Ever thought about giving other brands a shot? Timberland and Wolverine are popular picks among some folks, they might offer the comfort and durability you’re looking for.

Purging can definitely be a daunting task, but it’s always refreshing to declutter. I totally get what you mean about the 30+ moving rule haha.

If you can put weight on the motor without any movement in the transom, that’s a good sign. The fact that you’ve already replaced some of the screws is a proactive step.

I recently moved from Georgia to Maine. One big lesson I learned was to downsize aggressively; it’s incredible how much stuff you accumulate that you don’t really need. This not only saved me on moving costs but also made unpacking much simpler. Another tip that helped was naming my moving boxes clearly. It made organizing and finding things in my new home much easier. For the moving company, I went with Three Movers, found through a helpful guide at https://threemovers.com/12-long-distance-moving-tips-that-are-dangerous-to-ignore-while-moving/. They were reliable and cost-effective; the move cost me around $5,000. These steps really helped streamline the process and kept stress levels manageable.

I think the Pluto Pillow could be a great fit for you. They offer a personalized approach to pillow design, considering factors such as your sleep position and body type.
I ordered a Pluto Pillow myself a couple of months ago, and I’ve been really happy with it so far. The pillow has a great balance between being soft and supportive. I feel like I have slept much better since I bought it.

munchy wrote:

Be careful if you remove the middle seat. Many times those benches are structural, keeping the sides from flexing. I’ve heard of those types of boats folding in half if they hit a wave hard enough.

Oh yeah. It’s braced with wedged from the floor ribs up the side.

buckybadger wrote:

I took the center bench out of a small 14′ Lund I owned without issue. That little thing had a 15hp 2 stroke Mercury on it and would cruise over 20mph. I never felt any more unsafe than before it was removed.

As far as the flotation argument goes…99% of the foam in these boats that are 30+ years old is compromised anyways (or at least what I found in mine when I redid the boat). If you are in a position where you are relying on the floatation of an overturned 14′ boat you made other mistakes beyond removing foam floatation. I’d take it out if it’s what you want. You take bigger risks walking across a parking lot in today’s world than removing the foam. Add some foam under the front and back seat if it eases your mind and forget about it.

Well it’s only from 2005 and the foam is good as good can get but I see your point.

BUT…flotation is not my issue. The foam will be well replaced. STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY if my big concern. I’m just looking for ways to keep the sides as strong without the middle seat as it is with it.

Alumacraft answered my very specific question about structural support with this very detailed answer. Here it is verbatim:

NO, ITS ALL ABOUT HAVING SAFE FLOATATION

matt wrote:

I have a dv14 alumacraft 1989 I think.It didnt have a full bench across the middle but had a small storage on one side and a small livewell on the other,kind of like a bench with a path to walk in between.I removed these,they had no floatation but they were structural.I added some braces on both sides and lag bolted them to the floor.Its held up well and probably stronger than original.

I’d love to have a visual idea of the bracing.

Mr Big Eves wrote:

I have done it on similar boats, structure is fine. The only concern would be the floatation foam that you remove from the bench. The boat no longer has enough foam to float incase of capsizing/swamping.

That is a concern but I would replace it throughout the boat/under the deck, etc.

Bearcat89 wrote:

Just sold my 14 ft alumacraft. I eliminated the middle bench immediately but I kept the rear and put a nice seat on it. Was incredibly easy and didn’t jeprodize the structure of the boat it self.

I assume you removed that seat from the gunnel mounted ‘mounts’? Structurally it was ok? What hp were you running it at after that removal?

Jonz 67 wrote:

Decent open floor layout

This layout would take a great deal of work to get to on what I’m thinking of buying.

This is a 68″ beam, right?

Deuces wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Jesse D. wrote:</div>
Why is the backtroller better?

It’s open, makes for great maneuverability. Benches are extremely hindering.

Wider, more stable. Amazing how big that boat fishes.

Benches are a bummer, but it’s such a newer boat.

Jonz 67 wrote:

Bought a new V14 a month ago. Put a 20 Yamaha on it. Got it setup with seats, sounder etc. Can’t wait to try it but it will be a couple more weeks till the ice is off the lakes here.

How much was this package?

Deuces wrote:

Back troller is the better boat, yammie is the better motor.

Buy both, put the yammie on the back troller sell the other.

Best of both worlds.

Why is the backtroller better?

Charlie W wrote:

I would go with the v14 with the yammy and never look back. Those motors are super reliable.

That is certainly how I am leaning.

mike mulhern wrote:

I would lean towards the one that has the beat trailer and the one that loads the best. I have fished out of both and the older one is real stable. You didn’t mention the motors at all so that is a real wild card. A lot depends on how and where you plan to fish.

Mike

P.S. My brother owned a back troller at one time and sold it for a wedding ring. He has had a couple of other boats since and he really misssed that boat and the trailer combo what a pleasure that boat was to load and fish two out of.

The newer boat as a newer Yammy 2 Stroke 25. The older an older Merc 20. A horse a piece.

I intend to fish Tonka and the river and small lakes as well.

Trailers are about equal as well aside from age.

I know a few guys that have a brand new V14 which is very similar to the 2005 and they think they load and fish very well. I have experience with neither though.

How wide is the beam on this boat?

djshannon wrote:

Go out and look at the Navionics ChartViewer. I grew up not far from Nokomis. The depths and locations on the Viewer are fairly close.

I would try off the deep hole on the mid-east shore.

Thanks. That’s certainly where several houses have been up since the ice came in.

Matt Moen wrote:

Nokomis is a basin crappie bite. Not much of a weed line like the other city lakes.

The other city lakes are weed line oriented. They are more feast or famine as Beads mentions.

That’s certainly the case. I fish it often in open water for that challenge but ice fishing seems to be much more difficult so far.

How are you finding weed lines?

Well yeah, I know what the official take on the lake is. I’m wondering if anyone fishes it and…

It is. But where you’d park once you launch is the question. It’s a pain in the ass just getting in and out without a trailer.

buckybadger wrote:

Be smart about where and when you go. Right now I’d take a kayak just about anywhere on the river. A month + from now on a weekend, there’s so much traffic in the channel areas of the river that this whole idea makes me nervous (and I am on the river constantly). A tuna boat plowing upstream kicks out a considerable wake. Eager boaters are always stacked up behind boats like this and barges looking for an angle to pass.

Remember that 1/2 of boaters on any nice summer weekend are likely consuming alcohol and many don’t have a ton of river experience either. There are some great fishing options far away from any river channel in some beautiful backwaters areas. That’s where I’d launch and stay on any summer weekend, but to each their own.

I am equally as paranoid which is the reason for this post. I’m not going to take my 12′ boat to the dam. But if you have some backwater suggestions I am all ears.

eyeguy507 wrote:

FWIW…..I saw 3 people in one of those folding boats up in Red Wing few weeks ago. All they had was a transom trolling motor. That boat was smaller than yours!

That’s crazy.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

They used oars to get to the dam at one time too. LOL!

But they weren’t surrounded by dozens of a-holes in 17′ jet boats.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Oooh.
I pushed my 17′ boat with my 4hp kicker from WI channel to the dam and back about a month ago when i broke my steering and had to get two peeps out. Water was about the same height.
Plenty of power to move a boat.

How long did that take?

Jesse, could you explain this please? Did you glue additional fabric to the tubes?

HRG
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I did. I used the heaviest denier I could find. I think it was 1100. And for the furthest back area of the tubes (where more weight might rub when beaching, etc) I used stair tread which is a similar sort of PVC.

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So what sort of anchor should I be using on this little boat to be safe on the Miss?

munchy wrote:

What did you get?
I know of a few people who have 12 foot Nauvaranias and Zodiacs they use as dingys for their cruisers on the Mississippi. They each have from 9.9 to 25hp on them. Great little boats that we’ve used for exploring the backwaters and just cruising up and down the river when we didn’t want to take the big boats out. They are great when in motion, just drifting and a big wave comes up they can feel a bit sketchy.

I got the Saturn SD360. It was on sale and I doubled up the material on the bottom of the tubes so I could use it in backwater and rougher spots.

Drifting is certainly an issue. I caught some really big waves last year after having just bought it and it just rode the tops of them and never even took on water. That’s what settled my nerves.