Zamboni

Not too many people would cast or troll by where kids are swimming. I move on if its early and a dog starts barking, otherwise the lake is as much mine as the cottage owners and most realize that.

Bad cases will show on way boat sits in water, and how it handles. Remove the outboard, or account for all weight and use scales at truck shop if your suspicous. Too many boats sit on trailer without angle to stern or plugs out and foam becomes saturated. I have a long term project, a Boston Whaler 19' that had over 600 lbs of water in the foam....bought as salvage hull. Some people buy boats in worse condition thinking they're usable. My experience with boat sellers, disclosure and claims of how honest the vendor is make me suspicious....start with foam, and do a comp and leak down test on that motor. Hope I don't come off as too negative/untrusting but I've been amazed at how people will misrepresnt items for sale.

On the aluminum boat sites a general consensus is "silicone is for bathtubs not for boats". 3M has a product, 5200 that is best for general below water line sealing of all boats/thru hull fittings-good until you get new rivets installed. From what I've read Gluvit is an aluminum boats best friend, spread that around repair right before rivetting. Question for those experienced-should help nautifish if she buys that boat. Why do I always read about dissasembling the boats interior to get at inside of rivets? Aren't there solid rivets that can be applied 'blind'....i was looking at some and pop rivet type sealing rivets....can't a few rivets simply be drilled out and new rivets installed from outside on boats hull? Or does that take an expensive hydraulic rivet gun to work from just one side? I have also read of loose rivets being tig welded over-may be an inexpensive option. Before purchasing this or any boat with a possible long term leak....check that the flotation foam is not water logged. Boat may be carrying 3-500 lbs of water in the foam that can not be dried out.

How long can zebra mussels, other invasive species live without water on an outdrive, prop-hull? I'm careful with bilge, even though thats probably rainwater or occasional wave splashing in-don't want to be spreading the problem. What about algae etc....if boat sits in garage for a week does everything die off?

My boats cover has lost a few snaps and the thread is coming undone in numerous places. Basically the cover folds back so its doubled up at edges where snaps are....thread on those seams is breaking everywhere. Actual cover material is perfect, just the thread seems rotten so I'm looking for a place around Whitby with an industrial sewing machine. Need a few new snaps put on also.

http://trailerboats.magnify.net/item/LK21L86830W7NNBL Link is to a new launching technique, may help if that launch is shallow Johnny

Your going to need a few more items than life jacket to be compliant-get one of those kits with whistle, rope-bailing bucket at CT and put it in the kayak.

Maybe buy the kids some cigarettes-that would keep their little fingers busy.

There are original manufacturers shop manuals on pdf files for a lot of engines now Forrest. Whatever you bought on CD obviously wasn't a shop manual but they do exist for more and more engines. Leaving at 10am for a week on Simcoe Curt, if I find manual you need before that I'll pm you link. Mostly just have merc manuals myself-that was my specialty till town/neighbours and I came to an "understanding" that I wouldn't work on boats in our driveway anymore.

Sharing a cottage can be done, we know 2 families who inherited parents cottages in the past few years. Not quite the same as its family but in both cases some spouses involved are 'opinionated' but sharing is going well. As pointed out people 'share' businesses, work together as partners. They are not always the cliched 'business type', many bring personal problems into that relationship. The posts of preferring to not share-well sure, having unlimited access/availability is better. Doesn't mean sharing a cottage is bad, and far less financial committment. One of our friends had a problem as 2 of the families involved wanted to do upgrades. The others couldn't-didn't want to at that time and they worked it out. One family owns 5% more now and paid for a new deck etc....you are in a better position to work out all details as sharing the cottage isn't thrust upon the families involved. I say go for it, sharing is better than not owning a cottage at all.

Its definetly time for plugs anyway so I'll join that chorus. Change plugs and fuel filter, look for restriction blocking line. Next time running see if the ball is collapsing at WOT, and hand choke the carb to see if it momentarily picks up revs.....squeeze the bulb also to see if it revs when struggling. I'm thinking gunked up carbs and fuel filter, as gas evaporates it leaves varnish. You may get lucky and dislodge it with carb/choke cleaner aeresol if thats the prob-much better to pull carbs and clean/rebuild if that is the case. Be careful, best way to hole out a piston is to run a 2 stroke lean-and thats effectively what your doing if its fuel starved.

Last year people swam in Lakes where carp were dying from the virus Billy. Be impossible to stomach it if floaters are washing ashore but if smell of dead carp isn't present you can swim. I have the same concern, were heading to NW Simcoe for a week starting Saturday. Two young kids, cottage on the water so really hoping the die off is past its peak....anybody on Simcoe the weekend past?

Going west it seems the virus has spread to lakes it did not reach last summer. Starting in Simcoe, it has spread into Couch & Sparrow. The eastern lakes affected last summer are starting up again, we were on Katchewanooka last year and saw some dead carp....virus went through Little Lake and the O river all through Peterborough had lots of dead carp on news reports....some on Rice. So has the virus picked up where it stopped in both directions?....little overlap in the East and almost exactly where it wasn't (Simcoe) on west Trent system? Still no positive id that it is the same virus-curious as there are some dead catfish in the mix on Simcoe. Virus mutate-hope this doesn't spread to other species.

Didn't mean to offend-boats speedometers were generally innacurate and most people are suprised at their actual speed when a gps is used. Those GPS units must be very heavy as they cause many boats to go 5-10mph slower

His reading was by gps-guessing your reading was the boats dreemometer?

Thinking you better give your mom back the sunfish money?

Well, I stand corrected. Sorry I passed along what I was told by the OPP. Officier seemed knowledgable-told me of expiry date on life jackets etc. The word "recomended" never came up talking about capacity plates, it was the lesser of weight or persons restricted how many could be onboard. Think I'll print the link when I can open it-might be useful to have onboard. I wouldn't dream of overloading, or driving fast with kids in bow seats but will make use of the info you posted-thanks We often have our kids/cousins together, I won't have to leave one kid behind when going fishing, can pile them all in for those leisurly evening rides that make the moms happy (they stay onshore )

Seems to be spreading from Simcoe to Couch & Sparrow....haven't heard of any die off in Kawartha's. They sent dead carp to Guelph to be tested-took a long time last year but to check if its same virus should be quicker. Did it last about 10 days in most lakes last year?

If I post sites will be full when you get there-check your pm.

Hmmm....I was thinking 4 stroke-improperly stored had crankcase oil in cylinders but rereading first post your oil is good so not that. If its the starter binding the flywheel he should see that-no need to remove starter if bendix isn't exteded-its not the prob if he can't pull cord and starters not engaged. You sure its in neutral, play around with the linkage. Did you look in through spark plug holes? Don't put a socket on flywheel nut and attempt turning yet.

No, the lesser restriction applies. You can't put 7 people in a boat if 5 is the capacity even if some are kids/small adults and you are only half the weight capacity. My boat is exactly like that, it has seating for 7 with grab handles but plate restriction is 5 persons. Even after gear/motor is accounted for the boat can take 1,000 pounds....but I can't legally take 6 kids weighing 50 pounds each for a ride at the cottage. OPP told me the seats just give people onboard options where to sit, not every seat should be filled. You can be ticketed, even though you have seats and are underweight. Get the new plate if installing legal seats increasing capacity.

You can be charged if number of people onboard is over the plates capacity. If the manufacturer built hulls with different seating configurations email them for a plate...a case could be made that manufacturer approved your 'mod' by issuing the new plate so they may not want to become involved. There may have been less flotation foam put in the hull getting less seats. Is the weight capacity the same on hulls with less seats-if so your fine just adding the bench. Custom Marine Labels web site is down, they would make you a label with the increased capacity. Many boats don't come with a metal plate, just cap plastic labels like they make. Must be other companies doing stick on label-be sure on flotation foam etc if you just order a label.

Yep, pull plugs, ground as per manual and spin the starter....let us know what comes out, water-oil or gas. Sounds like hydro-lock from details posted.

Simcoe is large-where are you launching? I'm not giving away any secrets by posting to look for the armada offshore from Jackson's Point/Willow and you'll find lakers & whitefish. Bass are around structure-most shoals hold bass. Same around big & small islands....lots of bass. I've only fished the south end of Simcoe....same boat as you, studying charts as we have a week's vacation on Simcoe's NW shore coming up.

Read on another board of lots of dead carp at Lagoon City so this is spreading-my buddy fished near Mcrae Point PP and counted about 10 dead carp floating around. He says 1 dead carp near launch almost made them puke when wind died down. This lasted about 7-10 days on most Kawartha lakes last year? Looking at old threads, news stories....hard to compare to Simcoe which is much larger. There are plenty of carp in Cook's Bay, as this virus moves to SW corner of Simcoe expect a major news story.