G'day all - would anyone have a transom bracket to fit a 90's Johnson 25hp? I bought a 25 on spec to replace my 35 Evinrude and they had cut the 2 locking bolts to get it off the boat. Of course I tried to drill them out and stuffed the bracket assembled completely. It is exactly the same bracket as my 35 Evinrude which I am a bit wary of scrapping just yet.

 Hi Guys

Just thought id throw up some pictures and the story of my new boat, its my second boat with the first one being a 17ft - 2007 Revival Cuddy Cab with a 115 Mercury 2 stroke, Great boat for all purposes but due to a new house build and a few unexpected variations had to sell and down size in budget, wasn’t too keen on using a boat yard but in the end was contacted by Joondalup Boat shack, done a quick search on here...seen good reports so gave Rod a go. Very straight forward guy with excellent custom service, I was happy with the sale.

So after sorting a new budget with the fun police I spent the next four months searching for a new boat, $10,000 - $12,000 made life hard after having a boat in excellent condition with all the extras, was looking at Baron, Pacemaker & Swift Craft when they popped up in that price range around the same size. After scrolling past this one several times decided to take a look as it was a bit cheaper and bigger, now iv done a little reading but by no means know a lot about fiber glass or out board motors, I guess after looking at 10 to 20 boats in a Variety of conditions in the last 4 months I started to get a feel for what’s got issues and whats got issues.

So after no sea trial or compression check I bought it, don’t know how these hulls handle or review. The owner and his son came across very straight and being keen fisho's with a new model along side I had faith it had been looked after...plus they stated it had been in the family for the last 3 decades with the motor being on the boat for the last 4 years, this was purchased from a forum member so after a PM I was confident it had had been in reasonable care. Don’t know the year of the hull but would guess late 70's early 80's..It’s a 19 ft Guardian with a 1995 2 stroke 115 Johnson on board with 90lts of fuel capacity, trailer is 1979. Little more deck space than me old one, with a cabin like my last but this time with a hard top. Beside some gel coat cracking and a little peeling in the cabin area everything seemed solid with no major visible repairs or replacements. Straight up it needed money spent on safety gear to get on the water but I took that into consideration.

Once home I stripped the carpet and inside cabin to have a good look over and clean. 

First up i replaced the cabin cushions through foam sales in Myaree, Simon was great giving excellent service and price, this was the wife’s request to keep the kids happy during the Sunday arvo river cruise’s, cabin ply was given a quick sand and a coat of clear vanish. After that and budget in mind I had to keep the lowrance Elite 5 and radio that came separate, but installed a new Furuno 587 fish finder with a 600W tranny to get me on my way. Epird, Jackets, Flares and bilge pump were purchase. Fitted these and checked nav lights etc for working order.

The motor hadn’t had a service for a while and giving its age and the fact I like to get out past the 50’s I thought id give it a once over myself, spark plugs were looking a little average so they got replaced, water pump, thermos and fuel filter also got changed out. The water pump was first, dropping the leg and doing the change out did have me worried, after searching online for parts was glad I went through Chivers, very little price difference with this gear plus the service and advice was so much appreciated, with the manual and most stuff online now days I got it sorted after a few nervous moments, looking back it wasn’t to difficult and am glad I’ve done it.

Was going to give the thermos a miss, but again after speaking to the guys at Chivers, a hundred plus dollars was a small price to pay especially if intending to head out a few miles. Getting these out was the most time consuming thing ever!! Until re fitting the new ones came around. My model on paper shows to be the worse of all models with 2 sets of hands required, so glad I did these though as they were almost non existence. I always thought outboard motors were expensive to service after the first boat, even with experience I believe outboards would have to be one of the most time consuming thing’s I’ve ever worked on. 

Well that’s it so far, the motors running sweat, still looking forward to the first run on the water to clean the carbon out…hope it floats!! Still plenty to do, a good cut en polish wouldn’t hurt but I’m not worried about appearance atm, trailer breaks also need a refit so transits require care. If I do like it more than I think ill give spending big dollar’s on a new tub a miss and give this hull a true refit next winter. Not sure if ive done the right thing here, but was super keen to get back on the water. I have faith in these older builds and this worked out well under budget.

Thanks for reading, any comments appreciated.

Brock 

Purchased a poly boat today with good trailer for an absolute steal, the trailer is A1 the boat on the other hand has some substantial issue with the hull, the floor has a major bow in it. Just wondering if anyone has had the same issues and how they fixed it.

I was thinking of either filling it with hot water and applying some heat with a heat gun to the other side or bringing it to the powder coaters and sticking in their oven to get it to temp then applying even pressure. Not sure what temp I would have to heat it too though.

any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 Hi Guys,

So i pulled the floor of my bayhunter this morning chasing a fuel smell and i've pulled off all the lines and filler hose.

I'm replacing all of these as the clear plastic fuel and breather lines are rock hard. There was also a split on the outside layer of the filler hose so thats getting replaced also.

Question i wanted to ask is, the non barbed take offs where the breather lines and filer hose connect to the tank seemed to have some marone/red sealant on them as well as the hose clamps.

Does anyone know what this is and if its necessary?

I had planned to double hose clamp all the connections.

Also the one barbed fitting which had the main fuel line take coming from had the sealant on it also. I didn't think this would be necessary on a barbed fitting with a hose clamp but was hoping if anyone knew any different?

Thanks in advance

Steve 

For those that don't have a battery meter on their boat console, this little device will come handy. Recently installed 2 on my boat (have 3 batteties). It costs about $10 and I reckon, a very worthwhile accessory. I simply cut the ends off and wired them directly to the isolators.

When the engine is off, it measures the battery output. When the engine is on, it measures the alternator output making sure the batteries are getting charged.

Hope it helps some members.

Anyone know any options for 17ft fibreglass centre consoles?

Only one I've really seen is the Haines Prowler 525 which looks like a beast of a boat set up with a 115 four stroke. Pretty much ticks all the boxes.

Any others to consider?

I love the Suzis on my boat, reliable smooth quiet despite pushing up to 600hrs. Ive serviced them religeously and checked compresssions etc.

But a couple of months ago while googling some service info for my pair of DF115's, I was pretty suprised to come across this

http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/395845-suzuki-df140-engine-holder-corrosion-fix.html

and ALOT of other similar threads from both US and Aus. I hadnt heard about this before and was pretty suprised, but given the sort of use my boat gets (remote long trips with the kids etc) and being an engineer I decided to bit the bullet and have a look.

NOTE-the pics below that have a corrosion hole were borrowed off another website-the repair ones are mine.

Mine had plenty of meat there in both engines

Basically Suzuki designed the DF90/115/140 to have an O2 sensor fitted in the exhaust/engine holder casting but must have decided at the time it wasnt required. The hole was removed completely from these outboards around 2007 so is only an issue up to that date.

Interestingly the new "Lean Burn" Suzukis, is really just the addition of an O2 sensor (experts correct if Im wrong!)

One of the rare less smart Japs at the factory then decided to use up the seacontainer load of mild steel plugs to fill the hole.

The combination of hot exhaust gases, salt water and galvanic reaction then proceeds to corrode away the engine holder until it blows thru and burns the wiring loom which runs past that point. This brings up a 3:2 alarm code

I believe a faulty thermostat (causing cold combustion) increases the acidity of the exhaust gases also.

Anyhow, I found a mob in the US who makes aluminium plugs specifically to replace these and at about $15 each plus $10 post they were on my doorstep in 10 days.

I also ordered magnetic drain plugs for the gearboxes (should be standard in any machinery).

Couple of days back my flights to work were delayed for a day so I thought f++k it, lets do it.

Stb engine first, covers off, 8mm allen key socket-FK, no go. Loaded it til hex was buggered.

Opened port covers, same thing, but it came loose when forced to the limit. With some trepidation I looked in and was glad to see plenty of meat there.

Fitted the Goldplug then went back to the stb.

Out with the welder, and welded a bolt onto the plug.

It took a fair bit of force (18" bar) but came loose, quick internal inspection (phew all good in there) and fit the Goldplug

If the hole blows thru, a new engine holder is about $US1K plus about 6 hrs installation or it is possible to weld up the hole as quite a few have done but Im happy to have caught mine early sorted it.

When I get home in a month I'll have to take it for a test run to the islands 

hi all just purchased a little boat and im wondering how much to mix the fuel

its a 15hp Johnson model number is J15RECR 97 Johnson

was thinking 50:1

Hi Team,

I need to replace my rusty old trailer and found this on Gumtree, I have a 5.7m f/g half cab, old and very heavy.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/osborne-park/boat-accessories-parts/aluminium-boat-trailer-to-suit-fibreglass-boats-up-to-20ft/1040753604

Seabreeze Boating is the dealer, but haven't heard much about this mob let alone trailers they sell. Has anyone experienced or know anything about these trialers? They seem to be priced reasonably, they also sell a galv model.

Thanks for your assistance.

I have put my Evinrude Elan 35hp outboard into Bosun Marine in Dunsborough for a service. They tell me the power pack has gone and it's $600 for a new one. A bit dear for an older motor - any suggestions on a fix or where to source a second hand unit?

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/breaking-news/search-for-missing-fisherman-off-wa/story-fnhrvfuw-1226989475095

 Hi guys

Just bought a secondhand Delkor MF200 battery on gumtree for a cheap $60!  It is in good condition (green colour in hydrometer).  There is no description as to whether it is a deep cycle or not, previous owner doesn't know.  The description on the battery is as follows:

Maintenance free

200AH @ 20ah rate

Reserve 430amps

CCA 1000 amps

Can someone shed some light as to whether the battery is deep cycle/hybrid?  Google didnt return any useful info..

Thanks

Image:

Yesterday, looking at the forecast I thought I would head out for a fish in the morning and then do some maintenance at the marina afterwards when the wind got up. Needless to say, the fishing wasn't great for me with a few undersize flathead and snapper making a slow morning on the water less than satisfying. 

About 11am I headed back in, it was a slow trip since I have been having trouble with what I thought was a slipping prop hub on the starboard side when reaching planing speeds. By the time I got back to the marina the wind had dropped and berthing was a simple task to do by myself.

So I broke out the tools and started on some maintenance items. I replaced the engine hatch gas strut that broke a few weeks ago with one I bought in Repco. Found them on special on Saturday for $30. It fitted fine and was much stronger than the old one so it was a bit of a win. Next job was to remove the offending prop for an inspection to see what was required. I raised the leg and when I laid on the swim platform I was easily able to reach the prop. The trouble was my shifting spanner was too small. Off to supercheap auto up the road for another. Managed to find a 1 and 1/16th spanner as well so back to the boat. The prop nut fought me all the way due to drowth on the threads but eventually it was released from its resting place and onto the boat. The hub actually didn't seem too bad but the prop was in terrible condition so not sure if exhaust leaking out near the leg is causing cavatation instead or if the culprit will be the engine coupler.

The plan was to leave the prop off and then scour around for a used replacement to get me by until I could finalise plans for rebuilding the transom assemblies and a noisy leg. Things went a bit downhill when after feeling victorious and taking some pictures of the prop and then I heard the bilge pump come on. Ok, maybe a bit from the normal leak but then it went again. Opened the engine hatch and I can hear water running. Uh oh.

A quick call to the guys at Hillarys lifting service and I was motoring my way down the coast from Mindarie to get the boat lifted. It was a beautiful afternoon with light winds and a slow old drive down at 7 knots. 90 minutes later the boat was in the soothing grip of the slings at Hillarys. I figured it best to be safe than sunk in the pen.

So she needs some love, might have a lead on some second hand drives and transoms, need to fix the oil leak, clean the bilge, tidy up some wiring, new antifoul, a new toilet and I can finally install my sounder. Might even be able to get the bent section of bow rail replaced!

If the rebuild gets significant I might make a new thread and document it that way.

Hi all,

During last Mondays stormy weather, I had a solid object hit my outboard causing some scratches and gashes. Being fibreglass, can a smash repairer tackle this problem?
Decals can be obtained directly from Yamaha.

Thank you

Chris

Hi guys.

Just wondering if people know the value of a good used tandem trailer, suitable for boats up to 5.8 metres? I'm planning to upgrade my trailer so want to know what i can sell my old one for? Fully registered, all led lights working, minimal rust etc..

Thanks

Just wondering what type of petrol people use for their 2 stroke outboards? The place where I got my OceanPro fitted reckons unleaded 91 is fine.  Does anyone know if using 95RON will make a difference? 

 Hi, I have a milky colour grease on all the little arms and joints and on carby on my outboard, what would be the best way to remove it so I can grease them up with new, and something that's not going to discolour the alloy also what can I spray over the block to protect it. Thanks

 Hi I have a stacer nomad 420 and it has a tiller steer at the moment, and I'm converting it to a side console with another motor I just bought witch has front steer, and the lengh of cable is long, i would like to know does it mater if the steering cable is longer and can I roll it up, or do I have to buy a shorter cable. Thanks 

Hi gang

Wondering if fellow members can assist or advise the following;

I'm thinking of adding 2 additional batteries to my boat. The current ones are Century Marine Pro 720, on an isolator switch (1,2, All, Off). The two new batteries will be 100AH deep cycles. What I want to do is keep the existing batteries/switch in place for starting purposes and use the 2 new batteries (in parallel) for all the boats electricals & electronics. I plan to install a VSR to isolate the 2 battery "banks". Is that an ideal configuration? 

Also, I would like to mount the 2 new batteries further up the boat, eg; in the seat boxes, instead of at the rear. Is it ok to run long battery cabling back to the VSR which will be mounted at the back?

Thanks in advance!

Not sure if this is in the right forum, but i am currently looking to buy the above. Not sure if i want to buy locally or overseas as yet, i'll let the numbers make my final decision.

so does anyone know where i can source these locally and overseas? i know allboats have/use to have them at around 1200.

thanks guys

 After a swiftcraft if anyone has one for sale 

Hi Guys,

I am considering buying a new dinghy. something along the lines of a 3.7 / 3.8. needs to be able to be car topped ontop of a trailer or caravan. Would prefre something with deep sides so i might be able to stand up a bit more.

Which brands do others have or could recommend, Quintrex, Seajay, Makocraft, Bluefin ?

Has anyone got pedistal seats instead of benchs ?

Any adivice is much appreciated

josh

for those interested, there are some new rules coming into play within the next few weeks.

What used to be known as the "off season notification" has been changed to a year round notification.

Meaning that whenever you are heading over on your own vessel you need to submit a notification either online, email or in person.

I havent heard anymore other than the letter WAF has sent to fishermen but I believe they will be running an "education campaign" starting now.

 looking at a johnson 115 two stroke saltwater edition, anyone have one or heard much about them

Hi All,

Looking at a 2008 300 Etec with about 500hrs but would really appreciate feedback if anyone has any experience with them?

Thanks, Shacked81

Hi All,

I need some advice / expertise on what I can do with my trailer (import from the US by previous owner).  I have a four wheel disc brake trailer that is in need of some TLC.  The main problem is that the disc’s and hubs are very rusty (flaking rust).  I removed as much rust from the discs as I could but the surface was still so corroded an uneven that it has chewed through the pads in about six months.  

I was planning to buy four new discs and be done with it but when I contacted the original manufacturer (brakes are called DB35 from a company called UFP) they have told me that the hubs are purpose built (not off a car or truck so no easy replacement) and that UFP don’t have any Australian distributors but I can buy in America and ship to Australia.  This is OK for the small items like bearings and seals but the four brake rotors are going to cost $950 in shipping alone due to their weight.  With all of the USA boats going around this must be a common problem but I don't know the solution.  I am not sure what to do next and so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Toby

Hi all,

I'm looking into getting a targa bar w/rod holders fabricated for the tub (a voyager LTD) to go with a new canopy and clears.

I had a look through the site using the search function and i couldn't find a clear answer on the benefits of aliminum or stainless steel for this application.

Can anyone recommend one over the other?

Also I haven't ever had anything fabricated so if anyone can recommend someone to do the job it would be much appriceated (I live in North Perth but work in Freo so anywhere sort of metro would be suitable).

Cheers,

Dave

Attached is a flick of the boat from saturday morning.

Well these new motors look ah interesting. Bit like a transformer.The new steering system looks pretty cool but!

http://www.boatsales.com.au/news/evinrude-e-tec-g2%C2%A0world-launch-44090

Well, 300 hrs has popped up pretty quickly since I got the Boston Whaler 235 / Mercury Verado 250 hp last April with only 46 hrs on the clock. Racked up 250 hrs in 14 months with a 200 hr service I did in between, which is pretty simple, engine and leg oil.

The boat and motor have been nothing short of sensational. Cant rate the Whaler high enough, I love the boat and the motor. I was not a fan of the Verado prior to getting one, with concerns of them being too complicated, but in reality, they are quiet, very powerful, quite simple and I do all the maintenance myself.

Below is a bit of a pictorial and commentary of the 300 hr service, showing it is easy to do yourself BUT does come with a few potential issues........

1. Got quotes for a 300 hr service, which is the biggie with new spark plugs, all new filters (oil/fuel) and new water pump. Eye watering amount....stuff that, I will be doing this myself. Saved a packet BUT I did have a few issues.....

2. Got most of the parts local. Most parts are reasonably priced compared with on the net so I support local firms where possible. Only exception was spark plugs.....I refuse to pay $36/plug........$10.50 on the net for the exact same top end iridium plug, delivered in 4 days. Got a manual (CD) off ebay for $29, well worth it, full workshop manual. Very easy to follow down to pulling the entire engine to bits. Yanks make great manuals!

3. Changed engine and leg oil, did filters, a few new anodes, cleaned up all the other anodes, easy peasy.

4. Ripped the leg off......easy.

5. Snapped one of the water pump bolts off......easy..........phark!

6. Had a few beers over much swearing. It seems the factory does not apply any grease on the threads, and the recommendation is to pull out the water pump impeller at 100 hrs mainly just to get some grease on the bolts before they sieze up.....they are only M6 bolts, and stainless, so gutless.....

7. Drilled and easy out.....not so friggen easy. I hate easy outs and they don't normally work....this was no exception, ended up drilling the bolt right out, stuffing the thread.

8. Re-tapped next imperial size up (1/4).....looked dodgy but after a few beers looked OK.

9. Put it all together with a new impeller....after 300 hrs the old impeller appeared almost brand new. New impeller cheap insurance.

10. Back together. All good......

11. Could not sleep that night.............thoughts of being out at the shelf and the water pump crapping itself had me a bit nervous.......phark.

12. Buy a helicoil kit the next day.

13. Leg back off.

14. Drill, tap, helicoil.

15. Re-installed......only took 1.5 hrs to pull the leg off, install the helicoil, put the water pump back in and put it all back together.....easy second time round.

Well, it did take me a bit longer than expected, but I saved over $600 by doing it myself, have a few more tools I did not have before and know a lot more about my motor. Recon the 600 hr service will only take a few hours.

Good fun!