High Bidder

My family knows I would rather buy my own equipment and just gives me gift cards to Cabelas. I am going there today to get a new downrigger. Cabelas always sends out discount cards and it's a chance that right after you make a big purchase they will send you a card for even a greater discount. Right now it's only $30 off but sometimes its a great as $75 off on a purchase of $400. Next year will be the year for newer electronics. High Bidder Happy New Year

My buddies say if I add any more devices to my boat it will soon be too heavy. My latest addition is an electrical device to raise and lower the antenna. Since it is faster to go under the bridge at the "Cut" at Henderson Harbor, I have to lower my antenna then raise it again after passing through. Having a newbie angler hang on the side of the boat to raise and lower it always makes wonder when someone will eventually fall overboard. Now I can raise and lower it from a switch on my dash. It takes about five seconds to raise or lower it and the Lenco trim actuator stops at full up and down positions. Merry Christmas High Bidder PS: I posted this to try out my new computer which is my new Christmas toy.

I'm glad you mentioned that power supply might be a issue. Last year when the problem started I removed all other accessories from the fuse block in the overhead compartment so I thought there would be more power available for the radio. But in order to do that I had to install an additional fuse bock under the dash. The power feeds to the fuse blocks under the dash then to the overhead compartment. I have 10 gauge wire going to all fuse blocks but due to resistance the radio (at trolling idle) registers low voltage. Although it did that for years and worked okay. I will try running a direct supply line to the overhead compartment and see if that makes a difference. Thank you High Bidder

My radio fades when I transmit. It starts out clear and loud for about 5 seconds then fades so that no one can hear me anymore. I don't have a problem hearing other people. Do you think its my radio or antenna? The radio is an Icom and is about four years old. The antenna is a 8' fiberglass and is of unknown vintage as it came with my boat. I always set the antenna vertical for maximum range. Also which is a better antenna to buy if I replace it? There are two very different price ranges in antennas I noticed. I installed a metal antenna mount on my boat this fall. Will this make a difference on the type of antenna I intall? High Bidder

I have used my .243 for antelope, mule deer and whitetailed deer. Even with a 300 yd shot on a mule deer they all dropped within sight. I reloaded with Sierra 100 gr. boattails. Idid have one case however, where my son shot a deer with it and the bullet did not exit and the blood trail was thin. The deer didn't go more than sixty yds anyway. Since I'm older now and a little hard of hearing and my shoulder aches all the time anyway, I use my favorite rifle, a Sako in 300 WM. High Bidder

I am trying to decide which new Cannon rigger to purchase. Since I don't need the base & swivel that is included with the Mag 10 STX I was going to get the Mag 5 STX. I do however need the longer boom. Does anyone know if the extendable boom from a Mag 10 would fit the new rigger and can I install the new pulley on the older boom? Or is there other differences between the Mag 10 STX and the Mag 5 STX other than the boom type? High Bidder

Years ago I tried a tall bipod that a buddy of mine bought. I thought it would be great for the antelope hunts in Wyoming. After trying to shoot at my 400 yd range I found out that I couldn't hold steady enough in the sitting position for long shots. Maybe it was just me but there seemed to be a tendency for the bipod to sway especially if windy. Be sure you purchase it someplace where you could return it if necessary. High Bidder

Iv'e been bowhunting for 33 years and I still haven't gotten over the eight point limit. Great deer. High Bidder

The reason I installed an Autopilot is because not everyone can pilot a boat. Most people try to steer it like a car and end up overcorrecting constantly. One guy who used to fish with me had tired arms in about one hour from turning the wheel back and forth continuously as we zig zagged accross the lake. I have an IO and installed the Simrad AP24 and a linear stern drive unit. I believe it has better responce than the unit attached to the steering wheel. It was however quite a bit more money to buy the linear drive. I found an unused drive unit at a second hand shop and took a chance and it works great. Next to electric downriggers it was the best investment I ever made. Setting an Autopilot to coordinates is a lot more involved than just setting a compass heading. In either case the AP must be connected to your GPS. High Bidder

For the last few years I take a long weekend and archery hunt the peak of rut. I have a camp in Tioga Co., PA. My son and a long time friend always go along. The rain this year made us extend our weekend until Monday. On Friday I didn't see a deer at all. On Saturday a fair eight point came in at eighteen yards(rangefinder) and my bum shoulder wouldn't draw the bow. It was a dumb deer as it stood there and watched me struggle trying to draw. Eventually it walked up the mountain and left me with my pain. I went back to camp and turned my bow down from 62 lbs to 50lbs and resighted it. On Monday morning this buck came up the hollow 60 yards to my right and for some unknown reason turned and walked right in front of me at 20 yards. This time(due to the 3 tylenol) I was able to draw and make a good shot. After being hit he ran right down the mountain to the trail to camp and dropped. He did run by my son so I had help for the real tough part of dragging it back to camp. High Bidder

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to eliminate the trim gauge and reposition my switches. It looks to darn hard to replace anyway and I hear they don't last that long either. What brought this to my attention in the first place is that my brother-in-law bought a new Etec for his boat and it has a working trim gauge. High Bidder

I have a IO drive boat and am trying to decide if I should fix the trim sender and gauge. The sender has not worked since I own the boat so I really don't know if it would be helpful. Would it help me to know how much I can raise the outdrive to dock in shallow water?( which I have to do if the lake is low). I am not concerned about trimming when running because I use RPMs to do that. I am machining a new dash panel and won't install the trim gauge if it won't be any advantage. I'll use the extra space for better switch placement. High Bidder

Thanks for the info. I am trying to educate myself on this subject. One possibility is to take my slightly bent prop to a repair shop and see if they can repair and change the pitch. The ideal pitch would be a 18P which would give me close to max RPMS when trimmed out. The problem with finding the best prop is that it gets expensive to buy and try. High Bidder

I bent my prop last week and have to purchase a new one. I was running a 14.5 x 19P SS which gives me 4000 RPMs at WOT. The aluminum 14.5 x 19 only gives me 3900 RPMS at WOT. Should I drop to a 17P prop? Would it give me the same top speed and a little slower trolling speed? My maximum WOT is rated at 4400 RPMs with the 5.0 engine. Or should I stick with the 19P and keep my WOT rpms a little lower? High Bidder

Had the same problem two years ago. Just like Ray said, it was the cable not the GPS puck. If I moved the wire it worked until the next big wave bounce. Put on my spare cable and has worked ever since. High Bidder

The best thing to do is buy a repair manual. I have been able to do all the maintenance and repairs with instructions in the manual. I had to remove and reseal my transom bracket last winter and I couldn't have done it without the book. High Bidder

Glad to hear a report from Henderson. I was considering a trip to the shipping lanes in July. I caught a few kings there two years ago but I haven't tried it since. The accomodations at Henchen's are convenient since they have slips and I don't have to launch and load every day. High Bidder

Just got a camera for Father's day. I hope I am doing this right. There are 4 rims in very good condition. They are a little greasy from over filling the bearing buddies but this kept them from rusting. High Bidder

I have a set of (4) 13" galvanized trailer rims for sale. These are the standard 5 lug. There are three good tires included which are 3 years or less old and have about 2k miles on them. $100.00 for both rims and tires. I get to Mexico Bay in July and can deliver them there. High Bidder

Well, I think the problem is solved. I ran the engine as suggested and tested it with a borrowed laser temp gun. The manifolds and risers were 143 degrees even after running the engine at 3500 RPMs under load for 15 minutes(after a 15 minute warm up) The end of the manifold fartherest from the water inlet was 10 degrees warmer than the inlet end which I assume would be normal. Both risers were the same temperature on all sides and tops. Also much to my delight, there was not a drop of water in the bilge since I had removed and resealed my gimbel housing last winter. Thanks for the tips and information. Now as soon as the salmon hit Mexico Bay I'll start fishing again. High Bidder

Okay, I removed the riser and first ran 3/16" flex rods in all the water ways. When I hit it with 3500 PSI pressure a lot of rust particles and a few chunks came out. I then applied another acid bath for 10 minutes and rinsed again. I seem to get better flow through it now. If I test run the engine on ear muffs will that give me a true flow rate or will the water pressure from the hose provide more flow than the impeller pump normally does? Is trying to use this riser a bad idea? Should I just buy a new one? I had cleaned both the manifolds and risers with muratic acid when I pulled the engine to replace the oil pan and heads. High Bidder

I finally got my boat out for a test run.(5.0 OMC IO) I installed a new lower unit water pump and the engine temp stays at 160 degrees. However, the exhaust manifolds seem to run at different temperatures. On the port side I can hold my hand on the manifold(probably about 120*) the Starboard side is a little hotter and I can only hold my hand on it for about 10 seconds. How hot do these things get? When I replaced the heads this spring I flushed the manifolds with muratic acid to clean the loose rust from them and water flowed freely through them. The riser seems hotter than the manifold. Should I be looking at the water pump system or the manifold system? High Bidder

I used a Scotty antennae I got from Fish307 and a conduit wall clamp. It works better than the spring. I put a ring connector on the short piece of spring wire I left on the end of the cable and soldered and crimped it fast. I'll try to attach a picture. High Bidder

Misty IV, I found the whole answer today. The new law only applies to trailers with a GVWR over 10,000 lbs. So unless you have a really big boat you don't have to worry. These changes were part of the same new legislation that dealt with farm vehicles and a lower weight requirement for a CDL license. High Bidder

I tried researching it in the PA website but the law is confusing as to whether it applies to large trucks or any commercial truck or to any truck. It will not affect any vehicle registered as a car, Station wagon or RV. The law was originally meant for large trucks but is now being applied to smaller trucks towing a "commercial trailer". ie hauling compact tractors, skidloaders etc. I guess I'll get the whole picture when I am pulled over by the DOT police. As for the law being applied to boat trailers is still unclear. It shouldn't because I would consider a boat an RV vehicle. I still haven't found a full explanation of the law. Most of my information is from other contractors and the local trailer repair shop. High Bidder