Hello everyone. I know I have not posted here in YEARS, but that is more due to substantial health issues and the fact my boat has not moved/been fished out of since at least '16-'17, possibly longer. I'm back on my feet albeit with significant lower spinal issues as the icing on the cake of all the other problems I live with 24/7. Fortunately, I'm a way over-educated professional auto/truck/equipment/atv-motorcycle etc. etc. certified master technician so bringing my boat back to life is not the issue. I have a neighbor who's also become one of my closest friends who figured out that he can buy the supplies I need to bring my boat back into operable condition, he can rent it for doing lake analysis's. He's an engineer, biologist and owns an invasive species eradication company. Last year he borrowed my boat to inspect a lake, but the boat was only minimally operable as the trolling motor is useless, the console was falling apart, most of the wiring has been chewed on by critters etc. The only thing that worked as it is supposed to is the outboard as the year before I wound up incapable of using it I did a few minor modifications to squeeze a little more power out of the 50/35 jet outboard. I tore the entire front of the engine off, ported the reed block (minimal amount of material removed as I cannot find a source of larger reeds), new carbon reeds, a pair of carburetors off of a 60hp OMC as well as eliminated the over-complicated/high failure rate VRO pump. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to test it out, run it long enough to ensure I wasn't running too rich/too lean etc. I also installed a new water pump impeller & sleeve, jet pump liner, filed the edges of the jet pump impeller, replaced all bearings & seals in the jet pump, full tune up as well as added a couple degrees of total timing although I am well aware that I need to read the plugs frequently until I know it's set up right so that I don't burn a piston. I have the identical outboard with a propeller ('96 Evinrude 48 SPL) that literally does NOT have 20 total hours on it since new as I used to be able to change between outboards depending on where the next tourney was by myself in a little over an hour. Now I can't even lift one of these pigs, let alone hold it in the air with one hand while getting a hole aligned in the aftermarket tilt/trim unit and the outboard mount until I could sneak a bolt in far enough to hold it on without me straining to do so myself. Besides, IF able to sit at a bench I could easily tear an outboard down and rebuild it if I needed to do so with the only item I lack being the machine shop although I have a race engine builder who I've worked with for decades who will do some machine work for me when possible. Besides, these "older" outboards are dirt cheap to service/repair/rebuild Vs today's high dollar high HP models that cost 5-6x what an outboard did a mere 25-30 years ago.
Now that he's buying me everything needed to restore the boat to operable condition from batteries, polymer ultra-light decking material, all new latches, carpeting, trailer tires, hub kits (bearings/seals etc.) and he's going to use the expenses as a write off as well as pay me a little bit to do the work, IF I even can. That's up in the air although he has already offered to not only help with the labor but supply me with a "gopher" as I'm mentally able to do anything on just about anything, my issue is getting up/down-in/out etc. as my body will not handle abuse well and to my body simply lying down to repair wiring under the console & in the battery boxes is more than enough to ruin my day, frequently forcing me to use a walker to move for a period of time afterwards.
The only thing he can't afford to buy is a trolling motor I can physically use and fish with as I am 100% incapable of operating a foot-controlled bow mount trolling motor anymore and NEED a hand tiller (with extension) bow mount 24v 70lb+ 50"+ shaft trolling motor. I'm going through a divorce, the frame on my truck is about ready to cause it to fail inspection and to simply put it, the money for a trolling motor I can use is not something I am able to come up with anytime soon.
What I am PRAYING is that someone here HAS or KNOWS someone who has a bow mount 24v tiller trolling motor (not a pontoon trolling motor, different animal) that has between 70-84lbs of thrust as my all-time favorite place to fish is the Susquehanna River and where I fish if you're not directly below, right in the middle of or right on top of the rapids, you're not competitive in tournaments nor are you going to have many exciting outings as I know a 5 -7 mile stretch of river like the back of my hand as I used to spend 250 days+/year fishing the river in these areas when I was a kid until I had to join the Army to pay for technical college. I tried the biggest 12v trolling motor made and it can't even move the boat despite it being a smallish (aka older @ 1995) 15' aluminum boat. On a lake it would move the boat albeit so slowly as to make it PAINFUL in a tournament.
My days of fishing tourneys, at least 8-hour events on larger bodies of water are long behind me. I can hardly move after fishing for 4-5 hours on flat water today. I've been looking for a used bow mount 24v long shaft trolling motor for years, but I can't come up with anything less than the $1000 range with some 1-200 more, some about the same less but without the power, hand controls etc. I need in order to fish again from my boat.
The fact that he's going to "rent" the boat from me as a write off every cent he can afford to pitch in as well bodes well for me as I need everything I can possibly get as I have enough money from my disabilities to pay my bills and bail out of the financial sabotage the soon to be ex-wife put me in, but little else and every little bit helps. I'm even willing to do everything I possibly can as a professional mechanic to help pay for this. So, IF anyone has or knows of anyone who has a hand tiller bow mount 24v trolling motor as mentioned above, PLEASE let me know what, where and how much. I'm only posting this here as I'm out of ideas of where to look, who to ask.
I thank EVERYONE for their time and effort & hope everyone kicks a ton of bass this season!
Kirk (Just outside of Pittston, Pa) Disabled Veteran, US Army 11/89 - 11/95
Now that he's buying me everything needed to restore the boat to operable condition from batteries, polymer ultra-light decking material, all new latches, carpeting, trailer tires, hub kits (bearings/seals etc.) and he's going to use the expenses as a write off as well as pay me a little bit to do the work, IF I even can. That's up in the air although he has already offered to not only help with the labor but supply me with a "gopher" as I'm mentally able to do anything on just about anything, my issue is getting up/down-in/out etc. as my body will not handle abuse well and to my body simply lying down to repair wiring under the console & in the battery boxes is more than enough to ruin my day, frequently forcing me to use a walker to move for a period of time afterwards.
The only thing he can't afford to buy is a trolling motor I can physically use and fish with as I am 100% incapable of operating a foot-controlled bow mount trolling motor anymore and NEED a hand tiller (with extension) bow mount 24v 70lb+ 50"+ shaft trolling motor. I'm going through a divorce, the frame on my truck is about ready to cause it to fail inspection and to simply put it, the money for a trolling motor I can use is not something I am able to come up with anytime soon.
What I am PRAYING is that someone here HAS or KNOWS someone who has a bow mount 24v tiller trolling motor (not a pontoon trolling motor, different animal) that has between 70-84lbs of thrust as my all-time favorite place to fish is the Susquehanna River and where I fish if you're not directly below, right in the middle of or right on top of the rapids, you're not competitive in tournaments nor are you going to have many exciting outings as I know a 5 -7 mile stretch of river like the back of my hand as I used to spend 250 days+/year fishing the river in these areas when I was a kid until I had to join the Army to pay for technical college. I tried the biggest 12v trolling motor made and it can't even move the boat despite it being a smallish (aka older @ 1995) 15' aluminum boat. On a lake it would move the boat albeit so slowly as to make it PAINFUL in a tournament.
My days of fishing tourneys, at least 8-hour events on larger bodies of water are long behind me. I can hardly move after fishing for 4-5 hours on flat water today. I've been looking for a used bow mount 24v long shaft trolling motor for years, but I can't come up with anything less than the $1000 range with some 1-200 more, some about the same less but without the power, hand controls etc. I need in order to fish again from my boat.
The fact that he's going to "rent" the boat from me as a write off every cent he can afford to pitch in as well bodes well for me as I need everything I can possibly get as I have enough money from my disabilities to pay my bills and bail out of the financial sabotage the soon to be ex-wife put me in, but little else and every little bit helps. I'm even willing to do everything I possibly can as a professional mechanic to help pay for this. So, IF anyone has or knows of anyone who has a hand tiller bow mount 24v trolling motor as mentioned above, PLEASE let me know what, where and how much. I'm only posting this here as I'm out of ideas of where to look, who to ask.
I thank EVERYONE for their time and effort & hope everyone kicks a ton of bass this season!
Kirk (Just outside of Pittston, Pa) Disabled Veteran, US Army 11/89 - 11/95
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