Bleeding Green

HI Mate, I don't own one but my advice would be to look at the type of towing you do with it. If it's only ever short local trips then you will have plenty of options as long as you stay with the legal limits. But if you do regular long distance trips that's another story. We do 2 to 4 long distance (200-400km one way) trips a year. Loaded with all the camping and fishing gear the bends and hills ask a lot of questions of the cars at these times. Originally I had a 3.5lt petrol rodeo. I thought it would have plenty of grunt. It did, until you asked it tow a boat up hill. And in return for asking it to work a bit harder than 'normal' it scorched a hole in my wallet! I then upgraded to a Turbo Diesel Hilux. Absolutely chalk and cheese. Couldn't be happier with the diesel. Even though the hilux has a modest towing capacity of 2.2T it pulls the load with ease, and fuel consumption does not jump significantly. I couldn't be happier with it in this regard. I'd imagine much similar towing performance from any of the 3lt + TBD in utes or wagons going around. Unless new technology convinces me otherwise, while I have something to tow, I'll have a diesel to tow it. Even if it's just for one long trip each year.

Yes went there today. It would be fun to go there if you were in the market for a new boat and had already done some on eter tests. Meet Craig who was happy to answer some questions even though I wasn't in the market for anything he offers. Good thing about the show it's free entry and free parking, which is very rare! You can go in for a quick stroll and not feel like you have to stay there for hours just to get your money's worth!

Cheers for all the input from everyone. Turfy, I contacted solas about the problem and they are confident it can be fixed with a new prop, can it really b e that simple? If I change the prop (factory one currently installed) and it reduces the issue but doesnt completely remove it then I won't be so upset at having spent the money. But on the other hand if it makes no differences at all ill be a bit annoyed. They offer some type of guarentee so I'll find out more about that. Going to the boat show tomorrow and they are there so I'll ask some more questions. Test lab, yes as I understand it I am actually experiencing ventilation. I think that's more common than cavitation, but I could wrong. Whaler thanks so much for you input as well. I just looked at the photo: wow that is high. Where does tha plate sit when youre on the plane? Ill post back up in here when I make some changes.

Hi Huey, What is the theory behind no wing nuts on battery? Cheers

Thanks whaler. The outboard has a lot of silicon around where it's bolted onto the transom. I expect that once I undo the bolts the silicon will cause it to stick to the transom. What's the best way to get it off, and to clean the silicon off once I get the outboard away from it? Also, is it paramount that I reapply new silicon when I bolt it back on? Also, the outboard has one hook at the top under the cowl. Is this sufficient for taking the weight of the outboard? I intend to hang it from here then lift the front of the boat so the the back drops then re bolt in the new position.

Photos attached. First photo is at 5500rpm, nose up a bit too high according to trim gauge, and 62k/h according to finder. Second shot of outboard is 5000rpm, boat a bit flatter and 55km/h. Minimum load in boat with only about 25lts of fuel, one adult and 2 kids on board. Is the current height affecting the cavitation problem? Should I raise the outboard and if so how much? I need your opinions please.

So finally got to take the boat out today. Got up on the plane, conditions were good so it was an easy cruise. Went straight up to 6k rpm, stuck my head out the back and couln't see the plate. Dropped the revs a tad and took some photos. Did another check later with the boat a bit flatter and could just barely see the plate, but I don't think it's enough. I'll post some pics tomorrow for your opinions to be added.

Good question 475, I've always wondered about this. I'm interested to hear from those that know.

What model do you have? Earlier on I had a 94 model 2.6lt petrol and even though I never towed with it I used to dump 1 tonne of soil etc from the landscape yard in the back and I'd hardly know it's there (until I went to stop). They were good models for smaller towing. More recently I had a 2004 the RA 3.5lt petrol which I thought would tow like a beast but was a slug and I think the fuel tank must have had a hole in it. I got rid of that and upgraded to a diesel hilux and the towing and fuel consuption are chalk and cheese with the rodeo. However for general driving the rodeo handled and braked better. I'd go for something bigger though if I was towing the 3000kg mark.

Hey mate, sorry it's taken so long for me to reply. I haven't got a round to replacing my unit yet. However I did go down to the local boating store to have a look at my options. TBH, I wasn't that impressed with the combo units as a fish finder. Maybe I just couldn't get them to work properly, but in the fish finder mode I could only bring up a split screen. In nav mode I could easily switch to both. I suppose the split screen is good if you are drifting, but when at anchor I'd prefer a full screen for fishing. When I get around to it I'll look into it a bit more and see what other options are available. I'll probably put it off till next summer now though, as the depth gauge on my existing unit is working again and I don't use the boat much over the cooler months / footy season.

So had a read of the info on the link provided above. Outlines things very clearly. I will check out the height of my outboard the next time I am on the water and also take some hard notes of the rpms. It has been recommended to me also that I can possibly reduce the slipping but increasing the prop pitch. I am not that keen on doing this at it would reduce the torque and as I'd like to try sking reducing the torque is not ideal. So if the outboard height seems right and the rpms are within range (which I am sure they) I can either try a hydrofoil or just put up with the cavitation/ventilation problem. Thanks everyone for your help.

Well done!! You will be happy with it's performance. I'd recommend taking it in for a service straight away so you know for sure where it's at.

Thanks for your input whaler. I will have a look at the link you provided shortly. In your opinion where whould the cav plate sit in relation to the bottom of the boat? This might be a completely unrelated issue, but when I did my practical course to get my licence 2.5 years ago, we practiced beaching the boat. It was easy to reverse the boat off the beach. With my boat when I beach it I struggle to get it off the sand using the outboard alone (I usually just push it off first now). Would this also be effected by the height of the motor? I can see it two ways: 1) raising the motor would help as I could then trim the motor down to a better angle while still keeping it clear of the bottom. 2) Raising it would make it worse as the the prop would be closer to the water surface and therefore in lower water pressure. 3) Completely unrelated. I don't want to drag this thread away from the original discussion, just trying to draw a link between other issues I experience and what you are saying above.

Looking at your profile I'm guessing hawkesbury (sorry, couldn't resist).

HI mate, thanks for your input. The motor revs out to about 6000rpm, if the gauage is acurate, and is within the specs shown in the owners manual. From what I read on the net ventilation is caused by differant issues than cavitation, and it seems that ventilation is more common.

Interesting. Good to see they are out there enforcing the laws. I didn't know that you could tow a max of 3 riders. I thought it didn't matter as long as you included the riders in the number of people onboard and stayed within the boats limits. When we were tubing down the coast there was one boat who at one particular time at 2 inflatables with 2 people on each, and about 6 people in the boat. Being a malibu wakesetter (nice boat btw)I think the boat's limit is about 14 people so I thought they were playing within the laws.

BFB your explaination clears it up. Geoff, your prop is 13 1/2 inches diameter, mine is 13 1/4. The thrust on yours is 15inch and mine is 17. I wonder how much top end speed I would lose, and bottom end torque I would gain with your prop??

HI, I can only talk about the quintrex as that is the same as my boat and I bought it as my first boat 2 years ago. It had 100 hours when I bought it and the motor was like new. It's now got almost 170 and I couldn't be happier with it. I've not had one un-surprised person when I tell them that the boat is over 10 years old. The motor is very reliable and has more than enough power for general use, especially for a first timer. I've taken it outside, through bars (Narooma, Batemans Bay and Bermagui) and can easily use it inside. It's stable enough, and with the milleniem hull I have rarely copped any spray. There's enough room for 3 to fish out of it comfortably. Lately I started using it to tow tubers and soon I might try pulling skiers too. It's a great first boat. That's not a bad price if everything is in working order and good condition. Since I bought mine I've replaced the canopy with a bimini and front clear, had a custom travel cover made, replaced the old stickers and put it on a much heavier trailer. Replacing the sounder will be next. When I do eventually update I will be looking for the same style and brand of boat, just something bigger. But that won't be for a few years. (unless the right off comes along ) Good luck which ever way you go.

Sounds good, I'll give it a go.

Is it better to use a swivel or tie the leader directly to the braid? I used a swivel, but becuase of the length of my leader (just over a rod length) and needing to keep the swivel out of the eyelets I find it difficult to cast.

YarraOne, my understanding is that regardless of what the rego papers or plates say any load of total weight exceeding 750kg's must be travelling on a braked trailer. I recently changed my boat trailer to a braked one because when travelling on trips with gear loaded in the boat I was exceeding the 750kg's. I didn't want this hanging over my head when I was on holidays.

My prop is stamped with 13 1/4 X 17K so maybe the motor model is differant to yours??

My boat if fitted with an analogue trim gauage so I can't compare it directly with yours. When I'm not towing (I've only tubed a tube so far) and on the move I usually keep the motor trimmed up so my gauge points to a level boat. It sits nicely and I can then drop the throttle back to lower the revs and maintain the same speed. The issue I was having, and as BFB said above, is worse when towing. When doing this I had the motor trimmed down all the way, mostly because it's a pain to keep lowering and lifting again with the amount of times the riders feel off (all added to the fun btw). When I tried trimming up a bit to save on some fuel the cavitation was even worse. BFB, I realise that the boat is never going to corner like a speed boat, but if I can reduce the problem a bit it will be more fun when towing. Does everyone agree that a permatrim will reduce the cavitation and improve the planning time (for pulling skiers)??

I have a box trailer which had a weight of 260kg on the rego papers. (I can't remeber if the weight is shown on the builder's plate). Becuase it was over 250kgs I was paying about double the yearly rego. So I stripped it down and took it to a registered (doesn't have to be an rta) weigh station. I used the one at the p**t k****a wharfes. They charged me $20 and gave me a receipt with the new weight. Problem was that it still showed up over 250. So the bloke weighing it re-positioned it on the bridge so it would come in under 250kg. Took the receipt to the rta and they changed it over in 2 minutes and I now save about $60 a year in rego. It's a simple process. If you think you can get it down under 250kg it's worth doing. BTW, if you got 3 people type scales and put one under each wheel and the jockey wheel and add up all the weights shown you will be able to see how much it weighs before you take it down and spend $30 at a weigh bridge.

Thanks spotterone. So it's easier to pull a kneeboarder out of the water then? I'd like to get a kneeboard too, I gave it a go once as a kid and it was great fun. But would definately still like to try the skis.