trolling motor and fish finder????

[rfed32]

so i have made up my mind on the boat it will be a tracker 1232 topper. now im onto pickin a nice trolling motor that will push me around the lakes that i go to but not kill the bank and also a desent fish finder that will work well..with the fish finder i dont need anything fancy. i will be mostly fishing for bass trouth pickerel and perch. what could you guys tell me bout this stuff...on the trolling i dont want to spend more than $200.00 and for the fish finder i dont want to spend more than $100.00...if money is tight after i get the boat and all the lighting and seats i will be putin in i might have to go cheaper on the troling motor and no fish finder but a little help would be great...thanks a lot

 

[JB]

Re: trolling motor and fish finder????

A Tracker 1232 Topper? What, exactly is that? A cartopper?

In my youth, along with "walking 5 miles to school in the snow, uphill both ways" I had a small Jon. I think it was about 12'. I think it was called a river boat, very narrow. I carried it on top of my mom's car. I sat in the bow and used a skulling paddle to get around. No motor, no battery, no gas, no bux. I really didn't need even the boat, but a friend of Mom's gave it to me and I made my own skulling paddle out of a cedar plank. For a while I threw popping bugs and flies with a willow pole.

Yeah, I know. That was ancient history, but my point is that there is an awful lot of stuff that people think they need these days that they really only want. For a SONAR, I don't think you can beat an Eagle Cuda 128 for bang for the bux. Both Minn Kota and MotorGuide offer small electrics. Check out the MegaMall here at iboats.

Good luck, and don't let lack of bux keep you from fishing.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: trolling motor and fish finder????

Iboats has trolling motors. But if you luck up and keep an eye out in your local classifieds you might find a decent trolling motor and maybe even a depth finder in your price range. I seen a nice depth finder a few day ago for $80, still sealed in the box.

It all depends on what thrust you want to go with, depending on how high of thrust you wanna have, you might even be getting into 24 volt trolling motor but not for $200. There is nothing wrong with buying a used trolling motor as long as you get to test it before you buy it.

Good luck with whatever path you choose.

You could alway go this route . Just joking.

 

[John_S]

Re: trolling motor and fish finder????

I'd put the money into getting a 1236, but that is me. You will find the 32 with two people and gear very limiting. They are rather tippy too. You will appreciate the trolling motor much more after a season of rowing.

Anyway, a transom trolling motor with about 40lb thrust should do. You will not need a long shaft. A 30-36" should do. Get a group 27 (or 31) deep-cycle, and a smart charger. On small boats, I like the battery mid-ship, for weight distribution. This will require some extra wire, and to be safe, a circuit breaker.

As for $100 depth finders. go to the store and decide which display you like. On a boat you will be putting in the back of the truck, a permenent mount transducer will easily get broken. For a few dollars more you can get a portable.