Fishing Boat Guide

Boat Battery Care

2011-12-07T14:31:00.005-05:00

Last time I talked about maintaining your bait tank. One of the most common mistakes boaters make when winterizing their boat is improper battery maintenance. Here are a couple tips to help you save money by not having to buy new batteries for your boat each year.

Care for Trolling Motor Batteries

I estimate that well over 50% of fishing boat owners who use an electric trolling motor have to replace the batteries every year. It's a common misconception that deep cycle batteries simply don't last more than 1 year and almost always need to be replaced. This is not true. While your deep cycle marine batteries may not last as long as a typical marine cranking battery, they can give as much as 3 to 4 years of service when properly maintained.

1. Always keep your trolling motor batteries fully charged at all times. It's very easy to come home from a long day on the water, park the boat and wait until your next trip is planned to re-charge the batteries. Nothing kills the life of a battery faster than sitting around half charged or dead. Always charge your batteries as soon as you park or store your boat. This will ensure that you don't have a fishing trip spoiled by dead batteries, and you will get the maximum life out of your battery investment.

2. Check the water level in your batteries often and keep them filled. This is also a very important part of battery maintenance. and one of the keys to getting max life out of the battery.

Another common misconception is that batteries need to be kept warm during the cold weather months. I even know fishermen who remove their batteries and store them inside in a heated area during winter. This is totally unnecessary. Cold weather does not shorten the life of your batteries at all if they're kept charged properly.

If you store your boat during the winter months be sure to make sure both your deep cycle and trolling motor batteries are fully charged, checked and maintained before you put the boat in storage; and you'll save money and get the max out of both your deep cycle and cranking battery.

Bait Tank Tips

2010-12-16T13:07:00.005-05:00

Here are some tips to help maintain and keep your bait tank and livewells in great condition.

Whether you use a striper fishing boat or some other type of fishing boat, if you use live bait keeping your bait well in good condition is very important. Any good fisherman worth his salt knows that healthy, active live bait is a must if you want to catch fish. If your bait tank isn't in good condition neither will your bait be.

One very important factor is keeping your bait tank clean and free of slim and other oxogen consuming elements.

How to clean your bait tank

As you would expect chemicals in commercial cleaners can be very toxic to fish. So you dont want to use any type of household cleaners on your bait tank. There are cleaners that can be bought commercially which are safe to use. However instead of spending money on fancy cleaning products, it has been my personal experience that nothing you can buy works as well as a $0.25 box of plain baking soda. Simply mix 1/2 box of baking soda with 1 gallon warm water. a sponge or soft brush works well to clean with.

If you have a re-circulating aerator system which recirculates the water that is in your bait tank: after you've cleaned the inside of the tank thourghly, drain it and then insert the plug and pour another gallon of the baking soda solution into the well, turn on your recirculator and let it run for about 30 minutes. This will help clean the slim and gunk out of the hoses and the aerator it's self. Once you've finished this process, repeat the process with clean, plain water to rinse.

I recommend cleaning after every 2 uses however the more you clean your well the healthier you will be able to keep your bait; and you will get much longer life out of your aerators.

Winterizing your bait tank

For those of you who store your boats through the winter. Winterizing your bait tank and livewells should be part of your boat winterizing process. Winterizing a bait well or livewell basically means preventing water that's left contained inside the hoses or pumps from freezing and causing damage to the pumps. There are chemicals such as rv tank antifreeze which can be used for this. And this method is commonly recommended. This method is fine for your bilge. However I do not recommend using any type of chemical in bait tanks other than those such as used to keep bait alive. It's much safer and just as easy to disconnect the hoses and be sure the tank, hoses and pumps are thoroughly drained before storing your boat.

Follow these tips and it should help you get more and longer use from your baittank and more enjoyment from your fishing boat.

The Best Striper Fishing Boat

2010-06-23T14:20:00.003-04:00

How to choose the right boat for striper fishing

Whether you're looking for a used fishing boat, or a new striper fishing boat, you should consider your options and what you personally need in a striper fishing boat before buying. 3 very important things to consider before buying a boat are

1. The waters you intend to use your striper fishing boat on

2. How many passengers will you be taking on

3. The vehicle that you will be using to tow your fishing boat

Striper Fishing Boats For Fresh Water

Aluminum Striper Fishing boats

While the fiberglass boats work equally as well for fresh water fishing. Aluminum fishing boats with their very lightweight construction are a very good option to consider for a fisherman who has a truck or towing vehicle that has a lighter weight towing capacity, and will be striper fishing on freshwater rivers or reservoirs.

The lighter weight will allow you to tow a much larger striper fishing boat with a lighter towing capacity; as apposed to a heavier weight fiberglass boat.

aluminum fishing boats are made in many different sizes from the small 10 ft jon boats all the way up to the 20 ft plus center console models.

Another advantage of th aluminum boat and it's lighter weight is, you can get the same speed and power as a heavier boat with a smaller motor hence giving the fisherman better fuel milage.
The drawbacks to the aluminum construction are, you lose some stability in windy weather conditions and the ride may not be as smooth on rough water as the heavier fiberglass fishing boat.

Saltwater Striper Fishing Boats

An aluminum boat will work for striper fishing on saltwater; however not as well as the fiberglass models. For saltwater fishing you should carefully consider your boats construction as it relates to safety. The saltwater striper fisherman often ventures much farther from land than the fresh water fisherman and is also much more likely to be stuck out in windy or adverse weather conditions. This is where a larger, heavy, more stable fiberglass striper fishing boat could save your life.

Boat Layout For Striper Fishing

Bay boat

The bay boat or center console layout is preferred and used by most serious striper fishermen for inshore saltwater as well as freshwater striper fishing. Most bay boats come with a built in bait tank and larger live wells than the boats designed for bass or walleye fishing. You can find the bay boat in aluminum or fiberglass.

No boat manufacture that I know of makes a boat designed specifically for striper fishing. however if they did, the bay boats general layout would fit the bill perfectly.

Bass Boat

The bass boat works great for bass fishing; just not striped bass fishing. While the bass boat will work ok for a striper fishing boat; it is designed specifically for black bass fishing and its general layout does present some disadvantages when used for striper fishing. Most bass boats have smaller livewells designed for smaller black bass. To my knowledge no one makes a bass boat with live baitwells; and I can tell you from experience it's a challenge to put a 50 gallon baitwell and 3 fishermen on most bass boats.

Good Luck with your striper fishing boat

Boatman

How To Buy A Used Fishing Boat

2010-06-19T20:11:00.005-04:00

How to Find a good Used Fishing Boat

One of the best sources to find a good used boat at a good price is your local news paper, or local online classifieds. If you can by direct from an owner you can normally get a much better price than from a dealer; who is basically a middle man. If you can't locate a fishing boat that you're interested in locally, one of the best wider online resources is Boat Trader

How to Buy a Used Fishing Boat

a used fishing boat may be the best option for many people. Whether your interested in a used bass boat a saltwater, or river boat, It makes perfect sense to consider a used boat; especially when shopping in today’s economy.

Fishing is a seasonal sport for most folks. Even when the season is in, the average used fishing boat is actually used very few hours in a year; yet the market value for most boats declines considerably as soon as it's pulled off the dealership lot. This fact puts the used boat shopper in a very good position to buy a great very lightly used fishing boat at a very good price. This being said, you should

How to Inspect a Used Fishing Boat

Here is a checklist of the things you should check and problems you should look for in a used fishing boat.

1. Check the Boats Transom

This is one of the most important things on any boat to check. for those of you who may not know what the transom is, it is the part of the back of the boat which the engine mounts on. The transom carries the full weight and force of the engine. It must be well reinforced and very strong. Some fiberglass fishing boats have solid fiberglass in the transom and some are reinforced with wood which can rot over time. Grasp the lower unit with both hands and pull and push while watching for movement in the transom which indicates weakness.
Look for weakness and stress cracks in the transom as well as in the entire hull of the boat.

2. Check the Boats Electrical System

Make sure all the trolling motor, lights and pumps such as the bilge pump, livewell or baitwell pumps are working. If you do encounter a problem it can often be fixed easily by cleaning a connection, or replacing a switch so this may not be a serious problem or reason not to buy a used boat.

3. Check for Leaks

You definitely should try any used fishing boat out on the water before you buy. while on the water, open the hull access area and check for excessive amounts of water which may indicate a serious leak in the hull. You should never take on more than ½ gallon of water over an 8 hour period of boat use.

4. Inspect the Boats Trailer

The trailer is very important because this is how you get your fishing boat to the water. Nothing can ruin a fishing trip faster than a trailer breakdown on the way to your fishing destination. Some of the common problems area's with a boats trailer are wheel bearings, lights, brakes and tires. Most of the problems are caused by the trailer being in water frequently during launches.
Water can wash the grease out of bearings causing them to malfunction if not maintained correctly. Water also will cause corrosion in light connections and bulbs.

How to Inspect Used Boat Motors

For obvious reasons this is probably the most important inspection that you should do on a used fishing boat. a boats motor can be the single most expensive component on a boat. Most used bass boats (without an engine) cost less than the engine its self.

One very important part of the motor on a used fishing boat to check, is the lower unit or "foot". This is the part that contains the propeller and its shaft on outboard motors. The most common problem here is a malfunctioning prop shaft seal. This allows water to seep into the housing and mixing with the lower unit oil can burn out the lower unit. This is a seriously expensive problem!
To check for this problem, locate the drain plug usually located on the bottom left or right of the lower unit of the motor. A straight screw driver is all you need to remove the plug on most outboards. let a few drops of oil drip out in a cup. If the oil is cream colored or milky in appearance this indicates water is present and there may be a problem with this used fishing boats motor. If the oil is amber and clear you're good to go.

Be sure to check the entire outer housing of the lower unit to make sure there are no cracks.

When trying out a used boat, listen to the engine while it's running. Listen for knocking sounds which may indicate an internal problem.

Also you'll want to let the boat idle in neutral and look at the small stream of water coming from underneath the engine. This is the outflow for the cooling system. a weak or broken stream indicates that the water pump may need to be replaced.

Ask Questions

Do not be afraid to ask the seller of a used fishing boat questions. Ask for a service record or receipts for proof of when the boat was serviced. Or parts replaced.
If the boat is less than 10 years old ask if there is a warranty or extended warranty which may be transferable.

Ask what problems if any the owner has had with the boat; and why they are selling. Pay close attention to the answers and look the seller directly in the eye.

Have a Mechanic Inspect The Used Boat

If you happen to know a good marine mechanic, ask the seller to let your mechanic inspect the boat. The advice of a trusted professional can be very valuable.
Buying a used boat is a very good way to save money on a great boat. Armed with the knowledge of problems to look for and how to look for them can make a used fishing boat purchase much less risky.

Welcome to Fishing Boat Guide

2010-06-18T13:33:00.005-04:00

Want to know what fishing boat is truly right for you?

Hi, and welcome to the fishing boat blog. My goal here is to help visitors make a well informed decisions and decide what fishing boat is best for your particular needs and your personal budget.

If you've become confused in your search for the right boat, If your tired of people and marketers trying to steer you toward a particular brand or boat dealer not because it's in your best interest, but to line their own pockets, you have come to the right place.

The reviews and information that you'll find here will be un-influenced by sponsors and other people who are paid to say this or that fishing boat is the best on the market.

I'll be looking at all the different makers such as Ranger, Triton, Skeeter, Carolina Skiff, Tracker, Whaler, and many many more. I'll be looking at the features, pros and conns of each, fishing boat, giving and pointing you to real no bs reviews.

whether your a freshwater, saltwater or river fly fisherman, I have one goal in mind; and thats to get you educated on and/or in the best fishing boat that you can afford at the best possible price.

Until next time
Boatman