CaptSpike

I called them and they sent me one free. I use black electrical tape to make sure they didn't come off after that. Spike

All 4 SOLD, pending payment. Spike

Yeah I fixed it. Had to redo the movie in movie maker. For some reason the GoPro editor decided to drop the audio when exporting...... Spike

I'm selling 4 used Bert's ratcheting rod holders. A couple were sticking but I cleaned them all up and re-lubed up and they all work flawlessly now. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0g-jU__aEo&feature=youtu.be Price is $55 each plus shipping. I am firm on the price. If I don't sell them I'll just mount them in the whaler I'm restoring (hopefully done this yr). Really lightly used as we don't pull the same gear locally as in NY. Only get out to NY a couple times a yr so these haven't been put thru a lot of hard use. In fact locally I really only use them in the vertical position now that I have trees. PM if interested. Spike

I made a quick video of my Berts next to one of the new Cannon's. I thought for some it might be interesting to see the subtle differences between the two. Enjoy:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0g-jU__aEo&feature=youtu.be Spike No audio, I'm remaking the video, not sure what happened....... Should be OK now.......

Well I finally got around to looking at my Bert's. No burr. I spayed them down with WD-40 and cleaned up the old grease and they all funtioned perfectly. I re greased lightly, though I'm thinking like an earlier post mentioned lightly oiling them periodically. Gonna hold onto the bert's for now. I need to make sure I like the Cannons. If/when I sell them I'll post it in the classified. Spike

Well I read this thread the other day and finally called Berts again. I was told to send them in if they are sticking. Now keep in mind when comparing my use (NH) to the typical lake Ontario user and I barely put mine to the test. I fish Ontario twice a yr for ~ a week at a time. Other than that planer board fishing local I tip one out one increment. So very little use. Except when getting in and out of the boat on the trailer with the tree's on. I have to lay both down to swing my leg over the gunnel. Anyway I'm an ex-toolmaker now designer so I'm going to look at the burr mentioned above before I send anything back. I did just purchase four of the Cannon 360 holders (to good a deal to pass up) and I got to say I like them a lot. Biggest advantage to me being a trailer guy is I'm able to rotate these inboard without removing them and lay them down for less wind resistance and easier access over the gunnel when entering the boat when it's on the trailer. I may be putting my Berts in the classified before too long (fully functional of coarse). Spike

As was noted above we have found a few exceptions to that rule. Granted they don't apply to Lake Ontario but we always found an east wind better for bluefish and Tuna. We also prefer it for the landlocks in our local waters. Not sure if it applies to landlocks on Ontario as the water is very different. Spike

Good point Dave, I assumed cause he was talked lbs that it was drag on the reel. Spike

Most set them so they don't creep out. Fine line between creep and no creep depending on seas and trolling speed. Adjust drag tighter as needed after the initial run. Spike

Easy fix is nice. Enjoy the season it is way to short! Spike

I used wellnuts to hold two pedestals on the back seat of a 16' grumman semi-v (my first forward steered boat), never had a problem. Spike

The manual says to never pump the oil bulb. That bulb only exists to prime the line should you disconnect it.Pumping while connected can hurt the VRO pump. So don't do it. As for the plugs it wouldn't matter what color they were. The Pump on those isn't adjustable so you get what you get from the pump. Back in the day a lot of guys were just disconnecting the pumps and mixing their fuel with oil the old fashoned way. My first engine problem was due to using cheap oil. not the VRO. That issue is well documented around that time frame, I just didn't know about it until it was too late. The second issue was a seal problem not VRO. Signs were there to let me know there was a problem but I didn't act quick enough. Best way to tell if you have a problem when you pull a plug isn't the color of the plug, it's if you have aluminum particles on the plug. Ask me how I know, lol. Spike

I had this problem last yr and when I called Berts they asked me to call back another day to talk to a tech on how to fix it. I never called back.....Now this yr I have a second one with the same problem, so I'm guessing I'll call back unless the answer is revealed here. I have a feeling it's something with the spring stock that is used to lock them in place. Probably need to bend it a little. I imagine the fit between the pin that fits in the grooves of the ratchet wears over time. Maybe I'll give them a shout tomorrow and see what they say. I'll let you know if I call and get an answer. Spike

X2, Garmin unit is great. I'd think 100% that it is hydraulicly steered. If not he probably has Popeye arms, lol. Spike

Ray has the best answer in my opinion. I had 89 johnson 150's on my Sea Ox. A solid alarm is overheating. I had this happen twice. Once when i picked up a nag and again when the ring was going in one of the cylinders. The older high HP outboards were know for carbon build up behind the rings. Believe me I know from first hand experience (twice). The first time I was using cheaper 2 cycle oil, still TWC# rated but the cheaper lubrimatic brand. Had one motor over heat and then stop on me. Came in on the second motor. Turned out to be rings scoring the cylinder wall. Expensive fix, I replaced with rebuilt heads both motors. At that point I decided to use the high quality oil. I bought the Jonhson 2 cycle oil in 55 gal drum, which would last me about two years. Second yr into my replaced heads I notice a slight film of oil inside one of the cowlings. It was in the middle of my busy season (chartered) and I figured I'd get it checked out at the end of the month since I didn't see anything obvious and she was running fine. Well I didn't make the end of the month. Motor siezed, ran back on second motor. turned out the seal around the shaft at the top of the engine was leaking and the #1 cylinder shares that for lubrication, so the #1 wasn't get the correct lub and over time finally siezed. Another expensive job to repower with a rebuilt head.......Only did one that time. So definitely change the impellar so you know when it was last done. Then monitor for any more alarms. BTW the oil alarm will be intermittent. Had that happen when my oil got low, luckily no problems from that. The oil pumps were also known to be troublesome on those engines. So if your alarm was an intermittent one it could be an indicator that the injector pump may be having problems as well. Good luck with it, the problems never seem to end with a boat. Spike

My 2008 Lund came with the drain plug attached to a chain that was anchored inside the boat. The plug was on the outside and would dangle when it was removed. I have since replaced the original and I just install from the outside. Never had an issue. Oh yeah if you're ever in a situation where the bilge can't keep up you probably want to invest in a hand operated bilge pump. They work great and have saved me a couple times in the past when the bracket for my outboards took on water (plug let go and no bilge pump in them). By pumping the water out I was able to get on plane and keep anymore from entering the bracket allowing me to return to port. Just make sure you get a pump long enough for the application. You'd be surprised how hard it is to pump out water bent over for a period of time. Spike

Thanks guys. I wish I was the one to reel it in, lol. Great to be there and part of the team just as well. First time I've ever seen a steelie that big. I have some good video and will put it up when I can. Spike

Well if you missed the pic's they are in the reports ection here:http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/topic/43444-oswego-426-and-427/ Spike

I hope the weather is good for you. I think timing wise you'll hit it good. Spike