Supreme Boat General Info Request

[onemgepi]

Hey guys, I need some info/help.

After wade fishing for years I decided to get a boat.

I now have a Supreme 48" boat.

1. What motor should I get ( I can not afford a 40/30 jet) (was leaning towards a new 20hp yamaha or Honda)?

1a. Is there any thing I should know about before mounting this motor, that is not the typical dealership mount?

2. I hear I need a drag chain, how do I make one and how do I attach it to the boat to use it?

2a. What easiest way to learn safest use of this without sending my kids for a swim?

3. What other tricks should I know before setting this boat up to maximize ease of use and function?

Thanks in advance

Ps. I live near the Little Red so I will be fishing there the majority of the time, with the occasional trip to the White.

[CartneyAccess]

I would get the the short shaft Yamaha they are bulletproof and a little cheaper than the honda. The Merc would be a little cheaper than the both and there good too. If your boat is a newer model I know for sure the motor will mount right up. Just put it in the middle and clamp her down. Drag chains work excellent as long as you clip them to a zip tie. That way if they hang up they just break off and you stay in the boat.

[onemgepi]

Yes, it is one of the newer ones. Rod tray on one side, metal rails etc.

Do I zip tie it to the metal railing, seems like could pull the rail loose?

What size and length of chain, rope?

Why do some people drill holes in the transom to mount the motor? ( there are 2 new ones at my local boat store, never been in the water, but they have drill holes in transom.)

[Ham]

I have a have a 42 inch boat. IF I ever wear it out, my next boat will be a 48 inch boat. So, good on you for having the 48 inch boat.

On my drag chain setup, I have a bicycle inner tube with a loop to loop connection to the rope. A section of pool noodle is over the inner tube. I have a spring clip on the innertube to attach to the bow eye. Make sure that your inner tube, rope, and chain all together ARE NOT long enough to reach the prop. I attach the drag chain to the bow eye when I pull away from the launch and leave it deployed the entire trip UNLESS I'm on the Norfork of course. Chains will hang, but the inner tube has some give so you aren't snatched off your feet. I've never lost a chain. I use the drag chain only to keep the boat parallel to the current NOT to slow the boat down. I carry a heavier anchor to throw up on dry ground if I beach the boat and want to go for a walk about to keep my boat from wandering off while I'm gone. I never anchor in current.

You'll be safest IF you go out a few times with moderate generation so that grinding your prop isn't a sure thing. I've always run a jet, but I would want my prop motor free to kick up rather than LOCKED in a down position. You need to spend time at the tiller and get a feel for it AND it is vital that you have a motor that starts every time you need it and the quicker you can do so the better. Always watch down current for upcoming troubles BUT be able to fire that motor up quickly when needed.

I have a buddy that swears you should NEVER use it in reverse gear while on a river like the White. He insists that only bad things happen in reverse. At a minimum, back up sparingly and only when you know everything that is behind you.

I added some rubber with a grid pattern to the decks to make some non slip areas.

I added the 3M sandpaper grippy tape to the trailer so that I can walk on it w/o falling to launch the boat in low water.

Carry a sponge in the live well to get up water and dirt from inside the boat during the trip.

Carry a laundry detergent jug with a generous cut out in the top to act as a hand held port - a - potty. Leave the handle attached. Dump and rinse after discrete use.

Figure out how far you need to back your boat in before your boat motor can pull it off the trailer. Make a mental note of this.

Figure out how far you need to back the trailer in to optimally put the boat on the trailer. Make a mental note of this.

Angle your trailer down current went you back the trailer in ESPECIALLY when putting the boat back on the trailer. Get the nose of the boat just past the down current corner and turn in sharply to load the boat. Putting a boat on the trailer with a jet is harder than with a prop. Trust me on this.

[onemgepi]

Thank you, Cartney and Ham

You are awesome!!

It's the little things from those of you with more experience that I am looking for.

PS I really want a jet but the 6k price is hard to swallow, and worse on my bank account.

Anyone else have some useful tips?

[onemgepi]

Cartney, you said you hang your chain from the middle of your boat.

What do you attach it to?

[CartneyAccess]

You bolt the motor down mainley to make it harder to steal. But keep in mind, very few motors have the same mounting holes. So if you every imagine mounting another motor on it I wouldn't drill it because then you have holes in your transom that need repaired. I bought a brand new boat last year and I did not drill my transom. My boat is kept in the garage though. If a dealer says its a brand new boat and it has holes in the transom I would certainly want to know why. Sorry so long, CABINFEVER

[onemgepi]

They are new 2013 stock at Sunrise Marine in Searcy, they said that they mounted motors on them and then sold the motors off the boats.

Now they are asking 14.5k for a new boat with 4 big 1/2" holes.

I paid 5k for a 2 yr old boat but it had two 1/4" holes. (Someone told me to fix them with dowel rod and fiberglass resin.) Now I got to figure out what motor to get and get her all rigged up.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[CartneyAccess]

Cartney, you said you hang your chain from the middle of your boat.

What do you attach it to?

I put a heavy zip tie around the d-ring on the front of the boat. Then attach chain to that.

[onemgepi]

Gotcha.

Thx