bigbuck

JP, good to hear you are OK!! That would scare the bejeezus outta me. I had a big cruiser blasting along putting out a 5-6ft wake a coupla weeks ago on the way to Giants Tomb to hit the beach with the kids, I turned into it quick and killed the throttle, it still made me have air under my butt and rattled the girls and for the first time, water came over the front of my boat (19ft Larson Fish 'N Ski). What happened to me was different but could have had a similar outcome. Needless to say, thankfully I always wear my inflatable PFD and have the kill cord attached when I'm out on the big water of GBay.

Beauty 'eyes!!

Hang in there and stay positive. The unknown is the worst part. Chances are it is nothing. If it is something, put one foot in front of the other and keep on trucking. That's all we can do in our lives. Have some fun and maybe have a positive impact on those around us. Good Luck!

Check the U.S. You should be able to find one down there. See if any of the Lund dealers around here have one in stock so you can check it out in person. Unfortunately, the prices down in the U.S. are still so much better that it makes it tough to buy a boat here.

If it gets rented out for 2 months of the year, will that cover the bulk of the bills?? What about 3 months?? The only issue is that you don't get to use it for the 2 best months of the year, you get the rest of the year. It is a great way to build equity as long as you don't outstretch your resources. Good luck!! P.S. Be very choosy about who you let rent the place. You don't need a bunch of rowdy's destroying it or vandalising someone else's property. Have a strict limit on the number of people that are allowed. Everyone thinks that they can rent a cottage that has an occupancy limit of 8 and invite their 20 closest friends to party. Uh-Uh!! Make them pay $30/head/day for any extra people to discourage this behaviour. And, check up on it during their stay.

Simple things first, check the battery connections, and the ground connection.Charge the battery and see if it holds a charge, if it does not, you need a new one. Then start looking around for bare spots and the like, the alternator could be gone, there are tons of things that could be the culprit. Start with easy stuff first.

You probably should replace the impellor as well. You'll have the lower unit apart anyways. I don't think it would be that difficult especially since you change your own oil and do basic maintenance yourelf. For Evinrude parts in the T.O. area check out: Klaus Marine Service 17 Arnold Street Etobicoke They are off the Gardiner down by Kipling I believe.

You can run 91 octane with no problem. The extra additives in the 91 will also help keep engine deposits to a minimum. My boat requires 89octane minimum so I always run it on premium anyways. I cart 5 gallon jerry cans to the gas station and fill them up. It is about 25cents a litre cheaper to do it that way over filling up with marine premium.

Nice!!! I can't wait for that episode to air. Marc, we are going to start calling you the 'Fish Whisperer'!!! Big Jim is a great guy and I'm happy to see that he is doing well.] Enjoy your life, it's no dress rehearsal.

Spend the extra 20-30 bucks more for the Premier, you won't regret it. That said, I'll second checking out JB's Fishing Depot. As for the poster who said that the Triumph is built with the Avid blank, you are dead wrong on that. The Triumph is St. Croix's entry level rod and is entirely built in China not the good 'ol U S of A. They are a decent rod for the money.

Great report!! Nice tosee that there are still a few fish left in Rice.....LOL

Nice fish and Good for You for getting those nasty slimy lampreys off the big girl. The fishing gods will smile on you for that. I see a 56" in your near future........

Good one!!!!

Thanks, that's what I thought.

You should be good with the 3M stuff. Make sure you wax it after using the rubbing compound. It's lots of elbow grease but the result will be worth it. If you have a polisher it will be much easier, Canadian Tire has one on special this week I believe.

Wayne, enjoy your summer!!! That's some nice work you did there. One day when I grow up I'd love to learn to fly.

Wow!! I was at Home Depot on Friday afternoon and was talking to the hot dog vendor, his gazebo disappeared but he was unhurt. Smith's trailer park took the brunt of it. Scary scary stuff. Saturday morning I was over at Atlas Block and they had a bit of damage but thankfully their building is made of stone and concrete. What's amazing is that a couple of the guys from our park were out fishing out by Picnic Island after the storm and it was calm.

Another point to remember, when you see the big tanker in front of a gas station, go fill up at the next station you see. Everything in the bottom of the tank gets stirred up including any condensation (ie water). The sample I saw was from the bottom of the boat's fuel tank that was stored over the winter without fuel stabilizer. The owner of the boat was too cheap to spring for a proper winterization and just had the water drained from his engine. I'm not fear mongering, just stating some facts and observations. If you spend $10k+ on a boat, I think $20 for some Marine Stabil is just good insurance against having an expensive problem to fix. For me, I burn at least a tank (27 gallons) at least once a month so my fuel is usually quite fresh in the tank and I still pour some in, it keeps the fuel system and carb clean and it makes me feel better.

Wayne, good to hear you are OK. I talked to the park owners (our place in HH) and the bulk of the damage was in Midland so I wasn't too worried about you. There is considerable damage in Midland but it can be fixed. Thankfully nobody was killed, that can't be fixed.

Go to your local UHaul and pick up a proper ball mount. Don't mess around for 40 bucks. A skeg costs a buck and a half or so to fix never mind any other damages. Canadian Tire sells them too so pop in and get the right one.

ST. CROIX Avid and up!! I have not had a problem with St.Croix on warranty and have sent 3 rods back to them (I have 7or8) that have seen heavy use and got them back no problem.

I don't think the big manufacturers really want their 4 stroke high tech big outboards (115+) manufactured in China, they are interference motors (which means they are built to very very close tolerances), there is no room for loosey goosey assembly and parts. You'd be fine with either a Merc, Yamaha, Suzuki or Honda kicker.

When you buy fuel from a marina, assume that there is ethanol in the fuel UNLESS there is a sticker on the pump indicating that it is ethanol free fuel from the fuel supplier.

I'd say no, in the U.S. the mortgages are NON-RCOURSE which means that you can leave the keys on the porch and call it a day and nobody comes after you after the fact, here in Canada we have RECOURSE mortgages, the debt follows the mortgagee and guarantor until it is paid off in full. I would say don't do it, it can end up being a major problem for you, if someone needs a guarantor, that means they are on shaky ground credit wise. If they have any sort of financial difficulty which unfortunately is probably quite likely, you will be on the hook. Remember, banks don't normally ask everyone for a guarantor, only those people whose income and credit are borderline.

I believe it!! You should see some of the jackasses up on GBay with their big cruisers. Some people just have no clue when it comes to the rules of the waterways. I know how the Ontario gov't can get out of the current fiscal mess we are in, put a whole bunch more OPP officers out on Seadoos and have them ticket jerks on the water, in no time they will get us out of the deficit. (Yes, I am being just a bit facetious)