I was fortunate enough to purchase this boat almost brand new at the end of 2019. Since it was my first fishing boat (I usually fished off the family pontoon) I kept the upgrades it came with from the previous owner....The boat had been updated to a 24v trolling motor (an 80lb fortex) an older Lowrance HDS8 pair with structure scan and a power pole micro, and was wired with a manual switch for jumpstarting the 12v battery if it died on the water. The rest of the boat was completely stock, and not a scratch on it.
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I live on a lake and due to the pandemic and living in NY, I was given ample time off of work and other obligations to fish this year.....my lake is small, and the few other lakes I fish in the area are also small.....This boat is perfect for my lake, both fishing and family use....
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After a few weeks of owning the boat my powerpole micro blew fuses almost every time I used it....I sent the unit back for exchange multiple times but each time it would start blowing fuses after a few trips. It was determined due to the unit being close to the water it was getting too wet (turns out they are not water proof?) so power pole took care of me (best customer service ever!) and by June I had come up with some cash to put a single full sized pole on the back.
I also fished on a friends boat with a Terrova......spot lock was a game changer and I had to have it. After weeks of deliberation I decided on a ulterra over an ultrex. At the end of last season this is where we ended up.....
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In upstate NY we have LONG winters, last time the boat was in the water was November.....and there is still walkable ice out there as we speak, so i had lots of time to tinker in the offseason. Try as I might I just couldnt get used to the electric pedal on my ulterra, it had to go and i was switching to an ultrex, along with this I decided to add an additional power pole, and due to needing to move my batteries around to accommodate the pumps I decided to go thru the entire boat bow to transom and upgrade just about everything I wanted.....
This thread is going to cover all the upgrades best I can. I am long time high end European technician that got my start in the aftermarket car world, so I understand the need to share info as much as possible with step by step instructions. So that being said, any suggestions or questions as I go thru this....please feel free to add or ask!!!!
Teaser of whats to come.....
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