anthonyyost

Does anyone have a web address for the Ridgeback Rattlers? I would like to see what they look like. Thanks

I will be going on Sunday, mainly to go to the Salmon Seminar that runs from 12:30 to 2:30, looks like a lot of interesting stuff is going to be there

I have never used inline planer boards, and would like to try starting out with 2 this year, one off each side. Need a little education though. What brand of boards and releases work well, and if I was running the boards in combination with 4 downriggers and 2 dipseys, or some variation, what would be the best lengths of lead core to use on the inlines to keep it simple and what are the best lures to use with the planer boards and lead core. Thank you.

I have had good luck with the Cabellas Gold Line Counter Combo Series, you can choose your size of reel, and have at least a half a dozen choices in rods at a very reasonable price. If you want to save a little more, you can use the standard Cabellas line counter combos for around $60.00 for the rod and reel. Cabellas does a nice job of standing behind their products as well. I had a reel for about a year that the anti reverse went out of, and they replaced it no questions asked. I bought 1 Gold Series reel to try out on lead core, and the 45 size reel works just right for size.

My son is living in the Chicago area and I am going down to visit him this weekend so we can go to the boat show that is going on in Schaumburg. I am hoping to find some cool stuff for the boat there.

there have been times in my life I wish someone would have done that favor to me.

The second is a very nice picture, what are you using for a camera?

I have a Furuno Radar on the boat, but when you get close to shore or in the harbor, it will not clearly differentiate items like breakwalls and such. It would be nice to be able to use the radar for manuvering like that. The other problem would be lights that will stand up to the water.

Well, the problem with having a hardtop is it is difficult to get up on the bow and see what is going on, also when I have the electronics turned on, it makes it that much more difficult to see out into the dark. I realize that having lights in front makes it harder for other boats, but I wouldn't be using the lights constantly, just enough to get my bearings. I have a good gps, but it does not show all of the obstacles that would concern me, especially if I am fishing out of a new or unfamiliar port.

One of the projects I would like to tackle on my boat in the spring is to mount new spotlights on the front of the boat. The Searay I have has a small spotlight that is mounted on the rail on the bow that is operated remotely by a toggle on the dash. This light doesn't do a whole lot, in the morning before light, or coming in after dark, it would be nice to be able to light up an area well enough to see obstacles like seawalls and docks. Any ideas? Thanks

what brand did you buy, and other than the cable burying itself, any other problems?

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas, now that it is over we can start focusing on the other important things in life, such as electric boat winches. I have a Sea Ray 270 Amberjack on a triple axel trailer that I would like to put a good electric winch on, but I was wondering if anyone had some feedback as to what would be a good product. Thanks.

How about tying in to the water pickup for the toilet, is that possible? I think that mine pulls water from the lake when you pump it.

Is that Frampton on the radio in the background? Cant get much better than that!

Hi Mike, I live in Evart, that makes Ludington a straight shot across U.S.10 about a 70mile trip one way. That seems pretty convienent. I followed your link to where you put your boat and it looks like a very nice place. Depending on mileage that looks interesting.

I am curious about renting a slip in Ludington next spring throught the summer. Does anyone have any good ideas as far as price and location? I just need to crunch some numbers to see if it is a good idea. Also, what about security, has anyone had problems with vandalism and theft while the boat is unattended for periods of time? Thanks

It's been my experience that you can never buy a boat cheap enough, especially if you are the type of person who likes to fix them up and take some pride in ownership. I would start embarrassingly low and let the seller go from there, it's not like he is going to tell you to jump in the lake because your offer is to low.

The 87 Amberjack hardtop that I bought this summer came with a Cetec Benmar, CS21SK unit installed. The company has a website, and although they no longer make this paticular unit, they still service it and have new models. This unit connects directly to the back of the steering column and as such the drive unit protrudes into the bathroom a little bit, but not a big deal. I had trouble with the unit at first, so I called the company and they told me how to clean the contact points (apparently it doesn't take much dust to screw it up!) and recalibrate the compass. After that it worked like a charm. The only thing is that the boat is big enough that in bigger wave and higher wind conditions it is not possible to expect the boat to stay on track with the autopilot at trolling speed. Even running two engines it is tough. Farther ahead to just drive manually in these conditions. However, once you get enough power and speed (going back in at the end of the day) it seems to work well.

I am looking to buy a unit this winter as well, I am leaning to the Cannon product since it gives actual depth at the cannonball, water temp, speed and percentage of light at the given depth. Like you, I am not sure what unit is the best though. Maybe some of the other guys can give us some tips.

Cabellas sells it, more expensive than leadcore, and it says in the catalog that it is depth sensitive in regards to water temp. It doesn't say how much temp. affects the depth though.

Yeah, but have you ever had a cat under the hood when you started it in the morning, thats a great way to start the day!

Hi Andy, The boats name is The Big Bobber, we plan on launching around 6:30 a.m. until ?. Look forward to maybe hearing from you.