hutch4113

Ya...but I have fished with you before. I don't think any of your go to lures work.....muahahahahahaahahaha. I am looking forward to the friendly competition between the Brothers...... By the way, probably heading down to Bass Pro on Saturday, if you are interested.

Anyone done any muskie fishing on Balsam lately? I will be heading up next weekend with Skud Lord. We will probably go to the usual spots, but curious on what the activity has been like......and of course if you want to share some locations, I suppose I would have to take a look at them.... . Will share what we find. Either way I am looking forward to it.

We have a Hyundai Veracruz GLS. Little bigger than the Santa Fe, and has 3rd row seating, which not to many know about. Everyone we have had in it loves the ride/handling. Even the 3rd row got good reviews. Currently towing a 18 foot aluminum. Handles no problem.

Wondering if anyone has fished Horn Lake - Near Ahmic Lake/Burks Falls. I will be heading up there this weekend (Sunday/Monday). I am not familiar with the water at all. Hoping my map chip has the lake on it. Any tips/suggestions would be great. Tupe

Actually there are signs on all the parking spots at the causeway, that they are for vehicles with Trailers only. The spots (everywhere) are all vehicle/trailer size. Only reason I know is I could not find a spot last time I launched. And I was car pooling...except I am the one with the boat....hahahahahahaha. (Oh well...whatya gonna do). No issue with people using the spots when the launch in not busy...I would too. But when it is a zoo...which is pretty much every Friday to Sunday..those spots have to remain for vehicles with trailers...otherwise an already huge line up on launching/loading gets worse as people have to run across the street. NOTE: Also noticed they were ticketing vehicles with trailers, that were not parked in spots (i.e. on the grass, or crossways to those who are parked).

Found this that might be of help: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=219 Basic just is it also has to do with Sidewall construction. Trailer Tires have stiffer side walls (to prevent trailer sway), where car tires do not.

I think the difference comes in the PSI/Load the tires can handle. I bought a set of Calisle Radials (which are ST - Trailer rated). Load rating was 1500 pounds per tire, inflated to 50 PSI. When getting installed the Tire guy advised that on long road trips, I could up that PSI (to about 60). I don't think a normal radial designed for a Car/Trunk can do that. But I always stand to be corrected.

I should also advise these are Trailer Rated - Radial Tires - i.e. built for Trailer Use, not Car/Truck use.

I went to Action Tire in Barrie. Bought Carlisle Radials, which will handle the weight (they will have a list of the tire size/application you need). If I remember correctly, each tire had a load rating of 1500 pounds, so totals 3000 for my application (boat only comes in at 2500). I cannot stress enough the change from Bias Ply to Radial and how the trailer handles. When I pulled out, it was like it wasn't even attached....that is how much of a difference it made. The Bias Ply I replaced were pretty new as well, so it wasn't a case of bad/worn out tires to brand new ones. I noticed that both in braking and take off, the vehicle has less of a time/strain for either. I was not looking for that when I replaced - simply could not find a Bias Ply in the size I needed for a spare....hence went all radial. They are a little more money, but if you have to replace all 4, now is the time to do it, as you can't (or at least should not...hahahahaha) run Radial and Bias Ply together.

Ok. I have the same problem. I am thinking of pulling (or trying to) out the inserts. I think they move (maybe). My spinning rods break down, so they store fine. But I am moving into baitcasters, which appear to be mostly 1 piece.

Forgot also to ask - unrelated. The Rod Storage. How have you been finding it for storing your Fishing Rods? I am assuming you are collapsing them?

How difficult were they to install? I don't have a hole shot/planing issue with the smaller prop. Even with 4 people it popped out of the water easy. But I couldn't get full speed out of it, due to the bounce. Had to keep reducing the plane until it was stable.

How did it go? I put a smaller prop on my Pro Mag (had a 23P on it..went down to 21). Noticed that I have quite a bit more bounce than before. I am going to go to the new Merc 4 blade prop and will try again. Should also note I had 4 people in the boat. Didn't seem to matter where I put them.

Take a friend out fishing on Sunday. Will be launching from Barrie. Thinking of heading out towards Georgina Island, etc. but wanted to see if there were suggestions for fishing in the evening, when we are on are way back. I was out last night, and noticed a number of schools of fish, between 18 and 20 feet - North Shore of the bay, in between Johnson's Beach and the Government dock. I was running a crankbait at the time (trolling) - perch colous...and did get a slight nibble. Just not sure what kind of fish it might have been. I have heard there are Walleye/Pike on that side of the Bay - anyone know if that is true? The friend I am taking does not get out much, so wanted the day to be succesful. Any lure suggestions/colours and areas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Reading the post with interest, as I have the same boat. The other thing to look at would be the pitch of the prop. If it is wrong, it will cause some of the issues you are seeing. The dealer may have installed the wrong size, or may not know what size to put on. As an example when I bought the boat, it had a 23 Pitch on it. Since it was used, I am thinking they just threw anything on it. Horrible to plane. Also when I had 3 people in it (or the livewell full of water) it would bounce around like crazy. I am testing out a new prop right now (21P) and will probably go lower (either 17 or 19 - 4 blade Spitfire from Mercury). My issue is I don't think my RPM gauge is reporting the right WOT numbers (it shows 6100 at full throttle...at which point the engine should cut out...but doesn't). From what I have researched the proper pitched prop can make a world of difference (along with the motor being at the right height). I think my engine is at the height so if you want to compare, let me know (I am in Barrie).

Let me know if you do it. I have the same model boat (2008) but with a 115HP. Out of curiosity, why are you looking at Smart Tabs? Boat should plane pretty good with a 140 on it.

I guess you could say I am now a loyal Hyundai buyer. Always liked the Santa Fe, and started looking at one in 2010. But ended up, going with the Veracruz. It has a little bit bigger motor, but otherwise is pretty comparable (we liked the 3rd row seating it offered). I have been towing my boat with it, and have been pretty impressed. It is 18 foot smokercraft pro mag. Weight would be just under 2000 pounds. Veracruz has no issue towing/braking. Pretty sure with what you mentioned a Santa Fe will pull it no problem (Particularly if you go AWD). 2nd Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Turbo. Traded my Honda for it (I was...a big Honda Fan...still am...but their price point has to come down). The only thing I might suggest is looking at a new Santa Fe. Hyundai is pretty agressive in their pricing. You might be able to swing a pretty good deal, and get full warranty at the same time...always a nice thing. Not sure where you live, but I can direct you to a good dealer...that is willing to deal.

Not sure when Mercury first started making the 2 stroke Optimax...for some reason 98/99 seems to stand out, but it might have been a little later. From what I have researched, any Opti after 2002 should be a pretty good motor. You may want to post on Walleye Central as well...they have topic just dedicated to Motors. Might help you narrow down the years/issues. As previous poster mentioned, each person will have their opinion, and regardless of the company that makes the motor, there are always lemons that make it out of production. There was one guy on the other board who just hammered his 06 Opti, because it kept burning out the ignition coils..so from his point of view...worst engine ever. A viewpoint that was not shared by the guys whose Opti's ran like a charm. And the list can go on and on (Evinrude Ficht anyone?.....lol). I just purchased my first boat, but have boated my entire life. Always "knew" that fourstrokes were quieter, and that 2 strokes spat/sputter/smoked/stalled at low RPM/left gas & oil rings in the water...etc. It was a pain to mix, and oil injection could not alwasy be trusted. Then I took this boat out on a test drive before purchase. The Marina guy told me the Optimax was a lot different...but I didn't really believe it. Don't get me wrong...I am pretty sure a 4 stroke will still be quieter (all around)...but.....it sure is close. The motor on my boat has a sticker on it that says built in 2006 (I was told it was an 08....my fault...should have looked harder before purchase). So far I have been more than impressed. I am pretty sure that if you look at any brand of 2 stroke, from about 2002 and on, you will be too.

I concur....and wish I had the newer motor....hahahahahahaha.

I think the info they gave you is wrong (or at least the reason is wrong). I contacted Mercury and my engine will support a NMEA network. However Merc does their connection to the engine a little different (different computer language than the NMEA standard). What that means is to connect it to the network, I need to purchase Merc Monitor (level 1 at least) and have it connected to the NMEA backbone. Then on the Merc Monitor, you tell it to translate from Merc to NMEA 2000, which the Lowrance can read. That is at least my understanding. I have to head down to a Smokercraft dealer (which is also a Merc Dealer) and will be asking some more questions to make sure I have it straight. Now that may have changed with the newer Mercury Engines (the direct connect part) but from what I can see in their documentation Merc Monitor is required for any NMEA applications. Apparently the NMEA standard....isn't so standard after all....hahahahaha. I was in West Marine yesterday to pick up a NMEA starter kit. He said it was a good thing I was with Lowrance (came to about $60)...the kits for some of the other companies are $200+...and that is just for the cables. I should add this is one of the reasons I found this so confusing. At one point I was told I needed Smartcraft from Mercury...but from what I see, that is Mercury Guages....which I don't need if I am plugging it into my Lowrance.

I should also add that I will contact Mercury directly. With the Serial number of then engine, they should be able to advise if it is NEMA compatible, and what part# I need for the Merc Monitor. Will post what I get back.

Sticker says 2007. It is a 115HP. From what I can tell (and from the Lowrance Document posted earlier) I need to purchase Merc Monitor (at least level 1) that connects into the NEMA cables. It appears that Merc uses their own language (of couse) which requires the Merc Monitor to translate to NEMA standard. I will check to see if it is compatible. I would hate to buy everything, and find out it won't work.

Hi Everyone, I have been doing research on connecting my Optimax 115 to my Lowrance HDS 5 (Gen 2) and have to say I am confused. From what I can tell in the Lowrance, I have all the necessary gauges (in particular I want RPM). Where I am confused......what exactly do I need to make the connection? I want to make sure I buy the right stuff. If anyone can point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated.

IMO would go with the 115 in a heartbeat. These 2 strokes are not the 2 strokes of old. I just purchased a 2008 Smokercraft with a 115 Optimax. Talk about quiet...I was very surprised when I started it for the first time. Next surprise....no smoke...and I mean none. The only time I smell it, is when it comes off full throttle, back to idle. It hardly uses any oil either. It is true that the 4 stroke will be quieter...but I bet it is closer than a lot think. I trolled all day with it, through cooksbay. Here the 4 stroke will probably be better, as my gas usage was high (I believe anyway...don't have a 4 stroke to compare it to...hahahahahahaha). Even at trolling speed it was pretty quiet. The last item is weight. Not sure on the dry weight of the 4 stoke, but the 2 stroke comes in at 375 pounds. I am thinking that 90 might be heavier....but maybe not. When I talked to the Marina guy that I bought the boat from, he recommends the 2 strokes over the 4. He said he really doesn't see any advantage anymore. The separation between the 2 is not what it once was. Anyway..just my opinion..take it for what it is worth. (Which in many cases is not much...lol.).

Oups...now they are not advertising....darn....guess I missed it.