New boater questions & help please!

Jonnysig · Post by **Jonnysig** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 2:49 pm

Whats up guys?

Been Bass fishing all my life from the back seat. Paid as much attention as I could to the boaters and asked as many questions as I could think of. Long story short my wife surprised the s*** outta me and there was a bass boat sitting in my drive way when I got home from a deployment. Awesome wife, awesome gift. Its a starter boat for sure and its nothing fancy but man do I love it and i'm stoked to start learning. One thing I realized just as quick as I got it in the water is that I clearly did not ask as many questions as I should have to the boaters lol. I couldnt think of a better place to start picking brains...so if you guys dont mind I will hit you all up when I have questions. And for the record I spent a good bit of time searching posts and researching articles before I attempt to waste anyones time.

So my first official bass boat is a 2002 Pro Team Tracker 16'5ft with 35hp Mercury...Like I said nothing fancy but its my first and man I am already in love with it.

It has a deep cycle marine battery (used) that came with it and im pretty sure the dude ran everything off of just the one. I immediately bought a 2nd one and have it as a spare. I know I will be able to tie them together one day but thats a whole different question when I get to it haha. My question is for a boat as small as mine should I get an on board charger or will I be ok with charging them at home when im off the lake. I dont know much about on board chargers at all but I have plenty of experience charging marine batteries cuz I used to charge my bass buggy trolling motor battery. So can I just get a nice charger to keep in the garage and charge em up after we get home??? Or should I have one that charges while we are on the water??? I do spend a good amount of time on the water if that would change anyones answer and I plan to fish tournaments w/ my wife in the small boat divisions. I simply dont know what is right for me and my rig at this time. Any help or advice would be awesome. Thanks!

Sig

Tobey · Post by **Tobey** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 3:02 pm

Hey Sig,

Congrats on the new ride!!! You have an awesome wife.
On-board chargers need to be plugged into a power source as well to charge trolling batteries so having a regular charger in your garage is just fine. The only problem with that rout is you have to remember to take your charger with you when you go on trips for more than one day. Good luck with the new boat!

Ron

Jonnysig · Post by **Jonnysig** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 3:31 pm

Thanks Ron!

I think I will just stick to charging them at home and bring it with me if were gonna be out anywhere.

kane-o · Post by **kane-o** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 6:00 pm

thank you for your service and keeping america safe ! and what an amazing wife you must have, nice present for sure.. congrats, and tight lines to you !!

Jonnysig · Post by **Jonnysig** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 6:48 pm

Right on man. My pleasure

Oldschool · Post by **Oldschool** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 7:02 pm

Thank you for your service!
Where are you located? I'm sure someone reading this may offer to help you out with some on the water help and suggestions to shorten the learning curve.
Congratulations on the your boat and take good care of your wife, she is a special lady.
Tom

Takedown · Post by **Takedown** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 7:17 pm

Johnny;
Give me a call, i will help you and your wife have better days fishing together.

What an awesome wife you have. You should keep her fishing.

Guy Kelley · Post by **Guy Kelley** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 9:02 pm

Congrats on your new boat and lovely wife for her warm heart !

A few suggestions.

Go over trailer with a critical eye. check bolts, nuts, chains, wire connections, and make sure Wheel barrings are well greased. trailer guides cloth is in good shape, (exposed rivet scratched boat bottom or side ) Wheel jack is it lubed up or ? how about tie down strap, frayed and worn ? do you keep light bulb spares and fuses for trailer and boat handy ? you should have at least one spare of all fuses with you at least in tow rig !
You could have a bad day even before you get to the water

If existing battery is less than two years old, OK ! if older you might want to consider getting new and keep old as spare, water level in battery ? or sealed ? never keep battery on cold garage floor. will shorten life of it ! re -charge once a month when in storage. Clean battery connections and use jelly at connections at battery ! Corrosion Dude

Check entire boat for all of above. pay attention to transom bolt torque and keep em tight. will be surprised when they loosen up because of vibration. how are boat lights and connections, clean and shiny or dull and corroded ? You get on water and no light no fish.

When was last 100 hr service done on boat and motor ???????????
Same for live well pumps ? do you have please release me on board ? what about a fizz pin ?
Keep insurance info in boat.
How about a simple tool box with basic and prop wrench ? Same for first aid kit ? Hook in the fingers are a bummer

How about gas hose from tank to motor and squeeze bulb ? new and in good shape or as old as motor and ready to disintegrate from inside out and foul injectors and filters ? Filters ? When last time replaced. 100 hr service again !!!!!! Water impeller on lower unit, cleaned and replaced or old and funky. Lower units and blown heads cost a lot more than impellers do

spare life vest and throw cushion with rope on board ? how about fire extinguisher ? new or old with service date printed expired ?

Boat electronics, finders etc ! got a extra transponder ! might want to consider start to save bucks for up grades to finders ?

Keep a spare live well pump handy !

Trolling motor ? spare parts, connections and wiring ????????? pull rope ????????

I could make other suggestions, but I think you get the idea. A few hours on land parked in driveway make for a great day on the water !

Jonnysig · Post by **Jonnysig** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 7:43 am

Wow thanks for all the awesome responses guys. I figured some bass fisherman would love to hear someones 1st boat story. I stay in Plumas Lake and the closest water is Camp Far West. My wife caught some nice spots while I was up front getting used to things.

Does an onboard charger charge up your batteries while your motor is running? or is it just an external power source charger that stays in your boat? Does anythings exist along those lines? I guess something similar to an alternator.

Guy, thanks so much for all the pointers. I've found an online boaters checklist of things you should check pre and post fishing trip and then it has yearly check ups. But I will most def start with all your suggestions. When you say is the wheel jack lubed up? are you referring to a jack to change the wheels? If so It didnt come with one nor does it have a spare wheel which is on my list of things to figure out. Its a tracker trailstar trailer and its in great shape but like I said no spare or jack. Can I mount one to the side of the trailer myself???

100hr motor service is also high on the list as the seller could not give us definite information about it. So id rather be safe than sorry. Any suggestions in my area of somone who could do the work? I bought the owners manual for my outboard and have it on board in a ziplock for emergency repairs, etc. Still i would like to take it to a qualified shop first and maybe they will let me hang out and learn some things.

Please release me??? Never heard of it. Is it something to keep fish healthy in livewell. I had planned to grab some of the reguvinate. Also gonna grab a fizz pin since we are heading into winter.

Everything else mentioned is in the works for sure. Just gonna start slowly as I can afford things.

Thanks again guys. I really appreciate it.

Revoke36 · Post by **Revoke36** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 9:38 am

You should be able to find a wheel jack for the trailer for as cheap as $30 at a marine store. They bolt on to the tongue. Pretty straight forward. It will make life easier if your trailer didn't have one to begin with. As far as onboard chargers, it's something you do between fishing trips. You simply run an extension cord to the boat and plug it in. It's more useful for boats with multiple batteries. It wasn't necessary in my old tracker because all I had was one battery for the trolling motor and depth finder. I simply removed the battery after fishing and threw it on the charger. I'm not sure if there is an onboard charger that recharges itself like an alternator. That would be slick. Either way, you're doing the right thing by asking these questions. It's comforting to know that a new boater is taking their new responsibilities seriously. Be safe and stick some big ones!

roaroar · Post by **roaroar** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 10:29 am

Glad to hear you are already enjoying your new old boat. NOB, that is what I call mine.

As far as the battery, I would recommend having a battery for the trolling motor and one for all the rest. Then maybe pick up a two battery charger. The reason for two batteries is so if you are on the trolling motor all day the starter battery will be charged to crank and make it back. Also its like having a spare just in case.
They do make trolling motor battery charges that work during runs. but you need to be careful due to most smaller outboards only have 40 amp alternators. An on board charger may overload this. The unit charges the main battery first and then switches to the trolling motor battery. I think the cost is somewhere around $300, not sure but its great for those guys that make long runs between fishing. The correct deep cycle battery maintianed correctly is really all you need.

I recently had to replace my NOB's motor so I picked up a 2003 4 stroke and like in your case, the owner did not have any records of service. I replaced the engine and lower unit oil and lube. Replaced the fuel filter, spark plugs and water pump, pulled the prop and checked seals and for line. Flushed the cooling system by running a hose and removing hoses as I worked thru the system. (Motor off) One thing I have not removed and check is the thermostat. I am waiting until I can pick up all the new gaskets.

One great source is youtube. There are several that show how to replace the water pump, change props, lower unit lube and such. Also BassBoatCentral BBC.com is another. You can find folks that have your same boat or motor and talk about everything you can think of.

Guy Kelley · Post by **Guy Kelley** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 10:49 am

Great advice guys for our new buddy here on N.C.B.Y.F.

Like me he might not be so mechanically inclined and rely on a shop to do his service. Check with the local marine shop first. Auburn and Roseville areas. There are good ones around. Talk to more than one and maybe post here for recommendations. Doesn't C&C have a store in Sacramento ?

On board battery charger while main is running for $300.00 ? Sounds pretty expensive, Is the boat running on 12 or 24 v. if 12v just charge up at home with portable charger while boat in driveway an battery in boat !

Consider new used trolling motor that runs on 24v with on board charging system. still need to plug into wall socket, but more thrust, control and reliability !

Wheel jack is the means you jack up trailer and boat off of trailer ball hitch. keep it well greased. Spare tire can be mounted on trailer and keep a tire jack for trailer in case you get flat tire on trailer and need to fix alongside road.

Please Release Me is same as Rejuvenate. I think it's different color, Fiz fish in winter or summer, caught deep and show signs of stress from inflated air bladder.

B.O.A.T------------Break Out Another Thousand $...

Jonnysig · Post by **Jonnysig** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 11:28 am

Thanks a lot guys for all advice and tips. Cant wait to get it all done and out on the water!

Believe it or not I am very mechanically inclined. Im actually a jet mechanic

But im also smart enough to take it to a pro first and learn what I can in the meantime.

Thanks again for everything. I will certainly post any questions I cant figure out w/ research.
Hopefully my wife and I will see some of you around as we are gonna fish some of the team tournaments/fund raisers.

Jonnysig · Post by **Jonnysig** » Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:59 pm

Any recommendations where to get my motor serviced/inspected?

I can do Yuba City, Marysville, Lincoln, Roseville, Sac areas.

Back to the Giants game!!!

DeltaBassBuster · Post by **DeltaBassBuster** » Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:05 pm

Welcome home and nice to see you made it home safely. Take care of that lady you got and she will always take care of you. Every day I give thanks to the Lord for giving me the lovely Korean woman (my wife) he led me to when I was over seas. I was formerly a tow gunner (11H) with Co. "D" 1/502 Inf. 101 Airborne Division.

Jonnysig · Post by **Jonnysig** » Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:41 pm

Thank you very much. And thank you even more for serving!

basslayer · Post by **basslayer** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 7:50 am

Congrats on the new boat, your going to love it. And thankyou for you service to our country.

Oldschool · Post by **Oldschool** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:06 am

The trolling motor should have it's own deep cycle marine battery; AGM group 31 is ideal. The cranking battery is being charged by the engine alterator, a smaller size group 24 or 27 works well to run the electronics, running lights and start your engine. You should have a 40 to 50 amp circuit breaker for each battery, the trolling motor battery should have a switched type circuit breaker. West Marine carries these or go online.
You fish with the trolling motor, so don't over looked it. The OB engine should have a new water pump installed; take it to a local shop and have them show you how it's done.
Livewell additives are a good idea if you put bass in it; Sure-Life products are excellent.
Stay N Charge is a good battery maintenance system; charges the batteries while towing and switches the OB engine alterator to charge the trolling motor battery when the cranking battery is fully charged.
Make yourself a check list for launching; drain plug, trailer lights, OB engine tilt/transom savor, wench hook, gas line connected and primed, trolling motor plugged in, sonar unit connected, drinking water and snacks, rain gear, sun screen, sun glasses, etc. If you fish alone; you may need some aides like trailer planks and steps, dock tie down ropes and bumpers, parking break set, keys, etc.
Tom
PS; it takes time on the water to learn boat control; both running and fishing, enjoy your time on the water.

Gator · Post by **Gator** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:43 am

For service I would wholeheartedly recommend C&C Marine in Citrus Heights. MIke and the crew will take great care of ya!!

VJ · Post by VJ » Mon Oct 03, 2011 12:28 pm

Hey Jonny i have a bass tracker 17.5ft and i have 4 batterers, 2 for the trolling motor and i rewired the boat 24v this is a must in the delta also trolling motor is 82lb thrust, 1 for the electronics bow mount and dash, the last 1 is the motor, lights, bilge, and live-well pumps. The battery for the motor recharges itself when you running so you should be fine. I never have a problem with juice for my trolling motor or any thing for that case. I can fish all day on a windy day and not think twice.

Guy Kelley · Post by **Guy Kelley** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:11 pm

[quote="Gator"]For service I would wholeheartedly recommend C&C Marine in Citrus Heights. Mike and the crew will take great care of ya!![/quote]

Great to see you are still around yo old Fa*t. C & C in Rosevale. fantastic recommendation for a top notch service and supply shop.

He should check out Western Marine Stores in his general location for parts, and marine and boat supplier's. Think they got one in the Sacramento area ?