MCF

as they entered the 1990's, Bayliner improved the power on the boats. I had a 5.0 LX in a Celebrity, I believe it was rated at 220 hp. Most 24 foot boats had the 260hp with the 350 v8-so you give up a little speed and power-top end is going to be in the upper 20 mphs-lower 30 mphs. If you get serious I would have it surveyed, on a 20 year old boat the stringers and transom can have structural issues unless it spent a lot of its life in a barn.

This is the best time of year to sell and my recent experience has been Craigslist. Sure you get the occasional spam but I have moved my own boats and the like on there in the past two years and moved a lot of small outboards on there last spring as part of an estate sale. Didn't think they would all go but they all went. I would also consider paying the $75.00 and put it on Walleye.com. Priced right boats go on there and your 18 Trophy is priced right.

The potential of mechanical issues is a topic on its own. Was the boat stored inside? If it was outside the first place to start is to check out the flooring and the stringers. Some sportcrafts have had stringer issues. And of course it depends on the price.

Buy it, going rate is in the $500.00 range.

I would contact Crownline boats directly to see if they can tell you who the supplier was back then. They were in financial difficulty a year ago but are back in business now.

If you wanted to get rid of the package as boat, motor, trailer, then spring is the time to do it and it does have some value as a package. The 1970's Sea Rays were a well built boat and one of the first of the deep vee boats. As for the Johnson, the V-4's were built starting in the 1950's and well into the 1980's so parts should be available even though OMC went through hard times in 2001. There are a couple places I know that should have the parts for that. If the package is decent, it is worth doing a little work to upgrade it. I had an 1982 115 Evinrude, for trolling and use like that it may have used 12 gallons per day so it was not that bad.

Christina flubbed the words on the National Anthem which has overshadowed her oversinging which should have been a surprise to no one, it was what I expected. Once you waded through the dome and gloom commercials for all the end of the world movies, the car commercials were there. As a car guy, I was happy to see Chrysler make a statement and they are trying with their 2011 product. Of all the vehicles I have owned(I am now on number 12) my 99 Dodge Ram was the best. As for the Black Eyed Peas, they are a group I know little about except for Fergie.

95% ice covered-see link for ice map from wgrz.com http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/108631 ... ce-Covered

My 10 year old nephew consistently catches some pretty good size shad off the pier all winter long. For a young kid, it keeps there level of interest in terms of catch and release.

I know someone who had one in the mid 80's bought it new and went to get it in Florida. Back then, they would be on the level of a Pursuit, Grady etc in terms of quality. They were straight inboard at the time, the shaft was in a composite keel and they did not draw more than a conventional inboard.

I would start by replacing the plastic washers or o-rings on the fill and drain screws. Sometimes they get brittle and let water in. Having had seals done on various lower units over the years, I would guess you are looking at the 250.00-300.00 range, or more depending if you need the upper ones done as well. I had to have a COBRA outdrive done years ago and it was 350.00, but the upper one needed to be done as well at the time. As the other post pointed out you can just monitor it for a while, or drain off some into a glass jar to let it seperate to see how much water is in a sample, whether it is a lot or just a trickle.

It will work on any of them. What you are going to find on our part of Lake Erie is most are using either Cannon or Big Jon in recent years.

If you have been around boats in WNY over the years, you can see what the market bears and how most of the remaining dealers have geared themselves toward the lower end of the market. That being said, the Cherokee above is a great option for you or taking the trip to the mid America show in Cleveland at the end of the month. I have not been there for several years and I have been told it has become watered down but dealers like Happy Days(sell Parker among others)happydaysboating.com or Beaver Park Marina(sell Grady) might give you some leads this time of year. I know it is easier to buy a boat close by but sometimes you have to expand the search range. Hope that helps.

Capt Bill I sent you an email to your email address. Thanks Mark

On the mercantile exchange a barrel of oil is running right now in the upper $80.00 range. Gas on the indian reservation is $2.95. Unless the marketplace changes in the next six months, we are heading toward pricing approaching 2008 levels.

Gas is now over $3.00 per gallon again and likely to stay there. I would seriously investigate your second option, buying a car with better gas mileage and using/repairing the truck to just tow. Hard to justify driving a 3/4 ton pick up all year. A decade ago I drove a ram for six years, "because I needed it to two a boat on occasion "that was when gas was a lot less.

If it is something you have wanted to do for years, I say go for it. Too many of us get caught up in the trivial stuff of our lives, which we think is very important at the time and suddenly realize that life has passed us by.

Johnson has been discontinued. To my knowledge the Evinrude line-up is working down to smaller motors, they may have gotten to 15hp but they are all E-tecs, there are no 4-stroke Evinrudes. I personally don't have a prefernce among Mercury, Honda and Yamaha, Honda and Yamaha were into 4-strokes long before anyone else. I would but looking for a leftover model, there seem to be a few of those that appear on a regular basis.

The 150 force was created after Bayliner bought out Chrysler and created US marine. When Brunswick bought out Bayliner and the rest of the boat companies they got Force and did some upgrades to the motors that were the most feasible. They did not want to put a lot of money into 1970's technology especially as the EPA mandates were coming and 2 strokes were going to be phased out. If it works good run it but at some point you will need to re-power due to parts availability etc. 26-30 will be your speed range.

Mr. Cuomo is talking the talk, he will need to start walking it in January with or without Sheldon Silver or the new leader of the Senate. Gov Paterson couldn't get anywhere and the whole just got deeper and deeper. They need to roll back medicaid to the level of the other states, that would be a huge step.

The real purse strings are controlled by the clowns we send back to Albany every two years in the Assembly and State Senate. If you want to see the poster child for everything wrong, his name is Antione Thompson, a State Senator who got re-elected by 250 votes in Buffalo. The man is probably the worst elected official in the country, yet enough people voted for him. We have only ourselves to blame. They don't understand what cuts mean and they pander to the welfare class.

I have stored electric riggers in a boat in the past over the winter in cold Western NY with no problems. Basically it is an electric motor like electric motors in various applications in unheated warehouses and the like.

Draining everything works in concept unless you happen to forget one or have an elbow that didn't drain. When I owned an I/O, I wanted it done right by someone competent and would stand behind it rather than save a few dollars. Which is why my current boat is an outboard that I can easily winterize myself and not worry about it.

The last six months has proved that even a lame duck governor can't get things done which then turns the focus to our incompetent legislators who do not have the political will to get things done. Even a simple reduction of 10% in medicaid would help with the budget issues. And legislators listening to a segment of the population that is a drain to resources makes no sense. I am tired of both sides finger pointing and name calling and blaming, we need some candidates who are actual statesman or women. Cuomo carries too much political baggage and Paladino carries too much personal baggage and neither has addressed any of the issues.

A word to the wise, if you are not mechanical or you are not confident in interpreting advice given to you, spend the money and have it done right. The want ads are loaded every spring with boats with cracked blocks etc, because someone thought they were a mechanic.