Hi Everyone,

Does anyone out there know the approx weight of a 6m fraser? looking to buy a car thats sutable for towing but also not too big for the misses to drive daily, the landcruisers too big for her so unfortunatley it has to go.

Yes it's up for sale if anyone is intrested

2005 petrol V8 GLX 112000k black

Thanks in advanced.

My boat is in dire need of a polish. What are others favourite and/or tried and tested products for polishing fibrelglass/gelcoat?? And if I'm feeling lazy is there any businesses out there who detail boats?
Cheers

Hey Guys

wondering how do you guys restrain your motor if travelling long trips?

we are driving to Kalbarri in a few weeks in inlaws have a 5.9 jackman with a 175 merc on it.

the quostion is do you use anything to stop it moving around from the road bumps and stuff?

Thanks In Advance 

 Hi guys

This may be old news to some but I just found out that RoadMaster Trailers in Bayswater has closed down. Geez...another local manufactuer done.

 One for the e tec gurus out there have a 2008 e tec and the icommand gauges both have gone blank with no data or readouts but they are still getting power as it lit up with the backlight .Having done a google search i have found they did have some problems with software updates that the dealer could do through computer although a lot of these appeared to be in america.Just wondering if any other owners have had same issues or some advice before i take to mechanic as there hourly rate to fault find can become expensive and the price of new gauges is fairly pricy as well TIA

Well after 10 good years and 650hrs of owning a 70hp suzuki 4 stroke outboard, I was given the bad news that no boat owner wants to hear, your motors stuffed!

It all started about 6 months ago when I noticed the outboard was idling a little rough every now and then, didn’t think too much of it, hadn’t used it enough before then so maybe some stale fuel. But then it wouldn’t start, I needed to give it a fair bit of throttle to kick over and then warm up so that it didn’t stall, but when it was cruising it was fine and didn’t miss a beat. Thought I better get it looked at before the cray season kicked off. Drop it in to the mechanic and get him to look it over, that day get the call from the mechanic that it’s bad news and that the bottom cylinder has lost most of its compression. It’s a 4-5hr job to pull the motor down to tell me the extent of the damage and quote me on a price to fix it. He didn’t wanna say too much to me in terms of what the damage could be and what the cost to fix might be, which is fair enough because he hasn’t seen inside the engine yet so it’s hard to say, I asked for a worse case scenario tho and he reluctantly said it could possibly be up to $4000 to fix (rebuild) so he suggested I wait until I’ve got the money to fix the motor before he pulls it apart and has a better look at it, no point spending $1000 to open it up and then put it back together again if I’m not gonna fix it there and then.

So after doing some reading on the internet I’ve discovered that I’m not alone, it’s happened to quite a few suzuki outboards in the same era as mine (2002-2007). From what I’ve read there is a corrosion issue in the exhaust system which when it corrodes a hole in the wall of the exhaust it allows salt water to get back into the bottom cylinder, which is obviously a major problem. There’s heaps of posts on various forums around the world with people having he same issue, some with only 300hrs on the motor. Some are saying it’s excessive corrosion due to dissimilar metals being used in the exhaust system somewhere, I’m not mechanically minded at all so I’m just repeating what I’ve read. I brought this boat and motor combo brand new 10 years ago with the plan of keeping it for a long time, so I looked after it as well as I could, had it serviced every year, always flushed it with fresh water after use (excluding a few north trips where that isn’t an option, maybe that was my undoing?! But once I was back from those trips it got lots of TLC to make up for it) so I was pretty disappointed to hear what’s happened to my engine. I guess the question now tho, is do I get it rebuilt for possibly $4000, but not be sure if the problem is going to occur again or not, or lash out and buy a new one for $13000. Big price difference there. At the moment I’m just saving some coin and thinking of rebuilding it and then selling it, I’ve already got the bad taste in my mouth now which will be hard to get out. There’s a link below to someone who has had the same issue as me for anyone who wants to look into it more. Or just google “suzuki internal exhaust passage corrosion”. http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=24647&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Hey folks, I'm looking at an M260 transducer for my 625 Cruise Craft.  The boat has a liner, just wandering if anyone here has fitted one of these transducers, specifically any pics of where you cut away the liner.  

 Hi guys

Just about to start an anchor winch install on my plate ali and curious as to whether I will need to reinforce the bulkhead where the winch will bolt up to.

If I do need to get a plate welded in , who can you suggest North of the river.

Oh yeah its a LoneStar winch, sold me when I saw the winch comparison on Youtube , would suggest anybody look at that before deciding on a brand to buy.

Cheers Katman

 Hi All, what would be the best method to take a painted Ali boat back to bare Ali and to leave it unpainted and would you have to finish it off some way so it looks ok. Cheers 

 hi, 

ive now got a couple of rod holders that look like the attached. While it's pretty cheap and easy to replace them , I'd rather get stronger ones.

my options are buy something to replace them, or get these welded up properly. I'm not sure how a full weld on 2mm ish SS would go and whether it's worth the hassle. From the factory, these just have 4-5 spot welds on them that fail.

what have others done? 

Can anyone recommend some rod holders built to last?

thanks

blair

 Just purchased a couple of replacement interceptor units and cable/grommet assemblies from a retailer in Perth.

I was advised by the retailer to ensure the grommet hole on the mounting face is bevelled out at 45 degrees or else it can affect the installation of the interceptor units, and went on to say this was actually written in the installation manual but overlooked by so many, and was a common cause for interceptor failure.

I have looked in the manual and i can't find any statement which suggests the grommet hole must be bevelled.

I removed the existing units from my boat last night and the grommet holes are not bevelled.  Prior to removing the units there was nothing to suggest incorrect installation (i.e. interceptor unit bowing).

Could anyone here that has a fair amount of familiarity with the installation of this system please provide their thoughts/experience?

TIA.

Tom

 Hi all just wondering what experiences people have had installing anodes on there Ali boats.

Has anyone seen any differences or negative action by having one and on a boat that is not in the water all the time.

Thanks in advance Frank

Hi Guys, (Merry Christmas)

Been a few older threads re this but couldn't find the answer I'm look'n for.

Having trouble working out the Pro's & Con's etc of Front/Side vs Bullhorn. Can't find any youtube video's showing/explaining onboard differences etc.

From other threads it appears HyDrive is "still" the way to go? http://www.hydrive.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/OUTBOARD-SELECTION-BOOKLET-2016.pdf

My Ali 4.5mtr runabout has a flat transom both sides, no pod or anything in the way either side etc, so guess I could go either way?

So far I've sussed out (I think) with the Front/Side mount, the cables are fixed in place, don't move side to side, however from the pics it looks like the rod slides in-out of the existing OB tube, that we all know requires PITA maintenance. I guess the other con with the side mount is some knob using it as handle to pull themselves back in the tub, leaning on it while pulling something/one out of the water etc?

Where with the Bullhorn, cables are moving side to side with ram (apparently can be an issue) but OB tube (thread ends) is only a fixing point for the ram to hang off, ram sits in-front of OB so perhaps less likely to get used as a railing handle?

So those with experience, what are your thoughts/recommendations?

Also,

1. Whitworths has them for just under 1k, any better out there? https://www.whitworths.com.au/catalogsearch/result/index/?q=Hydrive&order=price&dir=asc

2. Whats a decent wheel that won't get to hot to handle after sitting in the sun for awhile, that won't perish quickly?

Cheers!

 Good morning all

ive had this fuel tank since I bought my boat but have not used it, it's 67 litres so I am going to put it in, but just want to ask is this piece of connection a breather hole or do I have to connect something to it cheers dakka

 G'day

Comming home yesterday from the boat ramp,doing about 60km and my trailer brakes completly locked up leaving a decent black mark up the road and nearly 2 motors on the bonnet of a car behind me.Maybe 10 frantic minutes blocking the road they released by them self.Any ideas or help would be appreciated as i don't want this to happen again.

Cheers

 Wanted to buy a 99 merc 60 hp starter motor anyone wrecking an engine bloody Christmas time making it impossible 

I have a 150 HP Mercury Optimax, 2 stroke engine. I had to drop the lower end down the other day and in doing so pulled the speedo tube down a couple of inches too many before I realized. Now that the lower end is back on the tube bellies out in a large loop. I want to pull it back up but can't see where it connects to or where it comes out of the tube under the engine, too much in the way to see.

Has anyone had the same problem and managed to rectify it with out too much drama?

Any information on this would be like a chrissy prezzie to me especially if its accompanied by photos as I am not that mechanically minded. Thanks and cheers in advance.

Here is some simple tips that may help get you out of trouble at sea if you have mechanical issues.

Theres alot of variables as to EFI, carby etc but your EFI will likely flash a code of 2 digits, google what it means

First rule-check the simple cheap and obvious stuff first!

IT WONT START or crank at all

• Check kill lanyard, jiggle it and refit
• Jiggle gear lever for "start in gear lockout"
• Check battery, swap to other battery, check electronics for power/voltage
• Get the pull start lanyard out 

It wont start but cranks normally

• Check fuel bulb, if sucked flat filter or supply blocked, if flacid  out of fuel (check sight glass?)
• Pump up bulb until firm
• Carby outboard-may be flooded, full throttle out of gear and crank for 20 seconds til it fires (maybe take cover off outboard)
• Take a spark plug lead out and get your simple mate to hold onto it while you crank (maybe not but stick a spare plug into it and watch for spark)
• Chuck in your spare spark plugs as a last resort (tilt outboard up for this)

If it loses power then dies

• Smell the outboard-fuel, hot, burnt wiring?
• A carby will rarely just go full tit to stop instantly from a fuel issue, it will lose power and die as the bowl empties
• grab the fuel bulb, if its sucked flat you have a blockage or filter blockage
• If its flacid you are either out of fuel or have a hole in your fuel line between tank/bulb
• Check site glass for water/dirt
• Swap to other batteries
• If its hot, check for a bag or weed on leg, let it cool down. Watch telltail, impellor may be cooked.

If it just stops dead with no alarms

• Kill switch?
• Check if other equip is working, check voltages and when you crank (if it has 13 volts but drops way down when trying to crank battery may be dying)
• Earth or power wire (some like Suzi have a seperate white? wire straight to supply for ECU)
• Some other electrical prob

If your outboard overheats and impellor is shot

• If you have a deckwash and your muffs, put muffs on and ducktape, connect up deckwash and idle in (with care of course)
• Connect deckwash to flushing port instead (Im not 100% that all outboards get full cooling from this so "caveat emptor")

If your hydraulic steering is knackered

• Try and block reduce the leak if on a hose
•  at a pinch you can put anything in it, cooking oil, engine oil, even water.
• lash the outboard central and make a rope bridle from each aft mooring bits and drag something in the water to steer. There are many variations of this but I have seen crayboats drag a craypot for this.

If your leg drops its oil but you have to drive it

• Fill it with grease and go easy

Most electronics have a battery power feature so you can see what your battery charge state is, check the menu/manual

TOOLS AND SPARES-minimum

• Plug spanner
• Pliers, small shifters
• Philips and flat screwdriver
• Duct tape
• Cable ties (good ones)
• Spare plugs and fuel filter
• Torch
• Fuses as required (tin foil twisted up can substitute also)
• Random pieces of electrical wire

This is just some ideas, and I may have overlooked some stuff so feel free to comment constructively (or PM and I'll add to keep it all in one place)

 Have a 99 merc anywya got my 20 crabs yesterday was on the way back in motor started coughing and stopped tried to restart but the motor rolled over slow like the battery died lifted the leg to see if I sucked up some weed. Put it Down and it started. Tried lumping it home went home got about 2 more minutes  and it completely died again got a tow home (thanks lads if your here) know it's trying to start but a lot slower than usual 

also I changed the spark plugs hoping it would be that but no dice

3 week wait in all stores just to get it looked at helpppp! Haha

 I'm looking at possibly buying a cat with 90 hp etecs that require the 300 hour service. Can anyone tell me the basic cost involved. Reccomendations SOR..?

TIA..

Winta

 Hi guys, done a bit of searching, can’t find anything related.

With concerns of air, moisture etc with boat tanks, is there some reason why we can’t use a car fuel tank, being it’s closed off to environment etc?

Was thinking of setting one up under floor, perhaps add a one way air release valve to allow vent off when required, but not allow air/moisture in.

Cheers!

Hi guys, I have a Garmin GMI 20 multi gauge on my boat connected by NMEA 2000 to my Honda 135.
The boat is brand new and only has 12 hours on it so far, but I have noticed the fuel level/ fuel remaining on board figures are out be a fair amount (at one point it said I had used 50L but when I topped it up I put in nearly 80L). The levels are configured correctly with tank size ect. Has anyone else had these issues? Is there an easy fix?
Cheers

hi guys. Just wondering if any one can tell me if you can use car oil in your boat motor? Cheers Jadeo

Does anyone have poly skids on their trailer instead of rollers

is there anything you can put on the poly to make the boat

slide off easier.

cheers

Mark

 Looking for a welder to weld up a broken bit from the skeg on my outboard. If anyone knows of a good one can you drop me line.

Cheers

Has anyone installed an Anchor Winch on their Baron?
What winch?
Got any pics of the install?
Happy with it?

 Does anyone have any advice, opinion or previous knowledge of price and quality for repowering a 6m glass boat.

I am looking at the mercury 150 4 stroke, suzuki df150 or df150ap or yamaha 150 4 stroke to repower my 6m voyager.

Seems bloody hard to get any solid information or pricing information without asking for a quote!

 Hi All, just purchased a decent ali hull but with an old 1975 50hp Evinrude I hav to use for now.

Having trouble with google search finding service parts for it, impeller, gear/prop seals etc.

Anyone know where I can get this stuff without paying inflated prices?

it a 50573B model

Thanks in advance.

Has anyone recently purchased a new Ali trailer ?

Im looking into the more affordable options like Wahoo or Spitfire.
Can anyone give me their thoughts and experiences with these brands of trailer?
"you get what you pay for" comments wont help me too much
Boat is a Baron Outrider with Honda150 on Ali pod

Cheers
CC

Hi guys, was wondering if any of you can help, i have a baron sportsman and i can see there are 3 water tight compartments, 2 each side and the middle 1,i wasnt shown the middle 1, 

when i bought it was told to take out the bungs now and then to let it air, was only shown the outside 2 then i noticed the middle 1 had no bung in it so i put 1 in,

after a while i took all 3 out and the middle 1 had water coming out,a fair bit mind,  there should be no water in these compartments? i can see no holes in the hull, then it rained last night , i wound the jockey wheel up and more water came out so if its getting in from the top of the boat could anyone with a baron have a clue where its getting in any info would be much appreciated,