hawg_hauler

Right on the money.

Late spawn season for most fish this year, all hatch is very small still. I always prefer small baits for walleye. Smaller baits equals more fish.

Just looked up a cowl for a 9.9merc, $560 w/o decals, probably another $100 for decals and then labour to install them. I'm afraid that $800 is reasonable, since Yamaha parts are always more money.

YES!

If you have a leak through the transom assembly, you should replace the driveshaft bellows, shift shaft bellows, exhaust bellows, gimbal bearing and shift cable if it has not been recently replaced (will most likely break trying to change the bellows anyway). You will also need an outdrive gasket kit to put the drive back on. This will save you a lot of unnecessary work in the future. Not a job recommended for someone who isn't very mechanically inclined. Greasable universal joints are a thing of the past, so unless your boat is ten years old or older don't worry about taking it apart to grease the drive shaft. Keep the gimbal greased though!

If your having a hard time getting good holeshot with a 13, a 14 (unless it is a four blade) won't help and a 15 would make matters even worse! There seems to be a lot of bad information in this thread, confusing at the least.

You will have to pay tax on the boat, it may not be today or even next year, but they will send a letter to you asking for proof that you paid the tax. Then they might even ask the seller and buyer questions. One wrong answer could lead to heavy fines and possible jail time! Do yourself a favor, PAY THE TAX!

Putting an aluminum prop on a 200 would be like driving a car with no tires!

Math lesson! Water pump=around $40. Opti Powerhead=$7500w/o labor=what should be an easy decision for most of us!

Change the gear oil at the end of the season, keep it greased (tilt and steering tubes). I would change the spark plugs next spring and do the water impeller annually. Opti's in my experience are more reliable than 4 strokes! Use good oil and get your gas from a tried and true source.

Why not take it back to the dealer. Should have a three year warranty.

What color is the smoke. White means steam, blue means oil. There should be no visible blue smoke during idling. Your opti should have no problem trolling all day, but invest in a temp gauge if you don't have one. Idling is the worst thing you can do to any engine. Fuel is harder to burn and engine runs hottest while idling.

Yes and no. Prop pitch should be based on the boat and the normal load that said boat would see. A guy that spends most of his time in the boat by himself would get away with a higher pitch than a family of four would in the same boat! This is especially so with smaller boats. you want to see max rpm or close to it under normal load and normal conditions in order for your motor to perform well. This also gets complicated with small engines as most manufactures supply props with engines under 25hp.

One important factor to keep in mind! There is a Mercury dealer on every corner in Ontario. The same can't be said for the competition. Summer is short and being able to get service and/or parts fast might be key in choosing your brand!

You don't, buyer beware when buying used!