Any Advice

[Justbass11]

Picking up my first boat tomorrow, was just wondering if anyone had any advice for me before I go on the water to fish for the first time as a boat owner???

[gulfcaptain]

Did you test drive it before you bought it?

 

[slonezp]

New or used?

[Justbass11]

Used, and No unfortunately, but did test the transom, the deck and the hull, also check the the boat over for the things that I have read to check out. I am sure I missed something.

[GetJigginWithIt]

Without test driving it, do you know if engine runs? I would forget about fishing much and make sure everything works in it on your first voyage. Stay close to shore and keep checking to see if you are taking on water. What year and model is boat and motor.

[thomas15]

My advice to you is stay away from any of the other boats out there. There are a lot of crazies on the water. This is what I tell my son, when you get near to another boat, cut back on the speed and keep as much distance between you and him as possible.

This applies double to jet skiers. They want to get close to you to jump your wake which is ok but they are in general careless drivers.

No wake zones are just that . Go slower than you think, like go very slow.

Don't forget to put the plug in, remove the tiedown strap before launching the boat, PFDs for everyone, raise the motor before backing down the ramp, lowering the motor before starting and reversing this procedure when taking the boat out of the water.

Keep an eye on gasoline consumption. Outboards use a lot of fuel. Running out of gas on the water sucks.

Boating is fun but mistakes cost real money.

[Justbass11]

Its an 03 Triton TR 185 with an 150 Mercury. 

[WIGuide]

Have you taken a boaters safety class? If not you need to do that. I still find it odd that that's not mandatory for all boat owners. On the road there's at least lines, arrows, and signs to direct you. On a lake there's nothing which is great freedom wise, but let's face it...there's a lot of idiots out there these days. Common sense doesn't seem so common at times and you need to know what you're supposed to do on the water. 

Aside from that, take your time. Read the advice above and take it. Safety is key so make sure everyone has a vest. If you have a friend who owns a bass boat give him a call and have him come out with you. Every hull drives a little different and as tempting as it might be to find out what your top speed is, but save that for later or have your experienced friend try to find it. Take it slow and easy until you get used to the way it drives and get a feel for it. Also as stupid as it sounds, keep in mind that boats don't have brakes. Yes they do slow down fairly quickly, but there's no pedal to mash on to slow you down quicker so always ALWAYS error on the side of caution.

As for driving the boat, make sure you trim it all the way down to take off and open it up to get on plane. No reason to baby it and make your motor struggle under load for longer than it has to. Once the bow starts to round over you can let off the gas some and begin your easy cruise. If it's windy and there's bigger waves, keep the motor trimmed down to give you better handling. If the waves are very manageable, you can start to trim up. To what extent you'll have to determine that for your motor/hull/prop combination. If you try to trim up too far without giving it enough gas your bow will start to bounce up and down. Some boats can "power" out of that if you drop the hammer, others you may just have to trim down some. 

That should give you at least a decent start. There's no real substitute to time in the seat. Just take it slow and you'll pick up more each time you're out. Congrats on the new purchase, enjoy it, have fun, and be SAFE!

[Gotfishyfingers?]

x2 Boaters safety course.. Understanding your boat and how to operate it correctly would be first and for most.

[Justbass11]

I got my boat and went to the lake but had to wait until the rain stopped but once it did I took it out and was very pleased with my first time out, even caught a few bass. I have lots to learn but I'll be ok, Thanks for all the input

[fishnkamp]

You will come to love that Triton.  i have two friends that have run them.  I am looking for the right deal on a Triton TR 186 for myself and my wife. i like the way they run.