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Stopped in at the local minnow shack/boat dealership the other day and asked the manager how boat sales were going. Surprisingly, he said really well.
He sells tin boats (G3s) with 9.9s for fishing in western NJ’s horsepower-limited lakes. New, these boats go for around $11-12K.
Was surprised any boats were selling at all let alone new boats (since guys are having trouble offloading used ones). He told me that they’re selling a bunch of boats to folks who used to fish saltwater out of bigger rigs and now stay closer to home.
Interesting. I wonder:
> Is this happening in other states/regions?
> Is this trading down phenomenon only in coastal states or is it happening landlocked ones too?
> Does this indicate that for a bunch o’ folks fishing is about going fishing more than a specific type of fishing?
> Does trading down mean we’ll be getting more bassers or that lakes are/will be getting more crowded (at least in coastal states)?
Anyone see/hear of anything like this or have any thoughts?
Cheating?
Speaking of 9.9-hp motors, check this, from a local-to-me craigslist ad:
1989 Skeeter SF17S bass boat for sale. Original matching trailer with working lights, newer hub bearings, and decent tires. Boat is currently powered with a late ’80s Evinrude 15 HP outboard motor with a 9.9 HP cover.
A 15 with a 9.9 cover! Anyone run into that before?
5 Comments
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Brian
September 20, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Sold the big Triton about 3 years ago after buying a 16′ jon that I customized. Wife said I couldn’t have both 🙂 and I had stopped tourney fishing. Took the cash and ran.
As for 9.9’s with 15 hp decals, you’d laugh at how rampant that is around the 10hp lakes in this area. In most cases, 15’s are small, and the 20’s and 25’s are the deal 😉
Bo Crawford
September 20, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Yes, swapping cowling is common way to cheat on HP restricted lakes. Very common.
Yes, it is a way to cheat. But I would not complain to TD about it. 😉
Chad Keogh
September 20, 2011 at 6:33 pm
I just drive my Lowe Stinger 190 with it’s 90hp Optimax in the “Under 10hp” sections at an idle. Nobody complains, including the authorities.
Jeff Hahn
September 21, 2011 at 7:35 am
It used to be that a 9.9 hp OMC motor was exactly the same as their 15 hp motor, except for the carburetor jets. Most guys had the larger jets installed in their 9.9’s in order to be a tad faster on restricted horse power lakes. Or, they would buy a 15 hp motor and use a cowling from a 9.9 hp motor…I’m guilty on that one!
I dearly love my Ranger, but a few years a ago I bought a 14 foot Lund and, with the price of gas, usually use it on tournament practice days.
Rich Arnold
September 22, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Oh yea! I have seen this a ton growing up in California. That was the deal…have a johnson 9.9 on a 15 or 20 hp. Several lakes in CA used to have that restriction.