NitroMusky

thats some good tiger action. must have gotten the heart pumpin a bit! [ Post made via Windows Smartphone ]

Wow Bob. I don't know what star is shining on you in all these raffles. Gonna have to stand a little closer to you in the future and hope it shines on me just a bit Got your lottery tix??

+1 for oxalic acid. Some deck washes (house, not boat) have it as well. Just cut some I had laying in the garage with half water. Spray on, wipe, rinse, done.

That's awesome Zach. Well deserved also

So Zach, what's the verdict? Fishin or workin?

It is most certainly a piece of impeller. I've heard of coincidences and this isn't one... As said try to flush it and go from there.

Oh BTW, the trim tab really has little if any benefit at low (idle) speeds, in fact moving it off center seemed to make the wander worse for me...as if its more sensitive to the steering one way or the other off of perfectly straight. The intended purpose of the tab is to offset the torque of the prop at higher speeds.

Maybe it's just me, but that's not a term I've heard applied to a boat, other than to the belt on the motor. Can you describe a bit more what it's doing? I assume you mean it has a tendency to wander or not track strait? High speed or low, both? I'm also guessing the compensator plate you mention is the trim tab on the bottom side of the cavitation plate... Also is your steering single or dual cable? Outboard, I/O?

If you want pickerel, Oneida is the place to be, they have exploded in population. Most locals there wouldn't care if you kept a few

I would pass them down as well if it were me. in the meantime make sure the braid is strong and leaders fresh. [ Post made via Windows Smartphone ]

A FEW original weagles??? How about putting a price on one of those babies for me?

Definitely a case in point on why to wear an inflatable PFD when out alone, especially on expansive bodies of water like the GLs. I've heard it suggested to put a float plan on the dash of your truck, but this makes me think it wise to also have one on board the boat as well. Lucky his cell wasn't in his pocket What a great story though... not-so-small miracle that he was rescued

Hadn't heard of it. Not that i can make the trek this weekend, but curious, who's sponsoring it? Not a PMTT trail event is it?

yes...hadn't thought to spin the prop. good idea. [ Post made via Windows Smartphone ]

Chris, you're batting two for two on these important yet overlooked finer points related to the opti. You are correct that the motor needs to be completely warmed before powering up...the cylinder and piston need to both have time to expand equally. This is probably THE most important thing to know about opti operation. The tolerances are so tight on the opti in particular (needed to help achieve the emissions rating) that you can cold seize it quite easily if they are not equally heated/expanded. that would most likely result in catastrophic failure: aka rod through the block wall. The same goes for hot seize...gunning a warm motor floods it with ice cold water, quickly cooling the block. Best bet in the winter is ALWAYS let it warm completely first, then gradually give it gas. That way they expand equally, then contract equally. After a 5 minute warm up, I run it underway at around 2k for a minute to let it cool slowly, and once the temps have come down, slowly throttle up. To be safe, You should always let it warm first, even summer, with a slow start anytime the motor is at the high idle temps that optis have.. Not to be alarmist, however there are MANY stories are floating around about people with 'windowed' blocks as a result of careless operation in this aspect.

What exactly do you mean steams up? I don't run it all winter but do run mine while the snows flying. I get steam out the exhaust relief hole, but that happens some early mornings in the summer too.

Great point Chris, I almost forgot... ALL optis should be running the iridium plugs REGARDLESS of what it says in the manual or on the motor The early models initally called for platinum plugs when they were manufactured but this was superseded by the iridium plugs. There was a service bulletin a few years back with the iridium plug recommendation for all optis because they are less prone to fouling.

wouldn't surprise me. after the economic meltdown a few mfgs went belly up. many of the others were barely staying afloat. this would be a logical decision: way for a struggling company to repay its debts or otherwise cash out of an unprofitable business. [ Post made via Windows Smartphone ]

I have trolled with my opti for years. they will eventually foul but you can get a few years out of the plugs if you always run mercs quickleen gas additive, which is a cleaning agent. you should absolutely do this! also after trolling always open it up for a 10+ minute run above 3k rpm to help burn off any deposits. if they do foul you can try cleaning the plugs by soaking them in quickleen. may extend their life some what. btw the three star emissions rated hp versions are less prone to fouling than two stars as they run hotter at idle to burn more fully and thus leave less deposits [ Post made via Windows Smartphone ]

Wow, that's off the hook! Great batting average! Sorry to hear about your back...guess after hammering those eyes, the fish gods were looking for any way they could to bench ya! Best way I've found to keep sonars from tangling themselves is to make sure you don't drop on a slack line...semi slack only, but you're right, can't avoid it completely, especially after a hook set where you change direction and lower the rod tip in a hurry

don't say that publicly or it will quickly be full of pressure with no eyes [ Post made via Windows Smartphone ]

http://www.nymtaideas.org/sws/aboutsenate/how_idea_becomes_law.html While the Legislature is in session, the Governor has 10 days (not counting Sundays) to sign or veto bills passed by both houses. Signed bills become law; vetoed bills do not. However, the Governor's failure to sign or veto a bill within the 10-day period means that it becomes law automatically. If a bill is sent to the Governor when the Legislature is out of session, the rules are a bit different. At such times, the Governor has 30 days in which to make a decision, and failure to act ("pocket veto") has the same effect as a veto.

As I mentioned to you...yes 2 stroke, dfi oil only, ( you can use merc "premium plus" oil but only in an extreme bind, due to potential plug fouling). Your idea of keeping an extra is a good one...do not let the large tank on the boat go dry or you will get a warning alarm and have to purge all the air from the motor mounted reservoir. Change your impeller at the beginning of EVERY season Dont get them at west marine...in addition to apparently not knowing what they are talking about, they do not carry the genuine merc impeller...do not trust the aftermarket sierras, or others PM me again any time...I do the work on mine myself (within reason) and have the shop manual too. Btw Verado is mercs 4 stroke motor.

Happy spot...aka secret spot?? Either way, have a blast and catch some great pictures to share with us!