My boat is water ready!!!!

[Fishnngolfn]

I pick up my boat tomorrow from BPS. The engine is fixed and purring like a kitten. It only cost me $300. They had to take apart the carb and clean it and fix a lower end oil leak.

The boat is not completely decked out the way I want just yet for fishing but I have the peace of mind that I will have a very reliable boat and engine when out on the Alabama river. I am so pumped that I am taking a half work day tomorrow just to get out on the water early. The last time I drove a boat, I was 17. I have a check list going so I don't forget some things until they become second nature. Registration, license (fishing and boating), all the safety gear on the boat, hull plug, extra key on float, etc....

Fishing-wise, I still have to properly mount the trolling motor on the front, install running lights for night fishing, install a switch board, buy a new trolling motor battery, build a livewell using a cooler, pump, and aerator, and repair the front hatch. A lot of that work will be completed on Sunday. I would have done most of it Saturday but my parents made a surprise visit to Birmingham and I am driving up from Prattville on Saturday to see them. They don't visit often so I want to see them but I am making them take me to dinner since I am missing being out on my "new" boat with such beautiful weather this weekend.

Any, and I do mean ANY, advice you guys can give me with my new boat would be greatly appreciated. I plan on making several attempts at putting the boat on and off the trailer (if there are any people around that need to put their boat in the water) just to get the hang of it.