garfield28

Hey all, All fixed I'd like to thank you all for your help and comments of advice to this thread I really appreciate it more than you know. Thanks heaps especially to Frank S who allowed me to take the boat to his house and he spent a couple of hours on it and fixed it for me.

Still at work, but gonna try when I get home.

When I tilted it it made a few cracking noises but still didn't free up. I've tapped it with a rubber mallet and it just won't bloody budge.

If you don't mind mate please. I just called the mechanic and he said I'd be looking at around $500 to have it replaced... f@ck me!! It's no wonder people don't own boats. I just tried again to tilt the motor, shake it, I took the nut off the arm thingy and gave the end a tap with the hammer and it still won't budge.

Thanks Geoff.... been bloody caught out I have.

Thanks for that. Tried to do all of that and no joy. Is it hard to replace that myself Dfishin?

Hi Raiders, Was gonna take the boat out for a couple of hours this morning, but I cannot budge the steering wheel. Any Ideas why and if I can fix it please? Thanks heaps Geoff

Thanks Huey. And I think there was a misunderstanding in regards to the E-tec being rubbish, I'm not say they are I was just asking the question. I don't know enough about anything boating to make a statement like that. Thanks for your advice. Thanks Geoff

Thanks for that Huey. If you have an 85 - or a 80 HP of any other brand there I'd probably be interested in that.. I'm not just after an E-tec but just size wise I thought it might fit the bill as I cannot seem to find many if any 85's out there. Are E-tec's rubbish most of the time, what would you recommend to be one other better outboards in anything from a 70 through to a 85 HP outboard? Thanks Hi Geoff, What auction sites are there to check other than Ebay mate? If you could pass on a few I'd really appreciate it. Thanks

Thanks blood knot.... had a look on his webiste and looks like he only sells new mate. I'm more after trading in on a second hand outboard if there are any such places that can be recommended by the other members.

Hi Raiders, Just wondering if anyone can recommend a place anywhere in Sydney that sell and trade outboards please? I'm all over the place at the moment with my boat. I need more horse power as I have a 4.75 fiberglass with a 2004 50hp 4 stroke Honda on the back and when I have more than 4 people it is too under powered and the bum really digs in and I can't get it on a plane. Was contemplating selling my boat and buying a bigger boat with a bigger outboard, but starting to wonder if I can find a place that will trade my outboard on a say an 85 HP year 2000+ model for no more than a few grand.... does that seem do-able to anyone? My boat is rated to 85 HP and if I had that on the back I think would make a world of difference! I really like the E-tecs and I see that they have them in 85 hp range also which is good because I see most other brands are 70, 80, and 90hp. The 50 flies when there is just a few of us on there but I really want my family to be able to enjoy it also and not have to leave anyone behind because the boat is going too slow because the 50 can't handle the weight. Any places you can share would be much appreciated. Thanks

Mine aren't dirty, just starting to show their age. The seems are becoming unpicked etc.... so wouldn't mind having a crack at reupholstering myself.

Thanks for that boys. No others anyone knows of in the western suburbs?

Hi raiders, Anyone know where to buy marine vinyl at a competitive price all? Thinking of having a crack re-upholstering my old seats and making a bench seat for the rear of the boat. Cheers pm's only please

Hi all, I sorted it out. I bought some longer aluminium rails that support the legs and moved the legs wider apart, and moved the rod holders in. Attached are some pics. Thanks for the advice and help everyone that replied to my thread. Geoff

Thanks for the idea VViCKiD.

G'day Rod, thanks for the reply mate. When you say you relocated the tubes on the bait board, did you move them wider apart? Hey Brickman, thanks for the reply and the very generous offer of the rod holders. I was thinking along those lines actually of having the piece of Al go across the splash well with a piece of angle to attach rod holders with a backing plate, but just worried it would look chatty. Also price a piece of angle at Bunnings yesterday, not even the right dimensions for the job and was over $60 for one piece I think with the powder coated or maybe even a 2 pack finish it would look allot nicer though. Hey Geoff, I like it mate I half wanna make a fiberglass job to A: save a bit of cash and B: say I've made something for the boat that looks good, but also does its job. I haven't got that kind of access on the sides Geoff. G'day, VViCKiD, thanks for the idea mate. Any idea of a good bracket system for that part of the boat mate? I wouldn't know where to start with that.

Hey raiders, I bought a bait board second hand off gumtree, and I was just looking at installing it and having a few dramas. I tapped up the rod holders to give it a dry run before drilling holes, and its too low and sticks out inside the boat too much. I have a removable bench seat that goes across the back, if there are passengers in the back it would be in the way of their seating area. I think I have 2 options, was thinking that the only way to raise it and have it more outside the deck area would be to put something across the washwell somehow and install 2 sunk in rod holders in the piece going across. I personally think it will look chatty and hillbilly looking If I do. Was thinking if it is maybe possible to build a custom one out of plywood and then glass it and paint it in a gelcoat or a flowcoat? I think I would make it similar shape to the alloy one attached. I've never done any glassing before so not sure if it would end up too heavy or anything but I'd really love a bait board on the back of the boat and can't cough up $400 plus for a custom made alloy job. Any ideas for the bait board I could use would be really appreciated. Thanks Geoff

Thanks for the replies everyone. The biggest thing sounds like I should have been charging these batteries overnight before use You buy a boat and you think to yourself, Yep! gonna just start her up every weekend and go fishing, Gonna catch heaps of fish and not have a care in the world.... Need to learn so much to get out and stay out on the water. Need to know about boat electrics, boat maintenance, trailer maintenance, learn how to fish, what tackle, what bait and where to get it, wind, water temp...... etc etc and throw every spare cent of money you have at it!! But I still love it

Sorry for all the questions mate, but I'm a dope at the best of times and even more so when it comes to electronics etc... So you would say have your switch selected on number 1 all day, and start the motor and leave it on to run your accessories and never change the selector from that number 1 position?

So does that mean you just leave your switch on the same battery all day Steve? Maybe that's why my number 2 battery I use for starting, seemed a bit drained because when I switched it to 2 it topped the drained battery up.... sure wish I knew exactly how to use that bloody dual battery setup!! When I first got the boat I just used to have it on both, but then discovered that, that was incorrect because my number 1 battery which is smaller and has allot less cranking amps was stuffing them both. Do you think I can check my battery somehow to see if it is stuffed? Maybe they just need a good charge at home prior to going out..?? But I would need to change the small battery to match the bigger one I guess so I could use them the way you are. Thanks

Never stays hot enough Thanks for the reply Steve,So you use only one battery to run all of your accessories, and start the motor off that same battery? I guess if that's the case they must be huge batteries. I start my motor on number 2 as that is the bigger battery that has the large cc's, once started I switch it over to both (which I'm led to believe will now charge the batteries while I'm cruising around?) then when I stop the motor I switch it to number 1 to operate all of my accessories. Thanks for the reply Trung,At the moment that is how my battery is set up I believe. I have only owned the boat a short while and the batteries in it at the moment are the ones that were in it when I brought it. The accessories battery is a car battery I believe and I don't think its a real big one anyway, and the day I turned up to buy the boat, the guy had a charger on them, so maybe they were dead at the time. I think I've read somewhere that its stuffs your battery if it ever runs completely flat? So a 80 - 100a deep cycle battery would be sweet to run all of my gear for a good few hours at a time you think mate? What's the smart charger for please Trung? Cheers Geoff

Hi All, Just wondering if anyone out there can point me in the right direction for a battery please. I have a dual battery set up at present and I think I'm up for a couple of new batteries, but have no experience nor idea of what size or brand to get. I don't understand how it all works properly, or the jargen of amps and cycle and plates etc to make sure I get one that I can rely on, and also use correctly. Went out Saturday night with my brother to middle harbour (waste of time) was a really nice night though for this time of year, and while running the my old school hummingbird fishfinder, Nav lights, some little LED's, and charging my phone through a cigarette socket I recently installed, so I could use the Navionics app for my phone at present, the battery died on me. The lights died and I had nothing! I switched the battery to number 2 to start the motor and even that had me scared as I thought at first it wasn't going to kick over but it did luckily enough, but I shit the gear thinking it wouldn't even though I had the switch on number 1 which is what I believe the lights and accessories are all wired through, but I have only owned the boat a bit over 3 months and still don't know it I guess. I also bought a 12V jug which I used for the first time that night and I believe that helped drain the battery also because as soon as I switched it on I saw the lights dim a bit - spewin! It was nice making a hot cuppa out on the water at night while trying to catch a few fish, but there were none out there coz there (but I'm a novice still learning my way), but I guess If I wanna cuppa in future I best boil a kettle on the little butane gas stove. So my question would be, what size and brand battery would someone who knows what they're talking about recommend? I want to change the Nav lights over to LED when I get a bit more cash and some time, so the battery would be running the nav lights (hopefully LED soon), marine stero (yet to buy), marine VHF marine radio (when needed), 12V cigarette socket to charge phone, and last but not least,a new up to date fishfinder/GPS combo that I also hope to buy not too far down the track. I have seen mentioned a way also of keeping the battery conditioned with some doohickey, that apparently keeps it trickle charged or something and maintains the battery so they last longer if someone could also fill me in on that, how it works and also which one I should look at getting. Thanks heaps in advance guys. Geoff

Thanks for the replies guys. Went out with my brother tonight to the spit, got nothing! I wish I knew how to catch bloody squid Anyway its a bit after 1 in the morning and I just got back. The last thing I want to do now is start the motor and flush it for 10 minutes..... so thanks for the advice I am leaving it till the morning when I get up to flush it. Thanks Geoff

Hi All, I'm just wondering if any of the experienced guys can answer a question for me please. If I go out fishing at night and say I get home late, and because its late I don't really wanna start the motor at 1 etc in the morning to flush it, is it OK to flush the motor in the morning if I were to get up and do it at say 8 - 9 am ? I went out last Saturday night and got home at midnight, but I flushed the motor, wasn't really keen and I have a feeling the neighbors weren't too pleased Thanks for any advice Geoff