Jonny

With a handle like "Sinker" maybe you should wear one all the time!

Mandatory? Definitely not! I can judge the conditions for me and my passengers by myself, thank you very much. I only wear mine when under power at high speed (not trolling), or in rough conditions. Kids in my boat always have to wear them.

Now there's something I never thought of! Thanks for the tip!

Nice fish! Snapping turtles do mate in the water but usually early in the summer.

Damn, nice fish... and on a Jitterbug. I love Jitterbugs.

I should have picked up on this yesterday! I can still remember fishing as a kid when my dad had his first motor - a 7.5 Elgin he went halves on with my uncle - and we used to rent 16 ft cedar strips from Laronde Creek Lodge to put it on. I'm not sure if they were Geislers. Not much speed with those little motors on a heavy cedar strip, but we thought it was great! (Early 50's). Those were the days when you could tell the Americans by the West Bend outboards they used to use.

The Viking was an Eaton's brand. It was Chrysler under the hood.

I'm still hoping for an idea or two about what to do re: this problem.

My dad had a 3 HP Sears (60's vintage) for many years. Good little motor.

OK, I have an entry --- such as it is! It was a calm evening on Nipissing so I figured I'd give it a try. That $rama reel is a screamin' piece of crap - even for a small bass. The rod is OK, and the baits are pretty good --- for a buck. Fish and lure photo... Fish and tape photo... That little bass coughed up three large shiners before got him in the boat. He must have liked the "tinfoil" lure. Another fisherman out at dusk...

OK set to go. Rod and reel - $4 Steel wire - $1.25 4 lures selected - $4

Are we talking about the same trim tab? The one that is mounted under the cavitation plate. From what has been posted it wouldn't be the trim tab anyway, though. It sounds like there's something binding in the steering pivot.

One other (weird) possibility. Did the dealer sell you a short shaft outboard? The V-hull needs a long shaft.

In that case, George, I would definitely try trimming the motor "up" a little (away from the transom). I can't think of anything else but that at speed your bow is digging in and making it harder for you to turn. Trimming the motor up a bit will push your stern down a little (under power) and lift the bow.

OK, definitely not the trim tab. I thought you might be fighting that. That stiffness is really strange for a new motor (brand new, not new-to-you). If I had bought it from a dealer, I'd be calling first thing Monday morning to find out what's up, unless I could unearth something in the manual. -- EDIT - You said this happens "under power". Does the motor turn smoothly and easily when it's not running? If it does, then I can't help but think that it's the angle of the motor set too close to the transom and causing the bow to dig in. A jon boat gives you a pretty square front, doesn't it? Maybe you could set the motor a notch further back (and maybe two, after trying just one) to raise the bow under power.

If you set the motor to make the boat run straight, does the boat keep running straight if you keep just fingertip pressure on the tiller handle? If not, you may have to adjust the trim tab.

It's a shame that too many of those stories are lost. The experiences of the ordinary person can add so much to the understanding of the history and the times.

I think Clofchik is right. A proper lifejacket is supposed to float you "right-side-up" and hold your face (nose and mouth) out of the water even if you are unconscious. The fancy PFD vests (zip-up type) will not necessarily do that. The keyhole will. Kid's life jackets have a flotation collar on them to keep the face out of the water. When I was a kid, my lifejacket was filled with kapok, a fiber that would lose its buoyancy if it got wet, so it was enclosed in a rubber bladder. There was no such thing as closed-cell foam back then. My parents wore (only in rough conditions) air force surplus life jackets that had a long tube on them so you could blow them up with your mouth even when you had them on. They folded completely flat when not in use. All our jackets would hold your head out of the water if you let yourself go limp.

Just so happens my son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter were visiting tonight so for supper we had perch breaded with bread crumbs and pickerel breaded with Panko, so I don't feel too hard-done-by. Still, that pork looks scrumptious!

Actually red/green at the bow and white at the stern.

You are required to have oars or paddles in the boat. Oars are a better choice than paddles, although both are safety-legal. If your motor conks out, you'll get tired really quick with a set of paddles and they won't get you far. If you and your passenger(s) are good swimmers, you don't need to wear the lifejackets. A 3 HP isn't going to get you in trouble (i.e. hitting a deadhead and upsetting). But the zipper-type are worth the few extra bucks anyway. Anchor and 30 ft of rope are required. For stuff you need to keep waterproof (camera, wallet, etc.), Ziploc freezer bags are great and they'll float if you zip them shut with lots of air in them. Bailing bucket, flashlight and Fox 40 whistle are all required. A gym-type whistle with a ball in it is not legal.

Nice wildlife and scenery shots... that's half the day right there. (Except for those damned cormorants.) And those are some purty bucktails!

As you would know, the Lancs flew at night. I included the picture of the tail turret because that's one of the hardest positions to imagine manning on the bomber. The space is incredibly small for a man wedged in between the quad .30's, bundled up in cold-weather gear for the freezing temperatures at 20,000 feet. It's hard to imagine 8+ hours shoe-horned into that small space, in the dark and the cold, isolated from the rest of the crew, peering out for something to shoot at and probably not seeing it until it shoots at you.

Which goes to show we can debate just about anything! My guess would be a marshmallow.

Thanks for the offer. It's always good to have some knowledge to fall back on!