Bleeding Green

I tow kids and adults on a biscuit regularly (sometimes two adults) with a 70 2 stroke on a quintrex 475. No issues, with enough power. When I changed to a s/s prop the biggest improvement was almost non existant cavitation in tight turns which makes a big defferance when your trying to swing the tube around.The fuel consumption also rapidly improved.

Was your fuel filter changed at ladt service? Could be water in the carbies.

So after following recommendation from someone much more qualified than myself I settled on the Raymarine A series unit. Almost done fitting it, can't wait to get out there and test it. Will get a fair bit of use over the holiday period so I should know reasonably quickly how satisfied I am with my purchase. Thanks everyone for the input in this thread.

What was completed on the service? It sounds a bit high but hard to say as some items might have needed more attention than normal so the labour cost can quickly go through the roof. What is the break up of parts to labour? What parts were replaced? Did they pay any attention to the trailer/bearings?

Cheers tuffy, pm sent

Mate I think I have the same motor as you but my boat is lighter. I was having cavitation problems with the stock prop so was looking for a solution. I went with a 3 blade stainless as someone in the know told me the 4 blade was bs. I guess you'll get different opinions where ever you ask. I don't think I lost any rpm, I may have gained a few knots but the improvements have been great. Cavitation is almost 100% gone and the boat is quicker out of the hole. Cpany I dealt with also offer free exchange if your not happy, or trade in if you chance your donk.

Cheers ray, So like an automotive paint? Do I need to undercoat and does the undercoat also need to be a 2 pac?

I have just dropped the rear bench seat steel frame to a steel fab to straighten and strengthen. Once I get it back I'm going to need to paint it to protect it from corrosion. It is currently white and I think it was originally powder coated. Once I rub it back a bit what type / brand of paint is best for the marine environment? I'd prefer to spray it.

I just had another look under the dash and I think you are right, it would be a decent sized job. I thought I could label each fuse and that would make it easier than it currently is. But everything works I was just looking to tidy it up as the wiring is a bit of a mess. But I will get a better buss bar for both terminals, tidy up the wiring, keep the current inline fuses and see how that goes.

So now that I will be replacing the sounder shortly it's probably a good te to finally tidy up the electrics. I am about to buy a baintech 12 slot fuse board with both positive and negative connections, and a total amp rating well beyond what I will need. This will supply the radios, sounder and lights with power. Anyone have any reason why the baintech is not fit for my intended purpose? Ps I'm also going to order a six slotted for the camper trailer.

Cheers Geoff. Thanks for your input. I've narrowed it down to two units. One which is within the price range I wanted to spend but maybe a touch outdated, the other is over (as usual) what I wanted to spend but sounds like a top unit which I can build on later if I needed, and is user friendly. Stay tuned...

HI Emptyhooks. Good question. I want it to help me navigate in areas that I am not familiar with. as an example last year I dropped the boat in at wallagga lake at night. Having done the same trip only hours before in daylight I thought I would be fine. But bloody hell it was slow going, I had no idea where I was and no many land marks to guide me. And of course I'd also like to use it to save points and be able to guide me back there. Or input co-ordinates and guide me there. Helping me to find reefs, drop off etc would be an added bonus. With the cost of the unit, it's not really about what I can afford but how much I can justify spending. Also if I buy a unit now and want to add a better map in 12 months would it be worth buying it for a unit that is more than 12 months behind in technology? Jeez I have become such a procrastinator. I blame the internet. Before that I'd just go to a couple of shops, ask some q's and make a decision there and then!!

I didn't know that. Thanks for letting me know. Does it look OK int he horizonatal on the elite? The GME is slightly bigger so a touch wider.

Craig, thanks again for your advice. As I touched on in my pm it would be nice to have the ray marine unit but it a bit more than I was planning on spending. That leaves the gme or hds. I haven't seen the gme in the flesh but I like the slightly bigger screen and the horizontal split rather than vertical. But it sounds like to hds is a better overall unit I just have to work out if it comes with mapr or if I have to buy another card which would push the cost a bit closer to the raymarine.

Ok so I know dsi is down scan imaging. But what do units use that don't have this, and how good is the hds 5 without the structure scan?

Thanks for the advice Craig. What does 'dsi' do? I don't know a lot about the different types, trying to research on the net Thanks

Ok so I'm actively looking for a new unit now (I like to take my time, lol). The elite 5 appears value for money but can someone tell me what's better with the elite 5 dsi? It's slightly more expansive but is suitable to shallower depths. Also if some one can recommend a better unit for the dollars (under $1k) I'd be happy to hear you opinion. Cheers

I think it also depends on how your boat ie fuel is stored. When it's exposed to higher tempreture fluctuations it is going to last a lesser length of time. Mine's stored int he garage so it's not in the sun and the tempreture remains some what more stable than not being stored in the garage. I'm sure there are other factors as well. The other reason I like to drain the tank once a year is incase water is sitting in my tank this help to get rid of it. Water can build up from condensation, leaking fuel cap (when hosing) etc. So personally I think it is a great idea.

*bump*

I like to empty out the old (about 6 weeks plus) fuel from my boat after winter and I can't afford to throw it so it goes into the car and mixes with fresh fuel. If the boat breaks down I could be in the middle of the ocean caught in a storm with my and others' lives in danger. If the car breaks down I can pull over and call NRMA or walk. Besides, the car is getting flushed out every week. Plus the boat is a want, the car a need so if the car costs money the wife can't complain.

Not relevant to the OP as it isn't till Jan 01 2013, but are boats doing away with rego stickers like the cars are? For those that don't know what I am talking about as of Jan 01 you no longer need a rego sticker for your car, wondering if it's the same for boats.

At the end of winter when my boat has been sitting for months I like to drain the old fuel out and put fresh fuel in before sending her off for a service. Currently the best way to drain the tank is to disconnect the main line at the bulb (hand pump), then feed the line through the bung hole and siphon out. Works well, it a little bit of mucking around. I'm thinking of cutting the main line, fitting a 't' piece, with a 'drain' line that will have an inline tap and a plug at the end to stop water from entering during cleaning. I can then just feed this line trough the bung hole, open tap and a siphon out. It would be much quicker to drain and I wouldn't need to disconnect the main line. My fuel tank is under the false floor so I'd need to open the access hatch and feed it out. All seems rather simple to me. Can anyone see any problems with this, or something I may be missing? Does anyone know where the best place would be to buy a t piece and inline tap? The current line at 3/8 printed on it so the fitting would need to match.

So an update. I purchased a new s/s prop. I went with the same size as the factory original but in s/s. It also has a differant blade shape. Managed to take the boat out yesterday for a test. And what a differance the prop has made. I tried my hardest to force it to cavitate / ventilate. Trimmed up, trimmed down, fast, slow, left, right and it just wouldn't happen. It also runs smoother when under way, pulls out of the hole much quicker and so far looks like it's giving me better speed which means I can use less throttle. Conditions weren't great yesterday so I am keen to see what's like on a glass surface. I'm also hopong for a couple of warm days this easter so I can see what it's like when we're tubing. I am very impressed with it and can't believe the differance. I am still going to raise the outboard. I will do this on a quite weekend over the coming months.

When you need to push your jeep give me a call and I'll give you a tow with my hilux!! Lol, I don't know anything about jeeps, except they are really starting to get eye catching on the road.