Thanks for the reply Bigcrappie. I’m glad you got a solid run out of them back then. I hope to report a solid 10 year life out of my agm aces from Fleetfarm. They’re going to be babied. I have two minnkota onboard chargers and two minnkota onboard alternator chargers that will be keeping them charged and happy their entire life.
Silicone spray lubricant will keep rubber seals from sticking with ice. It works great on vehicle door seals.
I talked to a coworker about boat batteries a while back and he swears by everstart batteries from Walmart. He said they’re great! They last for one season and you take it back into Walmart for a replacement every year. His exact words.
How that is a great battery is something I’ll never understand.
I have a small agm ace marine/ scooter battery I bought from Fleetfarm back when I bought my first little boat about 13 years ago. I used it to power my fish finder and courtesy lights in my 14’ northwoods boat. After I traded the boat in for a 16.5’ with full sized batteries, It sat on my shelf and I charged it periodically until last summer when it got installed in my lawn tractor. It still works like a charm after all of those years to start the lawn tractor at subzero temps. When it came time for the best battery I could get / afford, I decided on the tried and true (to me) agm ace marine batteries. Two group 27 agm ace deep cycle batteries went into my new Crestliner Commander 2050 last fall for the trolling motor and also a group 24 agm ace marine battery went in as a house battery. When the factory supplied starting battery gets a little age on it, or gives me the slightest sign of reduced capacity, I will replace it with an agm ace.
I don’t have that type of furnace, but I have a diesel forced air heater with an exhaust only exhaust and planned on putting some stainless steel wire wool in it to help keep insects out.
I just got a towtector for my F250. I haven’t got to test it yet, but the idea is to keep as much of the slush, mud (gravel roads), and rocks away from my cargo trailer and boat / trailer.
My fiancée and I both have access tonneau covers on our trucks. 2019 Ram 1500 and 2006 F250. We have the one that is raised up above the bed, I think it’s the literider model. The reason I went with that model was the idea that I wouldn’t lose bed height when not rolled up. That’s what I would recommend to anybody who asks, they work fine for us. Easy to install and remove, I swapped mine off of my previous F250 to the “new to me” truck. I’ll post a picture of what the raised rail looks like. I hope this helps.
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My Commander 2050 was delivered late October 2020. I took it to lake Pepin during the super warm spell we had the first week of November. The weather was beautiful and calm but I did get it into some light chop the last evening I was there. I went out of my way to find the roughest water I could find to test it out a little. My opinion of it is that it’s a beast! The “helm forward” design can add to a rougher ride in some boats from what I’ve read, but that’s not the case in my 2050. It rides very smooth with the deep V and the weight of the boat. The sides are very high from inside the rear deck, I’m 6’ and I can barely reach the water to rinse my hands off. I bought the Commander for big water safety and comfort and from what I can tell, it’s going to perform very well. I hope this helps a little.
I owned a crestliner canadian 1650 for several years that came with a Mercury 60hp four stroke. 60hp was the minimum rated and max was 115hp. For a guy your size, and if you’re going to have more than a second person in the boat and any significant amount of gear, I’d say 90hp for sure. The entire time I owned it, I constantly wished I would’ve upgraded to a 90hp before I ever took it off the lot. And sure, max hp would be great and all, but do yourself a favor and hold off until the 90hp is within your budget. I just bought a crestliner commander 2050 and opted for a 150hp Mercury four stroke. Minimum is 115hp and max is 200hp. It performs great for my needs. Saving a little on the minimum hp outboard wasn’t even a thought for me. Been there and done that.
