Bass Tracker Upgrades (part 2) - Trolling Motor Installation

In the past, when I thought about fishing gear I was only thinking about reels, rods, soft baits, crank baits - basically hook line and sinkers. But now after I have owned my boat for over a year, I find there is a lot more involved with fishing gear. I have a 16 foot bass tracker and it is around 20 years old and the original equipment had a 28# foot control Minn Kota trolling motor. This unit worked great but when the wind picked up I would just have to stop fishing or drift fish because I had little control in high winds. So after a lot of consideration I decided to upgrade to a 50# Minn Kota trolling motor. When I looked at the recommended installation instructions I found that I had more... [Read more of this post]

Learning How to Sail - Safe Boating Tips

Learning How to Sail - Safe Boating Tips Here are a few hot tips when learning to sail that will make your boating not only enjoyable but safe too. 1. Be Wise to Read the Weather You must be wise enough to check the local weather before you depart for boating. Radio, TV, and coast guard forecasts are sure source of information. If you notice, rough and volatile changing winds, darkening clouds, or sudden dip of temperature, it is an indication for you to play safe with the weather. Watch the barometer readings for sudden changes if you have one on board. 2. Adhere to the Pre-departure Checklist Being prepared for any eventuality in the water is a way of maintaining proper boating safety. From... [Read more of this post]

Boat Wiring with Marine Grade Components

Have you ever wanted to rewire or add a battery switch, fuse, fuse block or circuit breaker on your boat? Well a few things to remember; use quality components and read the specifications of any component you are installing. If you are adding a trolling motor, depth finder, or lights always check the manufacturer’s recommended wire and fuse size. An example of modifying your wiring to meet the manufacture specifications was when I installed my new trolling motor from a 28 lb to a 50 lb. First I needed to increase the wiring size from the batteries to my battery selector switch from a size 10 to 6 gage. Wire size or gage number works opposite of what you may think larger the number smaller... [Read more of this post]

Bass Tracker Upgrades (part 1)

I purchased a Bass Tracker II fishing boat about two years ago and I do like my boat. The boat cost $2500; it came equipped with a 35 HP Mercury, an electric start, a console foot controlled trolling motor, and one depth finder. It is extremely light making it easy to haul and to maneuver on and off the trailer.  Now after a couple of years, and this being my first fishing boat, I started looking at purchasing another boat. The feature I was most interested in was more storage, and the newer models seem to fit the bill as they are generally wider now then previous models. The newer boats also have more open space for walking and fishing making it easy to move around to cast. But why spend upwards... [Read more of this post]