Todd in NY

Thanks for the fishing report and the pics! Looks like a great day of fishing.

Thanks for the tip. I never would've thought about magnesium instead of zinc.

Thanks for the feedback. My 15hp kicker and my 90hp main motor on my 19ft Sea Nymph both have anodes on them, so I figured I'd ask the question. Rather be safe than sorry, and maybe someone else had the same question and never asked.

I'd have to check, but I believe it's grounded to the block. I always trailer the boat. This galvanic corrosion idea popped into my head because the off season gives me too much time for random thoughts.

Ok, thanks! I doubt he put a charging system on it, and the starter is wired directly to the battery. I just wasn't sure if that created any kind of current through the motor and into the water. It's the boat and motor I bought last November on black Friday and it runs like a champ. I had a local shop rebuild the carb and change the water pump on it before I ran it. The only thing I don't like about the motor is that is doesn't have the tell-tale to tell me that she's pumping good water. None of the electronics are grounded to the boat, so I should be good.

My 1973 Evinrude doesn't have a zinc anode on it. The previous owner added electric start to it and I am wondering if the motor is grounding itself into the water when it is hooked up to the battery. The motor is used on a 1974 utility boat that does not have a fuse block. The electronics that I use on that boat are wired directly to the battery with inline fuses on the positive side. I haven't hooked the motor up to the battery because I don't want to turn the motor or boat into a giant sacrificial anode, so I leave the wires covered and disconnected and use the rope start to start the motor. I also don't know if he installed any parts that would allow the motor to charge the battery, or if he just installed the starter parts. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Ouch! I think we found the real reason for your headaches. I hope 2016 is your best year yet.

You don't have to worry about the cost per fish, you're a successful charter captain

I agree 100%, and I weigh the cost of each fish caught by how much my operating costs are. More fish caught per trip = less cost per pound. That's the same reason why I love catching bass in my 16ft utility boat while fishing within sight of someone who fishes from a $40,000 bass rig. I call it fishing on a rock bottom budget, and that's why I named my utility boat "Rock Bottom".

The X4D measures down speed at the probe from .4mph to 11mph. It measures surface speed from .4mph to cruising speed.

Thanks Chas for being the "auto-pilot" and getting the thread back on track (or cable)

I think you started this "diversion" to give Silver Fox another one of those headaches again . I screwed up and married a low maintenance woman who doesn't go out and get her hair and nails done, doesn't like jewelry and expensive clothing, and she actually likes fishing. She doesn't spend any money on herself and she's quick to remind me that I have too many toys already. She's such a cheapskate, she will remind me that I will never get my "return" on a Smart Troll or X4D because I fish for a hobby, and I might hit Lake O for salmon 10 to 15 times per year. The rest of my fishing is on smaller lakes for bass and trout in my 16ft utility boat. Her defense will be that fishing is not my bread and butter, and that I need to stop spending so much of my bread and butter on fishing. Crap, now I have a headache...

Thanks Pap. I'm pretty sure I read it on a web site that either makes coated cable, or a web site that sells a speed/temp system that comes with coated rigger cable. It said that the coated cable has a bigger diameter than standard rigger cable and that the line counter on the rigger may not represent actual depth of the ball. Of course, this is not an issue if your probe gives temp/speed/DEPTH. I also think what they are saying is that if you run coated cable on the rigger with the probe on it, and standard cable on the other riggers without probes, and lowered all riggers to 100 FOW on the line counter, the rigger with the coated cable may not be the same depth as the riggers with standard cable on them. For all I know I might have read it on the Cannon web site because the Intelli-Troll system gives temp/speed/depth but uses the coated cable like the Sub Troll

Does this SS coated copper wire have the same diameter as coated cable or standard 150# uncoated cable? I've read that the coated wire can cause inaccurate readings with certain line counters in riggers.

for the Smart Troll. Anyone else with the X4D, Depth Raider, or Sub Troll (just in case my wife lets me buy a unit, but on a smaller budget )?

Thats a good idea too, thanks.

Which down speed probe will measure speeds down to .5mph? I've read that some probes won't measure under 2mph but I don't remember which ones they were. I need a probe that will measure real slow speeds, as well as the higher speeds for the kings.

Thanks for the information on a modified bracket. It sounds easy enough. My main concern is getting it to fit tight enough so that the long shaft motor doesn't damage the bracket or the transom. I also attach a transom mount trolling motor to the right side of the transom when bass fishing, so those handles are always in the way.

I would consider a trade for a short shaft as little as a 6hp motor. I would also consider a trade for a working down speed/temp/depth system.

Do you have any idea how old these riggers are? The booms looks like the booms on my late 1980's Mag 10A's (just wondering if they will fit my swivel bases). What type/size bases do these mount onto? I've thought about getting some manual riggers to serve as a back-up to my old electrics if/when they finally bite the dust. Also, are you asking $250 for both? Do they have the auto-stop feature when bringing the weight up? Sorry, I didn't type that... I just picked up 2 manual Penn riggers for my smaller boat, but they use a different base than my Cannons and are not interchangeable.