zmk1962

Not sure what type of steering you have, I keep mine turned full lock to right or left and keep it that way with a section of plastic channel slipped over the hydraulic steering shaft. Similarly, regarding tilt, I slip two sections of poly channel over the ram shaft.... If you use an outboard support bar that links to the trailer, make sure it is one that has a spring dampener in it, otherwise you are passing all trailer shocks or vibrations straight to your motor mounts and transom. As Noel mentioned, the forces your transom experiences with the motor underway on the water are far greater than any forces the transom is submitted to on the road....unless of course you are travelling offroad for significant distances. Cheers Zoran

Usually you don’t go to settings for a hard or soft reset. You press and hold a combination of buttons while you press the power on button. Suggest you check your manual for the combination. cheers Zoran https://support.garmin.com/en-IE/?faq=XQ96ckoawp1PzOdEUz31V7

Magnificent catch and a Majestic old fella there - good on ya for exercising catch and release on that one 👍👍👍 Stuff of dreams for us mere mortals cheers Zoran

Never a bad day on the water…especially with like minded company… the feed is a bonus. BTW maybe the title should have been “2 and a 1/2 FishRaiders” cheets Zoran

Nice feed again. Very consistent Dave .... congratulations - I think you really need to share the co-ordinates of Costis reef with @Fab1 Cheers Zoran

What a top report - you're a natural ! I'm sure your journey and experience will be an inspiration for many that follow. All the best for the summer season and keep the fishing and kitchen reports coming... Tight Lines 🎣 Cheers Zoran PS - BTW "pscarey" ....hmmm sounds a bit like "pescare" .... which in italian means "to fish" ... maybe you were born for it 🤔 PPS - top job @DerekD ... your student has graduated 🏆

Well done Bob. You have that section of the river well and truly sussed. Top job. cheers Zoran

No probs Bob. That’s what this forum is for - so that we can all share our experiences - I’m sure you’ll hear from other folks that are also happy with their winches and choice. Definitely looking forward to our next session 👍👍 cheers Z

@slothparade regarding your original question I recommend you read @GoingFishing’s fantastic summary on how to fish reefs - it will give you quite a few ideas on how to approach long reef. Cheers Zoran

Hi Bob, I’ve previously written up my considerations in the post below. In my opinion there are two stand out drum winches. LSM (Lonestar Marine) and SFM (Stressfree Marine). Since I regularly anchor in 60m waters I chose SFM as they offered the free-fall capability - this meant I could drop the anchor in 10sec vs trying to hold mark for 2min while I lowered the anchor under power. My drum winch has been installed and in use since 2017 no issues at all. Not sure who is telling you there is clutch wear - there is no clutch - a solenoid drives the drum to one side which disengages the drive splines - switch off solenoid and a spring pushes the drum back on splines (in gear). Maintenance is an occasional spray of wd40 on the drum and exposed surfaces. cheers Zoran

Yes regular fuel hose works - you may need a wider ID as in my experience the breather spigot was larger than the tank spigot and can be a b*tch to push the hose onto especially if its in an awkward spot. Cheers Zoran

I presume that with a motor of that size you have a subfloor fuel tank. @2218’s experience just reminded me that you should also check the fuel tank breather hose. Early on when I had a 225hp Yam carb model it would occasionally stall at low revs when shifting in reverse… the previous owner told me it was a feature of that motor - however I eventually found the tank breather hose was kinked and when I replaced it the stall issue disappeared. I concluded that when in the water the boat sat at an angle that trapped some fuel in the breather. The kink plus the trapped fuel prevented proper fuel supply at low revs. cheers Zoran

Agree with Noel .. if you suspect the carbs then you need to get a proper carb clean done... or do it yourself. Did you test the fuel pump after changing it? - disconnect the tube feeding the carbs and point it into a container and crank the engine... are you getting good flow? BTW, for comparison my old 1999 EFI Merc 200hp idled at 700-750rpm ... whether on muffs or lower leg submerged in water. The back pressure should not be affecting yours to the extent you are seeing. Cheers Zoran PS - I have sent you PM with details of a mobile mech that was recommended to me, but I have not had a need to use him as yet.

Sounds and looks like an awesome dat out! Top stuff. Thanks for sharing- I can almost taste the salt spray. cheers Zoran

I notice from your questions that you seem to be new to fishing Long Reef. I don't mean to put a cloud on your intentions but just want to make sure you have done all the research and have given your self time to gain the necessary experience to have a safe outing.... perhaps even find some experienced companion's to journey out with. I think you'll find most Raiders will advise take it slow and build your experience. I don't fish off a Yak but I do fish Long Reef from my 6.3m boat. Long Reef is an extended reef system that stretches more than 10km+ east (Long Reef wide). .. depth varies from 10m to 25m closer in, and to 60M+ wider out. It's a typical reef system in that regard with many nooks and ledges and drop offs. When it fires up it's red hot. It also is attracts all the predators and great white sightings and encounters are not uncommon. There was an incident that was recorded on video back in 2008 where a 5m GW tipped a kayaker into the water. Fortunately he was with a group of yaks and a tinny fisherman that rallied to assist... the footage is 2008 quality but you'll get the idea. If you search YouTube for Long Reef and Kayak ... you'll get a sense of what fishing is like there and what folks have encountered. Being a reef system Long Reef is prone to rogue waves ... there have been several incidents of boats as large as 6m flipped there by rogue waves. Remember: everyone starts boating with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience, the objective is to fill your bag with experience before you run out of luck. Cheers Zoran