BWV

Prop seal gone, it happens, get it fixed and nothing to really worry about.

The stern will skid more with the bow further in, when vessels aren't on the plane they steer by the stern skidding out, not so noticeable on small vessels. The pivot point when moving forward is right up the bow and that's were the vessel will steer from. I think you should fix the steering first and other problems identified by paikea then re asses the situation, I have sent you a pm too.

Cluster, I recall in your first thread you mentioned the vessel was broaching (nose diving), by lowering (trimming in) the outboard it is only going to make that situation much worse. On most planning hulls the bow isn't meant to be ment to cave through the waves when on the plane. Although with the low dead rise on the stern it may seem you have an unusual shape hull for a small alloy vessel. This design is traditionally seen on custom Carolina shape hulls which have a very sharp entry in the forward section of the hull and a almost flat dead rise to allow lower hp and better economy and reasonable performance. Now they have similar design hulls with a fraction more dead rise and huge hp and massive speeds. The design works very well when done right.

Bladders often leak and sometimes burst, a friend of mine had one burst on the way to NZ on a delivery of a 70 foot cat, 4000L of diesel spilt in the main saloon. Interior was a right off and needed to be completely stripped it was a 1.3 mill dollar mistake. Fork out the extra dollar and get an alloy tank.

Be careful with using the level or straight edge on your hull. I am not saying it won't work but it may give you misleading information. Vessel are often designed with a slightly convex or concave though different sections of the hull. Some others even have wedges in the hull to correct an original design fault. The delta conic in the hull may also trick you into thinking sometime was out when it's exactly what it's meant to be.

Changed, gauge, bloody auto correct.Yes I suspect so.

Or your taco could be 20% out????

If your outboard is spinning to 6700rpm With a 17 I suspect your gauge is reading incorrect. Huey May be able to confirm or deny???? With a 17 you should be seeing numbers pretty similar to this: 5300rpm 34 knots 9% prop slip With a stainless steal prop I'd probably try a 19 if you can you hands on one all you should get numbers close to this: 5300rpm 38 knots 8% prop slip As mention earlier at medium loads you should aim for slightly lower rpm's if possible so you don't exceed the maximum rpm when your light.

What's your prop pitch? 6700 rpm seems far to high and 30 knots is far to slow, was that off a GPS? I suspect you should be seeing around high 30's low 40's knots with your boat. I think 5500rpm would be maximum and I'd be aiming for 5300rpm. What hp you have 115/130? Do you know your gear box ratio? Assume it's 2.0-1 and I'll use 17 and 19" props. These calculations are using the number provided in this thread by yourself and Huey but I have a feeling your rpm or the speed is incorrect. With the 17 you have 36% prop slip, and I'd say your losing up to 30% performance/efficiency with that set up. If you have a 19 you have 43% prop slip and are losing up to 35% performance/efficiency. With a 19" prop, 2.0-1 gearbox ratio, the outboard getting 5300rpm, boat speed 39 knots you should see 6% prop slip. I'd say your boat would be around 37 knots with these figures at 10% slip which is a pretty good result. For your info we have 6% prop slip on my brothers boat after we mucked around with it and that's about as best you'll get while keeping you within the recommend rpm range in most conditions. If you can double check all your figures I'll get you a correct answer and some ideas on what to do. Can you get a photo of your AV plate when on the plane at say 4000-5000rpm and trimmed correctly. One other thing SS props are more efficient than alloy ones.

Jimmy, I think you should issue a "sercuite" message as a vessel in tow is more of a Nav Warning, not a urgency message. A "Pan Pan" is a urgency message and is generally used for an emergency situation where there is no immediate threat to life or the vessel. You issue the sercuite announcement on 16 then change to a working channel for the actual message. Towing alongside is a normal practice and is generally referred to as "hipping up" and is used a mention above when there is no or limited steerage, in confined waters, heavy traffic or for manoeuvring. Keep up the good work!

Guys, When I have been playing with props and engine height I have always aimed for 200rpm lower than the recommended maximum rpm of my outboards at an average/normal load in the vessel. With this set up, when I was loaded for bear my rpms would drop a little bit but they stayed in the recommend range and when I was light the rpms wouldn't exceed the maximum rpm set out by the manufactures as the rpm's increased as the vessel was lighter and faster. As for 3 vs 4 blades, in general a 3 blade prop is more efficient than a 4 blade. In a perfect world a 1 blade prop would be the best for effiency, but I leave that to someone else to make work. If you want better maneuverability and slow planning speed a 4 will work best. The 4 will also give you more stern lift. For the faster cruise and top end a 3 is the way to go. 3 usually give better bow lift. Engine height is also very critical when selecting/ changing props, make sure your AV plate is visible and just clear of the running surface of the water when on the plane at your cruising speed and trimmed correctly otherwise you'll be wasting your time and money on new props.

Yes, the chain length should be a minimum of the LOA of the vessel it is on. As for how much rode to let out for the anchor and chain to work as intended depends on the conditions. In calm conditions 3 x the depth is a minimum on average it should be 3-5x the depth. In moderate conditions 5-7 x the depth. In rough conditions 7- " as much as you have or need". You can never have to much rode out if the conditions aren't great. This is a general rule of thumb for all anchors in all types of seabeads. Your anchor chain should never lift off the sea bead for its entire length, if it does you haven't let enough rode out. Only the first 10-20% max, of the chain should. The more rode you have out the greater the holding power of the anchor and chain. The scope is very important if you think about the angle the anchor pulls into the sea bed it's either going to bury it self and hold you in position or if the scope is to great you"ll continually break the anchor out of the sea floor. Don't throw the anchor over the side, lower in in a controlled manner and make sure it doesn't end up in a tangle heap on the bottom. Make sure it's stretched out and then the vessel is bought up on on the anchor. A good tradesman never blames his tools, this can be applied to most anchoring problems too.

Sorry mate didn't realise that the yacthworld (boat sales) links where against the site rules. Poacher, If you considered a boat from o/s get a survey done on the boat and search their name to see if they are up to scratch, maybe a site sponsor offers this? Good luck in your search!

Edgewater 205 cc

Trophies, pioneers and pro lines are mid tier boats at best. The Edgewater is the next level up. Also consider Contender, Boston Whaler and Pursuit. Would you consider a bay boat style? you still take them offshore with out any dramas.

There is already water tight wheel bearings, I have them on my Skeeter trailer they are guaranteed for 5 years I think and they are unserviceable. They are filled with oil. Can't remember their names are but will find out. Don't think they can be retro fitted either.... sorry.

What do you mean by not deep enough? I wish some of the boat builders would make the distance between the deck and the gunnel smaller! every time you lean over the side to pick up a fish or gaff one it feels like your going over especially outside, with a smaller distance makes its so much easier and safer to do.Comfort and alloy don't really go in the same sentence (some will argue to they are blue in the face that their alloy boat ride is the same as a GRP) when compared to GRP. Maybe an older Haines, Cruisecraft or cat of some description with new power.

On another note, my 275 Vrod use to make oil so to speak and occasionally blow smoke on start up , after it was trimmed up. Mercury said it must be trimmed down for 5 minutes before starting after bring trimmed up. Opposite to what you have here.

Trim your engine up higher mate and see how you go, it looks like its angle down in the video. How long does it take to use 1/2 L? I can't see Yamaha replacing the engine at this stage as its not a "recall bulletin" so to speak, more of an advisory one. A few must do it they have put the bulletin out and probably the other owners are aware as you are. Hope it all get sorted soon. Ben

35R, Radars will pick up birds for fishing and there safety factor is second to none! I always use a radar when fishing and I also plot other vessel on it to see where everyone is fishing (ARPA). To get one that is useful for fishing will cost big bucks! You'll want a open array scanner 4ft minimum 6ft would be better, room will dictate this, and minimum 4kw, 6kw would be better again. I have used them for finding birds and even fish busting up on calm days. Bigger the scanner, higher the power the better the radar. Not sure what the price is on them these days but you'll be looking at anywhere from $8000-$25,000 and the more expensive the better! anything less will be a waste of time and money for finding birds. Gyro stabilizer bino's are great too! Ben

Groper, I feel for you mate, just a few things, are your exhaust ports clear of the water level when starting it? they look like they aren't. That could be your problem. It they are in the water it prevents the exhaust gases form escaping that's why your getting a bit of extra smoke and crap on start up. Also you run the risk of forcing water back up though your exhaust and though the exhaust valves and into your engine although the risk is quite low. How much oil are you loosing? The smoke seems to clear after is has run for about 10 seconds in the video or does it hang around? Ben

Southrabbit, Your ventilation when turning or towing sounds like you have the wrong prop. Guys sorry to say but everyone that has said the Cavitation plate, its actually an anti-ventilation plate (AV) should sit level with the bottom of the transom are wrong. If its level its to low! a rule of thumb that works pretty well is that for every 30cms your shaft is back off the transom your AV plate should sit 3cm higher than your transom. 95% if not more of all boats come out with the engines mounted to low. There is another thread on the forum about engine height which would be well worth a read, here it is: http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=61038&hl=%2Bengine+%2Bheight#entry429676 I have lifted the engines on all my boats and I have had an awful lot! by having the correct engine heath and prop will increase performance and fuel efficiency of the boat . Trimming it up and down all the time will work but its only treating the symptom not the cause. Some people swear by the "permatrim" but if your set up correctly there is no need for one as it will be clear of the water when on the plane and it wont work. I'll need some more info off you to steer you in the right direction What's your RPM at WOT? Manufactures RPM range for your outboard? What size of prop are you running and number of blades? 4 blades like run a lot higher than 3 blades What is WOT speed when trimmed correctly? Can you take a photo of your AV plate when running on the plane and trimmed correctly? you should be able to see it on top of the water level if you cant your too low!

Any stabicraft is up there, they are just plain ugly!

You can short splice it. It's very easy. Post a photo of the line.

Everyone one has to make there own choice on the matter. I choose to buy from the states both boats and outboards and it worked out very well for me and I would definitely do it again. Huey I feel for you guys with this because the pricing isn't set by you it's from the manufactures representitives in australia and what they think our market will pay and it is causing people to look elsewhere for a more affordable deal. I have had next too no problems at all other than a sensor or two which i again bought from the states at far reduced price than in aus. I had to wait 7-10 days for it but i could still use the boat so it didn't bother me. What's with the "grey" import stigma guys? What "grey" about them? They are exactly the same as what we get in aus the only difference is who imports them. I just hope that the Australian market is bought back into line with the rest of the world boating market, like what they are trying to do with electronics and clothing at the moment. Just so it becomes more affordable for everyone to enjoy.