I just recently purchased a 1999 Fishmaster 190 and took it out for a shakedown trip on Lake Erie. The boat seemed very aft heavy. The splash well was getting so much water that it was covering the bilge access panel and leaking through. Water also was getting in through the boot that the steering cable and throttle run through in the back.
I had a few takeaways that might be the issue, however I'm not sure if anyone has any feedback on this style boat as its a little new to me. I owned a 2000 Starfire 170 that the bow always rode high (which I liked fishing choppy water on Lake Erie) but it never sat as aft low as this does even while in neutral on the lake.
My takeaways below:
1. The boat has a 9.9 kicker that has a lot of weight added to the very aft of the boat.
2. The boat currently has 2 batteries (one cranking battery and one for accessories) mounted in the back. (Along with the 9.9) This is some extra weight the boat wasn't originally configured for from the manufacturer. My thought process is to relocate the accessory battery to the bow of the boat and add one more battery to tie up for accessories and the bow mounted terrova to shift some weight forward.
3. I've heard some people owning the newer STX 2050's added weight up front to keep the bow down a bit. Maybe I need to do the same here to offset the kicker motor and/or just remove the kicker all together.
I've attached photos to reference the issue. The first photo is pretty much how the boat looked trolling and/or in neutral. The second photo was with two people standing in the bow which looks a lot more normal to me.
I had a few takeaways that might be the issue, however I'm not sure if anyone has any feedback on this style boat as its a little new to me. I owned a 2000 Starfire 170 that the bow always rode high (which I liked fishing choppy water on Lake Erie) but it never sat as aft low as this does even while in neutral on the lake.
My takeaways below:
1. The boat has a 9.9 kicker that has a lot of weight added to the very aft of the boat.
2. The boat currently has 2 batteries (one cranking battery and one for accessories) mounted in the back. (Along with the 9.9) This is some extra weight the boat wasn't originally configured for from the manufacturer. My thought process is to relocate the accessory battery to the bow of the boat and add one more battery to tie up for accessories and the bow mounted terrova to shift some weight forward.
3. I've heard some people owning the newer STX 2050's added weight up front to keep the bow down a bit. Maybe I need to do the same here to offset the kicker motor and/or just remove the kicker all together.
I've attached photos to reference the issue. The first photo is pretty much how the boat looked trolling and/or in neutral. The second photo was with two people standing in the bow which looks a lot more normal to me.
