Bought a 16.5' Bass Boat last weekend. First NEW boat in my life. It has 2 live-wells, rod lockers, a 70hp Merc, cup holders, seats and poles and not much else.
So far I purchased:
• 2 Locators - for front and bow by trolling motor
• Trolling motor and mounting brackets
• Dual Bank Charger
• Batteries
• Boat Bumpers
• Docking Lines
• Life Jackets - 2 Suspender types and jackets for guest and DNR wardens I may meet
•I am looking at Anchor winches, but may just do old school crank ups until a future season when I have more funds. I have spent a fortune. The MinnKota Deckhands are also WAY to big for the small triangle the Trolling motor is on in the bow. I might just put one in back so I can hit a switch and head to the front.
• I need anchors, looking at 17lb Navy Style cause, my old, beat up and broken back doesn't want to lift the 20+ pounders more than I have to.
•I am thinking of adding Live Well Timers so I don't have to run them constantly.
What else am I not thinking of? What do you guys recommend?
If
Boats & Motors
Bought a Boat - What all do I need???
Leechster- The ball stays in place when you close the latch...and lock it.
Master_Piker- I had no problem sticking a golf ball in a 2" coupler. I see your point about just closing the latch. I just think having something filling that void makes it harder to drop the trailer onto any type of hitch (or makeshift stud of some sort). Let's face it, at the end of the the day, a thief is going to steal your property if they are that determined. I got the golf ball idea from a friend years ago and I think it just makes it a bit harder to steal a trailer.
How do you get a 1.6" golf ball to stay in a 2" coupler??? I have a coupler lock that has the trailer hitch ball that locks into a metal bar over the top of the coupler. 100% theft-proof? No. Better than what 98% of people use? Yes.
I get that the coupler slides forward around the bottom of the ball when latched, so it MAY hold a golf ball...but why bother with the golf ball then? Just latch your coupler and lock it. If they have the tools to loosen the coupler, the golf ball will do no good...or am I missing something???
I read back a couple pages and cannot believe some of the stuff you guys carry in your boats?! I break everything down into THREE categories: what I need to be LEGAL, what I need to make sure I can get back to SHORE and what I need to have to SAVE an outing/trip. This applies to 'day' trips on inland lakes and small rivers...
What I need to be LEGAL: PFD's for every person on board (I also keep an extra orange collar-style in my rod locker), throwable PFD cushion, paddle, navigation lights, spare kill switch (they are small, inexpensive, take up no room and the clips are plastic and can be brittle), Marine fire extinguisher and a whistle/air horn. I also have a flare gun for where it is required, but otherwise it stays in my garage.
What I need to make sure I can get back to SHORE: spare boat plug, small tool kit (3/8" ratchet with SAE and Metric sockets, adjustable 9" Crescent wrench, 4-in-1 screwdriver, spare set of spark plugs (gap them when you buy them), spark plug wrench/socket (to go on the ratchet mentioned above), small electrical kit (butt splices, zip ties, fuses, stripping/crimping pliers, electrical tape), bug spray, sunscreen, extra hat and sunglasses, spare prop/nut/cotter pin/prop wrench, 25 foot length of 3/8" SOLID BRAID rope with snap hook (can be used as a bow/dock line or a tow rope if needed), Frog Toggs rain suit in a gallon ziplock bag (if it rains, take the rain suit out and put your cell phone and wallet in the ziplock bag), first aid kit (bandaids, cleaning wipes, gauze, tape, liquid bandage, Tylenol/ibuprofen and hook cutter - if you need much more than that, your fishing day is probably over!), 500-lumen LED flashlight, jumper cables (12 foot 8-gauge that I got at Menards for about $12 - it is about 10 feet from my trolling motor batteries to my cranking battery), handheld marine radio.
What I need to save an outing/trip (these are things that are NOT in the boat, but I keep in a tote locked in my truck bed in my topper): light jacket/fleece, quart of TCW-3 outboard oil (my reservoir is 1.6 gallons so it isn't for me, but has saved a few others over the years), spare trolling motor prop/pin/nut (this is in a ziplock bag and gets thrown in the boat if I am fishing a tournament or if making a long run to a fishing spot), tournament weigh in bag/scale, fillet knives, cutting board, lug wrench (I use a cross iron), 2-ton floor jack (works great for boat trailers and if you're on a trip, you don't have to empty out your vehicle to get the bottle/scissor jack out from under your back seat or cargo area), mini grease gun with a couple spare tubes of marine grease (can be used for trailer bearings or boat steering), spare bilge/livewell pump cartridge, my other spare prop (have a 3-blade and 4-blade spare), a few more miscellaneous tools (pliers, vice grips, small hammer, etc), small squeeze tube of clear silicone, boat bumpers (these take up a lot of room in a storage compartment, so they only go in the boat if needed, like when we are on vacation and dock the boat overnight), a couple clean towels (can be used for cleaning your hands, wiping down wet seats or first aid purposes), trailer coupler lock and a 25' extension cord to plug in my onboard charger if needed).
That sounds like a ton of stuff...the stuff I keep in the boat all fits in a 15"x18" storage compartment under my driver's seat and the tote in my truck is a standard 12 gallon Tuff Tote that the floor jack sits on top of...I have a ton of storage in my boat, but don't want it cluttered with a bunch of clutter I will probably never need/use. If I have to run back to the landing to get a tool or a jacket, that isn't a big deal, but keeping all that stuff in the boat is not necessary in my experience. Your experience may tell you otherwise. I am big on maintenance, so I don't encounter many major issues on the water. I regularly top off my oil reservoir, check and replace spark plugs, check navigation lights before every night outing, grease my steering and trailer bearings, etc. The more proactive you are in doing these things, the less crap you have to carry with you. Develop a system for launching and loading that works for you and perform regular maintenance. I run premium, NON ETHANOL fuel and treat every tank. Is it necessary? Maybe not necessary, but my boat rarely ever needs to go to the marina to be worked on, so I continue to do what has worked for 15+ years.
Edit to add: I got sick of replacing light bulbs at the landing in the dark...So my navigation lights, courtesy/interior lights and trailer lights have ALL been converted to LED. I highly recommend this upgrade, as it can be done gradually and is not terribly expensive. I would estimate it cost me under $150 to do the boat and trailer. They are WAY brighter and draw almost no electricity...Worth a thought...
I have roller guides on my trailer and simply marked them with white tape so when ever I am loading the boat the person backing the trailer in knows exactly how far to back in. Often it is a friend, brother, kid, or someone who only fishes with me occasionally who backs in the trailer while I stay in the boat. So much easier than trying to let them know how far to back in with hand signals or yelling. All they need to do is back in until the tape is at the water line!
