Believe it or not, there are times when I re-consider the decision to get the 150, and think that I would have been SMARTER to get the 115 and spend the saved money on a bigger trolling motor (24-volt, 74 lb.) and a bow-mounted LCD fish finder.
The 150 will not tilt far enough forward to use the motor's tilt locking bar, and it won't lower to the full down position without the skeg hitting the pavement. Plus, even though I KNOW the transom on the '01 and '02 models is strengthened to deal with the weight, the possibility of a buckled transom still weighs on me in the back of my mind. At the Boy Scout blind fishing day, Scott sat on top of the motor cowling to take a picture and I about went white with fear that the back end would collapse and Scott would end up in the drink. And it isn't easy on my gasoline and oil budget.
But most of that negative stuff in my head disappears when I hit the throttle and get up on plane - especially when I've got a full tank, three people, and all our gear on board. There is very little difference in the hole shot and NO difference in the top-end speed whether it's just me or if its three of us. It would be great if the three of us to go out in it sometime so you can experience the power that motor puts out.
The parts for the locks and hatch handles ran me about $50, but the tools used to cut the holes would've cost almost a grand if my father-in-law hadn't checked them out from work for the weekend. Just the hydraulic punch is $800! Ouch. I was thinking about submitting it as a Grab Bag project until I found out how much the tools run, and that the right tools make the project possible.
The pedestal is about $50.00 plus shipping, unless you can get it locally. It would be a very nice father's day gift.
The dual console kit is $350 to $400. Nice birthday, anniversary or Christmas present. It too is very nice to have, but not absolutely necessary. It also means you have to have a different boat cover than the single console version. (Again, OUCH!)
Get the pedestal, forget the locks/handles, think hard about the second console, and appreciate the gas mileage you get with your non-150 outboards. In some ways, I wish my boat was more like yours.
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