Meals-On-Reels

Agree with above about the Great Lakes Special SeaNymph. It's quite possibly the most boat in one package that shouldn't give trailer issues due to size/weight, withstands some surprisingly harsh conditions, is built rock solid, and can be had pretty cheaply provided you put a little work into them. All those same features in a different style of boat would definitely be the Islander 191. Both of those boats feel much larger because of their beam. Of course there are a million boats that handle conditions better and are a dream to fish from... But factoring in weight and ease on the wallet I'd stick with those two as my recommendations.

I agree with above- confidence in your setup is key. My fav's- Mt Dew in bright sun all through the day, Blue or black down deep or on those cloudy days/early morn, dark green or white when nothing else is firing. Those are all with the crush/glow tape.

The lowest displacement E-tec is a 15hp (if they didn't drop it from production since it debuted in '09- the current website fails to show it I think). In 2011 they cancelled plans to produce E-tecs below 15hp. All 3.5-9.9hp motors are re-labeled Tohatsu's. Btw- the 15hp E-tec is a de-tuned 30/25hp that weighs in at 177lbs. I was hoping to see them in an 8 or 9.9 but it looks like that might never happen.

I'd check here or eBay/Craigslist for some electrics and if no luck I'd go the manual route. You can always upgrade later but still at least have 2 functional riggers. I never get too mad about cranking them up if I'm putting fish in the boat. Honestly the best deals I see are on Craigslist from people that don't realize exactly what they're selling. U just have to check daily for deals. I saw somebody last week out here by me post an older Big Jon electric for $60. If I could have grabbed it fast enough I would have just to pass the deal along here. Oh- just remembered my first set of riggers came off eBay for $90 (Riveria manuals) and put plenty of fish in the boat for almost nothing. They weren't fantastic, but worked till I could swing some Cannons. Polished them up and later sold them for $120 lol

There are very few components-- the hydraulic actuator is built into the coupler and is filled with fluid - brake lines carry the fluid to each weel - each wheel has a wheel cylinder that pushes the brake pads out to the brake drum As for troubleshooting? Check fluid level at the actuator (there is a cap over the reservoir) If full and ok, pull both wheels and see if the wheel cylinder functions at each wheel (if someone manually operates the actuator you should see the piston inside the wheel cylinder push outward to operate the brakes If all that functions, your brakes pads are either shot or out of adjustment. If it didn't function you either have a bad actuator, stuck wheel cylinders, cracked brake lines... Or something that let the fluid out. I had a leak that let the fluid out. I didn't fix right away and the actuator corroded inside and the wheel cylinders froze. PM me if you want and I can point you in the right direction for parts for your trailer. I was clueless last year but did a few trailers since then and used some good online suppliers. It's actually pretty cheap to do yourself.

The whole surge brake system starts at the coupler (actuator) and ends at the hubs. No cab controls for them. I ran my trailer a season without brakes and could feel it slowly killing my full-size truck. Just replaced the worn out surge brakes last week and now that they're functioning it's like night and day. I'd say you definitely have a problem with yours. Maybe out of adjustment, slight leak and fluid loss, or not bled properly. You can test them by jacking up the trailer and spinning the wheels while somebody manually activates the actuator. You should be able to verify that they are working. They are adjusted like standard drum brakes through a "window" in the back side of the backing plate. I'd start by checking the fluid level and jacking it up to test. The only thing to cause them not to work properly if they are perfectly functional is if the boat is way overweight for the trailer.

Yeah- we didn't have a single mark once we left 150 and then returned to it a few hrs later. The ones we did see looked like fish and some bait parked on the bottom in 80-120. Good to know we weren't the only ones struggling a bit.

Left Wilson in the AM. Set up in 80fow and headed North. Passed two bands of boats (one group in the 100fow area and the other at 200). Gambled and headed North trying to find a band of temp the satellite maps showed overnight. Worked out to 375' trying to find it. Didn't move a single rod. Trolled back in and found fish at 150fow (small king, wire Dipsy, 150', mtn dew/blue fly). Another at 120fow on the rigger, lost fish but felt like a Laker (85 down, blue/purp spoon). Last was a shaker King on the 85 rigger again. By the time we found the fish we were tired from the bearing we too out deep and packed it up.

Ran a 5hp Honda on my 191 Islander with no problems, but I'd do at least a 8hp for your boat. There were days the wind picked up and I wanted more to avoid struggling with the high freeboard. Just imagine if you're stranded in high winds/waves... It could be a life saver. Also, like mentioned above an 8hp will be a two cylinder and run so much smoother (this is always the case- I have a new 9.8 on one boat and a new 5hp on another and it's night and day, both do the job fine but I needed the weight savings for my little 16'). I think Yamaha was the last to make a twin cylinder 6hp ('08/'09 maybe?). Short or long shaft has never made a difference to me as I've always run kicker brackets that raise/lower for travel and fishing. Plenty of great used motors out there and the 4strokes are a no-brainer if you can swing the money. You'll make it back in fuel savings if you fish a lot. I remember running 2 6gal tanks for a day of fishing with our old 9.9 2-stroke. Now it's a few days worth of trips on 5gal. If you are looking new check out Internetoutboards.com and onlineoutboards.com (both the same place). No shipping/no tax and both motors I bought got here in 3days from Tenn. Not trying to push the brand any more than I already have... Just saying they're a great company to deal with and I love both motors.

Didn't read if you had a built in tank or portable, but... check for an anti-siphon valve and remove it. Built in tanks sometimes have them built into the hose barb or 90* hose barb coming straight off the tank. Portables will sometimes have them built in where the line exits the tank or in the line itself (or both like my Tohatsu's do). It's just an idea, as it will usually die at low rpm and be good at higher rpms (opposite of your problem I know), but may be worth a shot. Mine failed and almost put my boat on the rocks. Of course- you "should" replace them to be EPA friendly and not just remove them, but I will never have another one on any boat I own.

Lol... I'll trade you my transom but you have to take the 86gal tank too!

Like mentioned above, Johnson/Evinrude share identical parts and the Evinrude parts for a few years to follow might also work. In 2010 Evinrude signed with Tohatsu to build everything 15hp and below (I think beginning production with the 2011 model year). Evinrude decided it wasn't profitable to bring the E-tec technology down to the lower HP motors as once planned. Either way- I'd guess parts for the year you're looking at will be available for quite some time. It wouldn't factor into the decision if it were me because Evinrude is still around with no end in sight.

Great deal for somebody... Wish I had the extra cash set aside!

Good points brought up by all. I've been wondering about the spawn thing too. Being shoal spawners I just wonder if we're going to see a sharp decline in juveniles because of the gobies. It's been years now and might become noticeable soon.

Sorry Adk1- that wasn't directed specifically at you. I think a majority of people that frequent forums like these think twice about that kind of stuff. It's just sad to see some guys come up to the fish cleaning station with some tiny lakers and say "no good-fish would bite today". Sorry if that came across the wrong way.

I think it's more that the temps this year are bunching up the lakers in areas of greater angler pressure. When the temps setup quicker and stratify sooner in the season, the lakers are usually in their depths where we never really see them while targeting Kings and Steelhead, and such. With their growth rates being so slow its not like a good year or two is going to put 10lbs on a fish either. I think it's just that if you're seeing lake trout catch rates high, you'll have a greater chance of seeing really large lakers mixed in. But the trend definitely seems to be on the upswing when looking back years ago. I love catching them and often target them specifically. I just hate to see somebody keep a 20-30yr old fish and struggle to make it taste good. Especially when they are often so willing to revive for a release. Not that I'm against keeping fish, it's just that it sucks to see someone keep a 6lb laker because nothing else is biting and not even realize that the fish may have hatched way back in '05 or '06 or earlier on Lake Ontario (or back in the early '90s on a smaller lake without the same forage base).

I think it's less noticeable and less of an issue if you run the rods perpendicular (90*) off the side like Tim shows in his drawing and not 45* off the back. When I factor in the bend from the drag, my 10'6 rod is still 6' or better off the port/starboard sides and clear of the riggers. Just don't try the 90* thing if you're running cheap rod holders.