Bass Boat 101

[airborne_angler]

Well I put in an application for a loan for a Bass Boat. Even if I dont get approved,can someone school me on the ins and outs of a Bass Boat?

I currently run a 10' Jon boat with a trolling motor.I launch it out of the bed of my 4wd truck.

I know a Bass Boat will be way different from the launch to the operation(trim) and such.

For future reference what all is absolutely mandatory info needed to operate a larger boat with an outboard?

Whats the best way to launch one from a trailer when out by myself?

[Dan:]

Launch by yourself by tying a long rope to the boat. Hold the other end of the rope or tie it to the dock. Drop the boat in, park the truck, come back and pull your boat to you with the rope.

The best way to learn about boats is to ride with a boater (one who has already learned from his mistakes).

[Mike Z]

#1 Gas will cost you a LOT more $$$$

#2 as said above, find someone to go out with first.

#3 backing the trailer into the water will be very funny for others to watch for at least the first few tries.

[cart7t]

You will go faster.

The boat will be more stable.

It will cost you a lot more to use it.

otherwise, why not use the resources available on this website? Seems a waste to post a thread about information that could be easily obtained from a few clicks.  Read through the articles and then come back with questions about specifics.

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/bass_boats.html

[=Matt 5.0=]

Don't try to get up on plane with the trolling motor deployed. Yes, I finally had it happen.

[cart7t]

Don't try to get up on plane with the trolling motor deployed. Yes, I finally had it happen.

I've got one better.

Don't try and trailer the boat with the TM deployed.

I've done that twice!! 

[=Matt 5.0=]

Ouch. I'm glad I have the Bow Guard 360!!!!

[reo]

For the sake of others at the ramp, do NOT learn how to back a trailer at the ramp. Take your rig to an empty parking lot and spend some time practicing so you are not one of 'those guys'.

[Dan:]

Don't try to get up on plane with the trolling motor deployed. Yes, I finally had it happen.

I saw a guy do that one time. He must have been going 50mph across the lake. Whoops!

[=Matt 5.0=]

I made it to about 20mph and all of a sudden my partner and I were getting SOAKED!!! I mean to tell ya, it was insane. I felt like the biggest tool. In my defense tho, I had worked until 9pm Friday, then went Striper fishing until 2am. Got home at 3am and then took a shower and hopped in the boat. My mind was not functioning. I'm making a decal to put on the console that reads "TROLLING MOTOR!!!"

[skunked_again]

Don't try to get up on plane with the trolling motor deployed. Yes, I finally had it happen.

the first and only time i tried to do this the only thing that stopped me was noticing the front depth finder was showing bottom structure still.

as far as the 101 part, we were all new to loading/unloading at one time. i personally would never not help a fellow boater trying to load/unload their boat.

the biggest mistake i still see is backing the trailer too far into the water to load the boat.

[scrutch]

do yourself a favor and go to a launch and WATCH other people launch and recover boats. You can learn a lot by just sitting in your truck.

[cart7t]

do yourself a favor and go to a launch and WATCH other people launch and recover boats. You can learn a lot by just sitting in your truck.

I'd suggest doing that after a large bass tournament,  you'll learn the in's and outs from guys that have been doing it a long time.

OTOH, just showing up at boat ramp X on Lake Z on a weekend will surely show you many, many examples on how NOT to load or unload a boat.  If nothing else, it's good for a laugh.

[bandsr4me20]

make sure you trim the motor up after you pull out.  ive done it once and made an idiot of myself and scraped the scag. 

[Nitrofreak]

do yourself a favor and go to a launch and WATCH other people launch and recover boats. You can learn a lot by just sitting in your truck.

AND DON'T FORGET YOUR VIDEO CAMERA!!!!

Lord only knows I have made a few of the highlights myself  :-[

When it comes to your first time absolutely positively with out a doubt don't forget the plug!!!! and carry extras

[Sfritr]

do yourself a favor and go to a launch and WATCH other people launch and recover boats. You can learn a lot by just sitting in your truck.

I'd suggest doing that after a large bass tournament, you'll learn the in's and outs from guys that have been doing it a long time.

OTOH, just showing up at boat ramp X on Lake Z on a weekend will surely show you many, many examples on how NOT to load or unload a boat. If nothing else, it's good for a laugh.

Agreed!!!  Go and watch the launch at a tourney, then go watch a ramp on a Saturday afternoon.  You will QUICKLY see the "right" and "wrong" way to do it.... :-/

[stew6371]

Join a club as a non-boater. You will learn to launch, load, and all about a bass boat first hand.

[CPT Scrap]

all the above are good ideas. also, from personal experience, latch the trolling motor when you stow it. Hit wake from a large boat that was pushing water at 40 mph and the trolling motor came un-latched and snapped the shaft bearings when it hit the water.

[Fishing Rhino]

For launching, I have a rope tied to the bow eye, and the safety strap.  It allows the boat to float about ten feet away from the trailer. 

When the boat floats, I pull the trailer from underneath it, then slowly and carefully pull the boat forward, until the keel (you need a keel guard to do this) touches the ramp. 

Then, I get out of my truck, and pull the boat a bit further onto the ramp by hand.

Disconnect the line from the safety strap, and park the truck and trailer.  Return to boat, step onto boat, secure the line to a cleat and stow the rest so it cannot get over the side and into the prop.

Tilt motor down enough so the water intake for the pump is submerged, start engine and back away.

To load, let the boat slowly glide onto an area beside where you will back the trailer.  Tilt motor if necessary so it is the bow that stops the boat and not the motor.  Make sure the boat is securely grounded so it doesn't drift away.  Use the launching line to make it secure to the beach.

If the ramp has a pier beside it, you can tie to the pier/dock, leaving your boat in deeper water.

You can use the launching line to secure it to the beach.

Back the trailer into the water.  The top of my fenders are about even with the surface of the water.  You'll learn to judge this with your rig.

Get into boat.  Line it up with the trailer as best you can.  Slowly, taking the motor out of gear if necessary steer the boat onto the trailer. 

If the trailer is at the correct depth, the boat will align itself onto the trailer, and stop short of the bow eye being snug against the bow roller.

If the boat is out of alignment, put the motor in gear, and steer to get the bow lined up with the winch and roller.  Apply only enough power to align the boat.

Once aligned, gradually apply only enough power to move the boat into its final position.

You should not need to use the winch to pull the boat. 

The trick is to get the trailer at the proper depth.  Too shallow and it's difficult to drive the boat all the way forward.  Too deep and it's difficult to get it into alignment, and to keep it there.

When my boat's forward glide stops, it is only a foot or so from it's final position on the trailer.

It will take practice to get comfortable doing it.  Once mastered, launching and loading is a breeze, even as a one man operation.

Be advised, some ramps do not allow "power launching"  In such cases, the trailer will need to be just a bit deeper so you can winch it the last few inches.

[dman]

Wish i had Fishing Rhinos advise when i started....heres my mishap that i wish was filmed....While loading during my second time out with my semi-flat bottomed basstracker (electric only lake - like most around here), i was trying to trailer the boat with roap and just pull it on but the current was so strong at this time i could not pull it in quick enough before the back end went sideways on me ( no side bunks at the time)...I had to hop on board and try and do it with trolling motor, but with the boat being so flat and light i guess , the strong current and being a noob,  i still couldnt get on....So, i backed out and came in full speed of the trolling motor - was lined up perfecly this time but didnt get the motor pulled up in time and -CRUSH- ripped up the whole mount, now i had to very quickly jump with my rope as close to shore as i could before i drifted even further away.  was a nightmare! - good luck though 

[dmac14]

Biggest one is the plug, or as I have seen on a Bill Dance blooper don't forget to unstrap the boat from the trailer.