Rookie Fisherman

10 hours ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

I have one, it’s ran flawlessly has about 600hrs on it. It’s not as quite as my Yamaha. The problem I have had is with a throttle control, tried 2 different brands and neither worked great.

I can’t believe no company has made one with a built in troll control on a kicker. Even the new Mercs efi’s wont have it.


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Evinrude has what they call Micro control on the 15HP HO kicker. +/- button increase or decreases by 50 RPM increments.

Direct injection 2 stroke. Maybe other manufactures will catch on.  

Thought this might be useful to some. We have all seen the straw or tube over the fly but you still have the line to deal with.

Here is what I used. 

½" x 8" slurpee straw. (cut in half)

1.75" Line Bobbin

#12 Rubberband.

No tangles. The hook can be hung and the bobbin stays on the straw as the loop of the fishing line holds it in place.

Once I had the pieces figured out it took about 25 seconds on the first run to feed the line up the straw, wind around the bobbin, rubber band it and slide over the straw.

I am sure 15-20 seconds would be the norm once it was habit.  

Going to give this a try on the boat this year as tangled flies (or any tangles) annoy me 

First decide what down rigger you want. What are the features you "have to have" and the ones you would "like to have"

Once you have narrowed it down to one or two models than shop around for that model(s)

As said above Marine General has good prices and also Cannon has some addition rebates available right now if price is most important. 

26 minutes ago, Pike Hunter said:

I would buy a storage box from you if you d make another one.  Good thinking!

I appreciate that and will take it as a compliment!

Making them for resale would take the fun out of it for me though.

13 hours ago, VooDoo said:

Great idea.  Where can you get starboard?

eBay. A few sellers sell cut off pieces from larger projects. Perfect for small stuff.

I have used if for electronics mounting, track inserts & other misc stuff.

Tool it just like wood. Strong as hell, won't warp, fade or rot!  

Had some time to kill today so I spent some time in the shop. 

Took a XXL Plano Pro Latch box with some Starboard I have left over from rigging the new boat.

Fits 10 of the 8" SD's & 6 Dipsys.

Utilized the fins on the SD's to help hold in place....½" starboard fits perfect between the fins. 3/16" cut in the Starboard to slide the body down.

Drilled through the sides of the box and used rubber grommets with SS screws to fasten the Starboard. 

Also drilled 4 drain holes in the bottom of the box.

The Dipsy's won't budge with the lid closed. Stuck a piece of self adhesive weather stripping across the underside of the lid to compress over the SD body. (not shown in photos though) Can turn the box upside down & shake it and nothing moves.

Did a couple of other project today as well, will post when I have a chance.

Love doing this type of stuff when I the have the time to. 

2 batteries is the way to go. Dedicated starter battery with isolator & house battery for electronics.

Isolator will allow alternator to charge through to extra battery but not allow draw from electronics etc on starting battery.  

Security of always having a fresh battery to start the main engine is good insurance.

As for the house battery type depends on electronics draw vs alternator output at troll. 

If the draw of the electronics is less or the same as the alternator output then an additional starting battery would probably be fine.

If the draw on the electronics is greater than the alternator then a battery with capacity would be better.

If the kicker has electric start wire it to the house battery, in this scenario a good dual purpose would be a good fit for the house battery.

8 hours ago, Blasi019 said:

Pm sent

PM answered......Thx

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Sold pending Payment & Pick up.

 Honestly if it were me mounting on the side of a hard top I would run a track at a 45° angle or so and use some Cisco or Traxstech holders.

But unless you can find that stuff used you will spend close to double.

2 minutes ago, Chinook Chaser said:

oh do those turn 360

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Actually 180°    Lock every 20°     9 positions total

No need for 360 as you won't point rod holder in towards boat.

5 minutes ago, Chinook Chaser said:

will those fit in traxtech track do you know?

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Not as they are. But if you remove the bottom plate I am sure that Jeff at Traxtech would make you a couple of plates that will.

SOLD SOLD SOLD

Big Jon Multi axis rod holders on Aurora Lites lift & turn bases.

Rod holders pivot side to side and lift up & down.

The red rope was used with a clam cleat and a carabiner as a tether for my planer board town line. These can stay or go.

They are 5 years old and were only used for Spring Browns

I live in Saratoga NY but also have place just west of Oswego that I am regularly at. So can be picked up at either location.

These are 5 years old and were only used for Spring Browns

Cash or Paypal. $350 for the pair. 

$35 to ship if needed

You can message me here or text 518-366-4663

Thank you for looking

Rod

Sold Sold Sold

Qty (2)  5' Tall,  3 rod holders to run on your planer boards plus a dipsy holder. Top of mast also can be a rod or net holder.

Bought these last season used a handful of times. I have purchased a new boat with a hard top so these won't be needed.

Bases are 4x4. Will also fit on Big Jon bases.

Rod holders can rotate 360° and be adjusted up & down the mast.

Reels are spooled with 200' of 500lb Spectra Planer board tow line.

Price is for two. Will not separate.

I live in Saratoga NY but also have place just west of Oswego that I am regularly at. So can be picked up at either location.

These sell for $400 & up each. I added the dipsy holders & spectra so about $900 +/- new for the pair

Cash or paypal. $650

Can ship for about $50 or so due to length & weight. If shipped they will have to be disassembled. 

You can message me here or text 518-366-4663

Thank you for looking

Rod

Hello ADK Hewes

Just purchased a 220 OP ET/HT my self. Sitting in the driveway waiting to be rigged w/electronics etc.

Few quick notes for you.

I was tossed between the soft & hard top. Ultimately its personal preference. 

Using Cisco for the tracks and much of the other hardware. They were able to make me some custom lengths with a quick turn around and no up charge. Traxtech was 6 weeks +

They may still have their sale going on 15% off & free shipping on orders over $500. Call Cisco speak to Dave Logan, hell of a nice guy and knows his product well. 

For the tracks on the gunwale if you run them to the end you will be able to nut and bolt the first 6 holes from the stern and rivet the rest. If you have the DR brackets from Hewes you will not be able to do this. 

For the planer reel & pulley mounting if you can get them on the tower in a good usable position than do that. The bow well of the boat is very shallow and if you have to pull the boards in when it gets rough forward mounted masts/planer reels won't be fun. Unless you go with electrics planer reels.

I went with Raymarine for the electronics, they had a rebate offer. Basically got a $1000 back with purchase of 4 devices. 2 MFD;s, AP & Radar. I believe the sale is over though, but they may have some specials at the upcoming shows.

Not sure on the Lowrance but I was able to buy two 9" screens for less than the price of one 12" (more total screen space) Went with the Axioms

I will put the two 9" screens up front and (most likely) a 7" at the stern. Also they have an AP controller that I can mount up front and save the real estate on the MFD screen.

I am very happy with the overall layout of the boat and I am sure it will fit your needs nicely as well.

The biggest draw back I can see so far is rod storage when trailering the boat. The soft top does have some in the sidewalls and the hard top has none. No rod locker at all.

I am in Mexico on vacation but when I return home I will post some photos for you on what I did for track placement etc.

Good Luck with your project!

Thank you for the post! Unfortunately it was an expensive one for me

Second link appears to be broken. I don't see any info on the Mercury site where it states that the 15 & 20's are EFI now. The spec sheets shows carb. Interested to know more about this.

Are the 15 & 20's being replaced by EFI versions or are they an additional offering from Mercury?

18 minutes ago, jimski2 said:

Downriggers mounted close to the stern are dangerous. Move them forward to where you can easily clip your line to the ball. Foul weather can flood your transom with big butt guys hanging back there. The wider 8 foot 6 inch boats are built for the heavy four stroke engines sold today. The extra six inches give you another 6  foot of floatation for safety in heavy seas.

The problem is on that boat the door for the rod locker is in the way being that it is on top of the gunwale. But it is 8.6" beam boat.

On September 29, 2017 at 8:47 PM, Bozeman Bob said:

Correct sir. And if what Bosun Cowboy wrote is true I would be looking at a used quality boat in the length I mentioned. You wont regret skipping the 18 and just getting a 20-22 footer and being completely happy with it along with the ability of taking 3-4 guys/family  out and having some elbow room.

Totally agree....if you can swing it to a 20' plus you will be happier. Especially if you plan to fish 3-4 people.

39 minutes ago, Bosun Cowboy said:

Tracker builds the cheapest aluminum hull on the market. You get what you pay for.


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20 years ago I would have agreed. These boats have come along way. The Targa he is considering (which is their top model) is the widest & deepest 18' Aluminum hull on the market. The only 20° Deadrise at stern and the widest hull bottom. Also has a .100 bottom. Thicker than most in its class. Actually I think only Lund in this size has a .125 thickness when comparing to national boat companies. They do still have their draw backs but have come along way.

Tracker is part of the White River Marine group now. (While still owned by BPS) Tracker, Mako, Ranger, Stratos, Triton and others are all part of this group.

31 minutes ago, hookedupf7 said:

Rookie fisherman thanks for your input. I would probably only ontario in spring and fall when fish are in close. The rest of the time would be on smaller lakes in central NY. The boat I am looking at is red so that not as bad. It does have two axles on trailer. I see what you are saying about the platform on the back.

The Red Targa is the "Combo" Targa I believe. Jump seats in the rear?

Its a little different platform set up.

4 minutes ago, RodBuster said:

Don't forget your pocketbook!

I can tell you that when I went out there I had my heart set on the Alexis. But after I looked at the Luxor i was thinking it was enough boat. Zeiglers was the biggest Thunderjet Dealer. I see now they are not selling them. I would love to know what happened. A guy named Chris Young was the main salesman. he had come from another dealer. I think they jump around alot.

 

I will post a pic of my Parker., just been too busy lately.

You are correct, they're pricey. I have spoke with a couple of dealers and have a good idea of what I am looking at for cost.

Really not much different than any of the other west coast boats when you compare option for option. Although pricing can vary greatly dealer to dealer.

The Luxor models are certainly stocked in heavier quantities so more selection but I really want the size of the Alexis.

19 minutes ago, hookedupf7 said:

Ha ya the 2 footsies weren't to fun in the 16 footer this spring. 

I think Bozeman Bob is referring to 2 footitis. Every 2 years we want a 2' bigger boat

I have 18' Tracker Tracker same as what you are looking at.

I will give you the good and bad.

First the good.

8'6" Beam

20° Dead rise

Deep sides

More sea worthy than one would expect.

Versatile for multi species

Lots of storage

Many standard features that cost additional on other manufactures.

The newer Trackers are a much better boat than most give it credit for. 

When you compare actual size & construction the 18 Targa is tough to beat for the $

The Bad

Black boat. Top of gunwales are black too....hot hot hot on a sunny day.

Seat stitching/upholstery is fair at best.

If the trailer is a single axle it needs a double axle. Tracker now sells this boat package with a double axle but for years it was a single.

For trolling in Lake O the back platform makes it a bit tougher when using down riggers. The top access rod lockers eat up space for mounting riggers and you are forced to mount them past where you can reach them without having to kneel on the back platform.... a challenge in rough water.

I'l attach a pic below so you see what I am saying.

Accessing the bilge & live well pumps is a little tough.

When I ran wires for MFDs & Fish hawk I unscrewed the entire rear platform and removed it....made the work much easier.

Overall a very good boat for the $.

I have a 150 on mine and wouldn't want anything less.

I put a 9.9 pro kicker with a troll master for throttle control.......sweet set up.

I am also shopping for a new boat. I just purchased a home on the lake so I will be fishing on Lake O more. Keeping the Tracker for now for the smaller lakes.

 If you are mainly using this for spring browns in close to shore it will do the trick just fine. If you want to go offshore you will need to pick your days carefully. I got caught in 4-5 footers one day (not forecasted) boat handled it as well as I could have expected. It was a long slow run back to the dock but I never had any doubt.

I am sure I will think of something else worth mentioning  but for now the should give you some good info to consider.

Good Luck