aplumma

I run a 1989 Ranger and it has been flawless in the build department. I chose that year because they changed the pad in 1990 for a smaller wet surface. I have been out in some nasty weather and have not felt scared and with upgraded seats my back has not been jammed even riding the caps of the waves. ( the factory seats back then where 2" foam on plywood). The only thing I dislike is gas was cheap back then and the original motor is a 6 carb 150 2 stroke that burns 4/5th of a gallon a minute at full throttle. I looked into changing it out but at $11000.00 plus for a new motor I think I will wait till it blows up some year in the future. lol Art

We have 2 hives coming later this month. Art

here are a few crappie from down South in Lousiania I really miss being down there because the crappie are huge. Art

Nice trip we shark fish usually from a boat and let a chumm line bring them in. The sharks will be as shallow as the surf line in alot of cases getting the fishes that are disorientated in the white wash. I have seen them finning along the sand and ocean edges in 1 ft of water. Art

A spool of power pro 65 lb is worth around $100.00 around the islands( sorry not sure about Cuba). Fresh bait will go far lures from shore have poor results in all of the places that I have visited. art

Factory manuals are the best one to get if possible. Just so you know just because it is old does not mean it is less expensive to fix. I rebuild old motorcycles and some of them have cost as much as a new motorcycle to get back on the road correctly. I am not saying yours will do the same thing but if a stator makes you quezzie just think about the great deal you got on the purchase price. lol Art

Step one is get the book for the bike. The charging circuit is separate from the spark and igniter. Most of the tests needed to be preformed are measuring the resistance of the igniter circuit. First thing to check is the easiest answers like connectors for path and then go one to the possible failure of components. The book will give you the paths as well as the resistance values of what you are testing. Do not just change parts it will be expensive and or you will try a coil from another vehicle and has a different circuit or value and then damage the cdi or worse. Art

The only thing to add is to get a infrared thermometer and you can shoot the hubs and tire to spot if they need grease or the tire is running hot. I run a Ranger boat 14 hours straight running around 60-75 MPH with no issues twice a year. Art

I think the offers and information have run there course. Thank you all for your input Art

If we could only get a discount on bandwidth and tech support we might even be able to pay our personal internet bills some day. Art

Yes Roy has a busy day today being Saint Patty's day lots of work for the wee folks. lol A special thanks to Roy for all of the time and admin. he does behind the scenes as well as the other keepers of the board.To all of the people who continue to make this place a good read and a hardy laugh day to day. Thank you Art

I am sorry that I can't help you on this and locking it was not something I thought about doing. Hopefully you can get the awareness of the flaws in the homes systems. Art

If you are having issues with sticky bunkers this is a product that works almost to well. http://www.amazon.com/MaryKate-Liquid-Rollers-Trailer-Lubricant/product-reviews/B00144EZJ8 I use it on my Ranger and it loads with a light turning of the winch. Art

Just a note on steels they are not a sharpening tool. They are used to take the burr off and stand the blade edge back up. The hardest part of sharpening a knife is keeping a consistent angle the finer the stone the longer it takes to remove metal so a coarse stone can do more damage to an angle than a finer stone in a short amount of time. If you want to see if you are holding an angle and sharpening to the edge of the blade (otherwise you are not sharpening you are just removing metal from the shoulder and changing the angle) you can scribe a mark with a sharpie and check to see how many passes it takes to remove it from the edge. I use an electron microscope when I am sharpening a blade for competitions on blade sharpening ( yes there are contests for something that stupid) and the final sharpening run at .05 micros leaves no tool marks and will cut you with no resistance it makes a razor blade seem dull when done. The edge on an average knife does not need this since it is such a fine edge it would roll cutting something as soft as cardboard. If you become prolific using conventional stones and want to take it to the next level then a set of water stones are a fine addition to blade care. They are very soft and make a sharpening slurry that will give you a great edge. I personally didn't like that style of sharpening and prefer to use diamond paste and balsa wood to cut my final edge however you need to have the knife stationary and move the balsa wood over it to keep from cutting into the wood. Art

Heat and inconsistent angles prevent an electric sharpener from being worth anything fora fine edge. I use a unit called the wicked edge. https://www.wickededgeusa.com/product/pro-pack-ii/ this unit is more expensive than what most people will pay for using for just the family needs. I also use a large grinder unit for shaping and polishing http://amktactical.com/epages/3c926a50-9aba-43a5-9571-098ee03f1288.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/3c926a50-9aba-43a5-9571-098ee03f1288/Products/33 This unit grinds from 18 grit to 3000 grit polishing belts. Art

LOL no he is a french chef that years of cutting frozen meat and other hand abuses have left them in poor shape. Over the years I have replaced the handles on a few of his favorite knifes. Most are high carbon knifes from the 60's and 70's that after a little love and some regrinding and polishing are brought back for another round of use. Art

The knife has a tip that is used to slice with. The backside of the edge is for scaling fish or can be sharpened to be used to slice the belly. You has less chance of poking your hand on a pass thru fillet. I personally prefer the wider fillet knife it is a little more ridged and is easier to hold flat while cutting the skin off. Art

Thank you for the complements The top knife is black walnut and the 3rd one is a rose wood and maple layered knife. The 3rd one is fitted to a customers hand he has arthritis and has trouble with his grip. I use a block of wood and some hardening putty and have then make a caste of their grip and work from there. Art

Here are a few I made this winter. Art

I have been making knife for years and the 440c is the main stay of the fillet knifes. The hardness can be between 54 and 59 depending on the annealing process. The cyro process yields the hardest measurements. A properly sharpened knife at 20 degrees will hold an edge that have lasted a few guides 2 or 3 months with proper touch ups. As you get into harder SS metals your flexibility suffers and while the blades are harder this is a two edged sword. The knife will hold an edge slightly longer but is more difficult to resharpen. The curse of knifes is the sharper the edge the easier it is to roll the edge which feels dull. Most knifes need a few swipes with a ceramic rod to straighten out the edge which can be done 3 or 5 times before a regrind is needed. I grind all of my knifes up to 1000 grit then polish the edge using diamond paste finishing off with .05 microns which is a mirror finish on the edge. The knifes at this level cut amazingly but a few contact cuts with the cutting board will roll the edge and need to be ceramic rod. Before I paid for a high end knifeThe best thing to do is to practice sharpening knifes until you can make a consistent sharp edge otherwise you will have an expensive dull knife that you will be disappointed with. Art

Thanks for the final statement lets put this to bed. Art

Reasonable access may mean you can get into the boat to retrieve items or work on the boat during certain hours of the day. Art

First off STOP we do not tolerate veiled threats. I will lock anyone's account for this if it happens again. Art

Lowrance if you take the time to learn it. I have HDS series on all three boats and love them. I however have not even seen a Hbird so I am biased. Art

Welcome Brucki thank you for the intro. hopefully your reports will be full of fish. Art