FishFinder17

Nice! I was out in similar area on Sunday near grimsby/stoney creek. Landed 4 kings with the biggest being 16lbs. Great day!

Have you found anywhere specific? Or will you go with bass pro/cabelas/sail?

Hi All, Have a 2004 Princecraft 174 pro series and need to replace all 4 seats. I have the pedestals so just need the seat itself x 4 I've looked online and there are a few good options at Cabela's and Sail but wondering if there's anywhere else I should be looking? I'm hoping to spend no more than $150 a seat. Looking for something high back with good cushion and aluminum hinges (rather than plastic) Any recommendations are appreciated. Thanks, FF17

Thanks Pike Slayer & GBW I'll definitely look into servicemaster Will be an interesting process to itemize an entire tackle box from memory. I do think I have some pics from when i boasted to friends about my new lure purchases

We're all very lucky that my brother made it out. Also lucky that he didn't have his dog with him. 5 minutes after he got out the roof started collapsing He went back the next day to take pictures. Not a single thing is recognizable. Half of two walls are still up but its mostly just a pile of ash. Really hits home when you see the pictures and realize what was once there is now totally gone.

Thanks to everyone for all of the insights and advice. My family has read through this thread and we're all really grateful for the support. Please keep the comments coming, I really appreciate it. I'll keep everyone updated with our progress. Thanks again, FF17

This is great, thanks. Didn't consider bringing in a public adjuster but that's a good plan to have if things go sideways.

Thanks Lew

Yes it was

Thanks irishfield. Just got the pictures of the aftermath and it is completely gone :(

Thanks Terry, I wasn't aware that there would be a difference between what insurance would payout in cash, and what they would pay to do the rebuild. Very good to know. How long did your rebuild take?

Thanks for the advice. Have already been in touch with insurance and just getting some details on next steps. Definitely want to keep things accurate. I'm more worried about forgetting to put something on the list than making something up.

Good advice! thank you

Thank you very much. We are currently collecting the pictures we have

Hi OFC, Got some unfortunate news that our beloved Muskoka family cottage burnt to the ground yesterday - nothing left... I'm hoping I can help my parents out in any way possible but have no experience with insurance claims of this magnitude. Has anyone been through a similar experience? and if so, do you have any tips to share on dealing with insurance companies, maximizing your payout, minimizing timelines, etc? Some of the bigger questions I have - -How do we get the process moving as quickly as possible? What's a reasonable timeline to expect? -Will it make more sense to rebuild and sell a brand new cottage? Or take the payout and sell the lot? -How do we properly quantify the contents inside the cottage that should be covered (including my fishing gear)? Obviously there's a lot that goes into answering some of these questions and I don't expect to get all of the answers, but there's a lot of experience on this board that I'm hoping to tap into. Many thanks in advance for your help, FF17

Fished the Muskoka pike tournament last May, Tons of boats arriving in the morning to launch but for the most part people waited in line for their turn at one of the three spots to launch. When it got to be my turn my boat was ready to go and i was outside the truck with my buddy inside driving when some guy rips around me and proceeds to launch his boat. He got out of his truck and I asked him what he was doing as it was my turn, He said that I was taking too long to get my boat ready and didn't want to wait... Best part was that he forgot to take his transom straps off and filled the back end of his boat with water once he backed it in. We both laughed and he said "I guess I should have taken more time to get my boat ready" Karma...

I understand that its' frustrating that we taxpayers are footing the bill for this idiot's jail term but remember that happens every single day. People get arrested, sentenced to jail time, and we pay for it. It's the way the system works. Not saying its right or fair, but it is what it is. I try to look at this from PC Lam's point of view. I highly doubt any of us on this board have been forced to take someone's life in the line of duty. It's more than just "taking out a scumbag". It's flashbacks, PTSD, judgement, time off work, and something he would have to live and deal with for the rest of his life. Instead he followed his training perfectly and we should all commend him for that. It's easy for us to sit in our armchairs and say he should have done this or that, but at the end of the day he did the right thing. Suggesting he should have shot him is giving police the power of judge and jury, and we've seen many instances where that doesn't end in an officer being celebrated. Just my POV, FF17

Hey AKRI, Where abouts do you usually launch to fish humber bay? I recently moved to a condo at lake shore/park lawn area and am looking to get my boat out there in the next couple weeks. I've had success fishing lakers and browns in the stretch between Grimsby and St Catherines but hoping I can stay closer to home and find them near the mouth of humber/credit/bronte. Feel free to PM me if easier. Thanks, FF17

Have a buddy who has a cottage there. Have never fished it myself but there are some monster Muskie on that lake. I believe it also has a healthy walleye population and even lake trout as parts of that lake are 150ft+ deep.

Thanks all for the replies. I dug into it a fair bit and had a few mechanics take a look before landing on one. The one cylinder was completely shot and we ended up replacing the powerhead based on the recommendations from all of those who looked at it. When the work was being done he found a considerable amount of water on the oil pan that likely entered through the oil cap that sits on the top of the hood. The boat had been sitting at my dock for most of the spring/summer so with all the rain we got it seems like the most likely cause. I had the option to buy something used ($17k for a brand new merc 115hp wasn't an option) but was going to spend the same amount as the repair just to end up with a used motor that could have issues of its own. This way I have a completely rebuilt powerhead with a 1yr warranty and a local mechanic who stands by his work. Definitely the biggest kick in the ass of the summer but I wasn't about to have a broken boat sit at my dock. Thanks again for all who gave their input. I know I'm just getting around to responding but I did call some of the numbers/mechanics that were posted here. Cheers, FF17

Hi OFC, Hoping I can get some help from the board.. My long weekend hasn't gone as planned thanks to some engine failure while out fishing. Boat was running fine but early saturday morning I would be driving at cruising speed and engine would suddenly die. Happened a few times and finally I got worried so decided to leave it off and use the kicker to get back to the cottage. I had a marine mechanic come by the cottage and he delivered some bad news. Two of three pistons were in good shape, but one was showing 18psi when compression tested. I was advised that the best option would be to replace the entire powerhead with an estimate of roughly $5k. I only got this news yesterday so I'm still scrambling to figure out next steps and how to get this fixed. I bought the boat at the beginning of the summer so I want to get it fixed ASAP, hoping to lose as little time on the water as possible. I'm wondering if anyone can help me with the following: -recommended marine mechanics within 2-3 hours of Toronto that could handle this job -suggestions on what is reasonable price to pay for this repair -any other suggestions/recommendations from others who may have had the same issue -reasonable expectations for how long this should take to complete The boat is currently at the cottage in Muskoka but I'm hoping to be able to take it somewhere by Wednesday of this week. I'm in a little over my head with this one so any help would be greatly appreciated. I know this isn't going to be cheap, I'm just hoping to minimize cost while still being confident in the repair job. Many thanks, FF17

I pass little lake every weekend on my way to and from the cottage. Each time this year I've seen a lot the rental pontoons out. lake is still getting fished hard

That was my experience. we got skunked unfortunately but if we had of caught every fish we saw, we probably would have one the tournament. Saw 6 or 7 fish with the biggest looking like 40"+ (I think big fish was 42") but couldn't get any to bite. Chased a few around some bays but nothing..so frustrating. Still a good day to be out but would have like to have had something to show for it. Went back to my cottage and launched the boat there...caught 6 pike the rest of the weekend including 2 at 9lbs. I guess I should stick to a lake I know well...Muskoka can be tough

Would recommend to anyone that uses the locks regularly to go on to the parks Canada website and have them mail you the free Canada 150 parks Pass - Locks are operated by Parks Canada and with the pass you can lock for free all year. Happy 150th Canada! FF17

Nice, I'll see you out there. I'll be in a black/tan 17ft princecraft with merc 115hp and merc 4hp kicker. Good luck!