stop fishing ! Any suggestions as far as name brands or where to look ? Thanks, larht

I just received a Hummingbird 2007 catalog. I see some of the units have "side imaging sonar" Has anyone used this ? It appears to almost look like a picture of the underwater structure.

Thanks again RatONaStick,Any one else out there that actually uses a Hummingbird? You just gotta love this forum!!

I live in Pennsylvania so the Baltimore BPS and The Harrisburg BPS for are both within a hour and a half drive for meafter reading your post I thought why not give them a call!! I talked to the salesman for electronics at both stores and they both said that the Hummingbird units are less complicated to use than the Lowrance units and the felt that the "wide angle tranducers" would be a plus for the type of fishing I plan to do. The more info I collect the better the Hummingbird sounds for me. Like I said before,I'm not at all mr.pro fisherman, I'm just a guy that loves to fish and I'm trying to get my first real bass boat set up with the equipment that will help me become a better fisherman. I thank you all for your help.

Thanks for the replies, I think going to the boat shows is a good idea,there's a big one in Baltimore in the spring. I'll be there. Glad to hear from someone that uses a Hummingbird unit. I think that you are right about Hummingbird being the only one with the "wide coverage area". I will have to do more research before I make my decision but I'm leaning towards Hummingbird right now. Thanks again.

Ok Guys,I need your help again. A few months ago I asked your advice when I was looking for a bass boat and you said that late fall would be the best time to get a "good deal". Well, you were right ! I waited and I found the boat I wanted at a good price. I now own a 2004 Bass Tracker 185 with a 90hp merc. I can hardly stand the wait until spring when I can get on the lakes. I will mostly be fishing small lakes that will probably be no deeper than 100ft until I feel comfortable in the handling of the boat. I want to upgrade the electronics and I'm looking at the Lowrance lcx units and the Hummingbird 700 series units, any advice? I've searched the internet trying to find a site that gives a comparison between the two but have not been sucessful. I guess I should also say that this will be my first high tech unit so user friendly will be a plus. Any advice will be greatlt appreciated.

I just took a quick look at the 339 ci,I see it was designed "especially for salt water".I'm not sure exactly what that means but I will be only on fresh water lakes. The local lowrance dealer told me that I would not need the dual mode transducer on whichever unit I decide to buy because the dual mode was only usefull in very deep waters! I assume that your unit has an internal antennae and it is working fine for you and for that info I thank you. I really don't want to deal with an external antannae. Thanks for the reply

Glad to hear your 334c is holding signal,I'd really prefer to have the internal antannae.I'm also considering a hummingbird 787c2 the price is in the same ballpark but where I live there seem to be a lot more lowrance units than hummingbirds so I'm not getting much feedback on the 787c2. Thank you for your input!!

I'm looking at the lowrance 334c .Anyone have any experience with this model? It can be bought with either an internal or exrernal antennae.I have heard that the internal antennae was not very reliable.

I think I've found the boat I want to buy. What's your advice? 2004 bass tracker 185,90hp merc 2 stroke,oil injected with carbs. 9000.00. I like 185 because of it's wide beam 2 rod storage compartments and I don't need a really fast boat. I think the merc is a three cylinder is tha a reliable motor? It's a 2004 also. Do you think that's a fair price,the guy says that cosmetically it looks very good ,I haven't seen it yet,but Sunday we will be taking it out for a test run on the lake.If it looks good and runs well,I'll probably buy it but I will appreciate any advice from you before I make a mistake. Thanks for your help!

Thanks again guys for all the info, You may be right about my looking for a larger hp engine than needed!I've seen several boats that I thought would work for me ,but I thought they were underpowered. It's my understanding that an underpowered engine has to work too hard, and that shortens the life of an engine.Several boats I've looked at were rated fo a 90+hp engine but had 40 or 50hp engines It has always been my opinion to buy more than needed than to buy less.I also have a couple of grandkids that in a couple of years may want to try tubing or skiing so may need the hp to do that. I really don't know if a 17 or 18ft aluminum boat with a 50 hp motor would have the power to do this. I do not have a problem with traveling a few hundred miles to get what I want and I am searchin the internet. I was on e-bay and I saw a couple of boats tha looked to be twenty thousand dollar boats for five or six thousand dollars but if it looks to good to be true then that scares me. thanks again guys, Larry

Thanks again for the help guys, I havent tried the e-bay suggestion yet but I'll see what I can find.I'm not all that experienced on the computer and I seem to get lost when I try to find something specific on e-bay but I,ll give it a go. thanks, Larry

Thanks for the suggestion,I know that I need to be patient and I will be. I suspect that I will find "MY BOAT"sitting in someones yard with a for sale sign on it,or posted in a local tackle shop or hear from a fishing buddy of a boat for sale but I'm up for any help that I can get. Thanks Again, Larry

Yes,I was at the bass pro shop a couple of weeks ago and they didn't have any used boats in my price range.My hopes are to find a used boat in very good condition I think I can get more for my money that way.The sales person that I talked to said that the first year depreciation is very high on any boat. I also was told that the tracker boats were not as good a quality as I thought they were! The more I look and listen the more confused I get!!!

Thanks for the replies, I have a place to store a boat and I also have a dodge pickup that I'm sure will pull either aluminum or fiberglass. I found a tracker 2003 with a 90hp merc that I really liked ,but the salesoerson was just too pushy and I walked away I just can't handle high pressure salespeople! I have around 10 thousand to spend,and I'm having trouble finding something in that price range either to old or underpowered. I welcome any advice on where to look for a boat. I live in pa but I'm very close to the maryland line(hagerstown md) . Thanks again for the help.

Hello,I'm also a newbie to this forum.I cant believe how much info is available here !!! I am very interested in buying a used bass boat and Iwould like to get some feedback on what type to buy,alum or glass.I will mostly be fishing lakes and rivers in the pennsylvania and maryland area.I have a small 16 ft alum fisher with a very old 25hp evinrude now but it's narrow and I want something around 17 or 18 feet,but much wider,with a 90 or 100 hp. What name brand boats are considered good quality?Whatever I buy is going to have to last me for a long time. I thank you very much in advance for your help.