Flightmanager

Been there , done that !! Great read , looking forward to the next chapter !!!

No news on this? Lets do it like we used to !! Fishraider had the best socials , time to ramp it up again !!!

Hi fellow Fishraiders , Been a member here for many years , have some time off in March , and would like some company on my boat . You dont need any great experience with either boats or fishing , favourite haunt is around the harbour , smokers are welcome ! Just need some good company on the water !! Semd me a PM if you are interested. Ross

I think I still remember how to , Im in !! Ross

Absolutely!! Fishraider has held many , many succesful social gatherings , events planned with the whole family involved. Not too sure when the next one might be , and hopefully the weather will be kinder to us for the next one ( Back To The Bay had to be cancelled due to inclement weather). Keep an eye on these forums for notice of when the next one will be. Ross

Well done on a hard call Stewy , this is why Fishraider is # 1.

Luke , can you give us some more info on your engine? Make Model Year??? Seeing that this is the coldest time of the year , you may notice more water vapor (steam , white smoke) coming out . As Huey said , the Impellor has very little influence on exhaust smoke , unless it has failed completely. If you have a good stream of water of water flowing out of the tell tale , the impellor is probably OK , and doing its job. If the white "smoke" has a distinctly oily or burnt smell , take it to Huetts Marine for analysis !!! Ross

If I didnt love my 75HP Etec so much Id sell it to ya !! Definately talk to Craig from Huetts Marine , site sponsor , and all around good guy !!! Ross

Would that be the transducer?

Any production run of a piece of equipment which is mass produced will have a failure percentage. This applies to ANY make of outboard ( or anything else for that matter ). It seems , that everyone " knows" of someone who had nothing but trouble with the very model you are interested in . Oddly enough , their particular model is perfect in every respect. Mercury are a well established brand , and generally speaking , produce a good quality product. The same can be said for Evinrude , Johnson , Yamaha , Honda et al . These manufacturers have also produced their share of lemons , designs that should never progressed beyond the drawing board. Have a good close look at the engine. Outward appearances tell you much about the engine. Scratches , rust , bits of propeller missing would indicate that it may have had a hard life , and the possibility of it failing the first time you are out of sight of land are pretty good . Take the cowling off , and see what has been happening to the engine itself. Oil leaks , burnt areas , corrosion etc would also be a warning sign. Is there a build up of salt on the engine , or is it clean , linkages lubricated etc. Any cracks in the High Tension leads? How about the electrical connections , clean and tight , or green with corrosion ? If you could provide a model and year number , it would help a great deal in identifying problems with that particular model ( if indeed there are any ) . Ross

Firstly , jack up the wheel in question , ( making sure the other wheel is chocked , or alternatively , connect the trailer to the car.) Next, spin the wheel,. It should revolve smoothly , with very little sound. Any grating noises or roughness indicate further investigation is required. Next , grab each side of the tyre at 9 O'clock and 3 O'clock , and try to "wobble" it from side to side. Any movement indicates the bearings are not tightened correctly , and remedial action is required. Now to the fun part ....... Remove the tyre and wheel from the hub assembly. In the middle of the hub assembly , you will see the bearing cap . Remove this , gentlytapping with a hammer whilst pulling the cap off . You should now be looking at the bearings themselves. They are held in place by a retaining nut ( sometimes called a Castleated Nut )which is held in place by a split pin. Carefully straighten out the split pin , and remove it . ( Long nose pliers are perfect for this task). Using a socket or suitable spanner , undo and remove the retaining nut , and the flat washer which will be beneath it . Gently rock the hub , and the whole unit will slide off the axle. The Front bearing will slip right out , place it on a clean sheet of paper or cloth , never place it on the ground. ( Grease attracts and holds pieces of grit , the mortal enemy of bearings!). Turn to the rear of the hub , and there will be a rubber seal. Gentlypry this seal from the rear of the hub assembly.Remove the smaller rear bearing . If everything is an orange colour , take your bearings to any Automotive spare parts retailer , and get replacement bearings. ( They are very cheap , so cost is not really a problem). The orange colour is rust , highly undesireable! Time to get our hands dirty !!!!!!! If the bearings are not rusty or worn , clean them thoroughly with a brush and solvent ( petrol is fine ). Get all of the old grease out. Remove as much of the old grease from inside the hub as you can . With a clean cloth , wipe down the axle , particularly the machined taper . When cleaned , look for worn patches , or unevenness . Now its time to "pack" the bearings with clean grease. I was taught that there was only one way to pack bearings ,and thats the hard way !! Place a generous portion of grease in one palm. Hold the new or cleaned bearing in the other hand , and drag it across the palm with the grease. This will force the grease into the rollers.Continue doing this until all of the rollers are covered in grease. Re-assembly is the reverse of removal , I like to pack the middle of the hub with grease , and a light smear on the axle taper. Replace the hub onto the axle , and replace the washer and nut. Tighten the nut so that the hub assembly revolves smoothly , without binding . Replace wheel , and spin it . It should revolve smoothly and quietly . There should be no side to side play . Insert a new split pin through the nut ( there is a hole in the axle , just line the 2 holes up), and bend one end of the pin around the nut , so that it will not fall out. I like to fill the bearing cap with grease before I replace it , which is done by gently tapping it into place. Each wheel should take no more than 20 minutes to do . It sounds complicated , but its really pretty easy. Ross

I would suggest that if your car has 4 cylinders , and is not a turbo diesel , then an alloy boat would probably be the way to go . There are trade offs though , fiberglass boats are heavy , but quieter on the water generally , and tend to ride better in less than perfect conditions. Alloy boats tend to be cheaper as well as lighter , but , can suffer from reverberating noise when waves hit the sides. This may become tiresome on a long day out. Having said that , many of our members are extremely happy with their metal boats ,and the aforementioned noise is "just part of the joys of boating!". It is refreshing to see someone concerned more with the towing capabilities of their vehicle , than the type of boat they buy.There will be the perfect boat out there for you , and within your vehicles towing abilities. As Aquaman mentioned , its not just the weight of the boat you need to think about , but the " whole " towing package , ie car , boat , trailer , passengers , fishing gear , fuel etc , etc. While the car may well pull all of this weight , you also have to be able to stop it . Are the brakes on your vehicle up to the task? Even with a braked trailer , your stopping distance is going to be a lot longer with each kilo of added weight. Consider descending Mt Ously on your way down the coast. 6 Km of steep descent. 800 to 1200 Kg of weight pushing you downhill. Will your transmission handle the strain of trying to hold back that much weight , and will the brakes prove adequate ? Even at 60 Km/H , on a hot day ,in a smaller vehicle , it may be a bit of an ask. Best of luck with your new boat when you get it , there is nothing better than " just mucking about on the water in a boat!". Ross

Seems to be a common problem , a quick squirt of Inox or any other aerosol lubricant seems to do the trick. Yes , I have had to do this !! Ross

Batteries HATE cold weather . Batteries which otherwise may have survived during the warmer months will nearly always die when it gets cold . Ross

:1happybday: #1 Son !!! He partied hearty over the weekend ( Oh to be that young again !!) All the best for the rest of your life Brett , Love Dad & Min.

I would suggest that it was done annually , or more frequently if you use the engine a lot ( +100 hours ). A water separating filter would also be a good thing to have , given the woeful fuel quality we have . Ross

If you keep blowing fuses , you dont replace them until you know why. You have a dead short somewhere in the circuit. What size fuse are you using? Have you wired it up correctly ( Red wire to the Positive , and Black wire to the negative?) It is probably something very simple , just recheck all of the connections you have made. I would think a 5 Amp fuse would be sufficient. Ross

Sincerest Condolences Donna , Vanessa and Lucinda. Im sure Fay will be greatly missed . Ross

Sounds like you have a high resistance joint somewhere ( it wont allow the full flow of power ). Check all connections to make sure they are clean.There is a small terminal/ post brush that you can buy from most auto parts stores. Clean the terminals and lead connections , and try to start the engine. If it is still doing the same thing you will need to look further. Are the fuses clean and tightly connected ? Also check the electrical connections at the starter motor while you are at it . Ross

Thanks Craig , I'll enter into negotiations with the Relevant Minister , and get back to you !! Ross

I'm in the market for a Lowrance Combo unit. ( The Minister For War is paying !!!). Have a good price ( I think ) from a major retailer, but the newer all singing , all dancing DIGITAL unit is actually cheaper than the previous model. The older model has the you beaut Navionics GOLD installed , whereas I get the " Basic " mapping with the newer digital unit. The newer unit will communicate with my beloved Etec ( those of you who do not own an Etec will not understand.). Which way should I go? Im Hoping Craig will help me out here , ( as he will be installing it !). ( Shameless plug for Huetts Marine , only people who will ever touch my Etec !!). This will be my first foray into the murky waters ( forgive the pun !) of dual purpose sounders/Plotters. I have a 4.3M Haines -Hunter runabout, and typically I fish the Harbour , and occasionally the South Coast. I have my eyes on the 5 " model , but am lusting after the 8 " screen. Any comments are most welcome !! Ross

PM Craig from Huetts Marine ( Sponsor). There is nothing Etec that he does not know about ! I would ask his opinion about covers etc . Ross

Hi Phatso , Looks like you have quite a job ahead of you !! From experience , heres a few tips that may help : 1) Keep it clean !! After sanding the surface , wipe the prepared surface down with acetone . This will remove any dust or grease that may be on the surface. 2) Wear protective gloves at all times. Resin will burn your skin as it starts to cure , and acetone will dry your skin out like nobodies business ! A good barrier cream is advisable also. 3) Ventilation. Resin and acetone create toxic vapours, try to avoid breathing them as much as possible. I have never attempted such a large scale repair , but have done many smaller ones. My personal preference is a layer of woven mat for the first layer , followed by a layer of chopped mat for subsequent layers. Finish off with a layer of gel coat. A Google search for " Fibreglassing" or "Fibreglass Repairs " will get you a wealth of knowledge , read up as much as you can before you start , resin aint cheap , and it will go " off" quickly if not mixed properly. Perhaps you could post a series of pics in " The Workshop" part of the forums so we can see how it is progressing !! Ross

Now , thats a kingfish!!!! Well Done !!

Im on holidays at the same time , have boat , maybe we can catch up after the 23rd. Ross