Hi all I recently had a lowrance hds8 with a p79 airmar inhull tranny fitted to the new boat I haven't had the chance to try it out in the deeper water yet but after having a little play with it in the sound while crabbing I was very impressed even though I was only in 10-20mtrs it made it easy to pick out weed patches and at top speed 30+ knts the picture was still crystal clear. Just gotta wait for some decent weather to try it out in the 80s. I've done a bit of searching on here for manual tuneing tips and found a little info but not a great deal so I thought I'd start a post for people to put up there personal preference settings on the hds. It's interesting to hear the different ways people set there sounders up maybe we can teach the less wiser (like myself) how to get the best results out of there hds unit. A few things I'm most interested in is what background colour do most of u guys find the easiest to read hard bottOm and coral etc. Also just wondering do u use the same settings drifting as u would while traveling at speed or do u turn the gain up giving u a faster picture. Thanx guys in advance I'm sure there's alot of different preferences for settings at least if we all post what we know about the hds we all might find out something we didn't know and when it comes to finding fish u can never know to much :-)

I have a Perspex window on my boat that goes from the dash to the top of the cabin door that has cracked and needs replacing. Any one on here had anything perspex made up before?

G'day everyone,

Recently my lowrance gps reciever has packed it in so i went up the shop to get a replacement but at $400 i went home empty handed.

So does anyone know of a cheaper alternative to buying a new lowrance reciever? Or know where i can get one cheaper? Im currently using a lgc-3000, but i was told they no longer make them so the $400 replacement was a lgc-4000.

Cheers Paul 

Got this of a Humminbird page but helps get the idea of side scan.

  (These are of my Lowrance)

1.       Is the righthand view of a rockbar coming in of the bank there are some fish there in the water column.

The raised section is under the boat.

2.       Is the lefthand view raised is under the boat fish signal a bit stronger, so fish slightly left of trawl run.

3.       You can see rockbar tapers of in to deeper water to the left.

 The others are a wreck but same princiaple, things in the vetical section are sticking up under the boat others wit shadows are out to the side.

Hope this helps side scan users.

Cheers POC 

Hi guys,

Just got my first boat and have a problem with the fuel. ali underfloor tank.

I have filled it up three times over the last week and a half and everytime i have parked it on my paving straight after.

The next day once i have come home from work there is fuel all over the paving and down the back side of the boat where the "breather" is. I think thats what its called. My understanding was the "breather" was to allow excess fuel to spill out the back if the tank if it is over filled at the bowser. This does happen and usually a little bit on the way home, totally understandable. However once the boat is parked on the paving none comes out. The next day i think the fuel heats up and pours out the back. is this normal??? surely not?? i have tried leaving the fuel cap off to allow it to breathe a little more, and no fuel comes out at the cap.  I am only filling it until the bowser cuts off.

It has stained the shit out of my new $3000 paving and i need ideas of how to get this off as well.

Please dont offer me advice like fill it up just before you go out, because you will sound like my misses and thats not a solution and not always practical. Surely this doesnt happen to everyone??

any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry guys I've got a million questions, at the same time trying not to drive you fellas mad.

I've only just bought my first boat in the last month, after growing up around boats with my grand father.

With help from you guys, from my threads and the threads i'm reading, I feel i am starting to tick all the right boxes in getting a safe up to date maintenance regime. 

As soon as I bought the boat, I sent it straight away for a full service on the motor, which was completed, and the motor came back with a full bill of health.

The motor is a 1999 Johnson 130hp 2 stroke V4.

I've taken the boat out in the river twice for a couple of get to know it type trips, and have noticed that the Tell tale, peehole, place where the water squirts out the side of the motor, whatver you want to call it, the water stream is not a direct squirt, it doesn't stop and start water is allways coming out of it, although it is not a straight stream with a lot of pressure. Now when I flush it on the ear muffs, I have noticed down on the lower gear box leg that either side of the leg also has a tell tale squirt which is strong and constant, along with another one at around the same level down low squirting towards the transom.

Yesterday I dropped back into where I had it serviced (I wont name them because I don't think thats fair) spoke to the mechanic in regards to the top tell tale pressure, and he told me that the tell tale pipe connects onto a fitting which is connected to the motor body by a backing nut, this same fitting also has a breather type tube coming off it as well which just sits in the bottom of the motor body which the mechanic says serves no real purpose, the mechanic said if it was his motor he would take off the breather altogether, remove the fitting and backing nut, put a grommet in the motor body hole and pass the tell tale through the grommet and then I would get a decent squirt out. He told me to go home take the motor cover off, just pull the tell tale pipe off the fitting hold it out to the side, put the motor on flush start it and I would see a decent squirt, which I did and he was 100 % correct.

Has anyone come across this previously, and would it be good advice to remove this fitting, and use the grommet advice ?

Cheers. 

 Hey guys

iv got a 1980 70HP Johnson and looking for a Stainless Tilt Tube..

Just wondering if anyone knows where i can aquire one? where do you all get your motor parts from?

Thanks

Aaron

Gday everyone.  looking into a Car Topper at the moment, looking for something to go on roof so I can tow Camper Trailer as well.  Maiden trip will be Gnaraloo.  Has anyone got any advise on makes and models.  Vehicle will be a Patrol Wagon.  These sound pretty good www.dinghyworld.com.au/Details.asp The Mako Craft Topper Tracker, I like the idea of 100mm higher gunnels.  Looking at about a 15hp donk.  Does anyone know of any car toppers for sale?

Cheers for any help

Does anyone know who can supply a small piece of cabon fibre woven matt for a small job id like to do on a dash? I only need 300mm x 120 piece.

Im SOR

I have a manky looking steering wheel I would like to replace.

Its some kind of black poly type material I cant see a brand.

I can get the centre nut off thats fine but my problem is I cant seem to remove the steering wheel or anything any further than this. Below the wheel is like a raised cowling if that helps, I could take a photo.

Does it pull or knock off or does it screw thread off, if so which way would it thread off as I cant seem to budge it either way. ?

Or am I missing something ?

Cheers again.

Gday fellas

Need advice on a jockey wheel for my dual axel easy tow trailer. At the moment the trailer seems too heavey for the standard jockey wheel and is deteriorating the rubber on the wheel and I was wondering if any other boaties have had this problem and how they went about rectifying it. I have moved the boat back on the trailer 50mm or so but that only made a small difference to the problem. Cheers

Ok guys what about flushing out the motor with fresh water after use ?

My outboard is a 1999 Johnson 130hp V4 (2 stroke, 4 cyl) and I flush it with ear muffs.

I have been told to run/flush it when I get home for at least 10 to 15 minutes, so as to give the thermostat time to open.

Now this next point I have been told 3 different opinions by 3 different people.

1) I was also originally told, instead of switching it off at the key at the end of flushing, to actually switch off or disconnect the fuel, so as to run the motor out of petrol, so no petrol is left in the carbys, every time I flush it out. Like I said I was originally advised this a month ago by a very old boatie (maybe things have changed)

2) I have also been told it is not adviseable to run it out of fuel after flushing, because it can and will damage the power head.

3) I have been advised to only run it out of fuel when and if you are virtually winterising your boat for the wet season.  

Which advise is correct ? Is there some truth to all the advice ? Are they all right or all wrong ?

Cheers.

While I'm on a roll picking up info I thought I'd keep going.

What's the go with re charging your boat battery, I don't have a dual battery system "yet" so I want to keep what I've got on deck.

I was following another thread here, and it mentioned that somebody forgot to put the battery on charge after the last trip.

Is that normal practice for boaties and fishos to do ? Should I be re charging after every trip out, or should it be done once every three odd months or something ?

And if so can you charge with your normal car battery type charger, like I would charge a car battery ? 

I have a Delkor marine battery, and I have noticed it does not have the caps to unscrew while it is charging, like a car battery, what's the go there ?

Cheers.

Guys , i recently bought a Fraser ( see attached ) it is a great buy, but i need to upgrade the covers as the zippers have given way and the canvas is just about shot.

I was thinking about putting front clears on it and maybe changing the profile.

Anyone have advice on replacing the canvas ect ?

thanks in advance.

Cheers

Gardie

Hello All,

My family has a house booked and i want to take our small boat (4.5 metre Savage) over for the stay.

Does anyone know where i can advertise for someone to tow it there for me as i am not too keen to drive it there!  not yet anyway...

Hi all,

Wondering if any of you have taken a VRO unit off a Johnson outboard? I have seen the youtube segments, is it as easy as disconnecting the two wiring and plugging the oil hose intake? Obviously, you would have to run 2 stroke fuel from the tank before hand. Anything else I need to know?

Hi all,

I recently bought a used Quintrex Dory 420 with a Honda 25hp 4st on the back (standard open hull with no decks etc, just fuel, batt, two seats and safety gear). Overall, i'm pretty happy with the rig, but I was somewhat disappointed by some aspects of it's performance and just wanted to get some opinions from people with similar setups and perhaps some technical advice on improving performance.

The engine appears to be pretty sweet. I changed the plugs, oils & filters when I bought the engine. It starts easily and runs well. Top speed with two big guys (110kg+) on board and gear is about 35kph (20knts), which I am quite happy with. However, getting on to the plane can be quite difficult with two on board, especially into chop or headwind (and pretty much impossible with a third person). I normally have to feather the throttle, as if i try to open it up in one go the engine seems to bog down. It doesn't seem to me like it is an engine fault, but rather a torque issue - almost as if it is overloading the engine perhaps due to being 'over propped'. (Prop is a stock Honda 9.9x12).

Also, I've had a look at the engine mounting height today and it seems to be mounted much too low - cav plate about 50mm+ below the bottom of the hull. I know that the rule of thumb is that cav plate should be level or max 25mm below hull, and I have noticed that there is quite a bit of vertical spray coming up the transom when on the plane which I assume is a symptom of motor being too low. I can change mounting bolts to the bottom mounting holes which will raise the OB by another 25mm, however it will still be 25mm+ below hull and I can't go any higher without building up the transom height somehow.

Anyway, I realise this is a bit of a wide question, but like I said just looking for some opinions from people with same or similar rig or people with good techincal knowledge. To sum up:-

1. Would you say that this rig was underperforming based on the above?

2. Does the 'bogging down' engine whilst opening throttle sound like an engine fault, or just overloading the engine as I suspect?

3. Is cav plate 25-30mm below hull okay? If not, how can I get an extra inch on the transom height? It is the type with an angled cut out in the middle, so assume that I could just get someone to weld on a section (25x25mm square tube perhaps) onto the top of the exising transom.

4. Should I change to a lower pitch prop, considering I will normally be fishing with a bit of a load? What size should I go to - 9.9X11?

5. I was looking at fitting an SE Sport 200 hydrofoil to cav plate to try help getting on plane, however since the outboard seems to be a bit low already, I am worried the plate would sit under the water (rather than on top as it is supposed to) and just make matters worse by creating more drag?

Any help or advice appreciated.....

Starting to think about winscreen replacement on the boat. Just wondering what if any are the reasons toughened glass is not used on smaller boats.

Hi guys, I have a 175hp outboard. I have installed a custom water catcher so when I reverse the water doesnt go back up. But the last few times reversing etc. There is no water

in the jar. Time to time, the engine dies, doesn't start. When I open the fuel cap there is a huge sucking feeling.

any help appreciated,

Gday folks, I have an 18' Penguin Phantom that needs the steering replaced, basically everything from the steering wheel back, even the unit the steering wheel attaches to is siezed , The cable and assembly looks to be the original equipment fitted when the boat was manufactured (kiekhaufer Mercury on the helm unit) ,does anyone know if the quick fit kits available are a suitable replacement.

As part of my boat service, I am checking the contents of my first aid kit. I was wondering what I really need to take in the boat, and what is unnessary clutter.

So to work on that question, what sort of injuries etc have people experienced while boating?

Typical would be fish hook and knife injuries, bites and stings from sea life and crew sickness.

howdy all

thanx for the input about wether to flush straight away or wait until you have finished fishing the next day. anyway i made up a set of these for flushing just wondering of peolples thoughts good or bad idea.

i used the flusher pipe that came with the boat and also used ear muff flushers at the same time .

                                                         cheers

                                                          darryl 

Hi all,

My father and I are looking at doing an overnighter at Roto staying in one of the jetty pens and I was just wondering, what equipment will we require for mooring to the jetty?

Regards

Ben

 Guys,

Chasing some ideas or advice.

I have been trying to sell a brand new stainless Bravo 2 prop and Bravo 2 lower gearbox.

I've tried on fishwrecked, the newspapers, quokka etc but arent getting any bites (apart from the scammers!)

Does anyone know of any marine wreckers or similar that take on gear like that ?

cheers

Kev.

3 boats were trolling lures and livies over a well known wreck.

All was well, then another boat arrived and proceeded to anchor right on top of this wreck to dive on it.

One of the other boats was pretty argivated about this and a word or 2 seemed exchanged with a few hand/ finger signals.

What is the go with this sort of thing?

I for one could not be bothered with getting into an argument, but think it is a wee bit rude to just barge in irrespective of what other vessels are doing.  

Just need any opinions from people that have used a sarca "excel" anchor. i know the size i want (number 3 size) but not sure whether to get the "excel" model or the standard model? i would like to get the "excel" model in stainless but haven't found many reports on it and thought i'd check on here 1st to see if anyone has any opinions on it. i have a 23ft fibreglass boat, bit over 2tonne i'm guessing. the anchor will be mainly used for overnight stays at rottnest along with my current danforth/sand anchor (i use a drift/parachute anchor while out fishing so thats not too important). 

Yeah any feedback would be great. Cheers  

howdy all

              just wondering what most people do, if u went fishing tonight and were going to go out again tomorrow in your boat, do you flush the outboard when you get home at night or do leave it to you get back tomoz.

                                                                   cheers

                                                                    darryl

 Hey guys I will be up near Lancelin soon and haven't really been there for years.

Is there a proper ramp there now or is it still a beach launch?

If not is a solo beach launch possible there as I remember it being a calm beach with hard sand

Cheers

Hi guys, bit of advice please.

Looking at buying a used 2003 haines signature fibreglass boat that has a Mercury 90hp 2 stroke on it currently.

Boat is underpowered, so I would want to re-power with a new 115-130hp 4 stroke.

Would get it done through boat dealership.

Just wondering is this a problematic thing to do, or will it be an easy thing for the dealership mechanics to do without leading to any issues with the boat set-up etc...?

Cheers,

Michael.