Glass boats

OK, gotta question for all you really smart guys out there. I was always told that you shouldn’t run your glass boats in cold weather, especially when air temps are below freezing. Well, I’m still seeing quite a few glass boats down on Pool 4. I wonder how brittle does the fiberglass become?? Isn’t this hard on your transom area??? Especially for you guys running those big motor, lots of torque. Has fiberglass changed enough that you don’t have to worry about it anymore???

Ya Hey Fowler, where’ve ya been !! Glass fish’n boats been around since the early 60’s !! Ranger, Skeeter, Kingfisher where the first. I’ll alwas remember see’n my first glass boat up in Northern Wisc.(Polk County – Deere Lake) it was a now long gone Watchita with a chain powered bow trolling motor, and a 25hp Merc that had a power head as big as a bath tub!

Sorry, my mind !! All’s that’s left are memories.

Good testimony to the glass hulls performance. Watch the guys inearly spring as they dodge the ice chunks coming down river. I’ve used my boat many times as ice cut’r to get to some backwater spots ! I’ve owned many glass boats, even have won ’em. I own a Alum hull now (they are much more water efficient, and easier on the truck pulling gas milege.

Gofish

Ol’ Miss. Guide Service

I broke and pushed alot off ice.No nicks or cracks yet.

More worried about pumps breaking than anything.

My last glass boat is a couple years behind me now but I can say I never saw any problems with using my Yar-Craft in the winter…. and I’ve never heard of any specific problem with glass boats caused by cold weather.

I was BAD to my last glass boat and when I sold it she looked like brand new.

In my opinion, the time spent in the winter trucking down the highway to get to the water is a heck of a lot harder on boats than the stuff that typically happens to boats once they’re on the water.

Lookin’ at a glass boat as a new toy ‘Fowler?!

No, can’t afford the glass boat yet. Plus I’m not sure what boat I would pick. My next boat is either gonna be a Fishhawk 1750 or 1850. I’d like to find a 1750 with a dual counsel to see just how much room it eats up. I figure I’ll go down and talk to Destrye(sp) when the time is right. Gotta get a house first then the new boat, at least that’s what the wife tells me…….

I was always told that the glass boats get too brittle this time of year so I was just surprised by the number of them on the river lately. Just needed to satisfy my curiosity. Thanks for the info guys!!!

Hey Waterfowler,

How’d you do Sat. Thought about you as cold as it was that a.m. Sorry I didn’t get to see you at the store Sun, sounds like you had a cart full. We also bought more than our fair share. If we don’t get some ice soon, I’m gonna have to take advantage of these nice days and hit the river one or two more times. Talk to you later. Bret

Hey Bret,

It was freakin’ cold. Eric and his dad kept about 8 fish. Some smaller than I would have liked, but a guy can only say so much. They don’t get to fish together very often so I think all in all it was a good day for them.

I didn’t catch the fish I did the Sunday before. I had one fish that was close to 20 the rest were around 14-15. You gotta get down there while it’s still nice out.

as for brittle glass… well I fish out of a 60’s vintage crosby trihull… and I fish it all year round….. in the winter Ive often dropped it on the launch and let it slide to the water.. and then hooked a rope to it and pulled it back out…. just something you can afford to do with an old boat…… this boat is quite old obviously, but Im not in fear…. I suppose someday I will give the old 20 a good pile of gas and it will rip the transom off….. that could be a cold one…..

Hey Fowler, I can make you a deal on a 2001,182 DC Tournament Series Crestliner with all the goodies!!!!!!!!

Anyone for that matter!

LOL!

Tuck

I know, I’ve looked at your boat too. I’ve got to sell my boat this spring, save all summer for the new house, then buy a “new to me” boat about this time next year.

It’s gonna be a long summer without a boat. I’m afraid you just might see a crazy guy from SD down running the shoreline of Lake Pepin trolling shad raps with a planer board. I can just see it, I’ll have a backpack with a left and right side offshore boards and a line counter rod running down Hwy 61 along the river. Honk and wave if you see me!!

Sorry…getting off the subject but….

I have actually done that on the Croix and caught fish. I have also just set a board in the current and cast with the other pole. Works great!

J.

So you are saying there are two crazies running around this board, heh????

I’m the last guy to EVER call someone else crazy LOL! but I am curious, how many of you guys use planer boards on Pe

pin? What times of year and with what baits? Thanks…B …and..oh yea…is it okay to use a boat?

I know the feeling! I am trying to get into a house too! Do we have any FTR Mortgage writers???

Ha!

Tuck

B,

I like to use them when the fish are real shallow. I run small shallow diving shad-raps and a standard floating baits right up against shore. Boards are a deadly tool if you can figure out how to run them properly. I’m still learning…. Plus with a boat a guy doesn’t get near as tired.