jitterbug127

I ordered some stall mats and I am having the welder make a trolley motor plate for me. I also just got a new garmin fish finder. Should be pretty much set for the year!

Got boat out Monday. Some things i really liked a a few i was less than impressed with. I loved how roomy the bench seats felt. Tons of room there. I loved the deep side walls. Boat tracks beautifully. I can see it being a really nice fishing boat. I love how simple and low maintenance the boat is. Just show up to the water and fish. Same as my jon was. Things I'm going to have to figure out. Getting in and out of the boat. I had a casting deck on my last jon so we could just step in and out on that. I got my foot stuck trying to come in from the nose first time. Boat is a little tippy compared to what i thought it might be. I know this is probably mostly perception coming from a 16x54 flat bottom. I will more than likely keep boat into spring to try out a few more time. I bought a bass tracker this week as well, so I've got some options. Thanks for all the replies. I also have to get some weight up front. It was really bad the first time out trying to keep bow down.

Well I might just have to bring a rod for good measure. I don’t have a way to mount a trolley (trolling) motor yet, so I probably won’t get super ambitious

I probably just take boat out for a cruise more than fishing tomorrow. More than likely try the river or Geist. I was gonna drive by river today to see if it’s way up or not.

Is the boat pretty stable standing and fishing with the stall mats on the floor? I know won’t be tons of space but wanted to ask all the questions I can think of while I’m at it. This has been super helpful so far,

Sounds like a fun ride! I'm probably gonna take her for the maiden voyage tomorrow. 59* here in Hoosier land. Strike while the iron is hot.

I thought about ocean south cushions or some eva flooring on top of the seats. I know a 3 gallon tank would fit in that slot much easier. How well does your 20 HP push? I've got a 15 HP 83 johnson, a 1975 Johnson 25 Hp and a 35 HP 77 Johnson. I saw the boat was rated up to 20 HP max. I was gonna try some of them out.

How comfortable is that back split bench seat? I normally would sit on the Starboard side and drive the tiller with my left hand, but on this one im thinking i might have to sit on port and drive with my right hand. Its pretty tight compared to the open jon I had before. Thank you very much for responding!

Has anyone fished out of a utility boat like this? How well did it work? I like the idea in theory, but the more i've sat in it the more skeptical I am. We fish for small mouth mostly on a river. I sold the jon boat i restored in a previous thread and bought a new boat. My new boat is a Lowe angler 1667. I got the boat for what I believe is a decent price ($2000). No motor. Just boat and trailer off a friend of mine. Prices on marketplace with motor were going around $4000 (with a motor), so I'm not worried about taking too much of a loss. I take my son 3 years old out with me often. I have a motor and bow mount trolley motor I can install on this boat.

I finally finished the restore on this boat. It had 2 good years. I sold it a couple weeks ago. Not sure if it was a great idea or not. I kept my 35 hp outboard and bow mount powerdrive trolley motor. I just bought a 2010 lowe utility boat with bench seats.

I'm shopping for tackle which means it's almost the off season.

I've forgotten the plug more times than i can count.

My boat is a 1980 Flat Bottom Jon Boat. She'll probably never be in my garage again unless I'm working on it. This winter I put the regular fitted cover on it and then a big gray tarp over that. Worked pretty well. Mild winter helped.

Already done. Forgot to list it. thank you for suggesting this.

Updates so far: New tires and spare tire for the boat. New wiring harness and rewired the trailer. I took out that back seat and installed the folding seat to the bench. Ill see how that works out. Motor has been completely serviced: new plugs, new impeller, new fuel line, new carb, new fuel pump, new throttle gear/pinion, safety lanyard installed, new gasket for cowling, changed out gear lube and had seals checked. I'm ordering a new fuel line this week. I think I am going to get the boat out and fish it at this point and see how it does before I do more major repairs to it.