How was everyone's boating season?

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C_M_25
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Location: Central Oklahoma

How was everyone's boating season?

#1 Post by C_M_25 » Wed Sep 30, 2015 5:55 pm

I know there is a bit of season left, but it is starting to end for the folks up north. How was everyone's summer? Any big trips/notable experience/big fish? Here's how mine went:

Fished for a few weeks in early April - Caught the biggest bass I've seen out of my lake
Rained out from late April to the start of July
Trailer crapped out on me at the end of July
Still waiting on trailer to be repaired, i.e. no boating for 10 weeks!!! Oh well.

Hope everyone had a better year than me! :drink
2014 Sweetwater 2086SW
90 Hp Yamaha 4-stroke

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teecro
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#2 Post by teecro » Wed Sep 30, 2015 6:12 pm

Put over 70 hours on the hour meter in four 2-weeks stretches thus far..... I work on Great Lakes ships for 4 weeks with a 2 week off so my time off means a lot to me....
T CRO
2017 Berkshire CTS 24 RFX with Yamaha F150/Simomized 200
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LittleRiver
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#3 Post by LittleRiver » Wed Sep 30, 2015 6:44 pm

Did all the customizing to the toon last fall, and I really used it a lot this year. Tore the top up, my fault but it led to ordering another top and rails for the front and picking up the new back top this weekend. Changed the color to pacific blue so turned the toon up a notch with the brighter color.
This hurricane if it tracks where they moved it today will direct hit me, and mess the fishing up for the rest of the year. Those things always play havoc on fishing when they come but we'll still slow cruise the river after its gone till late Nov or till its to cold to enjoy.
Poly on the trailer almost put the pontoon in the back of the pickup. GO SLOW if you poly the trailer rails. It really slides. LOL
Going to try and upgrade to the max 115 over winter. Just want it if I need it. Anyone have one they are going to upgrade please let me know. Don't mind 2 stroke or not. Consider either.
feels like last year now, about the time I finished everything it turned cold. LOL Twin tops are ready for next year anyway.
It can't come soon enough for us.
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NonHyphenAmerican
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Location: South Central Kansas in Hooterville

Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#4 Post by NonHyphenAmerican » Wed Sep 30, 2015 7:27 pm

Have thoroughly enjoyed our toon so far this season.

Spent yesterday at the lake bobbing around and fishing.

Didn't catch anything but little ones, but enjoyed it anyway.

Spent Sunday at the lake and watched the lunar eclipse start up before my elderly mother-in-law needed to head home. (She'd broken her left femur in July and isn't totally up to snuff but not bad for an 85 year old lady)

I've been out on the lake 67 times since we put the boat in the water in April.

Caught some nice fish this year. The biggest was a 28" Blue Cat on 6 pound test with a crappie rig. Had to throw him back as he was too little on El Dorado Reservoir with a 35" limit. That was fun though. I'm pretty sure everyone on the lake that day heard me hollering!

I've gotten much better at hitting the slip without bumping the boat due to Kansas winds.(The bow mounted trolling motor helps immensely with that as a "Bow Thruster")

Plan on a few more trips out on the water before pulling the boat the first part of November as by that time, it starts getting too cold and the ice starts in freezing up the lake.

So far, it's been fun and it's been safe.

I'm hoping it's been that way for all ya'll as well.
[color=#FF0000][b]22' G3 SunCatcher V22F
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RcgTexas
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#5 Post by RcgTexas » Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:36 pm

We put the camper at Rayburn for two months this summer and I spent a lot of time fishing and scouting. The wife worked the weekdays and came up on weekends.

I primarily crappie fish and on one outing caught a 9 pound bass on a minnow with a wire hook on a perch rod! largest bass I have ever caught. :nana :nana :nana

The boat performed well and I did enjoy pulling the kids on the tube when they came up. A good time was had by all!

It was a good summer and I can't wait for the wife to retire so I can spend more time fishing the lakes of Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
1995 beachcomber conversion to tritoon with Honda 135 ,

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Bamaman
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#6 Post by Bamaman » Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:54 pm

I continue to work on the balcony on our lake house--and am down to painting and installing 200 firring strips over the screen--upstairs and down. I really never got around to running much on the Bennington the last 2 years.

We started the Summer with a lot of rain. Then it got very hot. But when the summer winds usually die down, we were getting strong winds and whitecaps that made boating difficult.

After 3 years' usage, I'm right at 60 hours usage. Our Waverunner's about at the same on hours.

We took off for 3 weeks in Scandinavia on a Baltic cruise in August and September--including visiting St. Petersburg, Russia. I've now seen the region and probably will never return. At TGI Fridays two burgers and Cokes were $60.

Now it's been cloudy for quite sometime and again it's windy 10-15 mph. Sun is not in the weather forecast for the near future. I expect to have some quiet days in the coming weeks--even if we have to wear coats when out on the water.
'12 Bennington 24' SSLX Yamaha 150

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ROLAND
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#7 Post by ROLAND » Wed Sep 30, 2015 9:25 pm

still have a little boating season left down here in Louisiana.... we've been out probably 7 or 8 times this summer.. mostly crappie fishing... so far still have about a quarter tank left from the fill up at the beginning of the season... I assume by the end of october we'll have to put the boat to bed for the winter.
Roland & Jo
2010 Bennington 20 Sfi
Yamaha 75 4 Stroke
Shreveport, Louisiana

Big had
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#8 Post by Big had » Thu Oct 01, 2015 3:11 am

Been a great season thus far. Was out just last weekend and have many winter trips planned. While I truly want out of where I live this post reminds me of the benefit of being here.
Boating is a year round experience for me.
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OK Toon
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#9 Post by OK Toon » Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:46 am

Boating has pretty much stunk this year. Had 1 good outing in March then engine problems in April. But before I could work on the boat, we had all of the heavy rains in Oklahoma so I spent the next couple of months dealing with dock issues due to the high water. Couldn't use the boat ramp to get the boat out till almost July. Finally got the boat loaded on the trailer and tried to diagnose the engine problem (pulled the built-in fuel tank to clean it and all of the fuel lines, checked the fuel filter and replaced the plugs -- but still had engine problems). Finally took it to one mechanic who was swamped. After a couple of weeks I get a call after he's done a compression check that he thinks it's either a blown head gasket or worse, but he doesn't have the correct tools to work on a Yamaha engine. So I haul it to a dealer that sells/repairs Yamahas. After a couple of weeks I get a call that after they performed a leak-down test, it isn't as bad as originally thought. They pulled and cleaned all 4 carbs, but the problem still existed. They ended up replacing a coil and all plug wires and it ran great for them in the tank for over an hour. I picked it up a couple of weeks ago and after 15 minutes into our ride, the engine problems returned. The thought now is the CDI is causing firing problems after the motor gets hot running over 4500 RPM (they had the cowling off and only running up to 3000 RPM in the tank, so that would not have generated the same heat). Took the boat back last Saturday to the dealer mechanic and now I'm just waiting on the results of further testing - since our motor is a 2003, it doesn't have a way of connecting to a computer to diagnose the problem. So needless to say, I'm ready for this summer to be over -- it's been a very expensive summer between dock and boat repairs. Looking forward to next year and hopefully we'll have better luck.
Kim and Steve
2003 Lowe Suncruiser Trinidad 222
2003 Yamaha 90hp 4-stroke
2008 Toyota Tundra 5.7
Spend most of our time on Lake Eufaula

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mike
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#10 Post by mike » Thu Oct 01, 2015 8:08 am

Didnt get out once this year, tags are still sitting on my desk. :oops: :coffee
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FLOUNDERPOUNDER225
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#11 Post by FLOUNDERPOUNDER225 » Thu Oct 01, 2015 9:27 am

Well, since buying the boat a month ago, we have been having a blast with it. I sold my 26' Aquasport, good thing to help off set the new boat purchase. In 2 weekends we put over 20 HRS on the engine and she was ready for the 20 hr break in service. Traveled from Pcola to Destin on the ICW, great cruise, about 45 miles each way. This tri-toon handles the waves and chop better than my previous boat, at least smoother and zero spray. No fishing yet, currently installing a fresh water wash down system in the boat, and still deciding which way to go on fine tuning my prop performance. Other than that, loving it.
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BobG
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#12 Post by BobG » Thu Oct 01, 2015 11:24 am

Best summer ever.

Finished with over 5,100 miles and over 920 hours on the boat, after just 4 seasons.
2012 Tahoe 24' Fish-n-Fun Tritoon, with Mercury 115 HP 4-Stroke
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HandymanHerb
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#13 Post by HandymanHerb » Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:00 pm

With all the driving to get jeeps and stoves and then working on Stoves, I haven't even got out yet this year, but I love the fall in Florida, the lakes are quieter
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curtiscapk
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#14 Post by curtiscapk » Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:20 pm

Flooding sucked for me as well! WE did get out 3 times, starting August 26th and they went fine! so that's a plus right?
Craig and Paula
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ron nh
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Re: How was everyone's boating season?

#15 Post by ron nh » Thu Oct 01, 2015 2:58 pm

We had drought all summer,I couldn't get on some smaller lakes and rivers often. I had less than 1" of rain since july in my town, then got 5" yesterday. My fish finder reads 88hrs so my motor probably got 40?. I plan on using thru October. 1st year with a pontoon was great, I use it differently then I anticipated but it's the most versatile boat I've had. Got to the salt water bays a few times, mostly hit the bigger lakes in the mountains and a little bit of Maine. My goal next year is the lakes in northern Maine where you would think your in Alaska.
2015 Qwest LS 818XRE Tri-toon w/mercury 115.

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