Fishure Loc: Westchester, New York

Hi Yanks,
Really great advise already given. Two things I would like to mention. One, backing up a trailer requires practice and two, batteries are HEAVY and must be maintained- charged regularly even in the off season in order to last.
Welcome Aboard, Happy New Year, Good Health and Good Luck,
Fishure

Benjo

I agree with Flyguy...16 foot is what you want. I would put a 15 HP Yamaha on it and a 55# trolling motor for all the reasons mentioned above. I have had several for both fishing and duck/goose hunting and can't emphasize enough the extra safety only 2 more feet gives you. Save the 12 and 14 foot Jon boats for quiet water and let the kids play in them. For active water sports you need 16 feet. I have had 14 and 12 footers and nearly swamped them both with 2 people in them let alone three!

Yanks fan Loc: South Jersey

Fishure. Thanks Happy New Year

Yanks fan Loc: South Jersey

Benjo. Thanks

Barnacles Loc: Northern California

Fishlure is right about batteries. The way a lead/acid (AGM, Gell cell, wet cell car battery) works is that as it discharges, the lead peroxide and lead in the plates is turned into Lead sulphate and the acid becomes weaker. This is reversed when the battery is recharged. The problem is that if left in a discharged state for long, the lead sulphate begins to form into crystals which won't be converted back during charging. The crystals no longer take part in the battery's function, making the battery perform as if it were considerably smaller. If left discharged for too long, the battery won't take a charge at all. Don't let it sit there drained.

What all that means to people like us is that we have to keep our batteries charged, especially in the off season. People who don't do this wind up buying a new battery every spring.

SO - When you come home from an outing, charge your batteries. When you aren't going to use it for awhile, you should disconnect the battery as there's almost always something aboard that draws a tiny bit of energy even when it's turned off. And for winter storage, a battery maintainer is a very good idea! DON'T put the battery on a charger for weeks, you'll overcharge and damage it. A battery maintainer will keep the battery at about 12.6 Volts without overcharging it. And they aren't expensive.

jdesignor1 Loc: syracuse

Hi Yankee fan, I'm also from so Jersey. Where are you? Wish I had a dollar for every hour I fished. Owned a boat business for 12 years and Alumacraft is a good choice. I read the other posts which were very well documented.

Joe D