boatman

I've used a 30 and a 36 lbs on my heavy 14' boat (see my avatar). The 30 was too little, but the 36 lbs is just right. At WOT I got 8-10 kmh. The lowest setting was as slow as I'd want to troll. I should also say that I don't believe in the "get the most power you can afford" theory. I say get the best motor you can afford. The MinnKota Maxxum is worth the money over the Endura. I own an Endura and use a Maxxum at work. Using the Maxxum makes me hate my motor.

I've never fished Vermilion, but I have fished the area. No musky. Lots of walleye and pike. Must be bass, but I've never fished for or caught any up there. They'll take just about whatever you throw at them.

Its a 1959 QD-20. I gaurantee it.

Of course, the correct answer is to fix it properly with new rivets or at least pound the existing leaky rivets. However, sometimes hammering on the rivets won't fix the problem or you can't access both sides or you are just too lazy...whatever. So you are forced to look for alternatives. Two products I have used with great success are Gluvit and polyeurathane sealant. Both have their pros and cons, but work well. I prefer the poly.

1959 Johnson QD-20 10 hp. It is a great motor. $150 is reasonable if it runs well. Don't be scared by these old motors. I have dozens of motors older than this one and they run beautifully. Lots of torque and power. It'll push you around 20 mph. All consumable parts are still available and relatively cheap. The lower unit will likely need to be re-sealed. The kit is about $30. The impeller is $20-30. Check the coils before you buy it. If they are origninal they MUST be replaced even if they spark well. New coils are about $20 each aftermarket or $35 each from your dealer. If you have to completely tune-up the motor it will cost you $150-200 in parts. However, it will be an incredibly good running and reliable motor. PS. Don't pay $150 unless you see it run.

Seafoam. Since you can't spray into the carb just mix 1 can to 1 gallon gas. Go for a run at WOT until the gas is gone and/or the engine stops smoking. And it will smoke like crazy.

My heavy 14.5' boat with 30 hp goes 26 mph WOT. 5 hp isn't going to make a big difference in these motors. Prop pitch will.

I have a 14.5' Springbok Resorter deep and wide aluminium boat. I have had a 15, 20, 25 and 30 hp on it. The boat is max rated for 28 hp. It is probably comparable to your boat. The 15 hp was too small. It worked really hard to get me on plane. It would not plane two people. The 20 hp had to work hard, but would plane two people. The 25 hp and 30 hp both performed about the same. There was no discernable difference. The suggestion is no less than 75% of the max rating. Therefore, you shouldn't consider anything less than 22.5 hp. So you are correct in looking at 25-30 hp. If I was buying new (not that I would do that) I'd get a 25 hp since its cheaper and you won't notice much difference. If I was buying used I'd get whatever motor was the best deal in 25 or 30 hp. I'd also give thru hub exhaust motors preference over non-thru hub.

I used Gluvit on a serious leaker last year and it worked great. However, I'd rather have had access to someone who knew what they were doing. I'd have rather replaced rivets than use a patch.

Not true. Your lower unit will be fine unless its already damaged.

If your problem is at idle then nothing you spray in the carb will fix it. A fuel treatment might, but don't hold too much faith in it. However, a decarb is worth doing anyway so do it first and if there is no change then its time to clean the carb. Of course, this is assuming that you have already tried setting the low speed adjustment on the carb, but it hasn't fixed the problem. NAPA up on the mountain has Seafoam. I like to buy my parts at Bay City Marine on Hester.

I couldn't disagree more unless the powerhead is siezed. Only an inspection will tell for sure. Could be the rindgs have rusted to the cylinder walls a little from sitting. This isn't necessarily bad, but certainly not ideal. The motor in question is mostly likely a 1954-55 Johnson 10 hp. Model number QD-15 or 16. They are great motors that run smoothly and reliably. All the tune up parts are available from your local marina or NAPA. Cost to completely tune up a 1950's 10 hp is $150-200 assuming it needs everything or as little as $25 for just the water pump. That motor also takes a special pressurised fuel tank so it must be included in the deal. The motor and tank in reasonable cosmetic and good working condition is worth approximately $250. A dealer will not likely give you anything for it especially if its siezed. If its siezed its worth $25-50. If it only needs a tune-up then $75-150. If you purchase this boat and motor and need help drop me a line. I have lots of experience with these motors. I may even have some literature I can email you.

It'll only rob the engine of lubrication. You can also get Seafoam at NAPA.

Follow the test procedure 2 tone posted. Warm or cold. Crank the engine until the gauge tops out. Then move to the next cylinder. All testers are different so don't be too concerned about the actual numbers. You want compression within 10% of all cylinders. 120 psi is good, but anything over 100 psi is fine.

That would be the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA). Actually, most conservation aurthorities (CA's) will be hiring summer students, but those jobs usually start in May or June. You can also try volunteering with your local CA, which is probably Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to get your foot in the door. TRCA used to pay volunteers $10 a day.

I don't know your particular background or schooling, but as an environmental professional I suggest you canvas local engineering firms. They are always hiring students and new grads. The bigger the company the more likely they will need entry level staff. Many professionals start in consulting and move on to other positions later. Environmental jobs don't commonly pay well at the entry level, but the money increases quickly after a few years. This is the time of year that employers start looking for new hires. You should expect to see lots of job postings in the next two months for entry level positions.

I picked up a Miller 210 mig welder for work from Praxair and a MasterCraft (Campbell Hausfeld) mig welder from CTC for home. The Miller is a beautiful machine. The Mastercraft is alright. It gets the job done. I'll check those other places too. Thanks a lot everyone.

Awesome. Thanks for the quick replies, fellas.

I just picked up a mig welder and I'm looking to buy some mild steel to build a welding bench. Where can I buy some mild plate steel around Hamilton? Does Stelco or Dofasco have a retail outlet?

I can't launch my boat on the ice. I feel your pain, bucktail. I've been waiting 3 months for the ice to melt.

"damn thing started first pull " That's how those old Johnson/Evinrudes should run. Good score. Those are great motors.

I've been to both places several times, but never by train. I can tell you its a very slow ride on rolling and uneven tracks. It takes quite a while, but I hear its not a bad way to go. Mid-summer you will see Beluga Whales by the thousands in the river and lots of birds. You might even see some polar bears. Churchill is a beautiful spot with a few good restaurants.

I use 4lbs Berkley XL or Sensitive on an ultra-lite. Biggest fish I've landed with this combo is a 21" rainbow (3lbs or so) with no problems.

12.7V is 100% charge on a flooded battery, which is likely what you've got. Its best to charge on auto, but you should recharge manually at least once a year to boil the plates a little. Just don't do it for too long. I do it once in the spring. For interest sake. The relative state of charge (SOC) of a flooded battery is as follows. 100% 12.65V (can be as high as +13V) 75% 12.45V 50% 12.24V 25% 12.06V 0% 11.89V The SOC test is a good reference point, but not as definative as a load test. PS. It is not recommended to use your deep cycle battery for starting, but lots of people do it with no ill effects.

charge your battery fully and then disconnect it. Let sit for 24 hours and then take a reading with a volt meter. if its over 12.6V its at 100% charge. Don't go by the battery charger. That display is not accurate. Also, deep cycle batteries need to be broken in. Its common for them to have a shorter life at first. They can develop a memory so recharge them after every use. However, its better to run them down low the first few times out. Wayne is right about boiling your battery, but I doubt your auto-charger will allow that. If it has a manual setting then charge it manually and allow it to over-charge (bubble) for an hour. This will remove sulphation from the plates. You should also be using a marine charger and not a standard automotive charger, but someone will probably argue that point. Deep cycle batteries are meant to be charged at a high rate (10A) up to about 90% charge and then slowly drop down the charge to about 2A until at 100%. Automotive chargers do not precisely charge above 90% and may actually shorten the life span of a battery. Again someone will dispute this, but I've seen it dozens of times in our battery charging lab where someone has destroyed an expensive battery with the wrong charger.