# Boat Must Haves



## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

Over the years I've spent fishing all over Utah, I've seen boats anywhere from a Tin Can to the most expensive fishing water craft available to man. I guess it depends on ones budget and what they need. 

This is the question I'm throwing out in hopes to get a buzz going while waiting to hit the water myself. Besides a boat, sonar, pole, hooks and bait/lure, what would you consider a "must have" for a fishing boat? Be it a $50 or $250K boat.


----------



## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

taxidermist said:


> Over the years I've spent fishing all over Utah, I've seen boats anywhere from a Tin Can to the most expensive fishing water craft available to man. I guess it depends on ones budget and what they need.
> 
> This is the question I'm throwing out in hopes to get a buzz going while waiting to hit the water myself. Besides a boat, sonar, pole, hooks and bait/lure, what would you consider a "must have" for a fishing boat? Be it a $50 or $250K boat.


I would not own a boat of any size or cost without at least 2 downriggers on it.


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

+1 on the downriggers.

Couple fenders to protect from banging against the dock. Ropes, good quality ones. Anchors of course. Bimini top, its nice to get out of the baking sun. Bimini's are nice as they fold up / down in seconds depending on if you want it up or down. Good life jackets of course. I also like a radio that has huge internal storage (or USB slot for flash drive) to have tunes wherever we are. I love a troll plate on the motor to really slow things down trolling. Good tangle resistant fishing nets with long handles. One thing I love is a 1 gallon painters bucket on a 6ft rope. I dip the bucket to bring in some water to clean fish in, or wash something. Dont have to bendover (I also do this when shore fishing, toss out the bucket to get some water, sit in comfort on the shore and clean fish). Rubber coated cable stringer... doesnt scratch the side of the boat. Roll of trash bags... they are always useful. Flash light.

-DallanC


----------



## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I agree with the downrigger. Doesn't matter if your fishing with what the fish want, if your not placing it where they are...… Well, what's the point? 

Personally, I like a small "kicker motor" for trolling. Hard to get the speed needed with the BIG motor.


----------



## MrShane (Jul 21, 2019)

A good kicker motor will possibly save your life one day.


----------



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

I use one of those "bungee" ropes -- Anchor Buddy -- when mooring my boat on a beach for the night. It works really well. I set it so that the bungee pulls the boat slightly away from shore so she isn't rubbing the hull on sand/rocks all night long.

A couple other things we keep in my boat:
sponge
towels
spray bottle with a 50/50 mix of water/vinegar
jump starter (one of those small battery jump starters)
toilet paper
sunscreen
needle nose pliers (hook removal)
first aid kit
basic tools (pliers, monkey wrench, screwdriver, etc.)


----------



## MrShane (Jul 21, 2019)

Buy a very high quality set of diagonal cutters.
While I agree with PBH about using needle nose pliers for hook removal on fish, if you have to push a hook through human skin the needle nose side cutter won’t cut the barb off very well ( depending on angle of course) in order to reverse the hook out.
Diagonal cutters will.


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

MrShane said:


> Buy a very high quality set of diagonal cutters.
> While I agree with PBH about using needle nose pliers for hook removal on fish, if you have to push a hook through human skin the needle nose side cutter won’t cut the barb off very well ( depending on angle of course) in order to reverse the hook out.
> Diagonal cutters will.


There's really no pain when a hook is super deep. Muscle doesn't have many nerve endings, those are closer to the surface on the skin. A while back I took my dad Kokanee fishing and trying to get one of those flopping things undercontrol the 2nd hook caught me on the side of the thumb near the joint, and ran very deep. The tip of the hook ran right down the bone towards the end of my thumb. It really sucked there for a moment as the fish was still flopping around yanking that hook in my thumb. 

Once I got the line to the hook cut off, I took a good look at it and had 4 options. 1 - Ignore it and keep fishing (we had just gotten there, immediately were catching kokes), 2 -Try to push it out the end, cut off the barb and pull the other end out. That was a no go, it was too deep with no way to turn the hook as it was laying against the bone. 3 - Go to the ER where i was sure they would have to cut it out, and cost alot of $$$. 4 - just yank the **** thing out. I went with option 4, took 2 tries, but I ripped it out... really didnt hurt as much as I thought it should have. Maybe some vice grips to hold it better would have helped /shrug

-DallanC


----------



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

DallanC = Tough Guy. 

Wormandbobber was once fishing a hopper-dropper setup with me on a river. He hooked a fish on the hopper. The spot we were fishing really had no bank to go to, so I figured I'd help him land the fish. As luck would have it, as I cradled the fish it made one last ditch attempt to get away, and buried the dropper fly into my pinky. The fish was still trying to get away - but I landed it pretty quickly this time!

When I tried to "just yank the **** thing out", I could feel the hook attached tissue that was also attached to my little toe! It hurt like hell! Enough so that the next thing I knew I was lounging around on a sunny beach in the tropics splashing in the waves. For some reason someone kept yelling my name in the background. Why were they bothering my tropical enjoyment?? I then felt a rush of exhilaration as cold (not cool mind you) water poured into my.....waders? What the.....


....that's when I woke up. I had passed out in the middle of the river. WormAndBobber was trying to keep me from floating downstream. He was that rude person yelling my name. Fun times.


About an hour later my dad looked at the fly in my pinky, grabbed his forceps and said "I'll get it out". I said "you have 1 try". He said "I'll count to 3. 1..." POP! The fly was out.


PBH = Pansy.  



Back to boat stuff: make sure your key is attached to a floaty thing.


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

PBH = best story on uwn... ever.

-DallanC


----------



## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

Just when I get into some great fishing, the wife typically announces that she needs to pee. She has a knack for waiting until we're a long boat ride from any outhouse or vegetation before making that announcement. Buying a little self-contained porta-potty saved my marriage.


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Finnegan said:


> Just when I get into some great fishing, the wife typically announces that she needs to pee. She has a knack for waiting until we're a long boat ride from any outhouse or vegetation before making that announcement. Buying a little self-contained porta-potty saved my marriage.


One word: Tinklebell

Trust me. My wife says its the bomb... she loves it.

-DallanC


----------



## MrShane (Jul 21, 2019)

The quality pair of cutters will cut downrigger wire clean in case you need to thread on a new terminal end while on the boat.
A spare key zip tied on to a hidden part of the boat never hurt either.


----------



## Daisy (Jan 4, 2010)

Recently.... a working kill switch and attached lanyard on federally navigable waters of the US. There are a few exceptions to when ECOSL has to be in use.









U.S. Coast Guard Announces Requirement for Use of Engine Cut-off Switch


The U.S. Coast Guard announced last week operators of recreational vessels less than 26 feet in length will be required to use an engine cut-off switch (ECOS) and associated ECOS link (ECOSL), effecti




www.nmma.org


----------



## MrShane (Jul 21, 2019)

I am still blown away that a vehicle( boat) with hundreds if not a thousand or two horsepower hanging on the back of it still has a fixed throttle.
I can’t believe the Coast Guard has not mandated spring-return foot or hand controlled throttle devices.
Oops, I hope the Feds are not reading this thread.


----------



## hondodawg (Mar 13, 2013)

Lots of good items already listed in posts. Having basic spare motor parts and good knowledge/repair skills of your motor and systems. And maybe a bottle of strong liquor. Drink half if you get a hook stuck deep in ya. Wait 15min than pour the rest to disinfect your wound after yanking the hook out. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Oh yea, Battery Disconnect. Had a starter solenoid freeze up on me once putting full power to the starter. Had to grab my leatherman and disconnect the battery really quick. Added a disconnect that week. Also great when storing the boat to prevent parasitic draw.

-DallanC


----------



## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

a magnetic bar to hold those pliers, cutters etc so they are easily accessible when needed and a good drink holder. took me awhile to find a good one of those.


----------



## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

hondodawg said:


> Lots of good items already listed in posts. Having basic spare motor parts and good knowledge/repair skills of your motor and systems. And maybe a bottle of strong liquor. Drink half if you get a hook stuck deep in ya. Wait 15min than pour the rest to disinfect your wound after yanking the hook out.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I wouldn't think of wasting good whisky that way. All of it will go into me, not on me.


----------



## MrShane (Jul 21, 2019)

A State Parks Pass to avoid the overpriced daily launch fee.

Oh yeah, can someone remind me why if you have a currently paid up boat registration why we even need to pay to use the launch?
We’ve already paid to use it, now we have to pay again to use it?
I understand having to pay if you don’t have a current registration.
I must be getting confused in my old age....


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

You think thats bad one early spring we were at strawberry on the SC boat ramp just as the ice was pulling back from shore fishing. You couldn't launch a boat, not enough water. Just enough open water to cast out 30ft. Parks guy came down, made us pay right then and there or get a ticket. 

-DallanC


----------



## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I have a State annual pass ($100)  but isn't valid at the Berry because its not a state park. With the hike of $25 they should make it valid for ALL ramps in Utah. After all, the State claims that its their water. In fact....ALL WATER IN UTAH BELONGS TO THE STATE.


----------



## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Don't forget the most important must have if you are going to own a boat. 

A extra $1000 to pay for repairs.

B break
O out
A another
T thousand


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Critter said:


> Don't forget the most important must have if you are going to own a boat.
> 
> A extra $1000 to pay for repairs.
> 
> ...


I think there are definitely boats that are like that... not my SeaRay. Its a 1987, and I think I've put maybe $350 into it over the 25 years I've had it. Shift cables I had replaced as I couldnt get the play out of the original ones going from reverse into drive, spark plug wires, a starter solenoid and finally a water separator filter on the fuel system. Its been one of the cheapest vehicles I've owned. /shrug

-DallanC


----------



## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

My wife gave me a T shirt years ago that read " a boat is a hole in the water in which you pour money". It is just what that amount might be 

But it is not hard to justify the fun.


----------



## MrShane (Jul 21, 2019)

Too much play in boat shift cables result from someone putting it in to gear without the engine running.


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

MrShane said:


> Too much play in boat shift cables result from someone putting it in to gear without the engine running.


Hmmmm interesting. All I know is it was that way when I got it. I could get it adjusted to go into drive just fine but not quite fully engage in reverse... and vice versa. I finally said F'it and took it to the pro's who quickly fixed it. Been fine ever since.

-DallanC


----------



## MrShane (Jul 21, 2019)

Those SeaRay’s are great boats, I’m glad it is treating you well.
If the wind is pushing me too fast I will start my boat, put it in to gear, and then kill engine while still in gear.
The prop will not turn as when it is in neutral and will drag the boat down to more of a trolling speed.


----------



## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

For starters, knowledge of safe boating and etiquette practices...


----------



## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I have a question about downriggers.... I have a set of older cannon manual (lake troll) downriggers I used before going electric on a boat I sold 15 years ago. One has a broken spool and looking at new spools, I see there is a SS spool available for braided rigger line instead of using SS cable. 

The question I have is.... will these spools fit on the old manuals I have? I've searched for more info but nothing out there that I've found.


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I still use 2 lake troll downriggers, they are nice. I don't drop so low its ever much of a chore to reel them in. The only difference between a lake troll and the more expensive model is the length of the boom. So, if you find a cheap source of boom material, you can extend it really easy. That said, you should email Cannon and see what they recommend for parts.

I believe its definitely worth repairing the unit.

-DallanC


----------



## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

DallanC said:


> I still use 2 lake troll downriggers, they are nice. I don't drop so low its ever much of a chore to reel them in. The only difference between a lake troll and the more expensive model is the length of the boom. So, if you find a cheap source of boom material, you can extend it really easy. That said, you should email Cannon and see what they recommend for parts.
> 
> I believe its definitely worth repairing the unit.
> 
> -DallanC


Thanks Dallan! I'll have to talk with Cannon and see what they say. They have them on there parts site for $39 but, I've found them as low as $22 on other sites. I was thinking about milling one out of aluminum if I have some spare time.


----------



## alberraderg (Dec 30, 2021)

I think many really important and necessary things have already been named here. It seems to me that the most important thing on fishing is a positive mood. When you do it in order to have fun, it's really cool. I have a great set of fishing gear. My son brought it to me as a gift from a fishing shop in Norway. But I didn't buy a boat. Too much hassle with it. I prefer to rent a fully prepared fishing boat from miami boat rental. I take with me only fishing gear and a great mood. And that's why I always have a great catch.


----------



## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

alberraderg said:


> I think many really important and necessary things have already been named here.


Such a timely and helpful comment.


----------

