aplumma

From that era they are very nice mantel pieces. The low end baitcasters we have today are way ahead of the unit you are trying to use. You might find a place on the want ads here and see if someone wants to trade with you. Art

O.K. here is a free and legal source of sand....Sweep it up off the edge of the highway if they put down sand like they do down here on every little snowflake you should have to sweep just a little bit. Art

Bring a buddy who doesn't mind being ballast and have him move around the boat to see if it makes it better or worse. There is a cure for this also involving shimming the motor but that is something that the dealer can help you with if it is needed. Art

Still waiting for the phone to ring Brian. Spiel might be game for it too. Art

Bananas on the boat go back a long way when they would load the boat with bananas and sailors would die mysteriously. It was tracked back to spider bites from you guessed it the bananas that were loaded on board was usually infested with the venomous little buggers.My Grandpa worked on Dixie shipping line and to this day is still a cargo that the dockworkers hate to unload. Art

Sorry I will clarify the lean condition is from the vro diaphragm leaking air into the pulse port at the base of the motor. If you place a cap on the vro oil intake it can not suck air. The other thing about 2 strokes is if you over oil which is not the case with 50:1 you can run it in a lean condition it has to do with the oil not being as readily burned as the gas. It was referred to as a oil seize indicated by burn spots on the piston lots of oil with no damage to the rings.I lunched a $2000.00 racing jetski motor by mixing down my gas twice at a race. Nope you didn't claim to improve on it but you infer it is just as good and it just isn't according to motor physics. I am glad it works in your case though I would hate to see you not on the water fishing in your golden years. Art

The vro system when working correctly supplies the motor with a variable rate that while trolling is 150:1 and 50:1 at full throttle. This allows the motor to not load up while trolling and uses much less than the mixing of oil and gas at 50:1 in the tank. If your vro goes bad mixing the gas instead of replacing the pump can lead to lean conditions and motor failure from burned pistons or excessive smoke and oil usage. The failure of the oil portion of this pump is due to a hole in the diaphragm that allows air to get into the oil side of the diaphragm or fuel to back feed thru the pulse hose from the engine. Both affect the motors air fuel ratio and can cause issues. The pumps are still available from sierra and for 350.00 it makes a huge difference of how they run and how much less oil they consume. YES you can mix the oil and I am sure yours has not blown up yet it does not prove you have improved on the manufactures design.... Art

I haven't fished a weight in tournament for Blue Catfish in 15 years. While the fish are hardy and every boat must have a 100 gal livewell with pump to participate or netbag I still see to much deadage the day after the tournament. I proposed a system that would be cheater free and uses random drawn cards and photos with tape measures to have a fair and fun tournament. The offer was declined because they would not attract a crowd at the weigh in like someone hefting a 40-60 lb fish. I even went so far as to explain a projector screen with live photo updates from people in the field thru the day would be a way to get people excited to the sport and hopefully be future contestants. I am very happy to say though they do not have tournaments during the spawn or when the surface temperatures are above 80 F degrees. With this concession all of us that fish for the blue cat can have a chance to see the fisheries grow and support both the tournament and the recreational fisherman. Art

Check with a few landscaping companies and see were they buy it from it usually is bulk load and cheaper than bagged. Art

Hows about Catfish only eat smelly things... Actually Catfish are top of the food chain predators and prefer fresh/live over decayed. The catfish while it is an opportunistic feeder in its younger years once it passes 5 lbs it is looking for fresh meat. If you are fishing a body of water and know what the forage base is then catch a few and get ready for the larger fish to bite. The Channel cat is a feeder of flesh and prefers a dead chunk rather than chasing down it's dinner. The flathead cat prefers to have it's dinner alive a frisky and will love a small bait with a knife cut or two on its body. The blue cat is also a lover of a nice hunk of meat hanging out near a hard bottom. The use of circle hooks and a steady pull to set the hook will yield lots of hook ups and easy releases to help save the fisheries. If you decide to take a few for the table don't feel bad about doing it they are great breeders and the flesh is one of the best eating you will find. I have found the fish up to 5 lb's are the tastiest and the safest if there are contaminates in the water. Enjoy. Art

You might want to spray him with some "musky be gone" next time out. Art

Your a hard workin gent. we can always find you a job no problem. Art

Have fun all glad to see you ready to take it to them . Art

If you decide to take a real road trip I'll get you on some monsters someday Brian. Art

I use O rings they are cheap from the plumbing warehouse. Art

Nope them engineers don't know a darn thing about the products they designed and built. They just write all that stuff about break in to aggravate you. :wallbash: This rates as a 5 on the bonehead advise scale. Really think about it all of the people who say run it like you stole it haven't offered to repair the motor if they are wrong while the deal will if you follow the break in procedure .Just for the know all motors after 2004 have a memory chip that the mechanic can access that tells them how many hours it has been run and what amount of time it was run and at what RPM. It is a good buyers tip to have that information pulled before you buy a used motor. Art

Fire ants brings back memories of growing up down South. Them buggers are all over the place and I had to jump into the water trough a few times to get the off me. Art

Dave I do the same thing I invite people out to the farm to hunt and then wack them over the head and bury them on the back forty with the back hoe. I find the whirring of the diesel motor very relaxing as you dig the hole for the festive event. Good on you I would take the chance and "fish" with you but you are a little far. Art

Does the zodiac have a solid floor? If not I would place a piece of plywood that extended off the back of the tailgate to support it. Art

Thanks for the video the clear Canadian waters are a joy to watch. Art

Glad you found the boat you want...time for us all to go fishing now.

Check the hummingbird site for software updates. Clean the transducer with terry cloth towel and mild soap. go to a known depth using string and tape measure and wiggle the wire going into the transducer then at the plug at the unit. Make sure coax cable is not pinched or near large electrical lines trolling motor/alternator wire etc. Art

Try husky jerk baits near weedlines with deep water near. You also should target areas were the wind is blowing across the water onto the land it blows the food the baitfish eat on up the food chain. If pencil reeds are present cast thru them and guide your lures thru them the fish are there even if you don't see them. Good luck and welcome to the board. BTW for this wealth of information we want a few pictures. Art

wow some of that looked so crisp and clear it was almost 3d. My hats off to those few that have the eye and the patients to show us a world we may never see. Art

We had something icee like that down here yesterday....it was a slurpee from 7/11. Very nice fish. Art