I run that exact combo with the 7.5. Love it!

I really enjoyed my day with Chris Beeksma.We had a blow day and he worked with me to get me on the water later in the week. He did a great job to help me learn more about the bay, caught plenty of fish too but essentially I was hiring him for his knowledge and presentations for the bay. My experience with him was awesome.

I have heard nothing but great things about Josh, I have tried to book with him 2 times and he was booked up for the season, so I think that says alot about his repeat business

I recently sold my 250 HO G2, I can can honestly say that motor made me smile every time I hit the start button. I loved the 2 stroke power, fuel efficiency, winterization feature and it was awesome to me. I have owned Evinrude, Mercury, Yamaha and Honda.

I have a hard time believing you wont be able to get parts, simply because there was so many sold, there will always be a market. Truth be told, due to the pandemic every motor manufacture has faced parts issues.

That being said, if the boat/motor was maintained properly and taken care of it will sell itself. The market is, what the market is, but things always sell. Just my $0.02 condition and care will be your best friend at resale time.

Just sent you a PM. I have an interlink and in hull ducer new in package if anyone is interested PM me. Super cheap just looking to get rid of “Extra Stuff”

Also consider exceeding minimum standards. When your on the Great Lakes, if you have a problem its potentially can turn bad fast.

I took the time to buy the flare Kit, make sure your flares are not expired. With today’s trolling motor technology many people don’t carry an anchor. Have an anchor with at least a 100′ rope available if needed.

I carry a manual bilge pump as well, they are cheap and if needed you have it. And also the things Randy mentioned above.

Last, I would make sure to have a marine band radio. Do a radio check before you leave port and know what channel to use in case of an emergency.

I wouldn’t be afraid, but I do understand the concern. The 150 HO was a pretty solid motor, by the end of the HO era alot of bugs had been worked out. I run a 250 HO G2 and I absolutely love that motor, even though the current circumstances with the Manufacturer, here is my $0.02

1) What is you dealer support? My dealer is 20 minutes from my home and they are and committed to continue to service Evinrude. They have been in business longer than I have been alive, and the service at Al’s Marine in Rochester has exceeded my expectations.

2) Even though motors have been discontinued, Evinrude still manufactures parts and honors warranty. Its still a viable business.

So as long as you have a solid dealer, the manufacturer honors warranty, and the manufacturer still makes parts, I wouldn’t be afraid to jump on a good deal. I have owned Mercury, Yamaha, Honda, Evinrude, and honestly they were all good motors. My biggest issue with the Honda was getting parts. Dealer service is the most import factor to me.

Decent reel for the money. I bought 4 to use for dragging jigs and they work as expected. If your trying to compare the Carbon to a Stradic there is no comparison and your considering 2 different price points. For a $60 reel, the Carbon does a good job. I dont love them so much, that I will buy 4 more but if you want a nice reel at that pricepoint you will be happy with them.

Joe Moenck & Mike Walerak

Canadian Honker right across from St Mary’s.

I run a 145 Escape with a F30 Yammie. Works great for me and the dog, but if it’s 2 adults with a full livewell I use every one of those 30 ponies to get up on plane.

With the 165, I would max it out with a 50. I think you would squeak by with a 40, but wish you had the 50 in the long run.

Joe Moenck
Mike Walerak

For me its:

#1- Dealer After Sale
Boats are big, fast and get used. I have owned every brand of motor and several brands of boats. If you use them they will need repair, some more than others but if the dealer doesn’t get you in and get your warranty work addressed then that’s an issue for me. Also I travel often so I want a dealer that’s close to my home. Basically I want to drop the boat off and pick it up Friday when I get home.

#2: Motor
If the motor isn’t working for you then your new shiny boat is out of commission. Also Warranty is important to me. Motors are very expensive when they break and a surprise 10k powerhead is never a fun situation.

#3 Brand of Boat:
They are all nice now days, I don’t think its a brand as much as the layout and design for how you fish. Honestly I would run whatever manufacturer my preferred dealer sells. They all make nice boats, and all have their positives and negatives.

4: Price:
It is what is, as I have gotten older I realize that what you want is never cheap, you got to bite the bullet and get it done. I love my glass boat, it comes with a price. I was really happy with Aluminum, cost a little less. But in the end with National Pricing on the major manufactures, when you compare size, features and HP they all competitive and in the ball park as far as price. Typically the resale values are proportionate to the cost, pay a little more and they sell for a little more so kind of a wash to me.

Joe & Tim Moenck

You will be just fine, you just need to get dialed in. For example, where is your gas tank, is it remote or built in? If remote where does it sit in relationship to your starter battery? You may need to do some adjusting there.

Next, check your front compartments? Where is your Battery for your troller (or Batteries) sit in relationship to where you are positioned when your driving the boat? You may need to make some adjustments there, possibly move to the other compartment?

Every new boat I have ever had needs to be balanced and dialed in. Shift your loads to balance out, sometimes you might even have to go a little heavier up front and shift things forward. sometimes something as simple a moving a battery or 3 gallons of gas is all it takes. You will get it figured out and love the boat!

And the upgrade.

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The factory step is a smaller single step off the wench post, the upgrade is 2 steps that are larger in size and a telescoping upright post to hold onto. The Auxillary Braking is built into the frame of the trailer and basically a parking break, very nice for not having to chock the wheels up.

Here is an example of the steps.

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I have them, absolutely love them as I load and unload by myself often. This is an upgrade to the trailer and the handle is extendable. Like anything else when you order a boat, the checkbook gets a little hot but this and the auxiliary parking brake are something I could never order without ever again.

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I don’t think Minnkota ever had “Spot Lock” it was always more like “Area Lock”.

I made the switch to MotorGuide and not looking back, they are rock solid and i will sit up in the MN Corner or Diamond Island on a current seam with any manufacturer on the market.

Minnkota is a great company and they will get there, when they get it figured out I will come take a look, till then MG & Lowrance.

I had the same issue last year with a 2 bank charger, it was giving me the same code. One of 2 issues to look at:

1: The problem I had was my charger wasn’t working and needed to be replaced

2: I found out that if a battery is completely dead, that charger may not have enough juice to knock the battery to get it started and start taking a charge. This was the first thing I tried, I took out my volt meter and got a reading on my batteries, they were dead. Then I hooked the batteries up to a manual battery charger and got them up to over 12V, then when I plugged in the onboard everything seemed to be working properly. A week later I figured out my charger wasn’t working properly and it was replaced under warranty.

Check these known 3 issues:

Batteries- Even if they are newer, did a cell freeze or did you leave the charger plugged in and got the batteries hot? Even maintenance mode will wreck a battery as they recommend using a timer. another issue I have ran into is brand new batteries being faulty.

Charger Issue- Get a volt meter and start taking some readings to make sure the Minnkota Charger is sending out the proper voltage to charge the battery

Wiring: Make sure your charger is wired propely, with the correct gauge wire. When you have your batteries fully charged, let them sit for a week and see if they hold a charge. You may have an outside source drawing on you batteries which is completely draining them which can give your onboard charger a hard time.

Total:24.4
Big Fish: 8.0

Joe Moenck & Mike Walerak

I use Corcorans in Hampton, quick turn around and his work is awesome

Very Happy with this motor, I am currently running a 250 HP G2 and the power is amazing, fuel efficiency/oil consumption is awesome, its quiet, a push of a button to winterize and most importantly I have a smile on my face every time I push the start button.

I liked not having to change oil, I loved my F150 Yammie also but this motor is just plain fun to drive!

Call LaCannes Marine and talk with Nick, just give him a shot at that new boat and see what they can come up with. They also had a decent selection of used trade ins on hand.

19.9

Big Sauger 4.0

Joe Moenck & Jerm Shutlze

I would t get caught up in brands until you determine what your primary usage will be (rigging, jigging, cranking, pitching, mono, braid).

I run about 10 different rod manufacturers product and depending on what presentation I go with typically determines my weapon of choice. But day in and day out I have a hard time setting down my St. Croix Avids for all purpose rods.

Might be an honest mistake that could happen to anyone, I don’t think trying to run his name through the mud on this site is appropriate.

If you have an issue with someone, you should just give them a call and talk to them before you try to make it public and post online.

I also have used up to 2 oz jig heads for pulling rigs, and 6oz for pulling stick baits. In a tough bite, I like to hit em in the head with my sinker a couple of times till they get pissed and hit what’s in front of them. Sometimes that even include the sinker, just sayin! When you catch a fish that has a 3 oz sinker lodged down his gullet, you made him mad.

16.6
BF 8.1