I'm not sure how many of those reading this blog own a boat, but I'm sure that those who do can completely understand me when I say this: when does it end???
I'm currently on my 4th and 5th boats, a 2003 Ranger 618VS and 2009 Cherokee 14' v-bottom. Yes, two boats. Why? Because I'm psychotic and can't make up my mind on what I want. Well, I can, I just can't find the boat with which I'd do it all.
It started when I began going on my yearly trip up north to Devils Lake, ND with my brother Mark. First few times were on his VIP Convertible 200, a 20' 8" fish and ski with a bass boat style hull. Absolutely gorgeous boat. I decided then and there that I needed to get myself a boat. Just so happened the following summer, in 2009, I gave my old '87 Honda CRX to my girlfriend's dad and received a old 1976 14' Starcraft v-bottom. Only had a 30lb trolling motor, no outboard. I was ecstatic! My first boat! I used that boat constantly, preferring it over my buddy's modified 14' ski boat for fishability. She leaked a bit, but it was
my leaky boat. I eventually put a 7.5hp Gamefisher motor on her that ran terribly but got me across the lake...eventually. Over the winter I made some modifications that included a false floor, front deck, pedestal seating, fish finder, bow mount trolling motor and a '95 Evinrude 15hp outboard. Even put a new coat of dark green paint above the waterline and from that line and below I added two coats of truck bed liner. The trailer was upgraded and received some "river rails" for ease of loading. It was awesome! With the new motor she did 13 mph with me and a buddy. A far cry from the over 60 mph my brother's boat was capable of, but awesome for local Iowa lakes nonetheless. A friend of mine finally convinced me that I needed to take it on the river, and in doing so, I was scared away from it forever. The depth kept going in and out so I was never sure how deep I was. I boated in fear the entire 2 hours. That was the last time she ever saw the water. I sold her that spring for less than she was worth, but it went to someone who used it.
My second boat was an '89 Javelin 17' Fish/Ski. HUGE upgrade from my "Turd Boat" (as she was called). The Javelin was a fantastic boat and lived next to my 14' for a few months. With the 115 Evinrude on the back, I was able to scoot around the lake at 42 mph on a regular basis, and oh did I ever take every opportunity to do that! She went everywhere, from the tree-laden Brushy Creek to 4-5 waves at Spirit Lake (oops) to the smaller Big Creek and Saylorville, down to Blue Heron and Badger. Did a little tubing with her, but for the most part I was in it for the fishing. Halfway through ownership I upgraded the electronics to a Lowrance HDS-5 and the trolling motor from the old Evinrude 28lb thrust to a Minn Kota Edge 50lb thrust. BIG difference! Felt like a whole new boat! I fished that boat for about a year, and then something wonderful happened: my brother was selling his VIP.
My good hunting and fishing buddy Kronk took interest in my Javelin and took it off my hands at the end of July. Middle of August of 2010, I was the proud new owner of that beautiful VIP! She came with some serious upgrades from the Javelin, including an insanely spacious rod locker, unbelievable amounts of storage (I could fit in the rear storage compartments), a nice trolling motor, tons of space and a wicked 200hp Yamaha V-Max outboard capable of propelling me to highway speeds on the water. FINALLY! A boat worth keeping!!! My brother had sold his boat so he could get a deeper hulled boat for running Devils Lake in chop without concern for getting wet. His choice of boat: Ranger Reatta 2050VS, complete with Yamaha 200hp 4-stroke and matching 9.9 kicker. Yeah. Definitely an upgrade. I was stoked for mine, though! No need for deep V hulls in Central Iowa. However, I soon learned how much of a pain it was to launch and land that thing solo. Not only that, but parking it was a complete mess. Towing it was tough on my F150, too, as her tow weight was at the cusp of towing capacity. I put her away for the winter and in the spring, my latest and greatest came to being. My Ranger finally arrived.
Craigslist had a wonderfully perfect 618VS listed that was in my favorite color (green) and just happened to match my truck, even in year (both 2003's). Perfect! After much deliberation and a few trips out there to look at it, I pulled the trigger. As soon as she got home she received some quick cleanup updates to the interior, a thorough walk-through of the motor and I then upgraded her electronics to a new Humminbird 898ci with side-imaging/down-imaging. She hasn't made it to Devils yet, but she has had quite a few hours put on her since. Been to Okoboji, Red Rock, Big Creek, Saylorville and even the river (yes, I took it on the river).
A few months ago I came across a 14' v-bottom with a Johnson 25hp for sale on Craigslist and decided I must have it. 2 days later, it was in my garage. That boat never fully dried in the first week as I had it out every day on the river, even took it to Okoboji. Had some work to do on the outboard, but she's a fantastic fishing boat. Added seats and electronics on it as well as night lights. She's decently wide and deep, so I never feel as tippy as I did in my old 14'. This winter I will be doing some serious work to it, removing the benches and installing a new floor plan.
Here's where the saga doesn't end. Spent about 30 minutes this morning looking around on the internet between Craigslist and other sites and decided I already know what my next boat will be: a Ranger 619VS with a kicker. Yeah. However, given the price for a used one that a few years old ($25,000+!!!!), it won't be for several years. But yet I still look. Why? Because boats are awesome and there's always something else that's better. But owning that big VIP taught me one valuable lesson: bigger does NOT mean better.
No comments:
Post a Comment