# Fishing boat essentials



## Flash (Jan 17, 2006)

sfw1960 said:


> PLEASE report back & tell us about it.
> Nothing like showing off a "new family member" to 10,000 of your closest internet friends!!
> :fish2:
> *R*
> ...


 
   
Met with Dennis (aka Denko) last evening. He seemed like a straight shooter and was very helpful in reviewing the boat with me. Very good condition and am tickled to have a test drive scheduled for Saturday. His willingness to take the time to show me some basic knowledge about boating in general is appreciated. 

Looking forward to being a 1st time boat owner soon.

Really appreciate all the advice here. Finding a solid deal in the used market came alot quicker than I anticipated, but I'm geeked that it did.

Thanks again to all.

btw - it is a 1980 16' Aluminum StarCraft BowRider Super Sport w/ a 1973 40hp Mercury 2 stroke that sat garaged (unused) from 1986 until 2004. Full Canvas, Bimini top, bow cover, and Hummingbird 400Tx depth finder. The interior is in great shape, even better than the photos.

When I get her home and spruced up a bit, I'll share some pics.:coolgleam


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## sfw1960 (Apr 7, 2002)

:woohoo1::woohoo1::woohoo1::woohoo1:


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## ALLEYES (May 5, 2006)

Nice Boat !!!!


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

Welcome to the world of boating!!!! Sounds like a nice solid craft for your first rig. You'll likely not forget the first fish you land in her either. And you'll likely get the boat bug so upgrading some day is inevitable...don't fight it!


Oh, and one other tip that may save you some bumps and bruises.......Just hand over your wallet willingly to the boat. Seriously, if you fight it, you'll end up on the lossing end anyway....just hand it over now as soon as you get her home. With that part out of the way, you'll enjoy her a lot more, I promise. If you don't believe me, just ask other boat owners...we have all fought and lost, it's just the way it is. :evil:


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## SPITFIRE (Feb 10, 2005)

swampghost you are sooooo rite,hand your paycheck to your boat like your wife muhahahahah!!!


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## SPITFIRE (Feb 10, 2005)

i mean swampmonster


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## sfw1960 (Apr 7, 2002)

SPITFIRE said:


> i mean swampmonster


swampmonster during normal daylight....
swampghost when the lights are out!!!

:lol: :lol: :lol: 


The pICs of the interior looked [email protected] good Flash - if the motor's tight - you're good to go!!!
Looks like a fine craft!
NOW... about yer wallet...........


:evilsmile
LOL! ~
Robert


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

sfw1960 said:


> swampmonster during normal daylight....
> swampghost when the lights are out!!!
> 
> :lol: :lol: :lol:



:lol: :lol:


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## jadams_75 (Jun 16, 2007)

Flash, I currently have a 16 1/2' Sylvan Deep-V. I love it, but I now wish that I would have gone with the 18' - 22' size because of the amount of family that I have that always want to go fishing with me. I also have two kids that love to fish with my wife and I. 

I would suggest that you get a good sonar w/ gps (which I wish I had), the biggest engine that you can get, at least an 80 lb. thrust trolling motor or larger (bow mounted), a good cover to keep the weather off of the boat and engine (helps keep the inside looking good), lockable rod storage, and rod holders in the back for trolling (if you like to do that).

For what you want to spend, keep track of boats that are used. You never know what you will find. Also, if this is not something that you want right now or during the summer, wait until fall and see what the boat dealers have on clearance. Got mine brand new at 60% of the sticker price.

Good luck in your search.


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## Flash (Jan 17, 2006)

Well I bought her. Couldn't keep the grin off my face all the way home. Parked her in the street for a couple hours while I figured out how I was going to back her up my "curved" driveway. Got her a fine place in the garage last night (with plenty of room for the Mrs. to park her car). Let the dog walk around her, smell the smells and wag her tail all over the boat. Even the Mrs is still talking to me, so I guess its a go.

Did a test run on Whitmore Lake and it was smooth sailing. Dennis (the previous owner) is more gearded towards mechanicals so it is sound mechanically. My fortee is in detailing, so this baby gets her next progression in life under my care. As mentioned above, I'll post pics in a bit. But first the power washer comes out (for the trailer), the brushes, cleaners, polishes, waxes, and upolstry products will do their tricks. Then we'll post her up and show her off.

Thank you so very much to all the advisers. This boat is small enough to get in close to the shallows, big enough for the wife and dog, stable enough for 3 footers, and quick enough to get me off small lakes if the weather turns.

Very happy. Thanks again to all.

Flash - new (1st) boat owner


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## waterfoul (May 18, 2005)

congrats Flash!


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## sfw1960 (Apr 7, 2002)

That's a nice unit - huh Mikey???
I dunno what the width of it is - but it sure looks like it'll take a bit 0' bumpy water pretty decent - and it looks like it certainly was well maintained.
Sounds like Flash is going to drop some $$$ to start W/cleaning supplies , for the first "feeding" !
:lol: 

N O W ! ! ! ! ..... Here comes that part about the wallet.....

:evilsmile

*R*


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## STEINFISHSKI (Jan 30, 2001)

Congrats Flash. I remember my first boat...


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## Flash (Jan 17, 2006)

sfw1960 said:


> Sounds like Flash is going to drop some $$$ to start W/cleaning supplies , for the first "feeding" !
> :lol:
> 
> N O W ! ! ! ! ..... Here comes that part about the wallet.....
> ...


Thanks all. The cleaning supplies are usual items kept handy for the daily transportation and the Harley. Just have a new addition to sparkle up. I have a pretty decent collection of items that make the work a little easier. 

Got the motor gleeming, the bow rails, the top deck, horn, rear splash pan all cleaned/polished/waxed etc. She got a good wash and vacumn, interior wiped down and a bit of aluminum polished. Will replace the trailer wheel covers with new chrome, 303 the interior, and Panel Magic the woodgrained trim. Should be decent by this weekend. 

Now for the money question. With only 1 motor (and no oars), what is the prudent responsible items to have to insure being able to get back to the dock, if a motor problem occurred? I was thinking of keeping a spare battery - fully charged, in one of those battery boxes. At some point I'll get a trolling motor, but not imediately - at least not this week.  What kind of communication do you each have for just inland lakes? I was figuring a cell phone would be fine.

Any other specifics?????


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## KI Jim (Apr 14, 2004)

I am a lifelong member of the "Tin Navy" with the exception of a few years where i converted to glass-but i got over that as I got older and wiser. My "fleet" includes a Lund 185 Tyee w/ a 125 HP merc and a Lund A 14 w/ a 15 HP Yamaha. For you budget, you can get a lot of boat-and here is my $.02.

First off, as you can see-I am a Lund aficianado. I've been in many aluminums and there are certainly some other very good boats out there like Starcraft, Alumicraft (very underrated) and G3, but I prefer Lunds. Yes, they do cost a bit more, but they are worth it. For the great ride and handling alone, they are tough to beat. Put it this way, on a 14-16 footer, you will spend another $750-$1,000 for a Lund. If you re-sell it after 5-10 years, you will get pretty much all of this $$ back-Lunds hold their value extremely well. If you keep it 20 years, it is only another $50 a year to have the best-a great value.

As far as size goes.
A 14 or 16 deep boat is extremely versatile and will get you into 90% of the fishing this great state has to offer. You will be good on any inland lake or river and also up to 5 miles offshore on the big lakes (which gets you into some great salmon fishing!). You can rig downriggers on 'em if you want, but make 'em removable for the majority of your fishing. I really like the added stability and room of a 16 footer over a 14-especially if you will have more than one other person with you. 

As far as accessories.
Yes, my Lund 185 is tricked out nicely and has all the luxuries. I really (and I do mean REALLY) enjoy that boat. It is awesome in every respect and very versitile (can you tell I am really happy with it? ). That being said, in the budget you are talking about, simple is better. With a simple 14-16 footer, one of the great things is you can fish it and forget it. You do not need a tow vehicle-you can pull them with anything. You do not need to find a storage spot-behind the garage is great. There is little to no maintenance-just keep her kind of clean, do the regular maintenance on the engine, keep the trailer bearings in good shape. These things will run trouble free for decades. I would suggest a really good fish finder (get a portable case for it so you don't have to tote around a big battery). i would also suggest a real comfortable fold down seat (gets more important the older you get :lol: ). For trolling, 3 or 4 Down East Brand rod holder are excellent-they just clamp on the gunnel or stern in about 20 seconds. A galvanized trailer is nice to have-never will need painting and if you ever take it to salt water you won't have it rusting out on you.

Engine.
As far as engine makes go, they are pretty much all good (now). Yamaha, Mercury, Evinrude, Johnson, Suzuki, Nissan and Honda all make great engines. Beware anything that was made in the late '90s up to about 2002 with Evinrude FICHT or Mercury Optimax on them. You will see some incredible deals on nice boats with these engines on them-there is a reason for that, these engines were a P.O.S. That being said, the new Optis and Evinrude E-techs are excellent engines. Both of my engines (the Yamaha 15 and Merc 125) are old technology 2 strokes and I love 'em. They run clean, are very reliable, start easily, are economical to run and have great power for their size. That being said, the new tech engines are great also. If I was to buy a brand new engine in the 15-25 HP size, it would likely be a 4 stroke.

As far as engine size, I am not a proponent of loading a boat up with the biggest HP the boat can handle-especially in a 14-16 aluminum. Yes, the bass guys will put a huge engine on their's, but for me, I dont need it. the fact is, a 15 hp on a 14 footer and a 25 on a 16 footer will push you (with a full load) every bit as fast as you want to go-and then some. Especially in choppy water. Any more engine than that on these boats is IMHO money wasted. To me, these are the ideal sizes for these boats-14 foot/15 hp-16 foot/25 hp.

Good luck on your choice.

Jim


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## Flash (Jan 17, 2006)

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=61634


Added a few pics to my gallery. Lots more to come.


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## sfw1960 (Apr 7, 2002)

MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Flash (Jan 17, 2006)

In my gallery are the finished pics prior to her maiden voyage under her new captain. Been practicing in the driveway and up at the local HS, backing her up. I'm OK going straight, but I need more work estimating the curves. I'm headed to the water...

I am really thrilled with this boat. Got a new extinguisher, plenty of preservers, was on my back yesterday waxing the underbelly and trailer frame. I think she looks pretty darn good for being 27 years old and the motor is almost 35.










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## Flash (Jan 17, 2006)

Just an update to anyone interested...

Been out now 3 times. Once with the dog and the Mrs. Once with a brother in law and young nephew fishing - caught 3 small bass, and once with a neighbor couple taking in an evening cruise. GREAT boat!!! I just can't say how glad I am that you all shared your thoughts and for once in my life I actually listened. I am just having a ball. Learned the trailer trick of steering from the bottom of the steering wheel instead of the top. Been to BPS at least 3 times getting "stuff" (light bar flag holders, dash mount for my Garmin handheld GPS, dock line, locks for the trailer, a hand held battery meter, 50:1 oil, new mixing can for a 2.5 gal reserve, and today I picked up 24" side bunks for the trailer. What a blast. 

Headed to the water for some more fishin'.

Later - Flash


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## ALLEYES (May 5, 2006)

Nice looking boat. I had no doubt that you would listen.


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