Long Mike

I've got the second one. Piece of cake to get it on and off. It also has a set-up where you can use a padlock to keep the motor attached to the boat. That's what I use the majority of the time.

Woops! Sorry. Brain fart.

Kevin, once again I agree. The Master Switch was exactly what I needed. I've got so much stuff hanging off the cranking battery, (i.e. bow and stern electronics, side scan unit, Sirius weather receiver, GPS receiver, all the stuff on the console, NMEA 2000 network, LED hatch lighting, and an alarm system for the hatches) that I decided to install a Master Switch. Now I know that I have only one "ghost" drawing down my cranking battery, and that is the alarm system; and I have a hidden switch that can turn that off too.

Kevin is right. The only thing that should be hooked up to your TM batteries is your TM. If your TM is only a 50 pound thrust, then is suspect that it is a 12 volt motor and your batteries are connected in series. As you have your electronics connected to one of the batteries, it will draw more current than the other, and will reduce the life span of both.

I replaced the carpet in my 2004 Tracker TV-18. It took me about six weeks, off and on. Definitely a winter project. With the exception of the hatch covers, all of the decking on my boat is plywood, which was beginning to de-laminate a bit on the top surface. I thoroughly scraped and sanded the wood to remove all old adhesive and de-laminated wood, and then coated the wood with two coats of thinned-down fiberglass resin. I thinned the resin to allow it to penetrate more deeply into the wood fibers. After tons scraping and sanding I was able to remove the majority of the old adhesive from the hatch covers. If memory serves, I ended up with about eighteen separate pieces that had to be re-carpeted. There are two important aspects about re-carpeting and they both have to do with the Nap (outer surface) of the carpet. The Nap must be always aligned in the same direction or it will have a different appearance when installed. Secondly, replace your carpet with the same Nap thickness as the original. A thicker Nap may prevent your hatches from closing. I could go on and on about my first (and hopefully, last) re-carpeting project, but suffice it to say is was no trivial undertaking. I would suggest that you do as much research as you can before setting out. Google will help you there.

Zebco 33 reel, mounted on a Daiwa Sweepfire rod.

Finding properly labeled switches will be very difficult. Instead, I went to a Sign shop and had them make labels for me using vinyl material with an adhesive backing. Hint. When applying the labels, wet the panel with soapy water, position your label, then squeegee the water from beneath the label. As for the material for your panel, I would suggest Lexan, as it is almost indestructible.

Huh?

What Kevin said.

Jeff, you know I'm in. Do I get the discount? This will be the trip of a lifetime for me. I can hardly wait for the time to pass.

OCD? Only when it relates to spelling, punctuation and grammar.

I'm sixty-seven years old. I've lived all over the world and have visited over thirty countries. The only paranormal event I have ever experienced was the blessed relief of a four day bout of constipation. It was out of this world.

It's AD, not ADD. You ADD numbers. You read ADs. Sorry, couldn't help it.

Based upon the information you have provided, I would suggest that you buy an electric trolling motor.

Many thanks for the well wishes guys. I had a quiet, but very pleasant day, which is about as much as an old fart like me could hope for.

Here's the hat shown in my Avatar (along with a sweatband that I was also wearing.) The straps irritated me, so I cut them off. The mesh helps to keep you cool. If it gets too hot I dip the hat into the lake and then put it back on. I've had it about five years and it's still going strong. You can find them cheaper at Academy. http://www.basspro.com/Columbia-Bora-Bora-Booney-II-Hat/product/11090105012034/?cmCat=CROSSSELL_THUMBNAIL

Don't forget a roll of toilet paper, stored in a zip-lock bag. Ya just never know if/when it will be needed.

Why is it that the old phrase "The angle of the dangle is inversely proportional to the mass of the lass" come to mind? I guess it has something to do with the rhyming of bass and lass.

If the Edge is a 12 volt motor you will only need two batteries. The trolling motor, and only the trolling motor, is attached to one battery. Everything else is attached to the cranking battery. Don't worry, the cranking battery can handle the additional loads placed on it because the current draw from the other stuff is very small compared to the demands of a trolling motor; plus the cranking battery gets recharged every time you start the big motor.

There is no "best" answer for you. As said above, read, read, read. You have a lot to learn, my young friend.

I don't know about the other brands that slonezp recommended, but I bought a rebuilt three bank Dualpro from their site three years ago. Still works like a charm and was less than half the price of a new one.

I had an 86 17' riveted hull Tracker that leaked like a sieve. On the other hand, I now have a 2004 welded hull Tracker that is completely water tight.

You might want to take a look at the new Raymarine Dragonfly. It offers combo down imaging, standard 2D sonar and GPS in a very affordable package.

Exactly what Jeff said. I'm getting on in years, and the Terrova can be a real PITA to deploy and stow. That said, I wouldn't trade my Terrova for anything else on the market.

Get the highest thrust motor you can afford. You can never have too much thrust on a TM, especially when the wind becomes an issue. If you are going to install a 24v TM you will need three batteries; two for the TM and one for the cranking chores on the big motor. I would recommend that you replace your existing charger with a three bank, 10-15 Amp charger.