jimski2

My cousin's well used Penn Yan had the bearing in his outdrive fail. He replaced it and it failed again after a few weeks use. It turned out that his engine mount stringers rotted out. He had the engine pulled out and new stringers installed but they were not lined up correctly. They tried again and got it right. The boat is fine now. I think they used a better type of wood for the stringers.

I'm looking for a 1998 or newer 10 HP outboard motor for my 14' boat. I need a smaller boat for days when I'm going out near shore.

West Marine has at its store in Buffalo a whole shelf of fuel additives. New for ethanol gasoline is Stabil Blue. Not the pink stuff we used to use. Startron and its West Marine fuel additive work also. They should hold your fuel good for a year. www.Westmarine.com check under engine systems, fuel additives.

Yes and in the spring I'll make sure it's dry before I fill up.

No white ring or white.

The way I read this, Stabil won't work anymore since it is mainly alcohol. Too much alcohol and water condensation will cause a separation from the gasoline and a slug of pure water will shut down your engine and other stuff. The new gasoline sold today has a shelf life of 90 days and then you're on your own. I'm emptying my gas tanks and burning the gas in my truck. Next spring I'll top off with new fuel. A water separator will probably be the way to go with the new fuel we have to deal with.

For information on a gasoline treatment for winter storage, especially with the new ethanol junk in the gasoline. www.startron.com

www.marinepowerservice.com www.sterndrive.cc www.dougrussell.com Here are 3 sites to give you an idea for parts for stern drives and engines.

In Canadian waters, a boat without a head [toilet] and open containers of alcohol aboard can cause you to lose your license and your boat and gear.The world is changing and your job and livelhood could be lost for a bottle of beer.

Most Lake Erie ice fishing operations are in Ohio, near Port Clinton and the islands. The lake freezes there early. I can't understand someone looking for monster sized walleye. If you're gonna eat the fish, concentrate on the smaller fish. Less contaminants and the big ones are the valuable female breeders.It must be the magazines they read and the money contest braggers.

Many times you see fish stacked up on your screen in a perfect line. Do you think they are stacked like that down below or are they spread out at the same depth, just different distances from the center of your sonar signal cone?

Even 70 feet out on your depthfinder doesn't mean 70 foot down. When a fish shows up as a hook shape It starts out deeper at the edge of the sonar cone, then rises up at the highest point in the cone and drops off again. It may not be directly in the center of the cone so its true depth may be different than your reading on the graph.

It's the recognition we want, not just the money.

The FCC charges more for the license than a radio costs today. For safety's sake its best you have one. The station license and an operators ticket are just another problem with government gone mad again. With industry moving offshore to avoid health insurance and social security taxes Washington is desperate to keep its checks cashing.

FCC rules allow you to operate a marine band radio without a license, but, and that's a big but, you need a FCC license in Canadian waters. A license gives you a set of numbers and your personal call sign. They have a web site for more info and rules, etc. Future radios will be encoded like "caller ID".

The FCC rules require you to monitor Channel 16, for safety on the water and calling other boats. Some radios can scan other channels. Some guys stay on 6, 68, etc. Failure to monitor 16 can cause distress to other boaters and yourself when you need help quickly from nearby boats. But then we've been getting away from it so long, we think its OK to stay on other frequencies. I suppose when the stuff hits the fan and you're not using your radio properly, you can tell it to the judge why you failed to assist the needs of a boat in distress. The Coast Guard broadcasts mayday and pam relays on 16 and you are no use if you are not monitoring 16.

Power Pro braid seems to have a wax coating that wears off with use and the line fuzzes upcatching a lot of fleas. I switched to Stren Superbraid, it claims to have a different coating and so far I've only had minor problems with the fleas.

Ignition system noise can be cleaned up with a capacitor. Go to an auto electronics shop and see if they can help you.

I have the same problem on channel 68.Shutting off the sonar mode on my combination fish finder / plotter stopped the noise. I use the other graph only.

Today I'm sitting on the beach, here in Seward AK and the shelves on the store have Gulp sardines as well as frozen bait. The frozen bait sells better. A lot of the boats here anchor up in 120 feet of water and drop chunks and whole herring on hook about 40 feet down and have excellent results on the Silvers, coho salmon.

Make sure all your electronics and lights are wired directly to the battery with a gauge wire equal to your largest wire, 25 watt VHF radios need a 10 gauge wire to carry the transmit current. Do not use the hull to ground out any electical units like you use in your car where the frame carries your ground circuit. The antifouling paint to use on an aluminum boat uses the term "ablative", check with the dealer. Make sure your zincs are not painted over for a matching appearance. That's the tab on the lower unit next to the propeller.

Why is there a minimum weight? A minimum length would be more responsible since accurate scales aren't available on most boats. In Europe with too many people and not much fishing opportunity, weights have been removed from fish records and only lengths are allowed. This is to improve the large fish catching opportunity.

Mike hit bottom under the Grand Island Bridge with his stainless prop this weekend. The bill has reached $3100 now for a skeg, prop and shaft with bearings.

The wheel bearing grease you use is very important. Synthetic blue high temperature marine grade are things you should look for. Stay away from the brown wheel bearing grease. Also there is such a thing as using too much grease.

Antenna height above the water relates to a 6 inches for a mile range when conditions are right. A boat with an 8' antenna mounted 2' above the water should be able to talk to another boat similarily equipped up to 40 miles away "if conditions are best". The Coast Guard's antenna is mounted high on a ridge above Lake Erie where it can reach from Detroit to the St Lawrence River. Their local stations have high mounted antennas. Your 5 watt unit will help when you are within sight of another boat or if your boat goes down and that's all you have left. A cell phone kept in a plastic bag saved a ragboater the other day on Lake Erie when its GPS function was "pinged" by the Coast Guard and his GPS coordinates were obtained.