Not Pretty, But Get's It Done

[lowe]

Uncovered the boat today to snap some pictures of it, and to also ask some questions. This is a 1983 LOWE Bass Catcher Pro. It is 16ft long and the registration says it has a 6ft beam, but I haven't measured it yet. This is my first boat of this kind. With that I mean boat with anything over a 10hp engine and console controlled. I rescued this boat from a life of just sitting outside in the weather for quite some time. I now keep it covered when not in use. Since I never stop fishing all year long, It does not see a garage. Now to the questions I have.

Questions - Is this boat large enough to fish lakes and rivers such as Cumberland Lake & Cumberland River, Kentucky River and Clinch River in Tennessee, Green River and Green River Lake and also Dale Hollow Lake. I have had this boat out on Woods Creek Lake, which is 660 acres I think. It has also been on Laurel Lake, but that lake is just plain rough with all the pleasure boaters on it. It did well on both lakes, except the choppy conditions on Laurel made for a rough ride sometimes.

Most of the fishing I do is for catfish and panfish with the occasional quest for small mouth bass and stripers.

When I got the boat, I installed new carpet and replaced the very front deck where the trolling motor is mounted. I also installed seats from a 1988 Shadow Bass Boat, trolling motor and fish finder from the same boat that a friend of mine has. Also installed was a new prop on the 60hp Johnson and a new CMC PT-135 Tilt/Trim Unit and new tires on the trailer. I also installed a piece of 1/4 inch aluminum from one side of the transom to the other for added strength, new fuel lines. All in all, I ended up with $2200 dollars in the boat. It doesn't leak a drop, all the pumps and lights work correctly and the 60hp Johnson runs like a clock with 120 compression on both cylinders. I also changed the lower unit oil.

I still have to do some small things to it like one more trim piece on the carpet and two covers for the storage openings, which I have started, but just waiting for the carpet to dry on those two pieces.

After buying the boat, my main concern is what waters could I fish and what waters should I stay clear of. Any help members can give me is appreciated. Thanks

Now pictures of the boat: I forgot to take pictures of the live wells. They are under the two riding seats.

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

very sweet boat

Cumberland Lake & Cumberland River

when i lived in nash. i used to fish the river with my 12ft jon and trolling motor, you should be jumpin barge wakes with that thing! :mrgreen:

watch out for them gar! last time i was out they bit my anchor rope in half

 

[lowe]

Thanks Loggerhead Mike.

 

[ben2go]

Nice boat.I wouldn't hesitate to take your boat on big lakes and rivers.Just make sure you have the proper safety gear.I always wear a life jacket while under way and remove it while trolling.I always keep it close by.Looks like you have plenty of power for the size and weight.That should keep you out of trouble in swift currents.

 

[dedawg1149]

nice boat you did a good job =D>

 

[phased]

Really nice boat. You did a great job.

 

[Waterwings]

Nice work on the boat! 8) . When I had my Tracker PT175 w/50hp Merc on the back, we used to take it to KY Lake and Barkley Lake. It handled the big water fine, until it started to get too rough. Your rig should do well, and as stated above, wear your pfd when underway with the main motor. 8)

 

[lowe]

Thanks everyone for the comments and information. I just didn't now how big of a boat one needed for lakes and rivers such as those I mentioned. I will mostly fish Woods Creek Lake here at home for channel catfish and also Green River Lake for panfish and catfish. I'll hit Cumberland Lake too, but not until they get the dam fixed and open up the dock here in Laurel County again. I may also fish the Kentucky River, but don't know that I will venture out far West around the Ohio & Kentucky. Thanks again for your input to my questions.

 

[BassNBob]

You should be fine in that nice looking rig you rebuilt.

 

[lowe]

Thanks everyone.

 

[ben2go]

I wanna comment on your thread title.It just kind hit me.You stated it's not pretty.I think the boat is in great shape and looks good.It's hard to find a boat over a year old that looks factory fresh,even if it's cleaned and garaged after every use.

 

[bassboy1]

No problem there. I use my 1542 with a 40 for Allatoona, Carters Lake, Lake Lanier, and have plans for taking it down to the coast. Sure will beat the little 12 footer I had at the coast this past summer.

Tell me though, how do you like that CMC tilt and trim? I am thinking about obtaining one of the PT-35 units for my boat (I know my motor is a 40, but it is a propshaft rated 40, which would be equivalent to a modern 34 - 35, is weight wise equivalent to a modern 25, so I doubt it would be a problem whatsoever, and the last thing my boat needs is a 43 pound unit - the 24 of the PT-35 will be bad enough) as it was made in the second or so year that OMC had power tilt as an option, so an OEM unit will be primitive at best, and will cost probably 450 - 500 to obtain all the pieces for, as back in '75, T&T on a 40 was unheard of, so used pieces are going to be nonexistant. I have heard that some people think the trim is too quick, resulting in over adjusting while running.

I also will need to decide if my boat will like the weight of my main motor on a 5.5 inch setback, since I still will be adding a kicker on a 10 inch setback. Otherwise, I will need to look into something a little more modern that has T&T, and possibly even 4 stroke, eliminating the need for the kicker.

 

[lowe]

ben2go - I guess what I meant by it not being pretty is that the boat is not one that has all the bells and whistles like the new boats do with storage compartments out the wazoo and all the fancy console gauges and nice sparkling outboard out back. Basically things I don't need for the type of fishing I do each year.

I agree with you the boat is in good shape, but it took some work. The engine on the boat is not the factory one. It is a reconditioned engine that was gone through by Johnson under warranty from top to bottom and has less than 75 hours on it since then. Although the boat is a 1983 model, it doesn't look that old when looking at it. The boat has set unused much more than it has been in the water. I know the guy who bought it new, and he didn't use it much after putting the Johnson on it. Then he sold it to his brother -in -law, which I also know, and he didn't use it any either. The underside of the boat has no dents or harsh gashes in the aluminum. More than anything, allowing the boat to sit out and take on weather for years and years is what took a tole on the boat. Thankfully I was able to save it and put it to use.

bassboy 1 - For the times I have used the CMC unit, I love it. As to how fast it tilts and trims, I couldn't tell you that as I have never compared it to any other trim units. But from memory, it seems about the same way as a factory unit. But I can say that I would bet the CMC is much better constructed than a factory unit. It is one well built piece of machinery. You can buy it with a tilt/trim guage that will allow you to find your sweet spot each time. The way I do it is start out with the motor all the way down when taking off, then I will slowly move the engine upwards until the sound of the engine changes, and I leave it at that. I don't rip and roar up and down the water anyway. I hardly ever hit half throttle when I fish.

I think you would be alright with the smaller unit. The only thing I can think of is warranty issues if something every went wrong with the larger than recommended engine size. I just got the larger one in case I ever purchase another boat that needs the same thing, I have a unit that will handle a 135 HP engine. Again, I am well satisfied with the unit on the boat, and with one more person, it is a very easy install. It also, as you said, sits your engine back. It set my engine back 6 inches when installed.

 

[lowe]

one other thing bassboy 1 is if you do decide to purchase one of the CMC units, shop around at different distributors and work them against each other on price. Most of them will meet each others price. I ordered mine from Bass Pro Shops. Although Cabala's had it a little cheaper, it was would have been on back order for over a month, so I paid the little extra to get it much quicker.