J-Doc

Thanks for the offers on rides fellas. If I were to get a new one, it won't be till next spring anyway. At the earliest. Even then is still ........debatable. I don't have a boat pay me t currently but I do want a new/bigger boat. More room, more storage, A ROD LOCKER, and well.....just new. I spent a lot of time looking at Tracker boats tonight at BPS in Tulsa. I was already here on business so why not go grab some baits, dinner, and investigate the Targa. The Targa is a massive whaling boat compared to my little glass boat. Lots of storage, nice features, seems to fit the bill if I wanted a small fishing yacht! Lol! I'm just not used to something that large. Then I looked at a Pro Team 190 with a 115 ProXS. I like the new paint scheme for 2014. I like the 115 ProXS. Good fishing platform that suits MY needs better than the wife's occasional weekend trips and its much cheaper than the Targa. Here's where I was turned off completely.... I've heard/read/seen issues with Tracker on fit/finish. I've heard/read where people say they are not as nice as other manufactures. That's probably true bit others are higher. Get what you pay for. I'd be happy enough with a Tracker but...... if you pull out the removable storage tray....you see exposed polystyrene!!!! What!!!!! No lip to keep water out of it either. So......when the poly gets water soaked......its not going to dry out quickly. They could have at least lined it with something or made a composite base that the removable tray could fit in. They also have a new removable cushion for an emergency life preserver. Unfinished plywood behind the seat! Just raw! No weather proofer, no anything. Just some sealant that will peal in about 12mo or less with moderate moisture exposure. Also, under the rear deck lid, there was a lot of overspray from the polystyrene. That's just sloppy. I've seen where some manufactures of glass boats glass the I side and gel coat the inside just because they want every inch to look great. Just disappointed me. I like the boat. It would work fine for me. I was just disappointed that particular boat showed so many manufactures design flaws and finish/care issues. Granted, I could loom at another one and it could be different. Again, i like it. I could be happy with it. But i still want a Skeeter TX190 and the wife wants a ski boat or fish/ski. I'd just asume eat hot rocks than have someone GIVE me a fish/ski. So I'm hoping the deep V could be the "compromise". I could at least fish heavily from the deep v. From what I'm hearing/reading, the deep V is the way to go if i want to be able to go across the lake with all the weekend wake makers and not beat your gibblets or annoy the family. :-)

So you feel Targa handles rough water much better than most bass boats? (Most meaning not brand specific). I would think it does. I looked at a Lowe tonight. Its a massive hull compared to a bass boat. Looks like a s.all shrimp boat! Lol!

Yep, thanks for the pics. I love seeing inventive creations.

Understood. Thanks Ron.

Got a pic? I'd like to see that.

Wrench.............just think of the fun fishing we could have on LOA! Well.....I don't think the deep V is meant for fly rods but we could take mine to the big end of the lake when wakers are not out. :-)

Well............no but, if you think my accent is bad now. You should have known me about 10-15yrs ago! LOL!

Oh and wrench......... I'm only considering new because I've been wanting new for years. I want a bigger boat that the whole family can enjoy (my daughter is ALL ABOUT fishing at only 3yrs old) and I need a boat big enough to cart my wife..........I mean the entire family around in! LOL!

How the heck did I leave out LUND.... I knew I was forgetting something. If I got one, does that mean I have to start adding the words "Eh" to the end of every sentence????? EH? LOL!

Suddenly.......when mention of a new boat comes into question my wife takes a sudden interest in fishing and boating in general. I already have my 2 kids hooked on it so looks like Dad's sports car boat will have to wait and Dad's "mini-van boat" will be the first purchase. I'm ok with that though if it gets my family into fishing. That's what it's all about right? Fun with family passing on the values and sport of fishing to the little ones? Here's what I'm looking at.... Lowe FM175 Pro WT with a 150 Optimax http://www.loweboats.com/2013/fishing-machine/fm175-pro-wt/ Or http://www.trackerboats.com/boat/?boat=3501 If anyone has experience or opinions on either of these boats or deep v aluminum in general, I'd appreciate some help.

Skeeter TZX190 What I WISH I had and what I'm looking at getting within the next year (or more). Except it will have the new 150SHO on it. Would it be "crass" to mount downriggers to a bass rig like this? LOL! They are removable after all. I could use them or stow them when not in use.

This is true. That and I keep trying to runaway with the boat. :-)

Hint .... Rhymes with "cake" And... "Quaker"

Oooooohhhh!!! You just got called out. OK....I was thinking it too but I just didn't say anything! Lol!! As far as wife and boat situations go......just ask fishinwrench. I have you all beat. Hands down. Wife hates my boat!! She wants.........well I can't even admit it in public. Its just too embarrassing! Lol!

I'd say that boat looks great for 15yrs old. A well taken care of boat is always a good thing to see. I saw a newer 21ft Triton on the road yesterday and it looked like he let his dog chew the tops of the seats off. I know the boat was less than 5yrs old too which is sad to see exposed foam on the tops of the seats on a boat that new. I freak out when I get a scratch!!!

You failed to mention the part about you finding that old Evinrude with most of the parts in a 5gal bucket! LOL! I think that's pretty cool. Having fished from this little rig, it's a very stable rig and a good fishing platform.

Gee.........there's enough detail there as if you were selling your ride! LOL! Ok, I'll join in. Lord knows I have enough photos of my boat over the years. I guess I should start off with a few before and after photos. I'm the 3rd owner and when I got her, she needed a little "love and care". So some wet-sanding and hi-speed polishing made a big difference. Then I painted the trailer (rattle can budget) and I also sanded and polished the motor cowling. And over the last few years, she looks like this now.

Hahahaha! You say that as if "Arnold" the Terminator said that......... Glad they are coming back again. Hopefully they will continue to praise the lake. It's not received the best publicity in the last 10yrs with people saying "its not a big bass lake". Well I say, if they are so good and fish for a living........suck it up and catch one because they are in there. :-) They are just next to impossible to catch because they are very leary and don't follow the typical patterns. I've learned that personally with hands on experience.

Stupid auto correct changes all my words....thanks Droid!! Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

I have the Elite 5dsi and like it but......if that's you only unit, you will want traditional sonar. The Elite units are Gen 1 and not as good as the Gen 2 units like the HDI units. The Elite is not real good for picking up fish on the graph unless you know what you're looking for. They don't show up as traditional "fish arches" lime traditional sonar. I'd recommend a color sonar with built in GPS if you want a GPS unit. Otherwise, by a nice 5-7" color graph as that's all you need. I'd you can later splurge and get a side-scan unit with structure scan and a color graph......you will change how you think about fishing. Side scan is awesome and I can't wait to get one on my new boat. You can find fish from one side of the lake to the other without moving. There's just no hiding and you don't waste a lot of time/fuel looking for fish. That's my advice. Color sonar and no structure scan. Elite 5 or Elite 7 without the "dsi". That's a good graph but you can get a color Eagle graph (made by Lowrance) cheaper. Probably $200. Add in a car graph for the front with the money saved! :-) Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

Uh huh........SURE! That's what happened. ;-)

Geez man, your typos are worse than mine!! Lol!!!

In all honesty, call Lowrance technical support. That might help.

That would be a question for Feathers&Fins and others are are lucky enough to have fancy Gen-2 sonars. :-) Have you tried surface clarity? Also.....I have to ask the obvious. Are you sure the bait is beneath the transducer and in about 20ft of water? Tried 40ft yet? I've noticed that my graph won't pickup my bait some times and others its clear as a bell. Depends on if the bait is in the cone angle. Deeper the water, the bigger the cone angle. Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

What type of graph are you looking for? Again.....depends on what and how you fish. You could be quite happy with a $150 Eagle.