grimsbylander

You should just drive it to Penetang!

Here’s something that looks not bad. Fresh outboard too. https://www.kijiji.ca/v-powerboat-motorboat/london/1989-starcraft-center-console/1503491164?undefined

Sounds to me like either the adjustment is off on the gearbox cable or your prop hub is shot and the load is causing the prop shaft to spin inside the prop.

I doubt that spot will leak again. My concern is how long before another spot where the structure is attached has the same issue? Maybe never but I'd keep a very close watch on it.

Break in is super important. In fact, for years we’ve wondered why outboard companies don’t do assembly line break in’s. No fuel, just a mechanical run with lubricant. It’s not identical to real running conditions but it would sure help against the knobs that go out and see how fast their new boat will go first weekend! Lol Or maybe rpm limits paired with the hours meter? The costs would be high but so are warranty costs and damage to brand image.

Nice of you to offer a cash reward. If I found them it wouldn’t cost you a penny. I’ll bet all the other OFC members feel the same way. Good luck!

I have never had one personally on my boat but did fish multiple times with a friend that had one. For the weeds we went through I can say it worked quite well. Cabbage, coontail and lilies usually aren't too bad anyway and the video Ohio posted sure looked after reeds. The only criticism I had of owning one is on the owner, not the blade! Because it went through weeds so well, he had a tendency to plow through to get back into the thick stuff and expect fish to sit in 12" of water while the thing chopped salad. It's NOT quiet! Old fashioned pull poles are work but don't scatter the fish and shut them down. It was nice coming out though. If you get one, let's us know how it goes.

My only point was....there is no how, no way, BRP is dropping the Evinrude line because of the Johnson brothers. They’re not bigger than BRP or Evinrude.

Do the same for the other brands too!! People always bash the competition and praise what they own. You're doing that very thing with Yamaha. ALL brands of outboards have serious issues with one size class or another. The big outboards are the most prone to failure fr obvious reasons. Go buy a 2009 -2011 Yamaha 250 SHO.... absolute junk and the entire industry knew all about it. I found links in 2 seconds of googling.... http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=817235 http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=653309&page=2 https://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/5740381/all/Yamaha_250_HPDI_Power_Head_Pro Either way, I'm not bashing Yamaha or any other brand. I'm simply pointing out that every brand has had their share of lemons hit the market. Maybe some more than others yes, but the data is sketchy at best. You CANNOT judge reliability by reading forum posts alone. If there are more Mercs or Evinrudes or Yamahas by volume they are going to have more issues. Some clubs are 8 out 10 Yamaha....some 8 out of 10 Mercs etc. BTW, I don't own an Evinrude and never have. I don't feel the need to "defend" what I bought either. Yup, Yamaha make great motors and I'd own one without hesitation...AFTER I researched the year class. Same thing I'd do for any other brand. I do know that large corporations make decisions based on the direction they want to take their business and competitors coming together as allies(horizontal mergers) are nothing new. Mercury's market share is about to increase nicely and BRP will have a lot of freed up funds to invest elsewhere. Still sad to see a brand that old get dissolved. Seems to be the way the retail world is going.

Still, has nothing to do with dissolving a 100+ year brand.

Do your homework to review different boat and outboard brands as you see them come up for sale. DON’T listen to one person’s personal opinion and take it as fact. Every manufacturer has products that failed....this includes Japanese outboards. So, research the year and hp to see if there are any known issues. Good luck with your search!

There is ZERO chance the decision to discontinue the Evinrude outboard line has anything to do with two Canadian bass fisherman.

You can now, yes.

Ah sorry, I intended to also say...testing that boat on a nice day will tell you very little. An underpowered boat that is loaded with gear/people can be stopped DEAD by big waves. The impact of the wave and the boat suddenly going “uphill” can be too much for the outboard. That is when bad stuff happens. Nobody ever plans on getting caught but it happens to everyone.

Ok it’s been well documented above that the boat is underpowered and I agree. However, my concern is that you actually want to add additional weight with pedestal seating. More seats means more weight AND 3 seats means more people and even more weight again....plus tackle, etc. My humble advice is keep shopping. Take advantage of the slumping economy and look for a better deal. IMHO if I was shopping for an aluminum boat for 3 people on Lake O or Erie, it would have a 60hp on it as a minimum. Not knocking the boat at all...just thinking about your safety. 👍🏻

That’s great actually. It’s always bugged me when hardbody bait companies put so much into their baits only to outfit them with substandard hooks. I particular Canadian company comes to mind. 😉

How did we ever manage without writing a test and getting a Pleasure craft licence??

I think I won the old treble hooks he took off 😂

Interesting. I’ve only seen silver trebles on Yo Zuri’s. Nice!

Replaced all hooks. Red treble up front. Feathered treble with red thread on tail. Added extra split rings on trebles. Added line snap on nose.

Same issues we all have. I used to fish with a buddy that had a 17.5’ like yours and when I got back in mine it felt huge. Then I’d fish my other friends 21’ and mine felt small lol. Fish what you got and plan carefully. Guys with big boats tend to carry way more stuff than they need...because they CAN. I do it all the time too. Take a dozen rods and fish 3. Haha

I'd NEVER have my rods on the deck with the tips pointing forward. If space is an issue, you'll just have to use rod lockers and shuffle rods in and out. It only takes one mistake to cost you big time! True story...first, my reels are at the bow 100%. I loaded all my rods on the deck and shuffled them around based on my plans for that morning. Rushed off to the Niagara river...QEW all the way! Got to the launch and almost hurled when I realized my rods were just laying on the front deck...NO STRAP! AHHHH Sickly feeling but nothing missing and actually they didn't even move much. REELS FORWARD! LOL BTW, sewing on some fresh velcro (cheap) is a quick fix to rod straps. I go a lot faster than 50mph and have never had one let go in 20+ years. Make sure you strap both ends so rods don't "flop" in rough water. If they're tight, they're going nowhere.

How great did it feel to see your daughter hook up and put a fish in the boat?!! This spring and the affects of Covid make things we took for granted seem so special now. Good job!

Years ago I used to pinch a small Blackbird split shot on the shank of the rear treble to get it pointing down at rest. Increased hook ups dramatically. The other thing was using a dremel tool to hollow out the cup on the nose end to deepen and sharpen the edges. The bait WILL really pop and gurgle with very little movement afterwards. Gbay smallies love popR’s 😉

Nice find Brian. 👍🏻