Hey guys.just a question about my boat  trailer.

The crossmembers near the keel  rollers have got some rust on them bad enough  that  the  steel is flaking.

They are still solid nontheless  . trailer is ten yrs old ,washed properly every time.

Is it possible  to slow it down at all.?

What  have people done ?

Is it worth cleaning it up and painting or is it a waste of time?

 Just a heads up to anyone changing the bearings on their trailers. The kit as pictured( Ford version) is supplied with a seal which is absolutely useless. The lips on the labyrinth which are responsible for keeping water away from your bearings and races come nowhere near contacting  the stainless inner. As a result, water enters very quickly and will destroy your inners. I know this can happen with any seal if you don't pump enough grease in, or try to use an ordinary  seal, but there would be at least 3mm gap all around--you can drop the seal into the inner and just move it around. The Ark kits which BCF normally stock have a good triple-lipped seal. As to the bearing quality itself, I can make no comment. This first happened to me last year, but it took a while for the penny to drop--I fitted new kits of the type shown above on a new axle, and found water in the grease after just one launch. The inner race shown is one of two I have just replaced-they were both of the kind of kit mentioned above,  only 12 months old, but the two sets of BCF supplied bearings fitted at the same time were fine.

I've got $350 worth of vouchers for my local boat shop and considering what to get. Since I've had the boat I've upgraded from my 2x Humminbird units to a Furuno 627 and HDS7, installed lights, replaced the bilge pump with an automatic one and installed a second automatic one on separate switches, installed a bait board, converted my bait well into a live tank, bought a cover, upgraded all the life jackets, flaires and EPIRB and bought a personal EPIRB and installed a complete spare hub with spare wheel. 

If you had $350 to spend on whatever you liked what would it be? I am thinking deck wash and installing a set of 7" speakers to go with the current 6" ones but any other things that would be 'nice' but not essential I may not have thought of?

 Hi Folks,

Just purchased a motorguide 80lb trolling motor and need to buy 2 deepcycle batteries  to make a 24volt system. Done a bit of research and AGM are the go by the look of it. Though I would ask fishwreckeders before I spend $7-900 on a set of batteries. 

Anyone have minnkota or motorguide that can recommend a specific battery and cheapest retailer? Also need a charger.

Cheers

Barra

 Have got a 07 fs 115 Suzuki  runs great and all but every now again were haven problems starting it like 1 in like 15-20 starts it won't start so we play around with putting it into gear then back to neutral and most times it works  but on the longer end up off Cervantes  we spent a good 10 mins trying different things  and finally got started. Dad and I both have this problems and isn't just one off us  any idea off way it could be were thinking maybe a loose wire or somethen  

 Hi Folks,

I cant seem to find anything on the web about these boats. I was wondering if any knowledgable people could tell me a bit about it. I got it real cheap, needs some love but it seems to be a great boat. Any info at all will be appreciated.

Cheers!

My Suzuki DF200 had its first abnormal problem since I've purchased the boat. It has 250 hours on the clock and was serviced late last year about 60 hours ago. I was 40 kms from shore and decided to reposition the boat for our last drift. It started fine, put it in gear and started moving at around 2500 rpm. I slowly incresed the revs to around 3500 and the engine stalled. It took a few turns of the key but it started again and managed to put the boat in the spot I wanted. Finished the drift, packed up the gear and it was time to head home. I was feeling a little anxious at this stage as we were a long way out from the ramp and knowing that the motor stalled I was praying that it was just a one off occurance. It started fine and off we went with the motor revving at around 3000 rpm. I then ramped it up further to around 4500 rpm and everything was fine. Within about a minute or so it stalled again and the boat came to a sudden stop. Now I was really worried. I turned the key and it started again and no more issues for the rest of the trip back to the ramp with the motor eventually sitting on around 5000 rpm. 

Has anyone enountered any similar problem before and more so with a Suzuki engine? Like I said before it has never missed a beat and the rest of the trip home I was up and down on the throttle at different stages and all went well. Maybe air in the line or dirty fuel? Any comments would be appreciated.

hi guys, Just thought I'd drop a line and ask for your help with a problem I have, as most of you know I recently became a site sponsor and I specialise in outboard maintenance in the northern suburbs. The problem I have is knowing how much to charge for typical services, I absolutely don't want to rip into people but at the same time this is my living and I need to cover my costs of operation, if you could comment below and tell me what engine you have and how much your normal service costs that would really help me get a better idea of what I should be charging, you can also PM me and give me any feedback or suggestions of ways that I could provide a better service than you are used to, this isn't a "whinge about your mechanic" thread so please keep it clean haha

thanks guys  

Does anybody know of a mobile mechanic with Mercury diagnostic software that travels through and offers a service in Carnarvon?

 Pm me where you lost it if its yours.

Hi All, Looking for any contact details for someone to give my 23ft glass centre console a good cut n polish. Just the hull im looking to get done. would do it myself but unfortunately got no time, and im just slack to be honest.
any recommendations would be great.
Cheers

 Not sure weather to go 4 or 5mm on my new Amm sea class 5.2 centre console overall length 5.6, 150mercury on the back

 Hi can anyone tell me what kind of hull this is? 

Also structural foam - can some one point me in the right direction, preferably nor

thanks n

Raymarine transducer comes up no signal on both my displays a75 and e97 I've been away and not used the boat for 9 months I've checked the wiring and connections all look fine has anyone had this problem before? Also I've been to white worths and they don't have any in stock 

 So I had to get towed in a couple of weeks ago due to a compressor failure. That was expensive but got that replaced and thought all was good. I took the boat out for a ride out of ocean reef and all went well with a follow up ride up the river a few days later. On the second ride in completely flat and glassy conditions I felt the boat surge a little at low speed which was a little worrying. The opti has always been a bit rugged at idle but this was a little different.

As it was due for a service anyway took it back for the 800 hour service and mentioned the issue and that I would like a few things looked at including the tracker valve. After being told before it was running ok got a call today saying they started it and its running rough and they suspect an issue with a reed valve. Another $280 (2 hours) to strip it down to inspect the reed valves and then $300 per cylinder (parts only) if they need replacing, expensive considering its a v6. Anyone had any experience with replacing reed valves and how much it should cost on a 2009 opti 200. Like I say it was a little lumpy and surged at low speeds and rpms but it was great a higher revs. Hopefully when this is sorted out I might get another 800 out of it before I have to spend this kind of money again. 

Mate left his boat too long in the water. Anyone know how best to remove these without damaging the hull.

Hi, got a new car and had the Redarc Tow Pro installed. Previous car had a Tekonsha P3 which worked fine. Hooked the new car up today and went for a spin and brakes aren't working. The towpro bit seemed to do its calibration thing and was doing what it should in terms of changing colours (no warning/error sequences) but when I stopped the car and applied the brakes either in auto or manual mode (pressing the button) there was no noise from the hydraulics which I can normally hear from the drivers seat. When I manually pressed the button on the trailer they worked.

Any ideas?

Hi all can someone point me in the right direction.
I need help with my trailer when trying to drive the 610 Trailcraft on now that I have fitted a Launch and retrieve latch.
Its not staying central on the keel rollers , I have two sets of wobblers either side but if the boat if just a little of centre it misses the third keel roller.
cheers

I was unable to use the boat for over a year due to a few surgeries that had to happen, so my brother borrowed the boat...

I got it back last week after he assured me he'd only used it once or twice.. which judging by the weeds growing around the wheels it was prolly accurate.

However it seems when he removed all the fishing gear and accessories he forgot about a 5lt container of two stroke oil.

which sat in the sun all summer and perished/split/ leaked over the floor of the boat. and the rain he had just after summer splashed it everywhere,

I have a pressure washer and got some "Truck wash" but it looks like the oil has stained the fibreglass.

anyone know if the stains can be removed, if so how, or does it need to be re-glassed / painted.

Geuss who's never getting the boat again.

Thanks

Paul

 Hi guys

I have a 150 yammy 4 stroke. 

Current prop is 3 blade, and the only numbers on it are 17m.

Does this mean it's a 17 pitch? How do I know the diameter or is that dependant on the engine (meaning I can just look it up)

 Looks like I'm gonna be layed up for a few months with my knee surgery so will have 90L sitting there in my full tank. Would syphoning out 30L into the Wife's car and filling her back up with petrol every 2-3 months be the way to keep the fuel ok?

 Gday All

Anyone know how what range of amps a new suzuki 140hp alternator puts out? Assume the idiling amont is alot differnt then steaming. Dont want to over load with electrics on the boat.

Cheers

Barra

 Needing a gearbox/lower leg that will fit my 1985 Mercury 75hp. Anyone got one they want to get rid of?

Cheers Geoff

Hi People, Does anyone know if a 115hp leg will fit on a 75hp?  Both are Mercury 1980's. Just want to put the gearbox part on.   

G'day, I'm wondering if there are any experts out there on Voyager hulls, specifically an LTD Mk3. I have recently noticed a very fine crack where the transom joins the hull, around 50cm long, from the portside corner running down towards the bung. Additionally, on the starboard side, there is a crack passing through one of the chines, again, where the hull pretty much joins the transom. In one very small spot, about an inch long, there is a very small rusty water stain, but a dribble really. She's not shipping any water, though any crack is a worry! There has been a very rough patch-job done at some stage to cover it up, just cloth glassed over the area, looks in the pic like gel-coat bubbling, but it's not.

The transom feels rock solid, there is no flex at all when I reef on the engine, and the cracked area doesn't seem to move at all. I'm guessing the next thing to do would be to drill a spyhole through the floor and try and see what's going on?

I'm about the 4th owner, she's an old boat, and I have no idea whether the stringers have ever been done. I don't know enough about the hulls to know whether the transom would be the original one, but as I said, it seems very robust and solid.

I can't tell whether the transom runs full length of the stern, or whether the hull mould curls around from the sides and the transom is joined at some point. Anyone have any idea? I've done every search I can for info, plans, specs etc, but might be looking in the wrong places, as I can't find much info at all about the Voyager boats history and manufacture. I would be most grateful to hear from anyone with experience of these hulls before I take it for major surgery, even if just to know what I may be up for before I go, to avoid being taken advantage of when a repairer spots me as the clueless new (OLD) boat owner that I am! :)

The crack issue aside, I would be interested to know any of the history about these boats, I knew enough to grab her when I saw her on reputation, and to date, she's been a fantastic craft for me and my growing family, handles most sea conditions beautifully, like a much larger vessel. Any and all info and tips would be very gratefully received! I plan to refurb the vessel over time, new windscreen soon, and other cosmetic stuff, followed by a bit of bling with Port Phillip Bay style snapper racks etc.

Cheers,
Tim

 Can't find anyone. 

gents

I've been told that the earth/negative on a boat should never be grounded and yet on my quintrex the negative battery lead is bolted to a lug on the transom near the battery box.is this correct or should I remove it from the connection to the hull so it's not grounded

the negatives for lights ect all come back to the lug on the transom 

 Hey guys,

Put a new antenna on for my vhf as the old one wasn't working properly. Checked the new one out from home and got Mandurah sea rescue 5/5. Great I thought fixed that problem. Anyway last Tuesday headed out 20 nm west of Mandurah and tried again.... Zip. Tried again on the way home at 10 nm and picked up Rockingham sea rescue 5/5. Thought I would get a lot better distance than this. Do I need a new radio or is there something else to try?

Chris

 gday guys ive got a bit of a problem ive had my ally boat for 3.5 years now and the paint is bubbling near any hardware that has been mounted on the boat

the worst area was near the live bait tank and under the cushions where the steel staples used to hold the side cushions together have rusted the area behind them

the boat gets washed after each use with soapy water and hosed off after that i thought that this was all that was required

since speaking to the boat manufacturer they have advised that i should be using inox around all areas where things are mounted to keep the salt water out......

since looking into this problem ive come to know how much of a problem stainless and aluminuim have with each other and then when saltwater gets involved things escalate but they make products that slow the process duralac and you can sikalfex around the mounted hardware to help stop the saltwater getting in as well

neither of these things were done by the boat manufacturer and when i asked them about it they just said it was poor maintenance 

does anyone else think this is just a crap effort by the boat manufacturer i dont wanna name and shame the manufacturer but i think that its a bit shit and was wondering what other people think and if other boat manufacturers take more of an effort when mounting hardware to their boats

Looking for some help guys

I have an existing 27mhz, and a am fm radio in my boat.

I currently have 2 aerials.

I want to change the 27 for a vhf.

I was told all I would need is a spliiter and use the same aerial as the amfm radio.

Is this correct?

Because the splitter doesnt seem right when installed, as the aerial fixes to the second part of the splitter, not the main part (if that makes sense?).

Do I need a new dedicated aerial?