Three pluses and three minuses

[GRiver]

My little humble boat…. A 15/48… Polar Kraft with a 25 hp Yamaha, 4 stroke. A 45lb thrust, Motor Guide moves me stealthily along. 
The pluses…..  Fuel consumption, it has a 6 gal portable and I carry a 2gal reserve. ( for all day)

Stability….. it handles great and stable to walk around on.

Paid for…. $1000.00 with trailer. Now it was a basket case, but it gave me a chance to put new wiring and everything in it.

CONS

NO STORAGE 

No rod locker

Over all I really like my boat.

[Born 2 fish]

2023 Phoenix 819 Pro

200hp pro Xs 

 

Pros

1. it’s very dry & fast ride and handles like a sports car 

2. it fishes very big and it’s very stable while standing and fishing doesn’t blow around in the wind as much as my last aluminum boat.

3. There’s plenty of storage and cockpit room for me and it’s comfortable behind the wheel.

 

Cons the only gripe I have is with having my passenger console in I loose one little storage box and the little passenger rod locker isn’t really ideal for co angler rods .But I can remove the console and those issues are gone.

 

bottom line I love this boat and plan on keeping it for a while.

 

[Swamp Girl]

@Born 2 fish: Gosh, your boat is beautiful. I've fished Lake Geneva too. I went swimming there one time and saw a three-to-four pound bass parked under the swimming platform. 

[Born 2 fish]

11 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

@Born 2 fish: Gosh, your boat is beautiful. I've fished Lake Geneva too. I went swimming there one time and saw a three-to-four pound bass parked under the swimming platform. 

Thank you. I love fishing lake Geneva I’m there a lot it’s a Great Lake that will absolutely humble you sometimes.

[Swamp Girl]

6 minutes ago, Born 2 fish said:

Thank you. I love fishing lake Geneva I’m there a lot it’s a Great Lake that will absolutely humble you sometimes.

 

The gin-clear water and all the other anglers make it challenging, for sure. Plus, the postal boat and the tourist boats and the water skiers and....

[gim]

19 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

The gin-clear water and all the other anglers make it challenging, for sure. Plus, the postal boat and the tourist boats and the water skiers and....

 

That sounds almost exactly like Lake Minnetonka here in the western Twin Cities.

 

Clear water, endless tournament pressure, and tons of recreational boats.

[Functional]

Since I go through this yearly everytime I get an itch for a new boat.

 

2013 BassTracker 175 TXW Pro Team w/ 60hp Merc

 

Pluses

-It's completely paid off (has been for years)

-I have no fear of bumping the hull or beaching it

-It's size fits great in my garage

*BONUS* Extremely low maintenance and cost to operate

 

Minuses

-Not enough battery storage (lost a lot of tackle storage for a 4th battery)

-Slightly under powered with any extra passengers

-Gets blown around very easily

 

It's a great boat, it's served me very well, I'm the original owner so I know its full history. Now that I fish much more frequently than I ever have I feel its pain points more but it's very hard to argue with a boat thats completely paid for and costs about $100 a year to maintain. Trying to hold on for a few years to see if my kids will want to come out with me often enough to really put the nail in the coffin and get a nice glass boat in 19 or 20ft. 

[DaubsNU1]

Just for craps-n-giggles, my first boat...a 1960 Rich Line, with a 1974 Mercury 20hp 2-stroke, Minn Kota All-Terrain 40lb trolling motor.

 

Pro's:

• I learned a LOT with this boat! Repairing and maintaining a 60+ year old boat, and and 50 year old motor...gotta love the internet and YouTube!! Had a blast in 2021 when adding decking, storage, lights, bilge, 2nd battery, and two new fish-finders.
• Small, light, and I did not care what I ran in to...trees, stumps, rocks...no worries! I could get that boat in places I had no business getting in to.
• Easy to launch by myself...and I did not care if the boat banged against the dock, or rocks.

Con's:

• It leaked. I tried banging on rivets, 3M 5200, epoxy patch, JB weld, silicone, etc. Did not leak much...but there was always water in the bottom of the boat.
• It was a good boat for just me...but not so good when a second angler joined me. Just not big enough.
• Small and light, when the wind blew, it was tough to keep the boat positioned (no spot-lock).
• Pain in the rear to load on the trailer, especially in the wind.
• Did I mention it leaked? : )

 

[Swamp Girl]

38 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

That sounds almost exactly like Lake Minnetonka here in the western Twin Cities.

 

Clear water, endless tournament pressure, and tons of recreational boats.

 

Yeah, I fished Minnetonka once for muskies. Here's a pic of what I caught:

 

 

 

 

 

 

@DaubsNU1: Impressive what you've done with that ancient boat and motor.

 

 

 

 

[DaubsNU1]

Thanks @ol'crickety!

 

Listed on FB marketplace and Craigslist...sold to the first guy who came to check it out. His plan was to use that little boat to fish the Missouri River(!) That old Mercury could push me and my gear to 20 MPH.

[Skunkmaster-k]

1978 Barretta 85 Hp 2 stroke. 
 

pros 

1. It floats 

2. it’s paid for 

3. I can’t think of #3

 

cons

1. I get laughed at alot 

2. My friends won’t fish with me 

3. I get to work on it a lot 

[PourMyOwn]

I have a 1990 Lowe 1600V with a 40 horse Johnson. I originally bought it to flip but I fell in love with how it handled waves compared to my Tracker 175. 

 

Pros:

Tows great

Loads easy on trailer

Very fishable

Old enough that I don't worry about rocks

 

Cons:

Rod storage for anything > 6'6"

Not big enough for Winni 

Not good in rough water

[TnRiver46]

@PourMyOwn, that sounds like a sweet ride!!!!

[Swamp Girl]

@Born 2 fish: I keep scrolling back to behold your boat. She's a work of art, the David of fishing boats. So, listen up: I will do a straight-up trade for it, my canoe (with straps!) for your boat (with trailer). My canoe catches a lot of bass, so it's a great deal. 

 

#hopingyoudeliver

[Born 2 fish]

35 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

@Born 2 fish: I keep scrolling back to behold your boat. She's a work of art, the David of fishing boats. So, listen up: I will do a straight-up trade for it, my canoe (with straps!) for your boat (with trailer). My canoe catches a lot of bass, so it's a great deal. 

 

#hopingyoudeliver

Lol thanks I was worried about the colors when I ordered it but it turned out great. I’ll pass on your offer lol all tho the canoe will be cheaper on gas. Here’s some more pictures for you.

[Swamp Girl]

@Born 2 fish: She's got the lines of fighter jet. Sounds like she handles like one too.

 

I don't know if you follow my struggles with landing bigger bass, but I was watching a YouTuber on a bass boat and when he set the hook, he literally back-pedaled to increase his power. In my tippy canoe (I tipped once last summer.), I'm stuck in my seat. Gosh, I'd love to stand.

 

Say, wouldn't you like to sit after all the standing you've been doing?

 

 

[PourMyOwn]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

@PourMyOwn, that sounds like a sweet ride!!!!

It really is. For anything within an hour of home it's perfect. 

[gim]

@Born 2 fish that is a very nice rig.

 

I'm more intrigued about your garage now though.  It looks enormous.  Looks like you've got a lot of space in there and a pontoon?

[Born 2 fish]

22 minutes ago, gimruis said:

@Born 2 fish that is a very nice rig.

 

I'm more intrigued about your garage now though.  It looks enormous.  Looks like you've got a lot of space in there and a pontoon?

I wish those pictures was from the day I picked it up from the dealership. It does fit in my garage.

[steves191145]

Xpress h20 bay 150sho  

 

+ sips fuel at cruising speed (32mph)

+ rides well in rough water

+ tons of storage

- low speed handling 

- pricey for an aluminum rig

- factory will let you order a ton of options then tie them all along with the outboard  to a single battery ...mine came with a livewell pump ,baitwell pump,  recirc pumps for both,10" chartplotter, 2 bilge pumps, hi pressure washdown pump, interior lights in all hatches and along gunnel and a 4 speaker 200watt radio all on a group 27 lead acid dual purpose battery. 

[Goldstar225]

2018 Tracker PT190, 115 Pro XS, with 80# Ultrex

 

Pros:

1. Plenty of room and stability for me, son, and grandson to fish from.

2. More than enough storage for my gear.

3. Easy to tow, launch & load solo

 

Cons:

My only gripe is the access to the batteries.  It's a pain pulling the front one out to check the water level.

 

 

[12poundbass]

G3 Eagle 1775 50hp Yamaha 

 

Likes:

 

It’s my first upgrade from a 14’ Johnboat

It’s easy to launch even in the small lakes with crap launches

 

Sips gas

 

It’s paid for

 

Dislikes:

 

It’s too small

 

Rod locker is virtually useless 

 

Wish it had a padded floor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Catt]

Alweld 1652VJT Marsh RD Package 

 

16' length 52" bottom with a Tohatsu 40 hp.

 

The VJT is a VV Marsh series with a  2 1\2" Proformance Tunnel, with Nauticus Smart Tabs SX.

 

Pros:

It's paid for

 

Cons:

None really, it's an aluminum Jon boat, I know it's limitations & stay with in em.

 

[Swamp Girl]

6 minutes ago, Catt said:

it's an aluminum Jon boat, I know it's limitations & stay with in em.

 

Smart. I love the stability of jon boats, but, as you know, they aren't built for waves. 

[Catt]

Just now, ol'crickety said:

 

Smart. I love the stability of jon boats, but, as you know, they aren't built for waves. 

 

Again knowing your limitations is critical, I fish Toledo Bend out of that boat. I know I ain't gonna be able to run WOT in rough water. I know I'll have stay off the main lake when its windy. I know pretty much every boat launch on the lake & will trailer to my destination.