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Went out for a fish at Berowra Ck yesterday with no result. Thought it was going to be a good out fishwise, but turned into a bad day before I'd left my car port! It was pouring rain so I went to put my clears on the boat, but couldn't find them. After searching everywhere I realised they had been stolen - my fault, I shouldn't have left them in the boat in my car port. $400 worth of plastic stolen, geez I was cranky. Does anybody know where I can get them replaced in the Hornsby area??? To top it all off, we got wet and no fish! Beware everybody, keep your boating gear locked up!

Thanks Baz, I didn't realise Huetts sponsored the site...I need to open my eyes!! I'll give them a call. Rod

Howdy, Where's the best place around Hornsby to get my 40hp 2 stroke Yamaha serviced? The motor is 3 years old, and done about 70 hours - no issues at all with it. I was keen to see if any other fishraiders could recommend a good reliable place in the Hornsby area. Cheers, Rod

Thanks Moggy, appreciate the advice, Cheers, Rod

Howdy All, 2 questions if I may... 1. Is it worth putting platinum spark plugs in a 40hp Yamaha (2007 model, 3 cylinder) ...and 2. Is it worth using high octane petrol? Cheers, Rod

Jim, I've used Raymarine before, great sounders...... but when they fog up it can be annoying. Like you, I sweated over the Furuno 620 - after everything I read I wanted one bad, but really couldn't justify the extra money. I only fish the estuary/shallow water, so that was the main reason I didn't go with the 620 Just this weekend, I upgraded from a Lowrance X52 to a Lowrance X510c (same as the X515CDF except the 510 is only single frequency, not dual 50/200) The reason I picked the x510 was that it used the same transducer and power cabling as the x52, so there was bugger all effort for me in swapping over.....and now I've got a spare power cable and transducer!!! The screen resolution/clarity and brightness of the 510/515 is sensational - coming from grayscale units, I can't believe it took me this long to change to color. I was very pleasantly surprised by the screen on the 510! Good luck. Rod

Thanks again for your tips fellas. I used double sided tape, with a couple of cable ties for added strength/security and she fits perfectly. The new color screen is sensational, so much brighter (and bigger) than the X52. Can't wait to get out on the water now. Rod

Thanks Pelican and Chrisg, I appreciate your feedback. Yes, the hole is already in the dash - I'm upgrading from a flush mounted X52, so I understand exactly what you mean Pelican! The X52 is readable from the driving position, but you're right, I have to bend my head down slightly to view the screen....it's not too bad though. Unfortunately, I have no other position to install the unit - I cannot top mount the unit because the angle of the windscreen fouls the unit, so I'm resigned to flush mounting I reckon. Chrisg, would mind expanding on your idea a little further for me - it sounds promising.... how would I fix the poly cutting board to the back on the 510 - double sided tape?? Rod

Howdy, Just purchased this unit and realised I needed to buy a flush mount kit to fit it in my dash. The kit costs $90!! Rob at Navico said a lot of people sikaflex the unit into the dash, but it would be difficult to take it out if I needed to remove the unit. Does anybody out there have any brilliant ideas for flush mounting a sounder.....without having to spend the $90 that is!! Any helpful ideas appreciated. Rod

It's just as I suspected! There doesn't appear to be too many raiders catching fish in the Hawkesbury/Pittwater area at all this season. For 25 years I've mainly fished the river, but the last 5 outings have produced one 50cm jew - we weren't even catching any pesky pinkies or small fish of ANY kind!! We've tried everything - trolling, anchored and berlied up, lures, fresh bait, soft plastics, live bait, right tides, known fish-producing locations....for nothing. I gotta say it is really disheartneing. I know there are some experienced fishos on this forum that know exactly when and where to fish the river, and good luck to them, they put the hours in and they deserve it. Their results on this forum speak for themselves, but while they were catching big fish, my mate and I were also catching flatties, bream, flounder etc. Not huge, but we were getting a feed, having fun and we were releasing what we didn't need. This season has been NOTHING! And I agree, it does seem to coincide with the banning of the pros on Sydney harbour. I know a few people who live on Pittwater, and their claim is the river is netted 24x7 by the pros. Don't know how true that is, and it will probably put a few peoples noses out of joint, but I think this seasons results are telling. (I ain't seen too many prawns around....no prawns, no fish) I will keep trying though, and with a bit of luck might get a half decent fish before the summer is over!!! Sorry for the rant!!! Just frustrated. Rod

Caine, Good advice from IWANNAJEWY, if you have a multimeter, that's the best way to test your battery/alternator. Batteries are a 'black art', so get yourself a good battery charger, and I mean a good one! I purchased a $35 charger from a retail store and it was useless and ended up shortening the life of my battery, so I got some advice and went out and bought a real battery charger. It's a four phase charger : 1. Starting phase - current is restricted until terminal voltage rises over a preset level. 2. Bulk/Primary phase - apprx 80% of charging occurs at this stage. 3. Absorbtion/Analysis phase - final charging phase, voltage is reduced. Also monitors voltage drop. 4. Maintenance phase - charging varies between 95%-100%, and 'pulses' battery when voltage sinks. They aren't cheap - $100-$300 depending - I bought the CTEK Multi XS 7000 and it cost about $270!!! They also have a conditioning mode which is used to recondition very discharged batteries that may be 'acid stratified'. But it keeps my familes car/s and (previous) boat battery in great condition. Rod

Hey Guys, Thanks for all your replies and advice. I checked the choke, and it doesn't appear to be working!!! I removed the cowling and got my son to push the key in while I had my big ear up against the motor, and there was definately no mechanical noise of any type when the key was pushed in. This makes perfect sense to me. Its always been an issue when the motor is cold, never warm. I've booked the motor in for a service next week, so hopefully all will be resolved then. Thanks again, Rod

Thanks for responding guys, Pelican, I'll attempt to answer your questions first... Do you pump the fuel bulb until firm??? If not the fuel pumps aren't very good or fast at sucking up fuel especially if there is any air leaks in the hose or connections. YEP, I DO PUMP THE FUEL BULB, USUALLY 2 OR 3 TIMES MORE ONCE I FEEL THE FIRMNESS IN THE BULB. Fuel bulb arrow pointing right way towards motor? YES, NO PROBLEM THERE. Is the boat fitted with fuel filters? Are they clear and clean? NOT SURE, BUT I IMAGINE IT IS FITTED WITH A FUEL FILTER AND AS THE BOAT HAS ONLY DONE 21 HOURS I WOULD HOPE THAT IT IS CLEAN/CLEAR. ONCE I GET THE MOTOR GOING IT IS FINE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY, STARTS FIRST TIME EVERYTIME WITH ONLY A SHORT (1 SECOND) TURN OF THE KEY. Do you use the choke- does it have a manual choke? THE CHOKE IS ON THE KEY MECHANISM - YOU PUSH THE KEY IN WHILE TURNING IT, AND THAT ACTIVATES THE CHOKE. I DON'T USE THE CHOKE AGAIN FOR THE REST OF THE OUTING. What throttle setting do you use when starting? I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER TO HAVE THE THROTTLE SET AT ABOUT 30 DEGREES WHEN STARTING FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER A LONG LAYOFF OR WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD. NOTE THAT THERE IS NO REAL DIFFERENCE IN THE REVS AT THIS SETTING, THAN WHEN NOT USING THE THROTTLE AT ALL. HOWEVER THE DEALER TOLD ME TO DO IT....SO I DO IT! Kill switch definetly positively on? Check it works to stop motor as well? YEP, DONE THIS. Battery in good nick? PERFECT, ALTHOUGH SPENDING 5-10 MINUTES TRYING TO START THE MOTOR EACH OUTING WILL SHORTEN ITS LIFE. Compression test when they serviced it? DON'T KNOW, BUT I WILL BE GETTING THE MOTOR SERVICED THIS WEEK OR NEXT, SO I WILL ASK. Caine, As mentioned above I set the throttle at about 30 degrees, but as you have the same motor, you would know that it doesn't appear to make any difference to the revs at 30 degrees....it's only when you raise the lever higher to about 60 degrees that the revs starting increasing. Thanks again guys, I'll update you when I get the motor serviced. Rod

Howdy Raiders, I was hoping someone might be able to steer me right here. I upgraded my tinnie to a nice new 4.35 Quintrex CoastRunner (forward steering) that came with a 2 stroke (3 cylinder) 40 Yammy VETO. I bought the boat/motor new and its now done 21 hours. Great boat, I love it!!! I had no trouble starting the motor prior to its first service (at 10 hours), however after it was serviced by a Yamaha dealer (no names here), I'm now having trouble starting the motor at the boat ramp - it takes me a good 5-10 minutes of cranking the engine before it fires. Once it starts, no problem for the rest of the day, it starts first time every time!!! When I take the boat out a week or two weeks later, same routine - 5-10 minutes cranking before the motor fires. I'm sure I sometimes flood it, so I sit around for a few minutes and try again. When I get home after each outing, I connect the 'ear muffs' and flush the motor for about 5 minutes. Just to try something different, I recently disconnected the fuel line when I flushed the motor and let it run dry. But when I took the boat out yesterday, same problem. Am I doing something obviously wrong here??? Any advice greatly appreciated. Rod

Thanks Guys, Good advice/logic here, so I've given up the lazy attitude and decided to get the entire unit. Cheers, Rod