My First Boat With A Motor

[Doctor Slabbenstein]

Okay. So she ain't real fancy and she's pretty old, but she's mine. Yesterday I bought a 1974 Starcraft 16' v-bottom with a '69 Evinrude 85. It isn't exactly your traditional "bass boat", but it got the job done. My buddy Ed, my son and I finally got on LOZ at about 3:30 yesterday afternoon. Put in at PB1 and fished til just before dark because we couldn't figure out how to make the lights work and didn't quite know how she'd load in the dark:rolleyes:. Couldn't figure out which wires controlled the live well. Overall, it was a success. We ended up boating 13 keepers:D. We managed this somehow with no graphs or depth finders and just sheer luck. Pulled em off brush in about 20 fow. I know there was brush cuz we got half a tree in the boat and had to tie on about 600 times. All in all it was a success in my book. So if you all see a guy with a shaved head smilin like a kid with a new toy trollin around in a boat that looks like it oughta be in a museum well that'll be me and make sure to say hi. Can't wait to get her down Truman way and get on some fish. Puttin the flasher and my ten year old Lowrance X28 fish finder on today. Gotta figure out the tangled up mess of wires that run the horn, live well, and lights as well. I somehow feel blessed to have this old tub. Now if I can just get mama out on some fish, she might change her mind about "that old piece of $#!+ boat in the driveway!" Does anybody have a story about their first tub? I'd love to hear about it!

[kazualobzerver]

Great job, that's a very successful trip for first time out and a fun read, thanks. My first one from 1971:

(1) didn't know how to choke engine to start, used trolling motor
(2) wiring caught fire while fishing, partner said from back of boat "is smoke
coming from inside the boat normal"?
(3) burned hand while trying to disconnect wires from battery
(see #2)
(4) found shorted wire, removed it and reconnected rest to battery
(5) somehow caught fish, put in livewell, turn pump on,,,smoke again? repeat
# 2 and #3 above
(6) use stringer for fish, note - water feels pretty good on a burnt hand

I could write a book on boat incidents. This is probably 1/100th of it all over the years.

[camo_boat]

glad you had a good time. got lots to look forward to as you learn all the ins and outs of the new rig. i just got my first boat with a steering wheel about this time last year myself :-)

[Radioactive]

Hey, she floats and you caught fish to boot, so it had to be a good day:D You will get the kinks worked out before long and you will have a ton of fun!

I just got my first "real" boat last year after being off the water for 30 plus years. she just turned legal drinking age and I am still getting the bugs worked out :D

[FROSTY]

Stay with it Dr. Slab......Like they say....The suit doesn't make the man!

[slabscab]

Congrats on the vessel! My first boat was a studebaker 14ft jon w/ 5.5evinrude fisherman motor. It stayed down here at LOZ until 5years or so ago when the big snow came and collapsed our dock on top of it. Then took it to KC and fixed it up and used it at Olathe Lake alot and hillsdale everynow and then. Im 28 now and still remember the days of running around buckcreek as a 12 year old fishin with cousins. Lot of good times in that boat we used to go to the 7MM minimart now is the horney toad cove and get sodas and snacks. My first chew at about 14years old got supper dizzy and threw up all over got laghed at by my cousins, beaching on the Monkey Island (the island straight out from hornytoad) and swimming. I just sold it last year to a buddy so I still get to ride in it when I go fishin w/him. WOW the memories a boat can accumulate threw the years. Good luck and dont forget to smash the champagne bottle on it :D

[rugsrme]

I got one of those too! it's a 1960 Lonestar with a 1960 35hp seaking motor. It needs some more work, but it floats, and allot of the lakes I use it on are electric motor only and I have a couple of those

[beagle man]

outstanding dr.slab, glad y'all made it back to the bank, without breaking the bank, congrats on the good time and fish catchin,


CRAPPIE UP

[Doctor Slabbenstein]

Well I have decoded the wiring on the boat. Basically there WAS no rhyme or reason to how live well, lights and horn were connected to the battery at one time. Wires were all yellow and brown spliced to green and red, spliced to yellow, spliced to green. Well you get the picture.
Today I swapped out the trolling motor that would barely reach the water for a 41# motorguide that reaches down real nice. Installed the old Lowrance fish finder and the Eagle Silent Sixty-One "Flasher", so I don't stick her in the mud at PB1 again . Got the lights, live well and horn working also. And yes Kaz, I too had to break out the stringers yesterday cuz the live well wouldn't work. Those stringers just make me feel like I'm lettin fish get away cuz it takes longer than just throwing em in the well. All in all she's shapin up. Now if I could just sneak back to the lake without mama and the baby knowin.....

[olesilverside]

and that guy Kaz ask him if he ever let a boat blow up on the bank while we sit in the truck...... He is still going to chruch over those rude remarks he made.......:D you may have started something there, my old boat is a 84 but she does me fine.......so boat don't have a he-- of a lot to do with it......