Hi everyone. I signed up while looking at some of the modifications and some of the great info on various subjects. I just got my first boat last week, and am taking it out this weekend for the first time. My dad happened upon it while we were shopping for trailers as he was going to give me his 14' Alumacraft. Well, trailers seem to sell as fast as can be, so we were not finding anything decent. He stopped at a boat dealer near his cabin and found this. He gave me the motor off his Alumacraft (which was actually in his shed for the last 5 years) and here we are. Over the weekend, I cleaned it up, and we got the motor running. Tomorrow night, we'll be changing the oil in the lower unit, and then we should be good to go. My kids are very excited to get out fishing in it. Aside from a few rentals a year when camping, and going out on my dad's pontoon, this'll be a kind of new experience for them. They love fishing though, and we've been doing a lot of dock fishing the last couple of years.
The motor is a 1974 Johnson 15 hp with electric start. Once we cleaned the spark plugs, it started right up. We're going to change the plugs and oil tomorrow as I mentioned.
A couple of quick questions for those of you reading. I'm trying to decide on a fish finder. I don't want to drill through the transom, so I'm either going to go with the board and c clamp route, or a suction cup mount if I can find one. But aside from that, what do you guys recommend? I'm all over the place on this decision. I'm open to spending a bit, but I'd probably prefer something under $500. A coworker has a Humminbird 571 that he likes, and got a great deal on. I'll be honest, of what I have looked at I like the Lowrance Elite 4 HDI as it has a decent price, and a bunch of features. I like the idea of the maps and downward imaging, but I wonder how worthwhile all that is. I haven't used a fish finder since I was a kid fishing with my parents, and those were pretty much like that 571 is, showing depth, fish, and some structure. And to let you know, I'll mostly be fishing for panfish with the kids, and walleye and some trolling for northerns/musky with my dad.
Second, do any of you use fenders or anything when docking? I'll be camping this weekend, and likely tying up to a dock when we aren't fishing, and I was just wondering. I assume not a lot of people do, but I figured I'd ask.
Thanks for the help!
Also, here's a picture from my dad's house before he dropped it off.
The motor is a 1974 Johnson 15 hp with electric start. Once we cleaned the spark plugs, it started right up. We're going to change the plugs and oil tomorrow as I mentioned.
A couple of quick questions for those of you reading. I'm trying to decide on a fish finder. I don't want to drill through the transom, so I'm either going to go with the board and c clamp route, or a suction cup mount if I can find one. But aside from that, what do you guys recommend? I'm all over the place on this decision. I'm open to spending a bit, but I'd probably prefer something under $500. A coworker has a Humminbird 571 that he likes, and got a great deal on. I'll be honest, of what I have looked at I like the Lowrance Elite 4 HDI as it has a decent price, and a bunch of features. I like the idea of the maps and downward imaging, but I wonder how worthwhile all that is. I haven't used a fish finder since I was a kid fishing with my parents, and those were pretty much like that 571 is, showing depth, fish, and some structure. And to let you know, I'll mostly be fishing for panfish with the kids, and walleye and some trolling for northerns/musky with my dad.
Second, do any of you use fenders or anything when docking? I'll be camping this weekend, and likely tying up to a dock when we aren't fishing, and I was just wondering. I assume not a lot of people do, but I figured I'd ask.
Thanks for the help!
Also, here's a picture from my dad's house before he dropped it off.
