Fishing Forum

This year i have the ole 14foot aluminum ready to do battle with some finned feinds. (yes feinds, not freinds). i think i am all set up with the required equip...heres my list if some of you more seasoned boaters could look it over i would appreciate pointers on anything i have forgotten or might work better than what i have lined up.

1. boat: 14 foot 1940 something aluminum dream. no paint
2. motor: 7.5 Hp 1949 Champion 2 cycle outboard lubed and ready
3. life jackets for 2 adults and 2 kiddie sized
4. work basket: includes flate head screwdriver and phillips look alike, extra gear oil, spark plug spare, adj. wrench for afore mentioned spark plugs, flashlight just incase)
5. rods n reels.
6. fish finder: bottom line tourney 1100 with temp sensor no speed its old boat everything is trolling speed.
7. cushion for butt padding on bench seat.
8. 2.5 gallon gas tank premixed for motor (motor has 1 gallon tank attached to it.)
9. current registration till 6-08
10. old coffe can to serve as head and bailing device.
11. battery operated clamp on bow and stern lights (I understand i may need these for this craft or i could go with just a flashlight but I err on the side of no tickets.)
12. stringer
13. my tackle
14. two paddles for a canoe that work nicely if i have to row ( I couldnt find a set of oars that were cheap for just in case that would fit in the oar locks on the boat)
15. battery for the finder and nothing else its the mini one anyone have ideas on a charger that would work on the water for a multi day trip? solar? i dont want a bunch of batteries around.
16. buddies to fill second seat on boat.
17. 2 rod holders for any type rod one mounted near bow one mounted near aft on opposite sides of boat.

Basically i want to play the boy scout bit and be ready for anything that may occurr to kill the day, i can make due with difficulites that may make the day longer, but i want to avoid getting off the water if i can when i go i want to be gone. any other items you all have/can think of that i may need to stay on the water if something goes wrong while i am there? any input is welcome and thanks in advance.

this is my child hood dream of a boat so im 30 trying to figure this out, i did alot on my inlaws 28 footer up at the gorge but this little aluminum one is a world apart from that.

i also need a trailer for it if someone has one they want to get rid of cheap, i talked to garbagman a while ago and never made it up to so. ogden to get it, i am thinking less than 100 bucks it just needs wheels i can McGuyyver the rest of it. thanks.
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Sounds like you got the right gear but I'll throw in a couple more items - fire extinguisher - I think it's the law if you have a gas tank, light weight anchor and 100' rope - if your motor dies or you need to hold up you'll need an anchor or use it to tie your boat off - it's always good to have a good hunk of rope.

I picked up a cheap electric trolling motor for my 12' aluminum boat and since you have a battery setup you might think about that option - a second motor is sometimes a great thing for piece of mind.

Good Luck and remember the most important thing with a small craft is to get your "sea legs" - keep your seat and watch the wind.

A couple of times I was caught on the downwind side of the lake and since my little boat is a V hull I pulled into shore and put about 70 pounds on rocks in the front for blatist(?) to keep me upright/
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Something that you definitely need is a couple of shear pins for the prop on that motor and an extra cotter pin to hold it on. This takes up minimal room, adds practically no weight, and can save a day if you hit the bottom or a object with your prop and shear a pin.
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YOU NEED TO ADD A HORN AND ALSO A THROWABLE FLOTATION DEVICE THAT IS LIFEGUARD CERTIFIED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT I CANT REMEMBER, THE CUSHION UNDER YOUR BUTT MIGHT BE ONE I DONT KNOW. THEY ALSO TOLD US WE NEEDED A CAPACITY PLATE IN OUR 15FT ALUMINUM BUT WE CANT FIND ONE ANYWHERE AND I DONT THINK IT IS AN ITEM THEY PURSUE UNLESS YOUR OBVIOUSLY OVERWEIGHT IN YOUR BOAT CAPACITY.
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I didn't see net on the list, bringing up a large fish on a boat requires a net, otherwise you can look but not land. lol
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I would add a couple small clamp on downriggers so you can fish at deeper depths. M.H.
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As was said, you need a "sound producing device" by law. I carry whistles on boats without a horn, which are legal and approved sound producing devices. Easier than wiring a horn.
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how much power do you think would be needed for a 14 footer? i have a 22 Lb thrust minnkota i use on my float tube. i would need to use the battery for it but if its just back up i wouldnt need a big one....hmmm..thanks.
do you need an extinguisher if the tank is on the motor? i will just have a gas can to refill the motor tank with.

i have rope, no anchor yet...i was planning on just filing a sack with 20 pounds of rocks or something and using that for the mean time untill i find a decent 15 pound anchor for it.

the rocks you used for weight distribution were a form of ballast to keep your self level over the caps of the waves to keep the nose down so to speak right?
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i will get those thursday...thanks that would be a day killer huh.
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can you use a whistle instead of a horn? Or do i have to have one of those little air horns on the boat? i didnt think if your vessel was under 21 feet you had to have a throwable, i will research it a bit more. thanks for the heads up. i was told mine was too old to fall into the requirements for a cap plate. i have one, you cant read it though its corroded.
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the net falls into the "my gear" area....its 4 feet long with a 30 inch opening, all aluminum to match my boat. LOL [cool]
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that is a later addition, i have been eye baling those little scotty clamp ons with a 8 pound ball and 100 feet of steel cable, but you can add more up to 250 feet i think......i need the wife to clear me for that later on.
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i was thinking i could just whistle...is that not okay, i have an orange flag i can use to signal with too...but ill get a marine whistle what are they like 2 bucks at wally world.....its not worth it to NOT have one.
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Throwable or type IV PFD is not required on vessels under 16', BUT it is strongly recommended and I second the opinion![] Also, the sound device is not required on vessels under 16', but again, strongly recommended. And for the price of a simple life guard wistle, you might as well!

You can check out all the boating regs for Utah State Parks following this link:

[url "http://stateparks.utah.gov/boating/checklist.html"]http://stateparks.utah.gov/boating/checklist.html[/url]

Last time out at Willard with a buddy, we had the younger (NO OFFENSE JEFF!!) ranger do a safety checklist (Random and un-refusable) on my buddy's boat. Come to find out, he had a couple of things lacking. So, that link has some good info to stay on the safe side! Good luck man!

djole
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thanks, i have the type IV life jackets old school water skiier type with the buckles, i also have all the other stuff except for a horn or whistle but that is a planned addition to the "stuff" bucket.

I am also not requiered to have a fire extinguisher unless the boat has a tank "built in" mine is just a gas can 2.5 gallon to refill the motor if needed but i can run for a few days solid on one tank on top of the motor. I think it may be more dangerous for me to carry the gas can on board for spillage reasons than fire i keep it shaded in the bow and when i am camping it gets left at camp. i still think a fire killer is a good idea for camping and fishing on the boat though so ill head to harbor freight in the next while and see if i can find a cheap on maybe ill go to that fire prevention place on main and what about 17th or 21st i forget...but right in that area.

thanks all of you for the input it really helped me tune into what i really need on that boat, i mean with all the gear and up to 3 guys on it 14 feet gets real small real fast.
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