zmk1962

He he he ..... No complaints about the Hills !!! ...or from the Hills please !

The water mostly runs out from around the prop - my prop (Vengence) does nto have a solid core - some of the boating experts can comment but I think most through prop exhaust systems vent a bit to the front as well. From memory I read somewhere it helps with spinning up the prop from idle - so the water runs out through those cavities and around the prop edges near the front. The muffler in the video was my second version. The first, had a longer pipe and no cap - it also worked with a deeper sound. I cut the pipe down when I could see where the water level had stabilised (as the water was running out from around the prop) and added a cap as it helped dampen the gasses now that the pipe was shorter. There are 6, 12mm (1/2 inch) holes around the cap these are mainly to help vent the gasses - very little water comes out of them.

FYI. I've just posted my design for a low cost DIY outboard exhaust silencer/muffler in the Workshop forum which may be of interest and help. By my iPhone Apps measurements my 200HP EFI two stroke now flushes at 80dB - noise of an Average Car. http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=77270

There have been a few topics recently about outboard exhaust noise when flushing motors, neighbours complaints etc. I have never had problems with my neighbours but was always conscious of cranking over my 200HP EFI two stroke, so I spent last weekend coming up with a simple DIY exhaust silencer/muffler. Here are the results....once you see the youtube clip you'll get the idea and can adapt. Hope this helps someone. https://youtu.be/jpvsHWFFoWY My 200HP now idles at flush at 80dB - which my iPhone app tells me is about nosie level of an Average Car.

Maybe the way I phrased it sounds like its a constant chore - apologies - I really meant at the 6mthly inspection I check if I need to grease gun a bit into them. I agree with you, if they need constant top up that is an indication there is a leakage problem somewhere - probably at the back seal. The bearing buddies I have also have a silicon type cap that slips over the front face covering the spring loaded plate and grease nipple. So water has an additional barrier. With the design of my trailer/boat unfortunately I have to dunk my bearings at each outing. Touch wood I have not experienced any hub/bearing issues in my boating career. I put that down to the bearing buddies being able to expand and contract keeping the grease packed around the bearings.

I have been trailer boating since 1986. Based on my experience I swear by Bearing buddies. Personally I always fit the more expensive stainless type - they are far more durable. My 2nd trailer came fitted with the plastic type and after a 100km run I found one of the plastic ones had popped off - cheap rubbish. Anyway, bearing buddies are NOT maintenance free. You must keep them correctly filled with grease and CHECK the back seal on the hub...the problems usually occur from the back seal. But if they are correctly topped up... they keep positive grease pressure on the bearing and deter water ingress. Also as you drive, bearings and hubs warm up, any air in the hub expands - when the hubs hit the cold water this air contracts and can suck in water if your hub seals are compromised. The bearing budies have a spring loaded plate, and if correctly loaded with grease this plate allows for expansion and contraction of the internal hub contents. If you overload or underload them - you don't get this effect and maybe thats why some people are having mixed results with them.

And after that experience how would you rate the scale of that problem? I happen to be doing some home reno's at present moving stormwater pvc pipes etc... and one thing I have learnt... 1st rule of plumbing - you WILL spill your glue.

I carry a fair few things... but not as many as you - man you could almost service the car with all that - I'm in awe ! Also I love the brake pedal depressor - very neat - I now know my next welding project! One thing that I do carry that I did not see on your list is a 2T hand puller. Several years ago, I lost about 1/3 of the teeth on my boat trailer winch. They just sheered off the main large cog as we started to retrieve the boat. Since then I have always carried a 2T hand puller that I can jury rig to the winch post and pull up the boat onto the trailer. Drive-on is not a fallback option at all times as my boat/trailer combo does not lend itself to drive-on when using the shallower ramps. PS - In case anyone is wondering how I got the boat up with 1/3 of the cog teeth missing - I used some of the pther items I carry - many spare D-shackles, a length of chain etc etc. Anyway, after about 5min of head scratching at the ramp - I said to my self think positively - then I realised I still had 2/3 of the teeth on the cog that were good - I could use those !!!! So mucking around with a few D-shackles and a bit of spare chain in between the boat hook and the winch rope I was always able to lengthen or shorten the winch rope to position the cog on the good teeth - 2/3rd turn - repostion - 2/3rd turn...30min later the boat was up ! If I held up anyone at Parsley Bay Brooklyn boat ramp that day - my apologies.

Since you have not specified any tactics, bait, burley gear etc we can only be generic. Some species I have caught in Jerusalem Bay include - bream, jewfish, hairtail, eels, sharks ...squid, slimies and yakkas. I have even seen a little Mack tuna (about 50cm) bust up a school of bait fish at sunrise - but it was not caught. Here is one of the three bream (45cm, 43cm, 42cm) we caught on an overnight expedition there..... enjoy.

Great idea. Put the flood light on a separate circuit/switch so that it can be turned on/off independently of your mast light. BTW, if you have fished at night you will now how "little" light you need to see around the deck. So rather then a proper flood light I would lean toward one of those those waterproof cabin lights that have a red/white light option. Last year I picked up and LED one at a very reasonable price (around $30). The red light will preserve your night vision.

Not sure what type of boat you have Danieljc, but if your boat is a half cabin type, one thing you might want to consider is installing a flat plastic shield (visor) underneath your mast light so that it casts a shadow across you boat foredeck. I used to have a mast light at the top of my windscreen, at night it lit up my boats white foredeck and I found it really reduced my night vision having this white deck reflecting back at me. I initially fixed that problem by inserting a plastic flat plate (a shield or visor) to cast a shadow across the fore deck, later when I reworked the bimini I moved the light up with the rocket launchers and now the bimini casts a shadow over the fore deck. Just something to consider.

Installed it on both my iPhone and iPad. Looks to be designed well and very useful. Should complement the VHF and other safety gear and precautions well.

Agree with Huey 100%. My 15HP 4-stroke carby model cold start is tempermental at best ! ... the 200HP EFI (post mix 2-stroke) is a breeze to start. I eventually diagnosed that my 4-stroke carby float was getting stuck as after flushing I used to just leave it layed up on the drive way. Turns out the little fuel left in the carby would evaporate and leave a gummy residue that would foul the carby float. The first cold start after that was always a problem and prone to flooding the carby !!! I have now modified my lay up procedure, I now disconnect the fuel line for the last few minutes of the flushing process and let the carby run dry. My cold starts have improved dramatically since doing that.

tef1on - I agree. Oars have many uses. Moving off sand bars, pushing off rocks, pushing away seals..... but - oars or paddles become more and more "less helpfull" in rectifying the situation you may be in as the vessel gets larger/heavier. You need a BIG paddle to move 2T of glass boat, + fuel+water+4 burly mates + gear ... especially with current and wind dynamics !!! The message is have a second means of propulsion but be realistic about how effective it will be on your craft and don't over rely on paddles ... not until you have tried them for all their various uses.

I agree - oars or paddles become more and more "less helpfull" in rectifying the situation you may be in as the vessel gets larger/heavier. Personal experience. In my younger days (when I was much much fitter - and could do 200 pushups - yes true and another story !!). My brother and I took our very first boat - a used 14ft Savage Avalon fibreglass hull, which we had just repowered with a new 40hp Tohatsu, down to Tench reserve at Penrith for its maiden run. We dropped her in the water and finally got the Tohatsu started - she was spluttering a bit, we put it down to being a brand new motor and gently revved her up to cruising speed - heading down stream from the ramp toward the weir. About 2km down the motor stopped - no amount of cajoling would start it (turns out the first fuel we had just bought on the way to the ramp was about 30% water and the Tohatsu really didnt like it - yet another story!). Anyway, my brother - who was stronger than me and I both pulled out the oars and promplty started to paddle this little14ft boat. Piece of cake we thought - 2hrs later - we had not moved. All our efforts had kept us still in the gentle down stream current. It was clear boats are NOT canoes - there is a lot of water drag and windage. So two points to this story - 1. oars and paddles on larger/heavier boats are interesting items at best. 2. Always head upstream on your maiden voyage - you can drift home if the worst happens. Given that personal experience, from day one, I have always questioned the purpose of stowing paddles on my 2T plus Haines Hunter. The most effective use the paddles have ever been put to is pushing off a more than friendly seal that was determined to come on board off Terrigal wide - and for that reason I have kept them on board (just in case) but for now I rely on my 15HP auxiliary as my alternate propulsion.

If a clear night, you will be surprised how much natural light there is to see by. Water also reflects any ambient light and this helps. After a little while when your pupils dilate, your night vision will kick in - the most critical thing is to preserve it - don't look at bright lights etc. Set your GPS/Sounder to dim. I cover my backlit gauges with a cloth - and glance at them occasionaly - you will not be going fast. I also have a red light setting on my cabin and deck working lights - they preserve night vision but allow you to see quite well - to locate gear, bait up etc. If you have any white deck lights now, you might consider taping a bit of red celophane over them for the trip - just a suggestion. So while underway on MOST occasions I use no lights to see ahead - being on water at night is not like driving a car with headlights. In my early boating days thinking of the car analogy I had mounted a 200W remote control spotter on my bow sprit but just found it a nuisance - the angle of your bow changes as you apply or come off throttle, its not a flat road out there - you go over waves - light shines up, shines down, I was forever adjusting the remote - it was all too hard. Rely on your night vision, get familiar with the area, keep a good lookout (or TWO) and take it slow. As others have said, I also do carry both a 12V spotlight and several powerful torches - comes in handy mostly when you are landing or mooring up and for signalling - but try and keep the light and reflection out of your eyes - it will dazzle your sight for a while. If its foggy or overcast be prepared for a "real" adventure - it will be deep dark and all torches and lights do is reflect back off the fog or mist. I recall a partcular winter morning, launched at Apple Tree bay heading up Cowan to Pitwatter and out wide past Barrenjoey. What is usually a 20-30min trip took almost 2hrs in pea soup fog, running on the GPS and falling back to compass when the GPS lost satellite - straining to see 20ft ahead. All landmarks and even the banks of the river invisible. Dead slow all the way on a waterway familiar to 3 experience boaties on board !

I frequently go offshore and I have two motors. Main Mercury 200HP EFI, second Mariner 15HP 4-Stroke. When I bought the boat it had a 225 Yamaha -- I did not know its history. So the 15HP was added as a "safety" auxiliary - it was cheaper than repowering which I could not afford at the time. Later when I repowered the main with the new 200HP Merc, I decided to keep the 15HP as I found that not only was it a safety feature, it was a good offshore trolling motor - quiet and ran on the smell of an oily rag. It will push my rig along in the 6-10km/h range depending on conditions. Since the 200HP EFI two stroke mixes the oil from a separate oil reservoir, it takes a clean fuel feed from the main tank - same as the 15HP 4-Stroke. So I don't need to worry about separate tanks. I have also linked the two motors so they both "steer" off my hydraulic ram - its just a mater of tilting up the motor that I don't want to use to reduce drag. PS - I agree with the previous comment that most issues are electrical - so being somewhat paranoid in this area I have 3 batteries across the back - with switches to isolate or connect any combination. Can't have enough redundancy when you are 40km offshore ! Now what to do about the single fuel tank??????

Looking at your diagram the other problem you may have is the breather hose or vent pickup. You have drawn the tank as lying horizontal and the breather connection is at the back of the tank near the inlet - do you know if the breather vent pick up is directly below the connection or is it at some other part of the tank? If at the service station the tank sits tilting back and the breather is not venting vapour from the front of the tank then you will have trouble filling the tank full. I have tried to add that to your drawing - but you have to imagine the tank is tilting back. In my boat the underfloor tank always sits tilting back to the stern (both on the trailer and on the water). My tank has an internal vent pickup at the front top of the tank via an internal tube (externally the connection for the vent is at the back of the tank like yours) - I have tried to add that to your drawing below as well...you can see how it allows the trapped vapour to vent. However, if your tank is as you have drawn it with the vent pickup below the vent connection - can you try filling it when it is tilted forward - perhaps disconnect your trailer from the towball and tilt your rig forward at the servo? Can you get more into the tank then?

Thanks Scratchie.... yup beers were awesome (and consumed in moderation while on the vessel of course). But I think this adventure will help with beers for a few sessions yet to come !!!

Thanks Raiders ... we are all still buzzing today !

On Saturday we originally set out live baiting for kings off Sydney Heads and then out at 12 Mile. But with nothing in the bag at 11am and with water at 24degC we decided to troll some skirts in a round trip back past the Sydney Fad. An hour later we hooked, landed, photographed and successfully released this beauty. First Striped Marlin for my boat (thanks for all the tips Glen!). The fight took about an hour with each of us taking 15min turns - lots of head shakes and tail walking in the initial runs - the Penn 330GTi got very warm but held up to the task. What a fish on a 14cm Pink Pakula skirt and gear targeting Kings, Bonnies and Dollies. Just shows it pays to keep your gear well maintained - you never know what will hook up! Heres a link to the YouTube clip of the day, we only got the video working 1/2 through the tussle (fast fwd the bits you find boring): L to R: John, Glen, me and Wayne - smiles all around.

An old mechanic once advised me to please disconnect all your spark plug leads before you start messing with the prop in gear.

Ok.. Fab! has given you how to releive the pressure. I see you've added a picture. Was able to grab from that the web address... Here is the master cylinder part that looks like yours: $43.95 RRP ...At that price i'd just replace it. http://www.astss.com.au/CatalogueRetrieve.aspx?ProductID=5898211&A=SearchResult&SearchID=42040356&ObjectID=5898211&ObjectType=27

There must be a way to ease off the hydraulic pressure (worst case you could undo the bleed nipple on each of the brakes but you will lose hydraulic fluid) - what brand/model isyour master cylinder? I'll see if I can google the manual for it and check. Also sent you a pm with my mobile number.

Need a bit more information. I have a twin bogey trailer with an electric hydraulic set up with 4 hydraulic disc brakes. I have had on rare occasions individual calipers (usually only 1 out of the 4) seize due to the caliper hydraulic cylinder jamming while open. Bit of WD40 and levering of the calipers usually pries the calper open enough or frees them up enough to get back home. The cause vaires - may be gunk or rust buildup etc or just time for an overhaul of the hyrdaulic brake seals etc etc. But in your case, I am not sure if ALL your brakes have locked up - in which case your problem may be further up at the master hydraulic unit etc. Can you describe your system, what drives the hydraulics (over ride, electric, compressed air) and if all your brakes are jammed or just some?