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New boat ?

ERABBIT

ERABBIT
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ERABBIT

ERABBIT

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ERABBIT,

 

Make sure you check out some of the smaller Hewescraft boats in the 20-22' range.  A heck of a lot of boat for the money.  They would make great Finger Lakes boats for the cold and wet days.

 

http://tomnjerrys.net/wordpress/category/hewescraft-boats/

Just so far away if any problems come up......but they are a nice looking ride...... I can get a good foul weather cover for any of the three above not hard-top but my Ole 1988 starcraft Mariner 210 is totally open

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Sk8man

Sk8man

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Ed,

 

I don't know what you are trailering with but considering the price range.....I'd also be considering a glass boat where you may have a greater range of features to select from....just a thought....and if weight and towing concerns are the primary consideration that is another "animal" too.

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ERABBIT

ERABBIT

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My dodge can pull my 20.5' starcraft loaded with all my gear up hill over 70mph .....eats gas but lots of power.............

 

I LIKE how they have the floor plan for these boats , looked at a few other rigs and found them laking some thing...... you have a glass rig for me to look at with this type of floor plan...... rod storage for 3 down each side and 8 in the floor.... pick up a vetical rod rack that fits in one of the 5 seat bases that would hold 8 more of any lenght ....... and a good number of places to store spoon,flasher,dodger,BTI's , and such I'll look at it.............. I have never seen a boat that will come close to what I have now for storage of rods...... 5 down each side + 6 on the CC up to 10.5' long and all with large reels.............anyway what you got for me to look at.......that's what I'm doing a LOT of before I pull the trigger..........or  put more money in a top and side cutians for mu Ole 1988..............

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Sk8man

Sk8man

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You know Ed.....when you have a boat that really works for you....it may pay to consider just a new engine and maybe a "small "makeover" ...that is what I would be considering. Basically a boat for me is a "platform" to fish from but I also had to be able to use it as a "pleasure craft" a few times during the summer (wife and daughter) so I didn't select the Outrage model which is designed specifically for fishing...I converted mine into a usable but not perfect fishing platform but multipurpose boat. I am so used to it now that if things got screwed up with the engine I wouldn't even consider getting a new boat...just the motor....expensive but not like a whole new rig....and you answer the major issue - reliability while keeping your "familiarity" stuff intact....just a thought...Les

Edited by Sk8man
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Xxx

Xxx

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ERABBIT,

 

Make sure you check out some of the smaller Hewescraft boats in the 20-22' range.  A heck of a lot of boat for the money.  They would make great Finger Lakes boats for the cold and wet days.

 

http://tomnjerrys.net/wordpress/category/hewescraft-boats/

Those are really nice boats, I always wanted a hard top so the 22ft hardtop is my choice, do they all only have outboards? I'm an I/O man

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paige386

paige386

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I have a 2012 1800 Pro that a buddy of mine and I purchased in April 2013. We have run it all season in several lakes including Lake Ontario out of Fairhaven. I think the boat is well constructed and has plenty of room for our fishing needs. We have it powered by a Yamaha 115 hp 4 stroke which seems to push it around quite well we have a top speed of 43. Some of the issues we have run across.

 

1. bow rise and porpoising issue, this seemed to be due to how lite the front of the boat is. We tried putting some weight in the front but that didn't help much. We were able to overcome this issue by installing a pair of the Nauticus ProTroller Smart tabs. This not only resolved the issue with the bow rise/porposing but doubles as trolling brakes. We have been able to slow the trolling speed down 1.5 mhp using the big motor. I have to say it was hard (mentally) to drill all of those holes in the new boat but it was certainly worth it.

 

2. Side storage compartments have weak attachment points. While fighting a large lake trout one of my friends leaned against the door with his knees which ended up pushing out the wood screws holding the hinge. Now my friend is a big boy but I wouldn't have expected this to pull out. I have fixed the issue myself by installing T nuts.

 

3. Paint/Decals, the paint job and decals have a wonderful look but are easy to scratch so caution is needed as well as bumpers.

 

Additions we have made.

 

1. I had an adapter fabricated that allows us to put the mast for our Otter boats on the front deck using the seat post, I also add a nylon strap from the front of the boat for added support.

2. Traxtech track system with rod holders and tool/cup holder.

3. Downriggers off of the back corners.

4. Full Enclosure to help with those cold nasty spring days that happen on Lake O.

 

I will try to upload some pictures of the boat if I can figure out how to upload the pictures.

 

Best of luck with the new boat!

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ERABBIT

ERABBIT

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I have a 2012 1800 Pro that a buddy of mine and I purchased in April 2013. We have run it all season in several lakes including Lake Ontario out of Fairhaven. I think the boat is well constructed and has plenty of room for our fishing needs. We have it powered by a Yamaha 115 hp 4 stroke which seems to push it around quite well we have a top speed of 43. Some of the issues we have run across.

 

1. bow rise and porpoising issue, this seemed to be due to how lite the front of the boat is. We tried putting some weight in the front but that didn't help much. We were able to overcome this issue by installing a pair of the Nauticus ProTroller Smart tabs. This not only resolved the issue with the bow rise/porposing but doubles as trolling brakes. We have been able to slow the trolling speed down 1.5 mhp using the big motor. I have to say it was hard (mentally) to drill all of those holes in the new boat but it was certainly worth it.

 

2. Side storage compartments have weak attachment points. While fighting a large lake trout one of my friends leaned against the door with his knees which ended up pushing out the wood screws holding the hinge. Now my friend is a big boy but I wouldn't have expected this to pull out. I have fixed the issue myself by installing T nuts.

 

3. Paint/Decals, the paint job and decals have a wonderful look but are easy to scratch so caution is needed as well as bumpers.

 

Additions we have made.

 

1. I had an adapter fabricated that allows us to put the mast for our Otter boats on the front deck using the seat post, I also add a nylon strap from the front of the boat for added support.

2. Traxtech track system with rod holders and tool/cup holder.

3. Downriggers off of the back corners.

4. Full Enclosure to help with those cold nasty spring days that happen on Lake O.

 

I will try to upload some pictures of the boat if I can figure out how to upload the pictures.

 

Best of luck with the new boat!

Are you use the trolling motor auto-pilot while trolling with the big motor ??/  The guy I'm dealing with said it would do it.......but hearing it from someone that uses it is BETTER !!

Thanks

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ERABBIT

ERABBIT

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Ok , I pulled the trigger a while back on a  Fishmaster  210......... Just got heard from the dealer they got done making the 2014 and my boat should be in next week...... Wah----Who !!!!!   now to go down with all the stuff and see how we're going to install it...... :ninja:

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ERABBIT

ERABBIT

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Thanks guys....... this will open up the whole lake for me and with the full canvanse stay way dryier............ Alec I think the old motor is OK now I had the carbs rebuilt and needle-vales replaced just been too cold to start her up but looking better next week......... 52 gal gas tank and 200 hp on the back will make a 7 to 8 mile trip like I have been doing a walk in the park.............LOL...... with the bow-mount trolling motor  auto-p I'll be doing more jigging for lakers and try some browntrout jigging also.............

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