Advice?

[Stevo_fishes]

Earlier this year when I was 15 I bought my first bass boat, a 1996 Nitro 180 fs/dc (that’s my guess, there wasn’t a decal with the model name). Have had  it for about a year so far and taken it out a couple times. The 1984😂 mariner 115 runs fine too! Any advice or suggestions for upgrades or such things ?

[MN Fisher]

19 minutes ago, Stevo_fishes said:

Any advice or suggestions for upgrades or such things ?

That's a decent boat, so what I'd upgrade would be the 'accessories'...

Sonar

Trolling Motor

Shallow Water Anchor (Talon/Raptor)

[volzfan59]

I agree with @MN Fisher. If everything else checks out, works well and you're happy with the boat, I'd work on his suggested upgrades. 

 

While these aren't flashy upgrades, they do offer peace of mind which is important to me. Disregard if your rig already has these.

 

Automatic bilge pump.

New trailer tires plus a spare wheel/tire.

[Jig Man]

You should be able to figure out the age by the vin number.

[airshot]

What do you " need" to fish the way you want..  Buying stuff just because you want to is a poor way to handle finnances.  First off should be having everything in proper working order, then safety, anything need fixed or replaced for your safety ??  Once the boat/ motor/ trailer is all up to par, then you can look at your wish list.  Spend wisely, look at resale value, is it something you need, or something you want  ??   At your age don't go down the credit card hole, very hard to get out once you fall in.  Good luck...and yes, we like pictures !

[Catt]

8 hours ago, Stevo_fishes said:

a 1996 Nitro 180 fs/dc (that’s my guess, there wasn’t a decal with the model name).

 

http://boatspecs.iboats.com/Nitro_by_Tracker_Marine__Bass_Boat__1996/bp/31br2010c11y

[VolFan]

I’d suggest you fish it more than a couple times - usually what you want and what you really need will become readily apparent. It’ll be better for that ancient Mariner if you run it some too!

[airshot]

On 11/12/2023 at 10:11 AM, Stevo_fishes said:

Earlier this year when I was 15 I bought my first bass boat, a 1996 Nitro 180 fs/dc (that’s my guess, there wasn’t a decal with the model name). Have had  it for about a year so far and taken it out a couple times. The 1984😂 mariner 115 runs fine too! Any advice or suggestions for upgrades or such things ?

Only using it a couple times a year is a problem looking for a place to happen !!  These things are made to be used regularly...when they sit, issues crop up.  I always tell people, if you can't use your boat at least once a month, don't own one !!   The reason being is just having it sit, will cause problems and you will loose interest due to having to keep fixing things !!   Same with motor homes, they sit all year long then people wonder why they have issues when they want to take a vacation.  Use it or loose it, or be prepared to spend time and money instead of having fun.

[TnRiver46]

You bought a boat at age 15? Do not take any advice from me whatsoever 

[Stevo_fishes]

On 11/12/2023 at 9:32 AM, MN Fisher said:

That's a decent boat, so what I'd upgrade would be the 'accessories'...

Sonar

Trolling Motor

Shallow Water Anchor (Talon/Raptor)

 

On 11/12/2023 at 9:32 AM, MN Fisher said:

That's a decent boat, so what I'd upgrade would be the 'accessories'...

Sonar

Trolling Motor

Shallow Water Anchor (Talon/Raptor)

 

On 11/12/2023 at 10:12 AM, volzfan59 said:

I agree with @MN Fisher. If everything else checks out, works well and you're happy with the boat, I'd work on his suggested upgrades. 

 

While these aren't flashy upgrades, they do offer peace of mind which is important to me. Disregard if your rig already has these.

 

Automatic bilge pump.

New trailer tires plus a spare wheel/tire.

 

On 11/12/2023 at 5:10 PM, airshot said:

What do you " need" to fish the way you want..  Buying stuff just because you want to is a poor way to handle finnances.  First off should be having everything in proper working order, then safety, anything need fixed or replaced for your safety ??  Once the boat/ motor/ trailer is all up to par, then you can look at your wish list.  Spend wisely, look at resale value, is it something you need, or something you want  ??   At your age don't go down the credit card hole, very hard to get out once you fall in.  Good luck...and yes, we like pictures !

 

On 11/13/2023 at 11:49 AM, airshot said:

Only using it a couple times a year is a problem looking for a place to happen !!  These things are made to be used regularly...when they sit, issues crop up.  I always tell people, if you can't use your boat at least once a month, don't own one !!   The reason being is just having it sit, will cause problems and you will loose interest due to having to keep fixing things !!   Same with motor homes, they sit all year long then people wonder why they have issues when they want to take a vacation.  Use it or loose it, or be prepared to spend time and money instead of having fun.

I’ve taken it out at least once a month since buying it in March. Can’t take it out as much as I want to since I’ve just reached the license age😂. Then I gotta learn to back it down the ramp and such, so maybe in a year or so I can go out with a friend. Till then I go with my dad at least once a month and if there’s ever a month that I can’t take it out I would definitely run it on muffs just to let the engine run. Is that adequate? Again most of the time I’m just thankful to go out and run it once a month😂. The 7 inch down imaging graph is fine for right now as I’m more concerned with getting a trolling motor with spot lock. Been eyeing the terrova even tho it’s more than the motor guide xi3. Just feel like it’s a better motor for a not too much more $. Before I get the new TM I’d like to replace the carpet and steering cable (it’s so dang stiff). 

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, Stevo_fishes said:

if there’s ever a month that I can’t take it out I would definitely run it on muffs just to let the engine run. Is that adequate?

Little overkill - long as you're putting Non-Oxy gas in, you can leave it alone longer than a month.

Ya, it's pricier than Regular Gas - but it's much better for the motor than the Ethanol 'enhanced' gas.

[WRB]

On 11/12/2023 at 7:11 AM, Stevo_fishes said:

Earlier this year when I was 15 I bought my first bass boat, a 1996 Nitro 180 fs/dc (that’s my guess, there wasn’t a decal with the model name). Have had  it for about a year so far and taken it out a couple times. The 1984😂 mariner 115 runs fine too! Any advice or suggestions for upgrades or such things ?

When you were 15! What do you use for a tow vehicle?

Tom

[Stevo_fishes]

4 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Little overkill - long as you're putting Non-Oxy gas in, you can leave it alone longer than a month.

Ya, it's pricier than Regular Gas - but it's much better for the motor than the Ethanol 'enhanced' gas.

Definitely! I’m trying to get the gas level as low as possible before completely emptying it and filling it with the non oxy stuff. While I’ve filled it with the non oxy gas I don’t know about the dude before me😂. Definitely don’t mind the cost since it’s definitely cheaper than getting carbs fixed due to ethanol related problems and I figured I could reuse the old gas for my weed eater.

2 hours ago, WRB said:

When you were 15! What do you use for a tow vehicle?

Tom

Dad’s been towin it for me so far! Lookin to get my first truck in the very near future so I’ll have my whole setup!

[WRB]

Use Sta-Bil in the gasoline you will be OK.

I suggest waiting on buying anything other then trailer tires and change the water pump impeller.

Check the batteries they more then likely need to be replaced.

Tom

[Way2slow]

Sounds like me.  I bought my first boat when I was 13 (17' aluminum canoe and still have it); my first car when I was 14 (48 Ford for $10), second car (53 Ford for $40) when I was 15 and first real boat (brand new 14' glass boat with 65hp Merc) when I was 16 and a senior in high school.  I was allowed to drive at 13 (close to 14) but not into town, just the dirt roads and county roads near the house and to some brick yard ponds a couple of miles away to go fishing.

I will say, if you have money you want to spend on your boat, unless it's something to make things easier, don't.  Anything you spend on the boat is money thrown away, it's most likely not going to add any value to that old of a boat.  The boat itself is only to get you to where the fish are at, it's not going to do one thing to help improve your catching fish.  In over 60 years of fishing from a boat, I've never had the boat catch but one fish.  I've had one jump in the boat when it got spooked. 

A good trolling motor can make life a little easier while on the water, and good electronics can help locate the fish better.  Good tackle makes fishing more pleasant so if you have money you want to spend, spend it in those areas.  The main thing you need to upgrade, money won't buy, and that's the big knot sitting on top of your shoulders.  It takes a lot of homework and time on the water to upgrade that.

[Captain Phil]

At 15, you are doing better than I did. I built my first boat when I was 16.  Built it out of a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood from a local lumber store with planks for the sides.  I carried it to the water in the back of my parents 1960 Rambler station wagon. It leaked like crazy, but it was better than sitting on the bank.  As long as you can catch fish with what you have, I can't see adding any expensive gadgets.  Enjoy your boat and concentrate of becoming a better fisherman.  You will have plenty of time for more and better boats. 

[Dirtyeggroll]

I’d start with a full inspection of the trailer. New tires, greased hubs. Make sure all electrical in order.

 

Then I’d go for a gear oil change of the outboard.

 

Next would be the battery system. Depending on your budget and what sort of trolling motor it has and what sort of plans you have for electronics, I’d make sure any sort of  charger it has is functioning properly. Then I’d probably replace the starting/electronics battery.

 

by this time it should be fresh of all of the typically consumables.

 

the next upgrades depend on what sort of fishing you do.

 

at 15 I recommend to really resist the urge to buy anything for it that isn’t working. If it has a working trolling motor and working outboard and it floats. Just fish the heck out of it.

 

if you absolutely want to put new stuff on it, a trolling motor would probably be the first upgrade I’d be thinking of.

 

Then I’d consider some USED electronics.

[airshot]

15 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Little overkill - long as you're putting Non-Oxy gas in, you can leave it alone longer than a month.

Ya, it's pricier than Regular Gas - but it's much better for the motor than the Ethanol 'enhanced' gas.

Corn gas is not the big issue many claim...more important is where you buy your fuel !  Use popular stations where fuel is fresher, never buy gas when the trucks are filling the inground tanks.  If you have fuel issues, go to a different station !!   Been using E10 in all my old equipment since it came out without any issues. Add a couple oz of stabilizer and your good to go...far cheaper than buying the other stuff which over time will still cause issues....gumout was sold by the gallons long before E10 came out !!  

[Skunkmaster-k]

Ethanol fuel destroyed my boat and my motorcycle before I knew what was going on. Please don’t put that crap in your boat. 

[Carolina Pines]

@airshot @Skunkmaster-k My outboard is an old OMC Johnson 2 stroke from 1969 and it gets a steady diet of ethanol gas.  It's way more convenient.  I've never had an issue... although when I bought it, I rebuilt the carb with all new components, and replaced all the fuel lines with ethanol compatible materials.  It's got over 110psi compression in both cylinders.  Runs like a top and starts 1st or 2nd pull. 

 

@Stevo_fishes Congrats on the boat!  In your situation I would definitely stick with non-ethanol fuel, unless you're doing a complete rebuild of your fuel system.  It does seem to cause issues fairly often with engines that are switched from non-ethanol gas to ethanol blended. 

 

My opinion is that the ethanol gas quickly breaks down the deposits already present in the fuel system.  The first tank of ethanol gas releases them and sends all that gunk straight into the carb jets. 

 

 

 

[airshot]

1 hour ago, Carolina Pines said:

@airshot @Skunkmaster-k My outboard is an old OMC Johnson 2 stroke from 1969 and it gets a steady diet of ethanol gas.  It's way more convenient.  I've never had an issue... although when I bought it, I rebuilt the carb with all new components, and replaced all the fuel lines with ethanol compatible materials.  It's got over 110psi compression in both cylinders.  Runs like a top and starts 1st or 2nd pull. 

 

@Stevo_fishes Congrats on the boat!  In your situation I would definitely stick with non-ethanol fuel, unless you're doing a complete rebuild of your fuel system.  It does seem to cause issues fairly often with engines that are switched from non-ethanol gas to ethanol blended. 

 

My opinion is that the ethanol gas quickly breaks down the deposits already present in the fuel system.  The first tank of ethanol gas releases them and sends all that gunk straight into the carb jets. 

 

 

 

Ethenol is a cleaner and a good one...fuel mfgrs have stated from the begining to clean the carbs and change out the fuel lines before switching to E10 fuels repeatedly....but very few followed that advice, hence all the complaints !!  Stations don't change there filters as they should and and don't clean their tanks either, so if you have E10 issues, change stations or clean your own system...

[Way2slow]

I'm not going to say Ethanol gas won't cause problems with some motors, especially older ones from the mid 90's back that had not had the gaskets and hoses changed.  Ethanol did cause the early rubber products to dry and crack, and some of them swell and leak, but for the most part, manufacturers made the production changes to correct those long before 10% Ethanol became the norm for fuel.  I've had and still have older motors from the late 60's and early 70's I ran on 10% Ethanol based fuels and still have a 1973 9.9 Johnson and a 1982 25hp merc that I still don't hesitate to put it in them.  I've run it in 300+HP, modified OMC's and a stock 225 Ficht for years, again, never thought twice about pulling up to the 10% pump.  Like I've said before, it's like having oil injection on a motor.  If something happens, that's the first and easiest thing for the mechanic to blame it on, even though that's rarely the actual cause of the failure.  Most of the pictures you see and stories you hear about ethanol gas, it's not the gas, it's the poor maintenance and long periods of sitting, letting it evaporate out and the water and oil trapped by it caused the problem.

[airshot]

My neighbor has a collection of old muscle cars from 60-70's.  Superbee, 440 six pack, chargers, approx 12 of these performance vehicles.  Cleaned carbs and fuel systems and upgraded fuel lines, has used E10 fuel in all of them, gas even sits in the tank for a year as these do not go out in snow or bad weather!!  No issues at all.  Maintenence is key !!!

[WRB]

My father in law had the 1st gasohol station in MN before it was called ethanol. I have no idea what the % of corn alcohol was blended back then but he never had any customer complaint other than clogged filters common with rural gas stations.

California jumped head and shoulders into the E Fuel era with 10% ethanol labeling all 87 octane gasoline (regular) with decals stating this fuel may have 10% ethanol. The 89 octane followed and 85 E fuel was 15% ethanol. To this day the 91+ octane gasoline doesn’t have ethanol.

The pumps are labeled but ethanol blended gasoline in California isn’t available most of the year, maybe 6 months if that. 

The rubber that is degraded by alcohol is butyl and nitrile, silicone and neoprene used in most gasoline applications isn’t degraded. The issue is what was used in your engine?

I always ran 91+ octane gasoline with zero issues in all my engines.

Tom

 

[Stevo_fishes]

On 11/15/2023 at 2:19 PM, Carolina Pines said:

@airshot @Skunkmaster-k My outboard is an old OMC Johnson 2 stroke from 1969 and it gets a steady diet of ethanol gas.  It's way more convenient.  I've never had an issue... although when I bought it, I rebuilt the carb with all new components, and replaced all the fuel lines with ethanol compatible materials.  It's got over 110psi compression in both cylinders.  Runs like a top and starts 1st or 2nd pull. 

 

@Stevo_fishes Congrats on the boat!  In your situation I would definitely stick with non-ethanol fuel, unless you're doing a complete rebuild of your fuel system.  It does seem to cause issues fairly often with engines that are switched from non-ethanol gas to ethanol blended. 

 

My opinion is that the ethanol gas quickly breaks down the deposits already present in the fuel system.  The first tank of ethanol gas releases them and sends all that gunk straight into the carb jets. 

 

 

 

Definitely! Our first attempt taking the boat out, we stopped by the gas station to find they were out of ethanol free so i put premium octane in it. a month later, the first time i filled it with ethanol free it all of a sudden it wouldn't wanna idle! A buddy of ours told me it was most likely the fuel system, but I wasn't too interested in spending $150 on the fuel pump alone. (I'm thankful whenever the time comes that parts are still available for it). Got some seafoam as recommended and put about 2/3 of the bottle in about 15 gallons of gas. I then ran it on the muffs before going to the lake and thought i had a gear lube leak! turns out it was just the gunk, and the engine has idled perfectly ever since. I've been working with carbs since I was 9 because our old lawnmower needed a deep carb cleaning every 30 minutes it ran but I would prefer to the leave 4 or 6 carbs in the outboard alone until the seafoam doesn't do its job anymore. Is this a good plan?