Tjames09

does anyone know if there is a conversion or adapter piece for pelican/otter sled hitches that work with pintle style snowmobile hitches?

The pintle hitch on my sled is 5/8" and the hitch on my pelican is 1/2". 

Cool. I had a marcum before. Really only worked on clear lakes like Simcoe. Was useless on northern lakes that are deep and dirty. 

I would be surprised if the guys were out. Also without checking I believe lakers are usually Jan 1 for opener. 

15 hours ago, chris.brock said:

I think you made a good choice and it will serve you well, like other guys have said- no ethanol fuel

Whats interesting is the manual recommends 87 octane with 10% ethanol. In the manual it says the ethanol prevents the gas from freezing. 

6 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

Eh, I wouldn’t worry too much about the carbs on a 2014. Run ethanol free premium only if you can. Consider running a load of seafoam through it. Run good quality synthetic two stroke oil only. 
 

tension and alignment on the track are really important to keep an eye on. Good luck with the Arctic cat 😉

2 hours ago, GBW said:

Problem there is, if he want's to run the BRP XPS (part number 779127) 2-stroke oil.  My work cannot get it.  All we have left now is what we pre-ordered.  Many dealers in the Kawartha's don't have stock on that part number and the bigger jugs (779128).  

1 hour ago, Sharkbait22 said:

 

1 hour ago, Dara said:

What I believe you should do is find what oils Arctic Cat says and use that.

Doo oil is nothing like any other oil. The stuff smells like cookies burning.

Along with what you did I always loosen my track and give the boogie wheels a spin to make sure bearings are good.  Pry a bit and make sure rear idlers are good too.  

9 minutes ago, GYPSY400 said:

Congrats on the new sled!! I run shell synthetic ( gold label) in my polaris which can be found at Canadian Tire.  If it doesn't run perfect, learn how to clean the carbs so it doesn't lean out on the top end and blow a piston.  Running a good dose of seafoam along with shell V-power gas will keep the fuel system trouble free in the future.

Thanks everyone. I wanted a fan sled, and not many are made and easy to find. 

Theres an Arctic Cat dealer in PTBO and they have lots of stock of everything. Bought the recommended 2 stroke oil there. 

Dumped half a can of seafoam in the gas already. 

Previous owner said he replaced the slider last year and bearings, so hopefully that parts good. 

On 12/13/2021 at 4:25 PM, fishdawg said:

Thanks all

Booked in for now at 5 Mile Lake Lodge near Chapleau.. pretty excited 

Little different than were you've booked, But French River is awesome. I know I couldn't get my wife too stay at a "fish camp" (looks like the 5 mile one is more of a fish camp.)

https://www.frenchriver.com

We stayed here last year and it was simply amazing. 

Thanks for the help guys, found a 2014 Bearcat for a reasonable price and reasonable miles. Been doing some research on preseason maintenance. Did the chain case oil, spark plugs, and 2 stroke oil already, and checked the belt and tension. 

Found a manual online that talks bout cleaning the carbs, but might be out of my wheelhouse. 

4 hours ago, pics said:

Here is an example of what is out there. The Bravo is the ultimate fishing machine but 10,000 for a 2011 is a little much... not sure if you can read the ad..  https://www.facebook.com/groups/132526827456122/permalink/900550110653786/?sale_post_id=900550110653786

I can't read it, not part of the group. But 10,000 for a 10 year old machine. New sleds are 10k. 

45 minutes ago, Dara said:

A couple months ago I went to a Ski Doo dealer looking for a new fishing sled.

He said maybe I could get one next year if I order soon.

Dealers are returning deposits from orders taken last spring due to inability to deliver.

Makes the price of a used sled go up

I have a Yamaha with 28,000 km on it. It was worth maybe 2 k 2years ago. Now I think I could get 6k

But I'm not selling because then I wouldn't be fishing this year.

Good luck.  Anything I see for sale right now is pretty much junk.

And I kinda need a new track but can't find one

Ya I'm noticing a lot of things are junk. Lots of old sleds and guys wanting 5+k. Sometimes even 8k for like an 02. 

4 hours ago, Sharkbait22 said:

Find a mid to late 2000 2 stroke with less than 5k km. Fan cooled 500. 4 stroke engines can have 20k km and be fine. Long track 2up is great. Get a toboggan to tow now before they are all gone, otherwise wait until next year. Used sled prices are almost double what they were pre covid. Sounds like parts are hard to come by so you need a ready to go sled. Educate yourself. Lots info on the net about ice fishing snowmobiles.

Thanks. Ive already got a towable pelican with cover. I was trying to find a fan cooled 500. doesn't seem many come for sale

1 hour ago, Fisherman said:

From a very reliable source, parts are hard to get even for newer sleds of any brand, the cost of tracks has virtually doubled, other parts are almost impossible to get.  Guys that have been ordering tracks from last spring to summer are still waiting.  The shop he works in has requests from all across the country.   when you go to buy, make sure it's not a basket case that needs a lot of work.

Never owned a sled before lol. I won’t have a clue if somethings a dud or not 

Awesome, Im looking at open water in the Kawarthas after the rain yesterday. 9" of ice will be a long way off for us/. 

11 hours ago, chris.brock said:

what do you mean "ice fishing"? are you trying to bush crash into back lakes or just towing a pop up down the lake? IMO Yamaha is by far the best, polaris is 2nd, cat 3rd, skidoo is junk, whatever brand you pick stay away from high performance models, go for entry level, simple, basic, low performance stuff

Just pull up to the lake. No backwoods bombing. 

What's considered high mileage on a Yamaha? Im seeing lots for 15,000km+ It seems like a lot?

1 hour ago, AKRISONER said:

So many old yamadoos running they just don’t die.

 Stay the hell away from Polaris and don’t even bother looking at Arctic crap

Not the bearcat?

1 hour ago, GBW said:

Parts are only supported for 7 years from the 'model year' as a lucky average number to use.  

Oh wow...I haven't seen sleds for sale that new. Everything's early-mid 2000s. 

36 minutes ago, GBW said:

Seeing as I work at a Ski-Doo/Can-Am/SeaDoo (BRP), Kawasaki, Suzuki dealer in the Kawartha's, watch the age as parts become End Of Life AND if it's not a very common part that an aftermarket company makes/made, you're pooched.  

2-stroke full synthetic oil stock is SO low I can't even order stock to replace what we sell.  But lucky us we ordered well in advance of the current situation.  Sliders, only OEM left available as the Dupont's are not available till after March 2022.  Tracks, GOOD LUCK as there is a shortage there too from all brands!  Belts too are probably going to be harder to get sooner than later. 

Last fall we winterized 220 Seadoo's and this year over 450 units.  That's how crazy the world has gone in the past 18/24 months.  No stock, high demand, used selling for almost as much or more than new but no NEW to be had as it was all ordered, bought and paid for over 8 months ago for any product line.  

I wish you the best of luck in your search but please keep in mind of age (lack of old parts) and a shortage on the newer sought after stuff.  

Thanks for the reply. What age are we talking about when parts are no longer available? I was looking at early to mid 2000's (05-09). 

1 hour ago, pics said:

There's a guy on  Facebook marketplace named Jake Loxton and he's located North of North Bay. He has a lot of sleds for sale and he seems to know his stuff.. prices are very high right now but if I was to get one a Yamaha or skidoo would be my preference.. 

thanks. Seems like the Yamahas have anywhere from 15-20k miles on them

Been looking for a sled mainly for ice fishing. Seems like a lot of older sleds for sale, lots of early 2000's with most having a fair number of miles on them.

Is there a cut off for miles on certain sleds? Seems Yamahas have way more mile than most. 

As far as I know none of the “ice fishing” suits are coast guard approved. Only the Mustang survival suit is. 
 

I have the Striker Ice suit and it’s very warm and comfortable. Never tested it’s floating ability though. I’ve seen videos of it floating well. 

Anyone know if Pete still guides in the Kawarthas? I think he was working with Handlebarz but I think that fizzled off (I could be wrong), just trying to find his contact info. Thanks: 

On 1/31/2021 at 3:49 PM, LefroyFisherman said:

There is a video going around that the ice is breaking up into large football sized chunks around brechin area up that way. 

Brechin is a long ways from cooks bay though.

I went out of PB and the ice was good 8-10” good black ice. Lots of huts out.

caught zero fish though. First time ever being skunked on simcoe . 
 

I wasn’t brave enough to venture to far from the travelled areas though. 
 

i felt the ice move below me and almost knocked me over. It was the weirdest feeling. I’ve never had that ever happen before. It was actually kind of scary. Because you know somewhere there’s now a pressure crack that wasn’t there. 

On 1/30/2021 at 2:40 PM, lew said:

You'll never go wrong with black & orange.

I’ve caught lots of Muskies (not as many as you that’s for sure lol), but I’ve never caught a single one on black orange and I ALWAYS throw a black orange lure but it never catches. 
 

I fish Kawarthas and natural lutes just work better for me.

sometimes maybe it’s just confidence. But I do well with “match the hatch”. And I go darker or brighter depending on sun and waves. More natural the calmer and brighter is; brighter the windier and cloudier it is. 

Port bolster was decent ice. I think Tim is near Beaverton? Heard the ice is okay up there but more sketchy spots

I couldn’t believe the amount of sleds out on the lake this weekend. 

Well I was never able to find anything lol. Now I wait until spring and hope for the best.