Boat Newb

Thanks for the reply. The only reason I'm leaning more towards a canoe is that I don't have to register it if I only paddle it, for the time being. The wife is wanting to avoid having to pay fees and such before the baby comes. I'm dying to go play on the water, but I'm too cheap to go rent something and renting brings me to my certification rant in the general section so I can't rent anything , but a canoe anyways. Maybe I'll go rent a canoe at Lake Springfield for now and just save my money until this spring. I've got a friend with a pontoon that needs a small part of the floor replaced and the console rebuilt for a terribly cheap price. Thats the way that I really want to go anyways, but a small water boat has it's perks too. I'm worse than a woman in a shoe store. lol.

You missed the 1967 cuttoff , eh? I think it's a crock. The reasons you mentioned above is some of the many reasons I plan to stay off Table Rock. Lake Of The Ozarks is possibly worse. Lots of egos on the lake. I guess I'll have to suck up and pay the 20 for the online test or wait until next year. I can't drive to Warsaw on the 24th.

http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/c300-399/3060000127.htm What are your opinions of this law??? I'm going to vent and I hope that's ok. I think it's stupid, but I'm biased due to the start date of the requirement. In 2005, they decided that anyone, born after January 1st 1984, wanting to operate a motorized boat in Missouri needs a Missouri boaters certification. I was born on January 11th, 1984. My wife was born December 20th, 1983. I've spent most of my life on and operating boats. My wife's boating experience consists of a couple of pontoon rides, 1 failed kayak trip, and a couple of Carnival cruises. She can operate a boat without a certification. I cannot. See the issue??? Also, The water patrol gives the course for free at their convenience and then you pay $15 for the certification. Or I can take the test online at my convenience for $20 through an out sourced company and then pay $15 for the certification. The only time they offer the course this year through the water patrol is September 24th in Warsaw. So apparently, I get to pay $35 to get a certification that before 2005 I didn't need. I just don't get my luck sometimes. :rolleyes:

The way that I understand it is that as long as it is only powered by oars or paddles, no. I copied and pasted this from the Missouri State Water Patrol website: Boats/Vessels that are NOT required to be titled or registered in the state of Missouri if they are: * Owned by out-of-state residents and housed, stored, or operated in the state of Missouri for less than 60 consecutive days; * Owned by the United States Government; * From a country other than the United States using the waters of this state for less than 60 consecutive days; * Propelled solely by paddle or oars (regardless of length); * Sailboats or sailboards less than 12 feet in length; or * A ship's lifeboat used solely for lifesaving purposes.

Happy Birthday!!!

I was just at Lilley's Landing this past Thursday and didn't really notice any leaves on the ground. I'm currently watching the live cam at Lilley's and someone is walking down the service road on the dockside of the place blowing leaves off the road. There's a bunch of them. Anyone else have any leaves on the ground???

Are they finally open? I need to swing by there and check them out.

As a food connoisseur, I must tell you about this place. It's in the old downtown section across from the Farmhouse Restaurant. I've heard a lot of good about their burgers and I'm a sucker for a good burger so I took the wife the other day. Man what a burger!!! It was incredible for a fried burger. Just the right saltiness. Not too greasy. perfectly cooked all the way through. I ordered the double cheeseburger as usual. I didn't get this physique from dieting. lol. Their fries were equally delicious!!! I will definitely be back there for another one. Everybody up here in Springfield land thinks W.F. Cody's is the best. I beg to differ. The Branson Cafe is my burger choice when in Branson.

Lol. That was pretty good.

Lol. Thanks for the welcome. My cardio sucks so you won't see me running up and down any courts.

Welcome Joe!!! I'm 1 month away from getting my EMT-B license and have been a volunteer firefighter since '02. I've always been interested in fly fishing, but never have tried or learned how. Welcome!!!

I'm sure this has been asked before and if it has been thoroughly discussed and I missed it then I'm terribly sorry, but I'll try to give the best scenario as I can. I basically want you to pick a boat for me, kind of. #1 below is what I'm looking for and #2 is how I've answered #1 for myself. I'd like to see what you guys suggest for #1 and your opinions of #2. 1. As I mentioned in my intro thread, my wife is pregnant, so boat time is going to be limited soon. On that note, I'm looking for a small lake (Fellows, Lake Springfield, Taneycomo), non-motorized (yet), but can be, under $400, boat. Not because I don't want a nice fishing boat or ski or pontoon, because I do, but the current lack of storage, use, and I change my hobbies like most of us change underwear, I'm wanting to start small and cheap. This won't be going up creeks or streams nor will I be running it across the middle of Table Rock or similar lakes. It's primarily for putting along, getting my boat fix without risking divorce. I don't want to set a land speed record. I just want something usable and "entry" level. 2. So far, I've found a 16ft fiberglass Pelican with a square stern that I can mount a small motor to. It looks almost dead on with the pictures of a Pelican Bayou 160. This could be paddled for awhile while I decide on a motor. I've also found a Minn Kota Endura, 40lb thrust, stern mount, trolling motor. I'm thinking about easy maintenance here. I can acquire both items for less than $400 which makes the wife happy, is easy to store, and can sit while the baby takes priority for a while if the need be. What do you think/suggest???

Hello all!!! My name is Jason and i currently live in Sparta. I'm 27, married, expecting our first kid, on the fire department, and work at Oreillys. I'm 1 month away from getting my EMT-B license. I'm big into cars, caves, the outdoors, and good ol' peace and quiet. I haven't had the pleasure of doing alot of fishing around this area. I'm looking to get back into fishing and enjoying the outdoors. I feel like I've hit an "old man" spell. lol. All of a sudden, going fast and being wild just doesn't appeal to me at the moment. I grew up in the Monett area and dad and I have always fished and boated at the area lakes. My wife, little sister, and I went and visited my dad in southern Alabama (He moved there after I graduated highschool) the last week of this past August. All he does is fish on the boat all day now. lol. I've always gone with him on the boat when I'm around. He borrowed a friends pontoon while we were down there so we could all go out and cruise the lake. (If it's just him and I, we take his bass boat) As soon as we motored away from the boatslip, I suddenly wanted a boat. It's never hit me like that before. Long story short, I've decided to give up my Mustang and buy a boat. I'll post more about that in the Boat section. So, after all of that, Hello Ozarks Anglers!!!! I'd like to say thank you to the Lilley's for such a nice place!!!