Many thanks. I will try to make contact soon.

I saw your post. Nice fish! I’m planing a trip to Spirit and West Okojobi for a few days in July. I want to fish for smallies and the info I have so far is that those lakes have a good rep for smallies. I have never been to the area. I live in Kansas City and have fished for smallies in Table Rock Lake in MO several times. Any info you could provide would be helpful. Thanks.

Thanks again for the info. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I got lucky this year and bought my first fishing boat. I also have a sailboat and plan to store both boats in my garage until the weather gets really cold. (Obviously, Missouri winters are mild winters compared to Minn., but it still freezes here!) Then I might rent an inside temperature controlled storage place for the fishing boat so I can park my vehicle in the garage. I plan to take a trip down to Lake Tanneycomo in southern MO (lake/river impoundment) to fish for trout in mid November. That lake never freezes and the temps are mild on the lake. However, on the way back to KC, the air temp may get down to freezing when you consider wind chill. Could that damage the outboard? As long as the water drains out of the motor am I OK? I assume that the tips you gave apply after the last fishing trip before prolonged winter storage. Thanks for the advice.

Many thanks for all the info. I may try the bucket route for now.

Hey thanks to all for the quick responses. I do not have a speed meter on the boat, just the tack. Do not have gps either, but am thinking about that. Therefore I cannot say what my speed is, it just feels a little fast, even when I have tried to backtroll. I may have the dealer reduce idle speed as you suggested when the post breakin check up is done and try that. I can understand why the bags are a hassle. When I sail, taking down the jib and hauling out the spinnaker and pole gets to be tiresome. Anyway, thanks for the info.

That is a real shame on the insurance issue. The fine print I guess.

Regarding the fishing, were you looking for bass or walleye? I have heard walleye can be found on the west end of the lake near those rivers. Its a beautiful lake. I thought my depth finder was having problems at first because the reading was 132 feet in some places. The owner said the water had been much higher in the spring.

Hello. Sorry about your boat. I fished the Rock over Memorial Day weekend. It was my first trip with my boat. I was concerned about how much traffic was on the lake and how vulnerable boats are at night at docks. Where did you stay when you were there? I stayed near the dam. Nice place, had fun, but not much fishing success. (I’m still trying to figure ’em out.) Frankly, my best luck was at the boat dock in the evening just messing around. Hooked a 10 # carp, 12″ water turtle on the shell, a dozen nice crappie and a fair large mouth. All on a red and white crappie jig!

By the way, I think I know the other site you referred to. This site provides positive feedback, while some of the participants in the other are not so inclined and detract from that site in my opinion.

Welcome to the site.

I am curious about your question. I bought a 2004 Lund 1600 Explorer, tiller, with a 50 hp 4 stroke Yamaha (first fishing boat). That is a great boat/motor combination from my limited experience. That model is rated for a 60, while the same boat with a console is rated for a 90. I asked a dealer about weather the difference between a 60 and 50 on my boat would be worth the extra $. He said the difference in performance would not be too significant. I also asked him about putting a larger motor on the model, such as a 75. He said that he would not do that because that would confict with the maximum recommended.

I wonder if a boat with a motor over the max recommended would be in technical violation of your state regs? Likewise, would the larger motor affect the warranty coverage on the boat for transom issues and so forth? Finally, could there be an insurance coverage issue in the event of an accident? What are your thoughts?

By the way, I am used to running camp 17 foot lund outfitters (700+ lbs.) in Canada with 40 Yamahas with 3 people and lots of gear. When we go, its late August and the props are chewed and dinged. Last year they put a governor on the motors because someone had an accident earlier in the season. We were putting around 15-20 mph max. Previously, the 40 moved us pretty well. The 50 on my boat really moves it well with 2 people and gear and full tank. Have yet to try it with 3 people. We will see how it does with 3.

You probably already checked this, but Yamaha has a performance test site for various boat/motor combinations. I found it on google “Yamaha performance” The other responders have more experience than I do. But, for what its worth, I believe you should max out the 1700 with the highest you can within the manufacturer’s rating. Obviously, the 1700 is significantly heavier than a 1600 and it has a larger fuel tank I believe. Good luck.

Blackduck, does your cover snap on or tie down? Did you have to bring boat there or did your tailor measure from another boat? One more thing, do you have a bowmount trolling motor? If so, does your cover go over that, or do you remove same? Many thanks.

Thank you for the info. I will consider your advice.

Looks great.

Thanks for the advice.

To all who have commented. I am getting a boat hopefully this week. It has a 50 hp 4 stroke Yamaha that comes standard with an aluminum prop. From your comments I think aluminun is the way to go. My question is do you carry a spare prop in the boat or your tow vehicle, just in case?

I just bought last year’s model, 320 Fishmarker for a great price at Cabelas. Bass pro had them on sale for $149.00 on line. Cabelas met the Bass Pro price. Sorry I cannot tell you how they operate in the field yet. My Lund is coming this week, I hope. I have been waiting for 8 weeks. Its like waiting for water to boil. Back to the 320. For the price, I think it is a good deal. About 10 years ago, 2 fishing friends and I pitched in for an eagle 201 portable. That thing still works great when we take it to Canada. Have you seen the 480 in action on display?

what model Lund did you pop for and what size motor? Sounds like you are in for some fun soon.

I own a 35 year old 19 ft. Lightning sailboat with bunks that were specially made for the shape of the hull. The bunks run laterally to the hull as opposed to longitudinally. I ran into minor carpet wear so rather than letting it get worse and to check out the condition of the wood bunks, I removed the old carpet, inspected the wood and recovered the bunks with a good grade of indoor/outdoor carpet. I store the boat in my garage so there is little if any chance of wear. As you know, the sun really can affect the condition of fiberglass. Storing the boat in the garage has kept the boat in great condition, especially the wood mast, boom, wood trim and floor boards. The important thing as you already expressed is the condition of the bunks. If you use a good grade of marine lumber you should not have a problem. I always finish wood with spar varnish or urethane. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Thanks guys. Looking forward to a trip in mid or late summer.l

Many thanks.

Thanks. Hope to do that this summer. Waiting for a new boat is far worse than watching paint dry!

Thanks Don.

This my first post. I also had a tough time getting registered. My son helped me correct some computer gliches, and thanks to the in-depth staff, here I am! Congrats to you.