New Boat

[Roland]

Well boys, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a new Pontoon fishing barge. Really had it in my mind to buy a G3 208f pontoon when one last visit to a local Bennington dealer changed my mind. Turns out Bennington is now making a 20 footer to compete with G3, Suntracker, etc. It's the 20 SFi. The one I ordered will have a 75 4 stroke yamaha on it, 25" toons, 3 fishing chairs, vinyl flooring ( believe it or not, vinyl flooring cost more than carpet ) am / fm / cd, tilt wheel and a wrap around chaise lounge & table. Was actually able to get this for about the same $ as the G3.. not exactly the same, but close enough for me. Boats being built as we speak and should be here in about 2 to 3 weeks. By the way, I've never even owned a row boat before so this is a huge deal for me... I know it's starting to get cool out, and maybe by the time it gets here will be too cool to take out.. what the heck, I'll just sit in it in my driveway til springtime rolls around... can not wait....... thank you guys for all your help and advice. This started out as a "let's buy a used bass boat for a couple of grand"... it quickly escalated to a "new" 17 foot panfish boat, to the new Bennington fishing barge.... One of my buddies who owns a very expensive triton let me in on a little secret....

B reak
O ut
A nother
T housand....

Man is that ever true in my case... still can't wait... thanks again guys... I got some pics from the factory.. If I can figure out how to get them into this forum I'll do it... have a good one

Roland

[bcklash]

Congrats on your new toy. Living in the south you'll be able to use it some before it gets real cold. Hope you enjoy it.

[fishin spro]

it is NEVER to cold to use your boat. My boat gets used january through december. febuary through november is bass fishing time, then november through january is duck hunting time. works out wonderfully

[Bender]

Sounds like fun! Should be a great fishing platform and you will have a lot of room. Not sure about you southerners though, what's with putting the boat away for the winter? If the water is soft then fish!

[woody]

Congrats on your new boat.

With that rig, if you want, you could clean and grill your catch right there on your boat. It doesn't get much fresher than that.


-Mark

[Abbeysdad]

Congrats - you'll have a lot of good times on that 'barge'. Get ready for the learning curve.
Consider a boater safety course. Don't neglect to have all the gear on board for safety/emergencies (PFD's for everyone, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, flares, distress flag...)
Best wishes.

[nofearengineer]

Originally Posted by woody

Congrats on your new boat.

With that rig, if you want, you could clean and grill your catch right there on your boat. It doesn't get much fresher than that.


-Mark

True, true, but be very careful.

In Indiana, where I live, it is illegal to clean a fish on a boat. It is also illegal to possess fish fillets on a boat. This is for obvious reasons; if I caught 5 bass, I could just fillet them, and say they were yesterday's catch, and go for 5 more.

You are also required to leave a skin tag on each fillet until you get them home or to the nearest fry pot, wherever that may be.

Most states have rules like these, so check your own before you get in trouble.