Hi Guys,

The time has come to mount my recently purchased 50hp Etec onto the boat, and I was wondering how deep the prop/ leg should be from the bottom of the boat? I know that that it can be too deep, as I found out with the old 35hp when we put that on, it was too deep, and didnt really go properly till we raised the transom up higher, is there some rule to go by?

Cheers guys,

Josh

Blowing a tyre on the 4wd while towing the boat a month or so ago led to a minor accident that could have been alot worse, but still the end result was bad enough to require a rebuild of my boat trailer.

When the tyre blew I was struggling to keep it under control, I ended out veering of the road to the left, over the kerb, and hitting a sign on the side of the road with the right hand wing mirror (close to me) and just graze the back 2cm of the 4wd, and then onto the mud guard of the trailer.  This caused the mud guard to press on and blow the right hand trailer tyre and knocked the trailer out of square by bending the main bar, and just about every bit of steel in the trailer.

So I saved some pennies and while the ban is on, Dad and I are rebuilding the trailer.  Construction is 50x50x5mm SHS.  C Channel was considered, but as it is a only a dinghy trailer for cost we went with shs.  Rollers, spindles, brackets purchased from Martins Trailer parts, or when we couldnt find what we needed, fabricated by myself or taken from the old trailer cleaned up and reused.

Probably 20 hours labour so far between me and dad, we working on it again today and think we will probably get the boat on this afternoon for a final adjustment before stripping everything down, cleaning up all the slag/welds before its off to be hot dipped galv.

Total Cost so far approx $350 steel, $440 in bkts, red poly rollers, spindles, lights etc.

I will reply with the total weight and the cost for hot dipping and a photo when its done.

Bryan

 I'm thinking of pulling out my donk and leg in the new year after Rotto Chrissie break and doing a rebuild.

Does anyone have a good ref on anyone that can do a good rebuild on a big block V8 Mercruiser and Bravo 1 leg ...

and who does not charge an amr & a leg!!!!

looking at rings, bearings, seals, head gasket and valve grind probally. Think pistons and bore still good. Water pump is new.

Leg would be knuckle universal joint and bearings, plus lower leg seals and bearings.

Boat is at Freo Boat Park, so can be on a hard stand to lift out motor?

cheers

Tony

too many projects on the go for me...however thought some of you boys might be interested...might have to change the name though...not sure what the go is there

http://perth.gumtree.com.au/c-Boats-Jet-Skis-boats-jet-skis-other-7-6-plate-alli-center-console-W0QQAdIdZ327001565

 Love this forum.  Very informative, so I'm going to continue to pick everyone's brains. 

 Im needing (wanting) a new gps/fish finder. 

The thing is, I have no idea what to get. Do I get a gps plotter and fish finder separately, or get a combo unit. 

What I need is colour maps, and preferably a colour fish finder. It needs to be easy to use and read for me and the wife. With the fish finder I'd like to have a reasonable idea of wha the bottom is made of and what the contours are shaped like. 

I only want to spend around $1000 all up. 

Any help is greatly appreciated. 

I am thinking about buying a brand new 539 Stacer Nomad with a 115 horsepower Optimax. Could any one share any thoughts/information on either of these products please?

Any input is appreciated. 

Hi guys,

Has anyone had got any experiences on the mercury saltwater series, 2 strokes.

I have seen alot of boats with them on and was wondering if they are reliable and are they good on fuel. trying to compare them to four strokes. seen a 115 in a 5.8m ali but wondering if it is not enough hp with 4 blokes on the boat.

planning on doing alot of trolling.

cheers

I know I have touched on this before, but running up the outboard today and previously, once the motor in forward (or reverse) goes past 2500rpm, it seems to misfire dramatically and brings it back to 2500rpm. The motor is a Johnson 150hp 1993 2 stroke.

My question is: Is this Johnsons way of limiting revs when the motor is not under load, or could it be something more to do with maintenance? I know there is a S L O W system to reduce engine revs when the engine gets too hot but this is when it has only been running for a few minutes and the tell tale and the block are still only warm. I have checked all the wiring and replaced some connections which were suspect but this has made know difference. It has fresh fuel, the plugs are new and set at .030" and the it does not overoil now.

Any thoughts?

It will be going into All Boats soon as that is where I bought it secondhand, and they have kindly offered to check it out under the so called warranty, but I am not a person to let an engine beat me!!!!

This is the engine.

Hi guys,

Long time reader but first post.

In the market for my first boat but confused on what to look at. I have been looking for 12+ months but ready to buy now. Budget is 30-40K and looking for a ali 5.8 to 6.1m boat. Looking for a plate hull preferably with a four stroke. But there is not much out there. I only have a grand vitara to tow it so cant go fiberglass.

This is where i am stuck. What manufacturers are good (i like the trailcraft)?

All the boats i have seen lately have 2 strokes and mostly the merc saltwater series. Is it worth hanging out for a four stroke? is the fuel economy/ noise that much better/quieter? what hp should i be looking at for this size boat? not sure if i want to fork out 35k for a 2 stroke and then upgrade the motor 2 years later.

Some advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Okay brains trust, I'm after your knowledge yet again.

I've had previous experience installing my own marine electrics, sounder, finder and Fusion sound gear, but the networking concept is a  bit foreign to me. I understand there is a standard which most new products are certified for, but from what I'm looking at none of the differing companies use the same style plug. The wiring in the connector for the new Furuno 585 I bought has no plug or termination, it's just a set of colour coded wires. All the wiring for networking the HDS 8 has a 2 ended plug. Can one be so crude as to lop an end off the HDS plug and join the wiring in a direct manner ? is there special terminations of the wiring which will stop it from working ? Is there some sort of junction box ?

All input is welcomed and appreciated
Cheers
Adrian.

Team

Snapped my VHF aerial up in exxy, and got a replacement from shakespear etc etc...Fitted it out, terminated a new plug, had even a friend whos a marine machanic check out the plug, but still cant get reception at my house. I did around a year ago, and keep trying with the sea resuce to do a radio check but nothing comes thourgh, The radio is a cobra VHF which i bought from all boat buiness less then 6 months ago....does any one have any ideas what this could be? the guys at whitworths were saying if theres been houses being built with tin roofs that could be the issue, and my mate saids only real way is to launch it and try and see if you get reception just offshore....

any ideas would be awsome or pointers would be awomse guys!

brett

 hi guys

iv been looking into buying a boat for a while now. i want it to be about 5.5-6 metres and centre console preferrably. i do have a budget (hahahaha) of around 35-40k. iv heard a few good reports on the polycraft as a good start out boat. ill be putting a lowrance hds7 or 10 on it when i do buy the beast. what do you fellas reckon? am i going in the right direction

Hi Guys,

Last week I found that my fuel tank had a leak in it, putting 60l into the bilge and 60l left in the tank.  Got the rest of the fuel out of the tank this morning (it is an inhull tank) but have found that it has been foam filled down the sides for insulation (I will be able to get this off with some hard work) 

The problem is that I have found the tank to be siliconed to the base and there isn't really much of a gap to get in there and leverage it out.  Just wondering if anyone knows of any chemicals which will break down the silicone without compromising the fibreglass?

Cheers,

Adam

Hi Guys,

looking at a 7m assassin for my first boat with twin 90hp mariners. Anyone had any experience with these boats there built in Bunbury. Thanks

 Guys, does anyone know of a boat detailer NOR around Wangara that will give the boat a birthday (polish gelcoat, barwork etc)

I've only found one previous topic in searches.

cheers

Kev

Hey guys just wondering if anyone here is or can recomend a mobile mechanic to service my 2003 4 stroke merc 60hp. Boat is in Sorrento and engine is in great condition, just needs a service and 1 small repair. It has one small problem with the throttle cable, needs either a replacement part to hold the cable or a decent fix with something else. I have a cable tie on it now that hasn't let me down....YET!!

Hi all,

I have just put in new discs, pads and bearings in my trailer.

There seems to be a fair bit of gap between the inner disc pad and calliper when brakes are off.  I cannot see this being adjusted.

Thank you

Chris

Im looking at buying a new mako truck 530, just wondering if anyone on here has one or been in one fitted with a centre console?

How did the boat handle?

Thanks Travis

Is there anyone here who has a Suzuki 140 on their Trailcraft, Id appreciate some figures.

Ive been thinking about replacing my Yam 115 4s with a Suz 140.

But at the show, I got the often heard story of how the 140 is really only 128hp and the 115 yam is 118. None of the salesmen were able to point to where this has been tested and documented.

The yam is a great motor, well proven but Id love a little more puff with a heavy load.

So Id love to get the figures from a few who have this combination, of the following;

1/ Speed and RPM at WOT

2/ also at (say) 4000 rpm?

thanks in advance!

Just thought I would ask the question as I bought a new transducer off this mob 2 weeks ago, still hasn't turned up so I emailed them and they recon they have a delay before they post the gear out so the bank can validate the credit card. Anyway emailed them back a couple of days ago to get an update and said if it's going to take much longer can I get a refund, haven't heard anything back.

Before I do a credit card charge back just wanted to know if anyone has bought anything from this mob and if they had to wait 2-3 who knows even more weeks before it got posted out?

Cheers,

Pete

I have decided to refurbish my boat trailer and my old man told me to spray it all with rust converter before painting it. Does anyone have advice on a good rust converter and where to get it? Also what type of paint should i use? (I've never done this before) Any advice would be appreciated. Also changing the springs and axle as well.

Hi there

This may be a ridiculously obvious question, but how do I check how many hours are on a Merc 125hp Saltwater Series engine circa 2002 model?

Is it possible? If so, do I need some sort of consult machine to plug in to it?

Cheers

Dan

Mandurah Boating show is on so thew Question is who is going to have a look at all the new bits of bling that floats and catches fish?

Hi all,

Just thought I would pop a comment out there for the guys that are running Furuno sounders and in particular those that have a FCV 620, 585, 295 or 1150.  Recently I have noticed comments and had quite a few phone calls about linking plotters to Furuno sounders so that a mark can be transferred from the sounder to the GPS.

Some of this information may already be known to you or you are using it, but bear with me so I can give some advice to others that are not aware.

When transferring a mark from a Furuno sounder it uses a NMEA 0183 sentence called TLL (Target Latitude, Longitude). The plotter that needs the mark popped on to it needs to be able to receive TLL.  Not all plotters have the ability to read this sentence even some Furuno ones don't do it.  So it pays to check if your plotter can do it first.

However for those of you that want to do this but the chart plotter/GPS is unable to recieve TLL and do have a Furuno sounder then all is not lost.  You can still join up your GPS and sounder with NMEA wiring to give the sounder GPS data.  This will allow you to use the mark function and stick a mark on a position that is of interest to you.  The mark will be held in your menu, data, waypoints area where you can view it at any stage.  This will mean that you will need to manually put the coordinates into your non TLL reciveing GPS.  But hey at least you can mark those fish or lumps and have the coordinates.

Off the top of my head I think most of the Furuno sounders can take 20 waypoints before you have to delete to put new ones in.

I spent some time up with site sponsor All Boat Business today sharing tips and they are ready for the Mandurah Boat Show.

Cheers all and if I bored you because you know all this, then my apologies.

Happy days

Rhyss

 hey

i bought a new fish finder gps combo (garmin 451s) and installed it yesterday but the transducer isnt working properly if i unplug it and plug it in it works for about 5 seconds till we start moving and it stuffs up. its mounted on the transom and was in the water at all times... any suggestions?

cheers

Hi guys,

Been browsing here for a while and now I need some help lol.  Having drama's with my Garmin GPSMap not picking up satelites with a couple of antenna's now.   Does anyone know any places that can test it out for me so I know that it is 100% stuffed and just becomes a dedicated sounder and start saving for a another one.  It is an older model but been rarely used.

Thanks

P.S.   If you ever see me out and about come say hi and point me where the fish are, I never have any luck lol.

Hi all, does anyone know of the general price for the above unit or anywhere cheap I can pick one up from?

Or does anyone have one which has been tossed in the corner due to an upgrade and wants some coin for it?

Thanks in advance

Chris

 hey,

i need a new perspex windscreen for my boat and i am unsure of any place that does. 

any help would be appreciated cheers

greatrex

Guys, can anyone help me here. I am struggling to find out what the max rated weight/ HP is for my 16 ft Pacemaker. It has an old Johnson 140 2 stroke on at the moment which is fine but I am going to re power after the summer when I finish the CC conversion. I would like to know the basic stats and a bit of build information if anybody knows or can tell me where to look as I have googled it a fair bit and all I really get is car extractors and heart pacemakers.... As I look around at the different boats there are for sale, many of them claim to be very different lengths, I bought mine under the impression it was a 17'6 which I never thought to question but when I took it home and started planning my build I put the tape down it, it measures 16 foot. Are there as many different lengths of hull or are these people just guessing and / or measuring the motor as well? I was under the impression there was an 18ft and a 21ft only....

Hey all,

Just after some advice regarding location of trim tabs.

Ideally, it's best to mount the tabs as far from the engine as possible to give the most L/R lean control.

But the outer strakes on my hull extend all the way to the transom, and is right in the middle of what I'd reckon to be  the best location for the tabs.

I'd reckon this must have some sort of effect on the flow under the tabs, possibly affecting performance ?

The tabs are 12" wide, so I've put some tape in 4 different locations to show you what I'm on about - see below.

Option 1 is probably too far out, making the tabs vulnerable to damage when out of the water.

Option 2. Without any strakes, this would be the best spot, but on my hull there'd be a strake right in the guts of each tabs.

Option 3 is probably the best compromise.

Option 4 is nice & clear, but way inside where you'd normally want them to be.

If anyone's had some experience installing the tabs in a case like mine it'd be great to get some feedback / advice.

Thanks,

Dizz.