boatman

Amsoil is available at CTC. It only seems to come in a 1 L bottle. I picked some up recently on Fisherman's advice, but I have yet to try it.

Minimum number of posts? That's crap. Just because someone has 1000 posts shouldn't mean they are more important than someone with 10 posts. Its the value of each post that matters. You'll ruin the board if you give it an elitest biase.

I wouldn't trust a 16' boat on a van bumper. Better to have a proper hitch.

You don't need supreme. Unless your motor calls for it it really doesn't want it. Run your machine at 87 or 89 octane and treat with fuel statbiliser. Aside from ethanol's affinity to draw water from the atmosphere and from the gasoliine itself, it also degrades rubber parts and may separate from the gas. You don't want to run straight alcohol in your motor any more than you want to run water through it. Using fuel stabiliser will help keep the alcohol and gas in solution and help avoid problems. 10% or less ethanol should not damage your motor. If you've bought gas at Pioneer, Sunoco or Husky in the past then you've already put 10% blend through your engine.

Yup, you've seen that boat before. I don't know what he was fishing out of, but he does have a canoe.

Thanks Kennyman, I'd love to do the work myself, but I wouldn't know where to begin. I have a good understanding of A/V equipment, but I know nothing about servicing. Is this something I can do without specialty tools or advanced knowledge?

Sorry - not fishing related. I know there are some audio/videophiles here. Anyone ever have their rear projection CRT TV calibrated? I have a 4 year old Toshiba 50H82 that I’m considering having serviced. I understand that these TV’s should be serviced after 100 hours and that the re-calibration can make a big improvement. Anyone have any experience or comments about it? Also any recommendations for a good service tech in Hamilton would be appreciated.

.030 in

Me and a buddy went up to the Minden area and fished 12 Mile and Boshkung Lakes yesterday. We fished everything from 4-40 fow and all types of structure. Water temps were between 39-41 deg F at surface. We trolled, casted and drop shotted. We used spoons, body baits and minnows. It turned out to be a great day of boating, but a lousy day of fishing. We spoke with a few others that had about the same luck. A friend said he only caught a few incidental bass in 25-50 fow at Miner’s Bay. Met another guy in Norland that had no luck at another local lake. I should also add that all the lakes we saw had completely cleared of ice by about 1pm yesterday.

UPDATE: I finally got the boat out on the water yesterday. The new prop performed exactly as I'd hoped . I got up on plane in 3 seconds. Top speed didn't seem effected, but I didn't have a GPS with me to know for sure. Turning was a little better as there was much less ventilating and I found I have a lot more power and control in reverse. The prop I chose was the Rascal prop by Turningpoint ($100 total with universal hub). It is a cupped aluminium prop designed for small hp motors. If anyone is looking for a new prop I'd recommend it. Thanks everyone and especially Chris Cross for the advice.

I have an Okuma on an ultra light and it has been a great reel. I've had it 3-4 years and its reeled in tons of brown trout, pan fish and bass. It also did a great job reeling in a 21" steelhead and a 24" pike.

Nice motor, camillj. I have a few OMC's of that vintage as well. They are my favourites. Your little 5.5 hp is a beautiful motor. I don't have one of those - yet.

You can get the impeller from your local OMC dealer. The part will be $20+ and it will likely be in stock. Everyone else said everything you need to know. Camillj, are you sure you have to pull the head? A 1969 should have a connector that attaches the upper and lower shift rod right where the lower unit separates from the exhaust housing. You should be able to pull the bolts from the lower unit and drop it. It won't drop much maybe less than a centimeter, but you should have access to the connector in that space. However, I admit I have not worked on a 9.5 hp. I'm going from experience with OMC motors of that vintage. Also, who needs newer? That is a good reliable outboard. Check and clean your points as part of your spring ritual. Gap is .020 in.

I have a lot to say about Fleming and the Fish and Wildlife Program. I first considered going to Fleming in 1996 and taking that same program. However, with the major government downsizing that was happening then plus the dozens of grads that program pumps out there just were not many jobs in that particular field. The Fish and Wildlife program is just too specialised. Instead, I chose to take the Terrain and Water Resources program (its since been renamed Environmental Technology or something like that) and I picked up the core Fish and Wildlife and Ecosystem Management classes over the summer. Following graduation from Fleming I completed an applied degree in Environmental Management in Alberta. Since then, I have been employed in the environmental field. Its a tough business to break into unless you are flexible and can live on very little money. Of course, some people get great jobs right out of school, but most people in the industry had to cut their teeth in high responsibility/low paying jobs. I started as an environmental consultant with an engineering firm in 2000 making $11.25/hr. Now I have a different job and I make substantially more. My situation is not unique. It is pretty standard for the industry. After 3-5 years you become your most employable. Most of the people I know in this industry make more than $50,000/year, but few of them work for the MNR or CA's. The problem with pursuing MNR and Conservation Authority (CA) jobs is that most are part time or casual positions. They may pay $20+/hr, but you only work 6-8 months a year in many cases and/or you never know if they will renew your contract. It is like a purpetual state of financial limbo. I know or have known many people that work for both the MNR and CA's and many have no security. One guy in particular was with the MNR for 20 years before they made him full time. For much of that time he was the Assistant Park Superintendent of a Provincial Park. That's a big job. Its not the gravy train people think. Also, you have hundreds of people applying for only a few positions. It makes securing a position that much more difficult. Especially if you want to be a CO. Those jobs are almost impossible to get. I know a CO and I'll tell you its scary how big his field area is and of which he is the soul officer. Now that's not to say that there aren't any good secure jobs that relate to the Fish and Wildlife program because there are. There just aren't many and you'll have to compete against hundreds in most cases. If you really want to be with the MNR or a CA the best thing you can do (after having been rejected for the good jobs) is to take a "crappy" low paying or short term job with them. Once you are in you have a better chance of securing another or better position with them. It can be a long and frustrating climb, but you can get there. It takes time, perseverance and a love of the work. I hope this gives you something to think about.

Algonquin is a Provincial Park so the MNR has jurisdiction. If it was a National Park like Point Pelee (National Park) then Parks Canada would have jurisdiction. The MNR has the choice to allow motors or not at Algonquin, but I doubt they would.

How old are your plugs? There is no reason to change them unless you start experiencing ignition problems or they are really old. Changing plugs every year is overkill. Its like throwing away your fishing reel just because the season is over. Just keep an extra set of plugs in the boat with a plug wrench in case of emergency. If you are bent on changing them then do it after you burn off the fogging oil. If you don't change them, just make sure they are clean after you have burned off the oil. Like everything, you should inspect your plugs periodically. However, if you aren't getting good spark you'll know it.

Sounds like you are limited for space. It happens. You could connect the kicker to your main motor and use the steering wheel to control your course instead of the tiller handle.

I believe Peterborough went out of business a few years back. I don't think they were bought out. You maybe SOL.

Mulching mowers are not the same as regular mowers. If you want to do a proper job of mulching you can't let the grass grow too long. You can only cut 1/3 of the length of the grass at a time. Also, they don't cut straight so you have to cut in different directions each time. Blah, blah, blah... Sounds like you need a regular mower. Buy anything with a quality motor (Briggs, Honda, Tecumseh, etc.). Sears Craftsman have contracts with only quality motor builders so you can't go wrong with them. I think Tecumseh makes their mowers now and Husqvarna makes their chainsaws and such.

Thanks a lot. I was wondering if this warm weather had opened up any access, yet.

I have Sirius and my buddy has XM. Both are about the same. Its really just about content at this point. Do you want Howard Stern or Hockey? That's what it comes down to. All the other channels have comparable counter-stations. I do find that my Sirius radio gets better reception than his XM. They are both mounted the same way in nearly identical trucks.

Thanks everyone, After lots of searching and a good talk with my Praxair dealer (we already have an account there) I went with the Millermatic 210. It was more than I had originally planned to spend, but the welders under $1000 didn't seem like they were going to do. The help was greatly appreciated.

That is a big deal. Fishing World is a great shop. However, they see so many people its hard to build the same type of relationship that you get with the smaller shops in smaller centers. I only go there every few months since I do most of my fishing up north I don't buy bait there, but I'm usually helped by different people each time. Grimsby Bait and Tackle is a good spot too. I was only there once, but they were very helpful and had some incredible deals on the previous years Quantum reels. Best deals I've seen on last years models period.

You want to see it start, run without problems, "pee" lots of water and idle in and out of gear. It would also be nice to see it perform underload, but that's a little hard right now. You can only go by the overall appearance and condition. A compression test will give you an idea of how much life is in the motor. Price is subjective. $400-800 is pretty common for an old 9.9hp.

Because the owner obviously doesn't know when it was last changed so neither do you. The impeller is a rubber star shaped piece that is the heart of your cooling system. It should be changed every 5 years or sooner. Especially if the motor is stored at the ambient air temp. The freeze thaw cycle rapidly deteriorates the rubber. If it fails you could overheat your engine and fry it. Its a $20+ part that will take you 15 minutes to change. Might be a $100 bill at the marina.