Another Canadian

I was at the Gen 7 station at Curve Lake to fill up with their Marine 91 ethanol free fuel on the long weekend. The pump at the side of the station is now a regular 87 pump. There was a gas station attendant cleaning the pumps so I asked what happened to the marine fuel? His response was that the supplier of fuel to the first nations stations will no longer sell them ethanol free fuel. The government mandate and that they were not on the water supplying fuel to watercraft were the 2 reasons I was given. He said the 91 should have less ethanol than the 87, but no guarantee on that statement, I intend to try Otter Marine in Curve Lake to see if I can buy marine fuel in my 20L jerry cans at a reasonable price. Marine fuel where I am located is a 30 minute boat ride and a 50% premium compared to the price at Curve Lake. Bill

Hi Everyone, We recently purchased a cottage on a Stony Lake island, and our parking rights do not allow storage of boat trailers as they would rather use the avaialble space for vehicles. ( I do agree with this.) I am looking to find storage for a boat trailer in the spring/summer/fall and winter storage come the fall when we close up the cottage in the Burleigh Falls and Lakefield areas. I have searched the usual subjects on line and have sent some inquiring emails but have not heard back yet (Trailer parks, marinas, storage units). Was hoping someone here might be able to recommend a farmer or land owner that has space inside or outside for storage. Thanks, Bill

PM Sent Bill

Gary's Custom Marine in Cambridge. Very happy with my travel cover, been 10 years and still in great shape. https://plus.google.com/106776447874837586191/about?gl=ca&hl=en

Thanks Steve and Everyone else! Went to to co2 at lunch as they are only 5 mins from where I work. $300 plus tax and I am on my way to being safer on the lake. Bill

Spincast, thanks for the idea of the longer tether. I fish on Lake Ontario alot by myself, and this would be helpful in staying safe. I also googled something know as an autotether - where you wear a remote fob that when contacted in water will shut off your engine. Anybody know where you can get one of these in the GTA? Bill

I see from your profile that you are in Stoney Creek. I am using batteries from these guys on recommendation from the guys that service my boat. Both starting and deep cycle, just 2 years though but no issues and a good price. http://www.gnbsystems.com/ Bill

Another good choice for a custom cover is a material called Top Gun.

What kind of power chocies do you have on these boats? I have a 99 Smokercraft 178 with a Honda 150, originbally it had a Honda115. PM me if you want more info on my setup. If you want to go closer to 50mph, get the Smokercraft with a 135-150. if you are looking for around 40mph, a 115 should get you there on both boats. Bill

I had problems with my boat last year on vacation. I use Esso regular grade gas as it is typically convenient for me. My motor was surging and could not get up on plane. Called my mechanic and he immediately said water in the gas from the ethanol. I went to the local marina and got a medium sized bottle of the Startron and dumped the entire bottle in. http://mystarbrite.com/startron//content/view/14/37/lang,en/ Ran it for about 15 minutes and it started to clear up the problems, not immediate but got much better and eventually cleared up. This year, the Shell station by me was under renovation so I could not get the "No ethanol" Shell gas. (I switched over last year after my problems). I have though been dutifully adding the Startron to the Esso regular gas and have not had any problems. I am not sure one method is cheaper than another, but the Startron appears to work. It is available at most marina's and Canadian Tire in the boating section. Bill

You could always check out La Salle Park in Burlington. Usually no docks in this time of year, but then you have less chance of scratching a new boat. (Assuming that is why you need to break in the new motors.) Bill

A friend of mine loaned me the exact reel (see above post) on a Shimano TDR that I used when I was first learning to use Downriggers on Lake O. It was a hoot to get a big one on, but knuckle buster is right, and when you "palm" the reel for the drag it can take a layer of skin of your palm. (Hard to explain the "Rosy Palm" to the wife after going fishing on the lake ) Long story short, they work! But with a 1:1 ratio and no real "drag" system, if you are trolling in tight quarters with other boats, it is hard to control a 20lb plus salmon. I prefer a level wind with a higher gear ratio and a real drag system. Bill

If you like the Legend hull, but not the motor, look for something else. When I bought my boat back in 2001, I liked the Princecraft but it was owned by OMC then and I did not want the OMC motor (FICHT) that it came with. I ended up buying a Smokercraft with a Honda 115 on it. It is 18' feet long and rated for a 150. Boat was OK powered, but best was 42mph with a low pitch prop to help it get out of the hole. Insurance was used to buy a new Honda 150 and the boat is far better with the Max hp. A 20' boat with a 175 rating needs a 135/150/175 class of outboard on it. By my quick calculation, you are looking at $35k+ for a new boat. Don't compromise on the Legend, and get the boat/motor/trailer and accessories you want, not what they are willing to sell you. If you start comparing apples to apples, the Legend is not always cheaper when you shop around. There are dealers that will sell you want you want and will negotiate on price to make the sale. PS- Legend also had the length of my boat as 18'8" where Smokercraft had it at 17'8". Depends on if you measure the centreline of the boat, or the gunwale length. Somehow my boat also is 18'8".

I would check out the Sears craftsman with the Honda engine on it. I have a Honda and love it, but the main reason I bought is for the engine so if I was to do it again I would look at the Sears or CTC model that has the Honda engine. Bill

I used the launch a few times last year, and agree that $15 is the going rate and is kind of steep. If the parking in the main lot by the launch is all used up, be careful when you use the overflow parking area by the entrance. You must park in the designated blue chalk lined area, with your trailer basically going up the small hill. I went out late one weekday last year and parked over in the overflow area, but not in the blue chalk lines. The parking lot was empty other than one car when I left and one car when I returned. I got a $40 ticket because I parked in spots reserved for the seasonal holders of boat slips. I was told my $15 only allowed me to park in the blue area. But for $55, you can park anywhere you like, (except near the fire hydrant). Bill

I am glad to hear you are considering the use of a guide. I will second Paul at Cast Adventures. I have seen him on a couple episodes lately of Fish n' Canada. One show he was fishing the lower Niagara at Queenston and another they were out on Lake Erie.

May I suggest for your first time out you hire a guide? There are a few that launch out of the Queenston ramp. I did so last year and the devil holes drift is quite a ride once the water starts rising mid morning. It is also a very different technique for fishing than I ever experienced. The artpark and queenston drifts are less intense, but there is some etiquette that the boats seem to try and follow as they head back up to the top of the drift.

When looking at a USED boat, somone else has usually made the choice of motor for you. I would look for a boat with a motor closet to the maximum, and then try to decide which one I would like best based on available dealer service, budget, 4 vs 2 stroke etc.... On a new boat, where I could have some choice, it would depend on the engine class as to whether I chose a Yahama, Honda or Merc or ?... The comparable Hp motor from one company (or even within a company) can be quite different when you start to compare them.

Hi Pigeontroller, I had one installed by the mechanic who looks after my boat about 4 years ago. I needed the extra 18 or so inches to allow my boat to fit into the garage of the house I bought. So far, no issues and happy with it. The only thing I did was buy a 5' extension for the 4pin trailer wire and wrapped it with a plastic wire cover to avoid getting it pinched or worn. He said it was a pretty easy job and the kit included everything that was needed. He said the hardest part was cutting the tongue off the trailer square and straight(sawzall), everything else just bolted up. Then again, I didn't do it either. For me, it was worth the money. Bill

Hi Rfmcrx, I started going up this way when I was a kid in 1982. Great place and lots of navigable water (90kms). First thing I would suggest is to get a fishing map from the the bait shop in Barry's Bay. Not sure if the Lucky dollar in Combermere will have it, but they have great Ice Cream cones I camped once at Chippawa as well, it was a nice place to camp. If you have a canoe be careful on Kamaniskeg if the winds come up. An onshore breeze at Chippawa can really make for some large waves. That being said you have access to the river which can be busy on weekends with boats, but not so much during the week. For fishing around Chippawa, if you head down stream to Blackfish Bay (on the left), there are many suspended pike in there if you troll the shorelines and find the deeper weeds(caught a lake trout once doing this in 20 ft of water in August). There is also a little back bay on the left before you get to the island, full of largemouths. Perfect for using a canoe. If you don't mind transporting the canoe, you can try the boat launch on the other side of lake kamaniskeg. Set up in 10-15 feet of water, late in the afternoon till dusk, right in front of the garage/shed with a Canadian maple leaf flag painted on it. Drop worms / minnows to the bottom or use a 3-way rig to be just off bottom. Caught many large smallies that way, and the odd pickerel. For pike, I would suggest to get down to Conroy's marsh in the York river. There is (was) a crude boat launch just before Palmer Rapids. I think it was at the end of McPhees bay road. From there you can get to where the Madawaska and the York rivers meet, and head up the York river into Conroy's marsh. Lots of weeds but ton's of hammer handle Pike, with the odd large one, sm and lm bass, pickerel and huge pan fish. Just be careful as boats do go fast through there and there a lot of twist and turns. You can also try where the two rivers meet just in fron of the launch, just find the weeds off the deeper water. Sorry I am little long winded, just can't wait to get back up that way again. Bill PS-There are also lot's of MNR checks and OPP, so ensure you are legal.

IMO, When you are comparing a 4 stroke motor to the new 2 stroke DFI (Etec / Optimax) there is some benefits to each, but both are good choices in today's world. You have determine what is personally best and most important to you. For me it is reliability, and the Honda I run has never let me down (yet). In the size of motor you are looking at (9.9), there is no 2stroke DFI choice as of now. The smallest Optimax from Mercury is a 75 and Evinrude has just released a 15 HO. The 15 HO is actually a detuned 25 as it has the same physical size as the 25. At 177 lbs, I would not want to try and move it around very much compared to the 15 4 strokes weighing in around 130 lbs. You can see a comparison on Evinrudes own website. http://www.evinrude.com/en-CA/Engines/ETEC_HO/ETEC_15_HO Of course a traditional 2 stroke carburated model weighs less and costs less, but they will be harder to find new as there is less demand for them. There are still some used ones out there as people trade them in on new 4 strokes. AC

Hi Wild, I have been running Synthetics in my BF150 since the 200hr mark. I just dropped it off today to be winterized and left a couple of jugs of synthethic 10W30 for them use. The guy I trust to maintain my outboard says it is the way to go, on the top and the bottom end. I don't think there is any harm in runing either synthetic or dino oil, but I think the synthetic is the better oil for not much of a cost difference considering the price of outbpoards these days. I am sure others will offer differing opinions. AC

We use the tax exempt limit of $0.52 for the first 5,000km for employees. http://www.fin.gc.ca/news07/07-111e.html Consultants charge us whatever they can get away with. AC

Hi RR, I spent many years up in Combermere when I was kid on our summer vacations. Last time up there was Summer 05. The marina I think you are referring to is Hydes Bay Marina, but I am not sure if they rent boats. http://www.realontario.ca/listings/listing.asp?id=12314 There are some resorts around the area that might. Hope this helps, AC