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Posts: 13
| Hey guys!
So I recently purchased a trailer and boat combo for a pretty low price. It's a 14 foot Seaking aluminium boat. I'm using an older Minn Kota 40 lb thrust trolling motor with a deep cycle marine battery from Wal-Mart.
First time I took it out on the city lakes it was pretty windy and the trolling motor had to be run on the fastest speed to compensate for the wind. Is this usually the case with lighter boats?
I was the only one in the boat and I have the trolling motor on the back of my boat so I had to sit in the back. With my weight and the battery it was weighted heavily in the back and the front looked really awkward up in the air. Is this like the wind, it's just part of a having a smaller lighter aluminum boat?
I took it out a second time with a friend and that was much better. The wind wasn't nearly as bad and I could actually steer and use a lower speed setting. The weight imbalance also was much better. We were able to anchor the boat and not move too much which was a big surprise to me.
I also found and marked a few places where the boat was taking water in. It was nothing major but there were a few places it would puddle after a few hours. I sealed the boat with Gluvit this week (2 coats) and haven't been out on it yet to see if it sealed everything up.
I was wondering if you guys had any ideas or suggestions for improvements that I could make to the boat. I have rod holders however i'm exactly sure where to install them. If I mount them so the rods would be vertical, the rods don't fit because the boat is too shallow (Rod handle is where rod should be). One idea was to use two on each side and put a set on the left and right of the back two seats so the rods would sit horizontally in the boat.
I also have wondered about taking out one of the seats to give me more room and storage. Thoughts about this?
Thanks for any and all input!
edit: Pictures: http://postimg.org/gallery/7oplhrom/
Edited by DanOpi 6/7/2014 2:53 PM
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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Four suggestions.
1. Move the battery up to the bow.
2. Get a drift sock.
3. Don't remove the seats, that where the floatation is on most of these style of boats.
4. Lots of guys troll with rod tips in the water - to catch weeds, before they foul the lure.
Have fun!
Al |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Trolling motor leads can be extended using a cheap set of booster cables so the battery can be up front. That's what I did on the one I sometimes use on a canoe. |
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Posts: 410
Location: one foot over the line | Yep, battery up front. Personally, i wouldn't have a problem with removing a seat (it wouldn't be coast guard approved anymore, but i'm a rebel), just be sure to resupport the boat where the seat was removed because you still need to keep the structural integrity of the vessel. I am not a fan of vertical rod storage, found out the hard way that while casting, very easy to hook rod tips on the back-swing. I bought a couple of large clamps (menards, home depot, $2.00 a pc) bolted on a rigid piece of aluminum to one side of the clamp handles and then bolted on a couple of those velcro type rod holders to the aluminum. When i get to the landing, clamps go on the gunnels, rods in the holder. Done in 30 seconds, keeps them from rattling around in the boat and the total height above the gunnel is about 12 inches. Works for me.
If your rivets are leaking, find out which ones, have a buddy hold a large hammer on one side of it while you hammer the other side. Compresses the rivet and should seal up the leak. You can also fill up the inside of the boat with water from a garden hose to see if you have any leaks, this way you won't have any surprises when you launch. Just be careful not to overfill the boat as that much weight would not be good for the trailer. Good luck!
Edited by beerforthemuskygods 6/8/2014 7:33 AM
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Posts: 791
Location: WI | I had a 14' Starcraft for many years that we called our musky explorer. Great for dumping into little lakes and crappy boat landings I set it up for casting and by adding some weight it stabilized the whole rig. Watch weight so as to not exceed the recommended capacity o the boat. I had a 65 lb motorguide. In some cases over kill. Bu I never had to worry about lack of power.
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Posts: 416
Location: Madtown, WI | Figure out a way to mount the trolling motor on the bow and move the battery up there. It's much easier to control the boat from the bow mounted trolling motor than the stern. Here's a picture of my first boat retro-fitted for muskies.
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Posts: 13
| Can anyone point me towards a guide or something to show me how to turn my boat into something like trophyseeker or stdevos boat. Is that possible? How much and how difficult would it be? |
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Posts: 410
Location: one foot over the line | check out tinboats.net
Edited by beerforthemuskygods 6/9/2014 10:54 PM
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Posts: 416
Location: Madtown, WI | No such guide exists since every boat is going to be significantly different. You may be able to add decking using existing support and/or you may have to engineer most of it yourself. L bars, 2x4s, rivets, and plywood are your friend. Takes a lot of time and patience but if you're on a budget it is certainly worth it. I think it took me 3-4 full days of work.
Edited by stdevos 6/10/2014 9:38 AM
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Posts: 483
Location: NE PA | beerforthemuskygods - 6/9/2014 5:26 PM
check out tinboats.net
Great resource if you're looking to deck your tinny! |
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