Where does your fishing partner sit??

This was the first year that I have owned an outboard and I mainly fish by myself. I did meet up with a co-worker a few times and fished out of his boat (bass tracker pro170) which is set up with side by side seating and console steering. This year I would like to invite him out on my boat(and anyone else who is looking for someone to fish with) but not sure where They should sit while running the outboard. My boat has a front deck and rear deck with seating at bow and stern. I don't think I would want them to sit in the bow seat since it may make it harder to see. Should I have them sit where the step down from the deck is? Where does your partner sit?

No seat next to the captain's chair?


I'd have them sit on the step... give them a flotation device to sit on if they're finicky.

dyeguy1212 said:

No seat next to the captain's chair?


I'd have them sit on the step... give them a flotation device to sit on if they're finicky.

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Same thoughts here.

When I'm out in the boat I sit in the right rear and my passenger sits in the front left. This helps to keep the boat running level.

lckstckn2smknbrls said:

When I'm out in the boat I sit in the right rear and my passenger sits in the front left. This helps to keep the boat running level.

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Same here-I have no seat next to me either. If they have done real well and I've been skunked, I sit them on the livewell - and hit a few waves :LOL2:

Same as "lckstckn2smknbrls".

They can sit wherever they please so long as I can see to drive.

I dont have an outboard, But when i fish with my buddy in his boat, he stays up front and i drive...

I always just have them sit in the front seat...I always tell them to help me watch for things.

My buddy and I share the boat that we built although its technically 100% mine ( I paid for everything and he did alot of the work and keeps it in his garage). I let him run the trolling motor and have the front most of the time and I run the 9.8 and he just sits in the middle at the edge of the front deck... We dont have a buttseat and pole for the little boat, yet but the mount is there, and without that to lean on, i am afraid I will fall over since from where I had hip surgery it makes me loose balance easily if I am not careful.

When we take the Ranger out. I 99% of the time run the big motor ( he puts it on the trailer though) and 50% of the time I run the front, I like to share just as we do in bass club tournaments.

I'm 6' tall and one of my fishing partners is 5'8" so he can sit where ever he wants because I can see over him :mrgreen:

my boat has an open floor... so for the 2 guys that normally fish with me, I let them steer the boat, and I just sit down in the middle of the boat directly infront of them or a little off to one side so the boat can get on plane

Thanks for all of the replies. Russ thats one of the reasons I was questioning where to have someone sit. I was worried if someone sat we me at the stern that their would be to much weight and the boat wouldn't plane. My back seat is right in the middle of the bench and I thought about moving it over and adding another seat next to it for the extra person. Would that work? Or should i have them more towards the front, maybe sitting on the step down of the front deck to help with planing?

my seat on the rear bench is directly in the center... and one of the guys I fish with is a good bit bigger than me, so that's why he drives. He puts me on plane - I don't get on plane with just me in the boat because I have 2 large batteries up front, and my butt doesn't weight but 180, so I even the batteries out.

I thought about putting another seat base to the left of the motor (facing the motor from inside the boat), but decided against it because with his weight being more than mine, it would lean more to his side and me being more up in the air so to speak... I'm just going to keep getting down in the floor - we don't make long distance runs enough to justify me adding seat bases

Now - if you both are about the same size, I don't think you'd have a problem with it. One other reason I didn't add it was because even though my boat is wide enough (my rear bench is 5' across the top), it just looks like it would still be cramped. I'm picturing him sitting in the middle and when we have all of our gear on the boat, there just isn't enough room

but as far as planing goes... the more weight at the rear of the boat, the faster you get on and stay on plane. We tried it mulitple ways - me driving and him in front (NO PLANE at all)... and him driving with me in the front - it planed... i'm just that much of a light weight I guess... and all of that is why he drives

bcritch said:

I'm 6' tall and one of my fishing partners is 5'8" so he can sit where ever he wants because I can see over him :mrgreen:

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Shamoo??? :mrgreen:

Heres a pic of my boat so you can get a visual.
You can see how my rear seat is positioned. I was thinking of moving it over and adding another. If I have the room.


Tom

My boat trims perfectly level when on plane with my weight in the drivers seat (it also trims level with my weight in the center when fishing - torque twist from the outboard levels out my off center weight when on plane), so my buddy seat is right in the center, just aft of the midship point. There is about an 18 inch foot space in front of that seat, before the bow deck, and my batteries are in the first hatch forward of that. Thus, my rig trims out quite nicely either alone or with a second person.

njTom said:

Heres a pic of my boat so you can get a visual.
You can see how my rear seat is positioned. I was thinking of moving it over and adding another. If I have the room.


Tom

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Add 2 more bases and just move the seats when long traveling...

Bugpac said:

njTom said:

Heres a pic of my boat so you can get a visual.
You can see how my rear seat is positioned. I was thinking of moving it over and adding another. If I have the room.


Tom

Click to expand...

Add 2 more bases and just move the seats when long traveling...

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That is a good idear...You would have the option to set up the boat as needed.

You know one thing you might can do after looking at Bassboys boat, is put you a pedestal a little left of center in the floor - and just put a 12-15" pedestal in there for your partner

But in all honesty, I think they would be fine sitting on the rear of the front deck