stinger

Worth checking out. Compare specs vs $ vs support. http://www.hodgesmarine.com/FURUNO-FCV6 ... fcv620.htm

Will the spoons need a little tune-up because of the extra drag the skirts add?

Thanks Chris for the reply. I also got one of those emails saying that they were in stock. I logged on the the site and it was listed as "IN Stock" so I put it in my shopping cart and stopped there. That is when I made the post about the unit being available. As bad as I would like to have one of those units I wouldn't buy one without it being on the market for awhile. My back is not against the wall for a autopilot so right now time is on my side,...`till mine breaks

Well, the Raymarine Smartpilot X5 is finally in stock. First come, first served. http://www.hodgesmarine.com/ProductDeta ... =RAYE12206 Who wants to be the guinea pig?

What J F says and also if you don't want to hand carry a renewal just mail it to your local county run DMV and save the leg work.

You just got to love to eat those river `eyes . .... .> http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20 ... GECAROUSEL

Click on 69's & 40's screen name and check out all the fish reports they give. Then you will know what your dealing with here.

I'd be buying all my stuff online if I lived in wester NY.

I've run my FF's with my boat on the trailor in the driveway many times. Worked with my Eagle, Garmin & Furuno. It seems to read about twice the distance that it is above the blacktop/concrete. Put your scale on 10' or 20' range. Works even better if the humidity is high. If someone passes something between the `ducer & floor you'll see the mark on the screen. If your going to take the `ducer off to get it tested you might as well put a new one on. Won't be much difference in cost by the time you pay for shipping & testing. http://www.hodgesmarine.com/FURUNO-525S ... st-pwd.htm Anyway, good luck with your new setup. A few more weeks and it's hammer time.

Ditto what Shawn said. Tops on customer service. Usually same day response.

Nice going sluggo, .......boy do I remember those days. It's amazing how you forget the cold for a few minutes when you feel that bump. Isn't adrenalin a wonderful thing?

Im using this. Works fine for me. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... hasJS=true

Try this calculator out. It will give up a better idea of what each transducer will show. http://www.furunousa.com/Furuno/Rooms/D ... 4D5E%5D%5D In the lower left cornor of the page is a link to a .pdf file on transducers. Good stuff. It should help you understand how each type of `ducer works .

OK you guys. You think your the worlds authority on everything to do with fishing. Well me & `frisco got into it over the ID of this fish. I say it's a walleyed bass & he says it's a hybrid bass/perch. I think I'm right. Note the extra large Adipose fin. That's always a giveaway.

PS: I forgot to mention the dorsal fin also, but then it looks like it might of had a little clip or it's squished from being in the cooler. Don't take it so hard. We all make mistakes from time to time . You'll get over it.

OK,...this is going to be fun. I say the upper fish is a rainbow. The tail shape, nose, body shape and anal fin is suspect and yes slider making an ID from A picture such as that one is not the best way to do it under these circumstances. Even the adipos (sp) fin seems to be shaped different. Now don't get all crotchity on us Slider' . We are just having a little fun so don't take it so seriously. Your job isn't in jeopardy on this one.

Rob,.....here is a link to last years LOU-All. It should give you a idea of what it will take to win. Remember, this is a no-stress, no-cash prize event so bring along a novice and have some fun. viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6902

Haven't heard about that happening. What's the deal with that?

A couple more to add to your list http://www.lakemichiganangler.com/ http://www.stanleysstingerflies.com/ http://www.atommiktrollingflies.com/ http://www.siggsrigs.com/ http://www.purpletacoflies.com/ http://www.gloutdoorstore.com/ http://www.fishdoctorcharters.com/videos/video2A.html http://www.up-north.com/stamina/ http://www.northernkinglures.com/

I saw the Parker's at the Richmond, VA boat show last year . If I was in the market for a boat it would be in the lineup for consideration. Also the MayCraft is another prospect. http://www.maycraftboats.com/model_2300pilot.php Anyway, I think that a autopilot on your main engine and a connecter to the kicker is the way to go. There will be times when you'll want to use the main for trolling and also it's pretty nice to have if you have any distance to go when up on plane. It's to bad that the Raymarine Smart Pilot is delayed coming out. There is a definite market for the helm controlled units. Space is a big issue in the 18' to 23' boats and pumps, hoses and the rest of the stuff you have to bury in what little space you have can be an issue. My King AP is 1980's technology and is still working. Not the greatest by todays standards but at least it works. You would think that someone would have been able to take over that part of the market after King went out of business in the early 90's.

....wow Sean,....now that Parker is my idea of a fishing boat Did ya pick that up in down around the Chesapeake area?

The Simad is made for mechanical(cable) or hydraulic steering. While the unit for the mechanical steering systems seems to be an easy intall from what I read, other posts about the hydraulic unit is something else altogether. My Bud' installed a hydraulic unit this past season and had a little trouble getting tech support from Simrad when the unit arrived without any hyd. hoses to connect the pump into the system. While frustrating it was also expensive to get the proper hoses and adapters which ended up being custom made at a local shop. So with that being said do any of you out there have any experience installing the Simrad Hyd. system autopilot? If so, can you pass along some tips and some potential hangups doing the install. I'm sure there are a few of us guys that are in the market for a first time or replacement (like me) autopilot. My boat is presently equipped with cable steering and a King AP2000 autopilot (18 yrs old, on it's 2nd boat & still running ). I want to change my steering over to hydraulic and replace the autopilot at the same time. Simrad is getting the thumbs up from everyone that has been responding to these autopilot posts so I'm leaning in that direction.

Dion, I just emailed Raymarine on Tuesday (2/3/09) at 10:05AM about this vary unit. Here is my email to them. "I'm interested in replaceing my autopilot with the SmartPilot X-5 Sport Autopilot (E12206). Since it was introduced last year it hasn't been available through most if not all sources. Also I made a few inquiries on my local fishing forum which covers New York and bording states and no one seems to know anything about them. Is the unit going to be on the market for this spring? The 2009 boating season has already started for those that want to get new equipment installed. My boat hits the water the last week of March and I sure would like to get this type of work done before that. Any information about the SmartPilot X-5 Sport Autopilot, good or bad, would be appreciated. Thanks" Their response came back at 11:46AM. Not bad, less than 2 hours to hear from them. This is what they said, "We are looking at March 2009." Not much of a response if you ask me . Even though the unit looks good on paper I think caution is needed here . My big question is why are they having such a problem coming to market with this unit?

This post went up yesterday...... viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9174 I didn't see anything about rods in the 2010 rule consideration.

Yankee this may not be what you are looking for but just thought I'd throw this setup into the mix. It works good for me.