Have been redoing a bit of teak on my boat and having real trouble with pitting in the epoxy.
I am using high gloss 2 part (2-1) epoxy - I lay up the first coat quite thick and then sand it back and apply a thinner second coat. Most of it has turned out great but some just pit repeatedly, tried re brushing as it gets thicker/cures but they just keep coming back!
The only thing I can think of (has just come to mind) is it could be silicon/other off the sand paper...?

 Gents

i have a Yamaha 100 four stroke done 330 hours and its just recently  started giving me grief it will fire up when cold if a give it a bit of revs but stalls as soon as I put it into ggear if I warm it at 1000 to 1200 rpm for a few minutes it will be fine for the rest of the dday any thoughts on what's causing  this

its not due a service till 400 hours

cheers

 Hi guys 

Took the boat down to breamer bay for a couple of days fishing and bent all the trailer light brackets on the back of the trailer while i was off road. Has anyone come up with any ideas how to solve this problem?? Photos would be good 2 thanks guys 

The Road Safety Committees/Working Groups from Cities of Stirling and Swan with the help of Towsafe are offering a service on 8 April 2017 where people can:

• Have their vehicle checked over by a qualified mechanic for any safety concerns in the leadup to the coming long weekends. 
• Have their trailer checked by the guys from Towsafe in Osborne Park for any safety concerns in the leadup to the coming long weekends.
• Have their child's restraint fitting checked or fitted by a qualifiedType 1 fitter

The service is free and it works on a first come first serve basis so there may be a wait if there's a queue and there will be a few spot prizes including 3x $50 vouchers for Towsafe.

Have any of you guys replaced a 3 blade prop with a 4 blade to lessen a boats tendency to lose speed on the back of big swells ?
THT seems to rave about the positives of better grip in the water, better hole shot and maintaining boat speed with the loss of a couple of knots on the top end being the only negative, maybe they don't operate in the same conditions as we experience in the southwest of WA as a few guys I have spoken to disagree and recommend going from an ally to SS.
First hand experienced opinions ?

 Hey guys, 

So my steering is getting stiffer and stiffer . 

Ive pulled out the tube at the out board and cleaned and re greased.

Still its no better so its either time for a new cable and possibly helm.

As it clicks a bit aswell.

Boats a 5 meter side console with only a 60.

Is it worth the extra to go hydralic while its apart or stick to a no feed back cable set up?

Hi Guys

The packing between my beam and the floor has fallen out.I was going to use sikaflex to repack it, is this a good idea?.if anybody has other ideas on how to fix this it will be much appreciated.I think this quiet common for a 14year old hull.
Also does anybody know where I can purchase floatation foam for my hull?
cheers

Chasing a mobile mech to have a look at my Volvo outdrive unit - any recommendations welcomed!

cheers

 Ok i have pulled all my hair out trying to figure this out, I recently bought a KUS tacho to add to my 1977 70 hp evinrude motor so i could check the running condition.

I attcahed the red wire to the +v, the blue wire to the -V and the black sensor wire to the grey wire form the foreward controls.

what i got was nothing... I had power as the digital hour reading showed up 0, i also checked the yellow and orange wire which gave colored lights to the bezel no problems there.

I then figured it was a faulty Tacho so i went to Whitworths and bought an off the shelf one, Looks like the same tacho same back electronic plug system, i then proceeded to try again to no avail.

The next step was to destroy the foreward controls (long story) so i bought a new motor (1990 yamaha 70 hp) to have a bit better piece of mind on the water (also long story after rebuilding the evinrude).

Now i tried to wire up the original tach (second one returned as i figured it wasn't the tachos fault).

Red again to +v, blue to -V and this time the black sensor wire to the green wire from the yamaha newly installed foreward controls.

Still no signal on the tacho.. got color got hours but the needle hasnt moved at all using either motors or controllers.

I removed the rectifier on the evinrude whilest trieling the tacho and did the recommended checks which showed the rectifier as working, i have checked the charging system on them both which also checks out. approx 13.something when running.

Anyone Have any ideas at all or a similar experience thats been fixed ? other than springing nearly $200 for an original Yammy tacho.

Cheers

Ridgebak

 Hmm Universal Remote Controls now this changes everything !!!

Hey guys,

I am waning to mount my electric this weekend, I have purchased a minn Kota metal quick release bracket (Mka-32) and I will be mounting it onto a raw  aluminium surface and was wondering if I should place any spacers between the surfaces to prevent any interactions of  the metals?

 Hi guys,

Just noticed ive pulled this wire (pic attached) from its fastening at one end on my suzi 90hp 4stroke outboard.

Does anyone know what its for?

Its easy to see where its pulled out but i was out with it yesterday and it didnt seem to effect performance at all or the tilt n trim.

Im guessing its an earth wire??

Cheers in advance.

  Just thought i'd post this here. In a thread on another forum re non-skid deck surfaces on glass boats, someone suggested using a dry roller to lift the flowcoat as it went tacky, as an alternative to the old standbys of sand, sugar etc . I recently did a glassed timber top for my cleaning table at home, and of course fresh flowcoat is very slippery and hard to skin on. So I gave the roller idea a go, and it came up well. Certainly non-skid, no problems skinning Spaniards, and easy to clean. Worth consideration if you want to redo an old flowcoat surface as non-skid.

Hi all

I have a Stacer 440 tinny, which is a tiller control with a fold-down Springfield seat for the driver that is mounted to the rear bench seat of the tinny via a Kingpin seat mount and deck base. The deck base is (or should I say "was") fixed to the bench seat by 6 bolts and nuts of a type that I have never seen before (a cylindrical thing that has a diameter mot much greater than the bolt that goes thorugh it). I was out crabbing the other day and when I leaned back in my seat to unsnag a pot rope from the leg of the motor, the fold-down seat came free of the bench seat (taking the deck base with it), pulling the "nuts" through the holes in the bench seat.

I now have a bench seat with 1 x 2.5" hole (for the stem on the deck base to go through) and 6 x holes that are around 10mm in diameter.

I was wondering whether anyone had any suggestions about how to re-fix the deck base back to the bench seat, as there is no access from underneath to use traditional bots & nuts, etc? I'm concerned that if I try, say, 12 gage self-tappers, given that the bench seat is only ali they may just pull straight back through with very little effort.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers

Hi.  I have just fitted hydraulic steering on my boat on the weekend and discovered i hadnt tighten one of the hoses enough.  Which had leaked a little.  Now after topping the pump up i am finding that at full lock in one direction oil is being forced out of the bleeder cap on the pump and at full lock in the other direction, the oil level in the pump drops too much.  Reading the instructions it would appear i have too much oil one side of the pump and not enough in the other. (I gather there are different volumes in each side of the chamber).

My intended solution is to go through the entire bleeding process again.

Am i right in assuming this will rectify the issue of oil being forced out.

I have to sort this before friday afternoon as i am supporting a swimmer in the channel swim on saturday.

I am guessing this topic has been raised 1000 times, But I don't care I am bringing it up again.
I am building a starter motor winch using a Gear Reduction Toyota Camry starter motor, trouble is I don't know the rpm.
What size pulleys are you blokes using if you have something similar? Would like a fairly quick retrieve rate.

Cheers

im chasing some specs on the penguin striker.

Im looking at buying one and am aware that its going to be overwidth on a trailer but im just wondering by how much.

All details on the striker would be greatly appreciated.

Hi All,

Im brand new to boating and got my skippers ticket last month. Eager to get going, but cash is a bit tight, so rather than being sensible and waiting till I could afford something solid, I jumped in and bought an old little 14.5 foot half-cab, with a 40Hp Mercury 2T as my first boat.

I got it very cheap, and put new plugs & filter on it. Was then running well & went for my first run up the swan yesterday, strange experience, a bit scary and 100's of big sailing yachts everywhere ! Left at 1.30pm, back at 7.30, from Leuwin to Ascot & back, so on the water a good while.

Anyway, we had some engine issues, reluctant to start, after a while often couldnt get full power or on the plane and used way to much fuel. Today it wouldn't start,and the plugs were fouled. I figured the carbs needed tuning, so ill get that done by a mechanic. been quoted $150 to remove clean & retune per carb, two carbs, so $300 all in, or someone else quoted $500 for full service including tuning carbs.

We had other issues I was wrongly putting down to the engine. But today I was working on the boat & noticed a splashing noise. I tipped the front up using the jockey wheel to full height and water was flooding out of one of the bung holes for about 20+ minutes, we would have taken on a lot of water.

The hull had been repaired previously, but I couldn't find any water on the hull itself

So, my question is, how do I find out where the leak is coming from.

Also, I have a bilge pump, but the bilge was fine, and only had a couple of litres of water. The water was inbetween the hulls(if that makes sense).

I believe I could sell her for the same price as I bought her, even being honest about the issues, as she ticks all the boxes, but if these are simple fixes, I would much rather fix her up & get boating !

But I dont want to pay a mechanic get the engine going great, and then find out the hull isnt worth fixing.

Sorry for the waffle ! Any advice very welcome !!

 Hi

I'm looking at getting an electric cray pot hauler with a preference for the crane arm mounted type. I have found 2 types that i like,

NJ Craypots & Accesories

Stress Free Pot Hauler

  Does anyone have any knowledge/experience/recommendations on Pot Hauler types.

The hauler will be used on a 6.7 metre Custom ali walkaround, it's a very stable boat at sea.  Any helpful advice welcome.

Thanks Mahi Mahi

Hi All,

Apologies for the size of the post. Would be stoked with some advice if any one has any ideas. Start 5 weeks leave tomorrow and I'm demoralised, down coin and struggling to get my boat in the water. 

Jan last year I snapped a spring on the trailer so took it in to a guy in Rockingham got all new 4t springs, hubs, brakes and bearings and was down 3g, it looked like there was still a clog in the brake lines so spent another 1 on lines and replaced acuator (elec over hydraulic) with second hand one by a Mandurah trailer joint. Used it for probably 20 on road hrs then mid cray season while washing it down saw steam from the front right.

Called local mechanic he replaced all bearings as they had been washed out for just shy of a g, not sure why they been washed out, drove down the ramp twice from then and they kept getting hot. To compound stuff then did a fuel pump on the outboard so had to take it up towards Freo. Stopped to check the hubs halfway to Freo and could smell the front right as soon as I opened the car door, called mechanic and he came out front right was super hot but looked ok but rear right was washed out so repacked the rear right and loosened both right ones off. Drove to the boat yard and they were fairly hot. 

Got fuel pump replaced and boat dealer had a look at trailer for me, spaced the washers on the brakes but said apart from that all good. Went and picked the boat up, stopped after 10 mins to check and all four were hot, front right worst and basically could touch and count to one but then had to pull hand away. Got home all four were hot but now front right and rear left would sizzle with a flick of water. 

So now four people have looked at it said all good, I've run it without the brakes dialled up , in a controlled enviro ( front right, back left can't touch hot and other two can hold to count of one), and still having the same dramas. Lost all confidence in the trailer and it's hurt the wallet bad and now can't even get my stress reliever in the water. She never had these issues prior to the work so not sure what's going on.

Last thing I want to do is hurt some one because the trailer fails, if anyone knows how to get it Sussed, more than happy to throw you a carton or come for a fish. Would appreciate any ideas.

Ben

Guys I have a 2003 southwind sf500 with a Yamaha 115 salt water series 2 stroke outboard with only 100 hours on it. My current motor is immaculate as you would expect with the low hours. The 2 stroke noise and fumes don't bother me but it does bother my wife for when we go to rotto and also a couple of regular deckies seem to fall victim to the smell and I wouldn't mind improving the fuel economy as the Yamaha is a fuel pig.

So I am thinking about repowering the boat with a 100/115/130hp 4 stroke and I am chasing thoughts on this, a new motor all fitted would probably cost close to the boats value however I don't plan on selling the boat so it would still be a long term investment.

1- would you even bother repowering considering the low hours on the 2 stroke I already have?

2- which brand 4 stroke outboard would you go with?

3- I believe most of the top brands are much of a muchness (Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda etc)

4- are the new model mercury outboards worth looking at as I know older mercurys had a bad rep.

5- who would you recommend to get the best deal?

6- what price can I expect to pay?

I don't want to do the leg work and getting quotes via email and online is proving hard work. Hoping someone else has recently been through the process. 

Cheers.

 Hey all,

 I have been thinking about getting a new boat, upgrading to something a little bigger. I currently have a 4.85m cuddy and have owned a 4m dinghy before, I'm thinking maybe a plate aliminium cuddy but secondhand ones don't come along all that often in the price range and size. I have seen alot of runabout style boats and also cats the questions I wanted to ask are;

Alot of the runabouts are a little older and don't seem to have an openable window/hatch in the windscreen to access the anchor (see picture), how do people with these boats go anchoring on a choppy day with a bit of swell?

The other question is about cats, I have seen what seems like some really good buys but they don't get snapped up like regular boats. What are the pro's and con's of these type of hulls? What are the service and running costs like considering most have two engines? 

Hi All

Just purchased a 2004 570 Quntrex Freedom sport on a dual axle galvanised trailer.  Got it weighed at the Balcatta recycling centre and its 1500kg.  I predicteded it should be under 1400kg (my towing limit).  I knew my car would struggle to tow at its limit for distances and for that reason had planned to eventually upgrade but I at least wanted to be within tow limit so I was all good from an insurance point of view and I could upgrade in my own time.  This is all a bit academic now as it only means I'll probably upgrade sooner rather than later but still puzzled where all the extra weight is coming from.  I had two methods for predicting the weight, listed below with assumptions.  Appreciate any comments where I may have gone wrong.

Method 1:

I had a 2001 560 Freedom sport on a single axle galv trailer weighed 1220kg (I didn't buy this boat)

Dunbier list the difference  between a single and double axle trailer that are both 5.7 m as 60kg. (the weight of another axle assembly).

I'd expect a small difference in boat weight (560 vs 570) and motor (100hp vs 130hp - both 4 strokes)

Fuel Qty was similiar between both boats when weighed and both had similiar gear (basics - anchor, bimimi, radios)

So I figured my 570 on a dual axle would be the 560 on a single + 100kg.  ie 1320 kg.

Method 2:

My trailer tare weight is 400kg (from the trailer plate)

Quintrex list 620kg as the "boat only" mass of the latest 570 Cruiseabout (I'm assuming similiar weight to my 2004 570 FS, I'm also assuming that "boat only" would include basic/standard equipment - seats, radio, etc)

Quintrex list 240kg for motor weight. (and Honda website lists my motor at 230kg, but I'll go with the higher)

I've probably got 20kg of fuel onboard and I've got no gear other than basic/standard equipment.  I've also got single battery.

So total of 1280kg.

At 1500kg (from the Balcatta recycling centre weigh bridge), method 1 is 180kg out and method 2 is 220 kg out.  Can anyone offer their thought on where this weight is?  Is Quintrex being cheeky with their boat weights?  Did the guy at the trailer place stamp the TARE after a few beers on a friday arvo, did I go to a dodgy weigh bridge, is there 200lt of sea water floating around under the floor boards?  All of the above??!!

Ironically I'm still 300kg under my Gross Comb Mass, so if I could magically transfer 100kg to the back of the car I'd be 100% legit if I ever had to make an insurance claim and they starting getting picky.  Also, as another side note, my hitch load is 75kg - within my limits without needing a distribution hitch.  Its at the bottom end of the 5-10% hitch load range I've heard of but the car handles nicely at all speeds.

Appreciate anyone taking a genuine interest in offering some explanation.  Thanks in advance for staying on topic, please dont bother to reply if you simply want to point out my shortcomings in assuming 1400kg would be enough or that I should have weighed it before buying.

Regards

Mondy

 Hi all

Just got myself a 26ft seaswirl striper from the states with a 2008 250cc evinrude on the back.

took it for a spin everything works great except the prop cavitates when turning and in sloppy seas.

it has a 14.8x17 3 blade alloy prop. 

What should i put on it? A four Blade stainless?

cheers

Hi All, just bought a tidy Fraser Formula 6M and the decals had been removed by the previous owner as he was going to replace them but hadn't gotten around to it. Does anyone know of where I could get a full set, or even have some pictures I could use to get some made?
Cheers

Hello All....

I am wondering if anyone can shed any light on the make-model - or manufacturer of the 4.8m Plate Ali.
I'm guessing it may be a home made job. DIY package perhaps ?

Any thoughts welcome.
Cheers!

Need help with E Tec I Command guages

particularly the NMEA 2000 set up as fuel guage sensor not working  

Happy to pay for time for the right person that knows this stuff inside out

Thanks 

 gents need some help, after 12 months taking up driveway space decided it was time to take the boat our (plus currently being out of work I have some spare time).  Anyway battery dead, no biggie buy a new one happy days nope.  Fuel line all dry and primer bulb stiff as, no biggie buy a new one,  happy days, nope.

She fires runs then stops, reprime and start it.  Runs the fuel dry and stops.   Now I'm out of ideas, is there anyone here who can it fix it for me?  Johnson 70hp VRO.

I'm in Belmont

Cheers

Dave

Im pretty sure my gearbox shit itself today and as I have no mechanical knowledge whatsoever, I'm hoping someone a bit more mechanically inclined might be able to help me out with what the problem may be. All I can come up with is it's rooted.

Gearbox has been clicking for a while when engaging drive but today it went full retard -grinding hard and wouldn't engage until almost full throttle. Thought I would be able to see the day out but after a few more times of stop starting and struggling to engage drive, I started to smell burning oil so packed up shop and came home. Side note: doesn't grind while engaging reverse.

Im hoping someone might be able to tell me by the above if I require a full gearbox rebuild or if it seems as though it may just be bearings or gears. Any help appreciated.