Stevo

Most of my fishing buddies run Etecs, i also have a 115 and it has been a great engine. These engines run a very fine tolerances and most problems you hear are due to injector failure, and 9 times out of 10 this is due to bad fuel, water and running inproper fuel hoses and filters. The best advice i can give you is run the right kind of fuel hoses, proper water/fuel seperators and good cranking battery. Also if you wish for added security like i have is program it for the higher oil usage like i have,, uses bugger all anyway but it helps me sleep better

Sounds like a good 2 weeks andrew we just got back and spent the last week there i was fishing the basin every day, my reports are opposite to yours, 80% of my fish came on topwaters big bream and whiting, but i couldnt get anything deep .... Had a ball but plenty of fish down there at he moment ! There were alot of breamer out there thats for sure. Stevo

Swoffa, Your right the price is ludicrous. Mate i would be asking for a list of replaced components, and make sure you get all the old bearings and components that were replaced back. To me it sounds like a rip off anyway, glad i dont have any daiwa reels at the moment. Stevo

Rick, Mainly on the lipless, we got bumps and taps on spinnerbaits. Chopper got all his fish on TD Daiwa 50mm Lipless from memory. All mine came on Rapala 60mm Lipless. Not sure about the Bass Rounds, i think it would be a relaxed atmosphere though. Stevo

If anyone knows what trying to wake up your other half at 4:30am is like you would what chopper and myself had in store for us.... But to our big suprise the girls got out of bed without too much hassle On the road by 5am and off we go to lake st clair, forecasts said Showers and thunderstorms for the hunter region, but we went anyway arrived at st clair by 9am, it was cloudy but not a breath of wind, up went the tents and gear and the polycraft was launched and ready for action, the girls decided to go on a hunter valley wine tour 2 Happy blokes with a whole days fishing ahead of them, the fishing didnt prove to good, as the bass were shut down and the morning saw chopper land a silver perch and a tiddler of a bass, as lunch time approached it was getting too hot and we went looking for a tree to sit under in the shade, 35 degrees in the shade Wacko turned up later on in the afternoon with a mate and petefish was due to arrive later on in the night. We went fishing again around 4:30 in the arvo and the girls wanted to come with us, off we went, and wouldnt you know it, the wind started, the fishing was better with more bass landed but no size to them, as it got darker size increased a little but still these were not the St clair bass we know We retreat to camp for a feed and rest. We had a good night sitting with wacko petefish etc talking bull, and the usual jokes from wacko Chopper and i were up at 5am on sunday in hope the fish would be active, another silver perch came to the boat but no big bass 10 mins before we thought we would call it quits chopper was on solid to a yella, next cast and i was on also but not of the same calibre. That was it for the morning, we got back packed up and headed home just in time the rain started pissing down. I think wacko was still fishing did you get the rain wack??? Stevo

So your time has come mitch Mate i think first you have to sit down and agree on a price, i went for the poly for a simple reason, that is for the price i wanted to pay, nothing came close, you cant compare a $3500 poly hull to a $15,000 elegant hull for example, there would only be one winner in that respect. I didnt have $25,000 to spend so i looked at the cheaper option and im more than happy with it. Not sure if you coming to the hacking social on sunday, but if you want a ride after the weigh , no problems, just so you can get a feel of what they ride like. Stevo

Hi Soapie I think the stesscos are a good value for money boat, my previous tinny was a stessco squire and i never had an ounce of trouble with it, handled the water well and we used to fish 2 up in it all the time, mine was a 3.7 with a 20HP. A well made pressed alloy boat. Stevo

No worries Byron ill get some photos for your tonight and PM you tomorrow sometime. Stevo

Happy new year to all you fishraiders by the way, hope it was a beauty ! Today was my first chance at downloading some pics from my digital camera that were taken over the 2 weeks break i had, mostly stayed in sydney and caught heaps of fish below are some photos. I fished the parra, chipping norton (alot), georges & Hawkesbury so i got around 24-12-04 Chipping norton (i was meant to go to work but decided i worked so hard in 2004 i went fishing instead Glad i did, hit chipping norton and pulled some very nice bream from there, ive never caught such quality in numbers there before. Chippo Honker. Chippo Bag of Bream 26-12-04 Georges River Hit the georges with Wacko and did it pretty tough, although alot of people where feasting we were fishing. 29-12-04 Back to Chippo Again got some good bream out of chippo, managed to find some good size perch for Chipping norton, pulled 6 from one snag and all were in the 30cm brackett or bigger. Battle scared EP EP's little brother Thats pretty much all the photos i took, you know how it is, when your fishing, the fish are biting and you cant be arsed taking photos Nothing of great size was really caught just your average run of the mill estuary fish. Hope everyone had a great break Stevo

Hi Jethro, Im here to confuse you even more I used an Arlec 6amp charger i bought for $80 with automatic switch off , have been using it for 2 years without any problems to charger or battery, Delkor 100AMP/H. My battery cost me $160, i wasnt going to spend $400 on a charger, i suppose if you have $1000 worth of Gel batteries in your boat and you buy a good charger you might get a good 10yrs out of them if they are looked after. But for a $100-200 battery, i think your $100 chargers are fine. Still confused Stevo

Finished the bowmount transducer install last night here are some picutres: This is of the transducer mounted to the MK, its the original transducer, some slight mods with a file so the stainless hose clamp would get a good grip. This is pic of the cable that is cable tied to the shaft and routed through the coil on the MK. Last pic is of the Transducer Ext cable i installed, it just leaves this plug to disconnect when i have to take the MK off the boat at the end of the day. Now i can see what is under the boat at my feet I used to get some interference prior when the transducer was at the rear of the boat, but the transducer cables were close the MK power cables so it might of had something to do with it. Stevo

Im just in the process or mooving my transducer from the rear of the boat and mounting it on the MK. Tonight ill be all done. Because i have to remove my MK every time i put the boat away i needed an easy way of disconnecting the transducer cable. To solve this i ordered a transducer EXTENSION cable the shortest was 10FT, because the hummingbirds work on a quick release mount the only way to unplug the transducer means unscrewing the quick release mount etc etc So the new extension lead is pluged into the mount and all i have on the deck is 1 cable to plug the MK transducer in. very easy really ill get some photos for you tonight when its all finished byron. Do you want any other photos of something in the Poly Byron now that you have got me in the mood of taking happy snaps ???? Stevo

besides the usual washing and cleaning of the boat. After Every 2nd trip: 1. Spray Lanox on all eletrical connections, battery terminals and minn kota. Every month: 1. Spray Lanox inside engine cowling on electrical wires etc. 2. If you submersible lights are the cheap ones that arent sealed like mine and most other guys, i drop down the unit housing the bulb and wires,, another good dose of Lanox in there. 3. Check engine mount bolts 4. Grease engine nipples. Every 6 Months: 1. Re-pack trailer bearings and replace if necessary. Every 12 months: 1. Replace outboard gearbox oil 2. Replace spark plus and engine fuel filters. 3. De-carbonize carburettors with appropriate cleaner. The only jobs i leave for the outboard mechnics are impellers and tuning of carburettors if needed. Thats about all for me. Stevo

Give these guys a call ive used them on 2 boats and my last purchase was in april, $27 a metre and its the same stuff that bias sells as these guys are wholesalers that sell to the public. Daley's Trim supplies Phone: 9727 3355 195 Miller Rd Villawood Stevo

We had the same problem in out 70Hp johnson a few years back, the tilt went up at the ramp but wouldnt go down. The problem was in the little stainless tube where the hydraulic oil passes through, it had a hairline crack that was barely visable. A $20 fix and it was back to working again. So have a close look at that area. Stevo

Hi Ozy, i have the same battery, basically its a wet cell battery, but theres no maintenance, theres no filler caps so you dont have to top up like you do a normal battery. They seem to be a pretty good battery for the price. I know a few other guys with them and they all seem happy. Stevo

My Okuma EFS-20 is about 2 years old now, i did use it for bream initially but it didnt balance with the rod too well due to its weight. But its what i use for hardbour sambos, rat kings, and anything else that chases baitfish. Its never let me down and their drags are number 1. Stevo

It would be nice to see the local councils pull their finger out and clean some of the crap out from the lake, i dont think ive seen any shoreline without bottles and paper , tyres, otto bins you name it. The bream seem to like it though Stevo

Grotto Point is the first one on the left and the bigger one is Dobroyd Head... Your location would of been cobblers beach,, the headland i mean. Stevo

Don't be like that Tell us which car wash it was Stevo

It is a good idea mark, i tried it, but didnt fancy waiting in a queue, so i went out and bought a high pressure cleaner, sure i spent alot but you can get cheapies for under $100 these days that are good enough for cleaning your boat. It used to take about 10 minutes with a hose, but with a high pressure cleaner like you said, ive done the whole boat from bow to stern in 5 minutes and they reckon high pressure cleaners use ALOT less water than you hose does. AND yes i have checked, we are allowed to wash out bildges, trailers and motors with a high pressure device, but supposedly not the hull Coming up to summer those car wash places will be packed and waiting for 15 mins in 40 degree sun But hey if it works for ya go for it mate Stevo

Sounds great Byron. I like the teal colour also, i had to decide between the blue or teal , but went for the lighter colour. I know the boat you referring to, sounds like its everything you wanted. Stevo

Congratulations on the purchase Byron, Which model did you get the 4.1 ? is it a tiller or console ? What's hangin off the back ? what colour ? :ohyeh: Stevo :grogon:

J.D without going into to much details, Im required to enter into as many ABT tournaments as possible next year and be avalible for magazine test's/shoots and if anyone need to view one, be avalible. Congrats on the new boat snag :thumbsup: All of a sudden i feel interested in a new stacer 470 pro elite, since i can get a free ride in one when are you free :ohyeh: :happy: Just joking mate :yikes: You will be a happy fisho when you get it Seeya on the water Stevo :gleam:

You rarely have to replace bearings unless they are rusted or stuffed do to lack of maintenance, i re-grease mine every 6mths and ive never had a problem. Its a 5 minute job on each wheel. and no i don't use bearing buddies. Stevo :thumbsup: