Just Bought 1st Boat - 88 PRO 180 (have questions)

[TexasJT]

I have just purchased my first boat and am proud to join the Stratos family.

THE BOAT:
- 1988 180 PRO "STRATOS Nasville"
- 1988 Johnson GT 150
- Stainless steel 4 blade prop
- Dual console
- Humminbird 200DX fish finder
- Johnson (unknown thrust) trolling motor
- Pre-purchase check at local marine shop
Motor tested 90# compression in all 6 cylinders and running strong in their shop.
Iginition system good
Hull solid
Transom showing early signs of weakening
A plastic fuel distribution manifold of some sort was leaking. They are replacing.
A few electrical items are not working (nothing major)
VRO pump working good
- Lower unit was replaced with rebuilt in 2003

THE FIRST ROUND OF QUESTIONS:
- Can I beef up the transom enough by putting a plate on both sides of it? If so, recommendations on what to get/where to buy?
- I'm told I can plug a charger into the trolling motor receptacle on the bow and flip run/charge switch to charge batteries. What type of charger should I get? Am I better off to get a 2 or 3 bank charger and mount in engine compartment?
- I've heard bad things about VRO pump. Should I disconnect and pre-mix gas & oil?
- Boat doesn't have horizontal fin (supposed to aid with hole shot?) on lower unit. Is this something I should look into? What do they cost?
- There is a silver flake band around the top of the boat. Gel coat appears to be gone as I can feel the flakes. How do I get this re-sealed without spending a lot of money? (I need to be able to financially support Bass Pro Shop)
- Are the stringers in this boat fiberglass?
- Passenger console needs a windshield. Where can I get one?

That's all for now. I appreciate you reading my questions and any and all help is greatly appreciated...Jim

[PowerFish]

You can probably get a windsheild from C&O marine parts. http://www.candomarineparts.com/

A heavy duty motor mounting plate might help, someone else here will know more.

If the VRO is working, why disconnect it? My experience is they are reliable and makes life a lot easier than premix.

Don't put a hydro-foil on it unless you really want to, holeshot is something to be mastered and setup of the boat helps immensly.

Don't know about the stringers, first guess would be they are probably fiberglass encapsulated wood.

[trisonmike]

I installed a new 3 bank on board charger from Bass Pro. I reccomend it to anyone. its easy and works great. I shopped for it,and they had the best charger for the price.
Go for the 3 bank and keep a back-up trolling battery charged on board.

[Sprint7890]

I have a 1989 285 Pro and am curious about the run/charge switch too. My trolling motor works on the charge selection with a lower output...does this actually put a trickle charge back into the batteries?