a boat

Hi, you did not say if it is tight when the boat is on the trailer and if so, hard to quote without knowing if the cable or helm is at fault and then what brand steering system you have. Worse case is you need a new helm and cable (which is not a bad idea anyways due to being a lot better than older designs) and so around $350 gets the new helm and cable. If it is a trim tab fix easy to do yourself and pay attention to what I said about making sure the engine is trimmed out when up on the plane-an engine fully trimmed in when on the plane is hard to steer and the steering becomes neutral as you trim her out to the correct position for the speed. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, the trim tab will only affect steering when the boat is on the plane and if a boat pulls to say the right, turn the trailing edge of the trim tab the same way. From what you are saying it seems the steering is tight at low speeds (like when coming into a wharf and if so it is probably tight when on the trailer too). If that is the case the steering cable or helm will need to be inspected. If not then try moving the trim tab and be aware that the engine will want to trimmed correctly when at planning speeds because that will affect the steering both left and right if not at its best trim angle. Cheers, Huey.

Hi Mate, some are good some not so. We use BRP 2 + 4 that has a lot of good properties for fresh fuel. Mercury and Yamaha also have similar products but nothing will back stale fuel so moral of the story is use the boat and if you are worried get yourself some of the above fuel conditioners. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, yes some high rake props have very tight tolerances to the AV plate. Good RPM and good to hear. Save your pennies and if you swap out to a SST prop there can be benefits, but in all honestly with a properly propped engine like yours I highly doubt you will see your fuel bill halved. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, no matter what brand or technology an outboard is making sure the engine gets it correct RPM at WOT is very important for fuel economy, performance and engine life. Nothing worse than lugging an outboard (it will be like going up a never ending hill in your car in top gear-they will not like that). The 70HP Johno is a built proof engine and was made for over 30 odd years and with the correct set-up they are as good as any carby engine on fuel burn. The diameter is irrelevant to a degree and pitch is what determing RPM and not many 70HP's could turn a 19 inch prop and still be in the ideal RPM. Best to see around 5600RPM with your Johnson. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, that is about what I would expect for a V6 OPTI at the yearly/100 hour service. There would of been some charge to drain the old fuel (I hope they did that-as well as checked for blocked injectors) and the plugs(especially no.6) are real PIA to change and trust me many home handyman has crossthreaded and damaged the threads in the cylinder heads and be up for a lot more money than that. There are gasket under and above the water pump plate in this gearcase so all in all if Paikea was happy with the service provided than that is the main thing. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, WOT mean Wide Open Throttle, so put her in the water with normal load and push the control lever as far forward as she goes and watch the RPM on the Tacho-around 5500 will man the current pitched prop is the right pitch. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, any outboard, any technology have an ideal WOT RPM they want to reach for the best performance. A V4 like yours wants to see about 5500RPM at WOT and what determines that is the pitch of the prop. You will need to find out what pitch you have now and what your WOT RPM and then you can determine what a SST prop will do. All else being equal a SST is easer to turn than an alloy prop so if you have say a 17 inch at the moment (which I am guessing you will) and she turns good RPM then a 19 inch SST might suit. Best to go for a WOT run with your normal load and see what RPM you are doing and we can go from there. Proping is a black art though and only way to know for certain what any prop will do on any boat is to try it, but there are rules of thumb and experience is very important. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, a 17 inch Viper would be ideal on that rig but things like new bimini etc should probably be on top of the shopping list. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, no problem and I think you will find most trimmers will be about the high $2K to low $3K for a full set of camper covers-that is replacing fitting a new bimini(the canopy on there at present will want to go), new front clear, new side clears and rear camper back. Our guy would be around these figures but he would not go that far, so I am sure there would be local guys that could add what you want and perhaps do it in stages if the budget does not stretch that far at first. Also when funds allow the combo would benefit from a good SST prop to give even better performance-that prop looks like an older prop than 1998 and seems to have seen better days. I hope you are seeing around 5500RPM at WOT. Cheers, Huey.

Hi Mate, the V4 Yamaha are fine engines and being old tech there is less to go wrong than any modern clean tech engine with all the extra gear that comes along with these modern engines of any brand. As mentioned on the phone buying second hand can be a lottery but the V4's from any of the brands that made them-like E/J and Y are all fine outboards if the current owner has maintained them correctly. As Geoff said the I-3 90HP from Y and M will be less weight but not a great step in performance and you could always be wanting more HP so see if you can find a good V4-like Daves one. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, it looks a capable hull for limited offshore work-not seen a lot of Sealine but I think back in the day they had a tie-in with Cruisecraft so they know a thing or two about making good boats. The V4 90HP E/J is about as good as old tech 90HP got so make sure you run good oil-I would use XD-100 if my engine and make sure they have the correct plugs-I have lost count of how many of these looper V4's come in here with the wrong plugs-QL78YC is what you want. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, yes there is not a better made plate boat than an Extreme-simple as that. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, as I think I mentioned on the phone this morning any V4 E/J or Y would work well on that hull and provide a lot more get up and go than that I-3 Y. There is a Raider looking to sell his V4 Yammy-it is X/L but not hard to modify your transom to fit an X/L engine and you may find it a bit hard sourcing a good second engine at present-not many good ones going around. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, the Stacer 649 Oceanranger is a proper plate boat unlike its Q brother. They ride better than pretty much all other plate boats in the price range they are-below your budget. If you wanted the best plate alloy boat full stop you should check out the Extreme range from NZ. Made to survey and CPC standards and they are a many levels up on the two brands you mentioned. The price tag for a 650HT (a proper HARDTOP) is over the budget but the 610HT would easily outperform the two larger boats and being a HT they offer much better protection. The Extreme HT with good clean power, options most boaters want is around the $80K mark depending on the exchange rate. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, yes that is the speedo hose pick-up. Cheers, Huey.

Yes and in the Stacer the LBT is on the port side and the battery is along the keel line. The 429 Outlaw side console works very well in the water and with its deep vee there is not a softer riding 4.3M going around-I have been in some pretty nasty water with them. Cheers, Huey.

Hi Dave, I have run many 429 Outlaw side consoles one up and they perform fine because the natural tendency of any hull, with the outboard prop turning clockwise, is the "push" the port side down so having a side console on the starboard side makes it better than a centre console for correct weight distribution with one up. The 429 Outlaw is a great boat and very good value but yes she is 2.06M wide so that might be a problem for you. Feel free to come up and view one, a new 429 Outlaw arrived on Saturday so worth a look. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, I obviously recommend the brand we have been selling since 1964 and have stood the test of time in salt water. All outboards are good but a deep vee heavy boat like a HH ( I am guessing it is a 16R or the like if 4.8) with that F70 will be a big disappointment after spending that hard earned cash. Trust me I could ring up any brand of outboard engine tomorrow and start selling them if I thought they were better but in our over 50 years of experience we have pretty much fitted them all and worked on them all and as I said I like what we sell. If he is really interested in what I would fit to such a boat and just for laughs he wants to compare prices ( and by that I mean with SST prop, 5 year FACTORY warranty, service costs factored in and cash back running at present) then he should call, email or PM me and I can give him my thoughts on what I see 6 days a week. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, without knowing what HP you are talking about hard to quote, but IF the gearbox comes off without fighting and you just need an impeller (not a complete water pump kit) most good dealers would charge about $200 to do that job. Of course it can be like "how long is a bit of string" Cheers, Huey.

Hi, the 60 and 70HP are basically the same engine and the 70HP Yamahas I have driven they were not the strongest performers, yes quiet at idle but if your mate wants a 4-Stroke of this sort of HP then I would think some of the other brands would suit better. What engine is he removing because he could actually go backwards in performance and a 16 foot glass boat with a 1L 70HP is pushing the friendship, but the problem he may have is that older hull could not carry the extra weight of some more powerful 4-Strokes. If I was him I would fit something else but if he is really wanting the F70 I would want the dealer to be prepared to work with him on props and set-up to get the best out of it. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, the best 4.3M alloy boat anyone makes is the Stacer 429 Outlaw. It offers unmatched ride and stability with the renowned EVO hull, it has 3mm all round, it comes STD with live bait tank and as a side console( a much better layout in such a size boat) you can get a brand new BMT with carby engine under your $16K budget or for a bit more than your budget you can upgrade to a clean tech outboard with cash back running at present. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, good luck in your search but I would not listen or believe those people that claim an alloy boat rides and handles the chop better than a glass boat. A good glass boat will always ride better than an alloy boat. Yes a good alloy boat like a Stacer / Quintrex, Extreme and a few more can ride better than some bad glass boats so keep a look out. Just because a boat is made of either does not make them good riding and I know of many glass boats that I would not want to go out in rough water. What is your budget because that will determine what you should be looking for, a boat like Scratchie mentioned is a great hull and with the right engine on the transom can perform very well-something like that hull will need more than a 60HP to perform how I like boats to perform. Buying second hand is always a gamble unless you really know what to look for so as mentioned make sure you water test and private boat you are thinking of buying. Cheers, Huey.

Hi, that is an early 80's engine so when and if looking for parts use about 82. That plug is the serial number but as I mentioned the model number is what determines the year model and it would of been on a plate on the transom brackets. Good old engines these and they go forever-have plenty of early 70's ones still kicking about. Cheers, Huey.

Going from cheap mineral based oil to high tech 100% synthetic oil makes a huge difference in the amount of blue smoke you will see on a carby engine especially on start up. Of course make sure the rod is correctly adjusted helps too, but that is where experience comes in. Cheers, Huey.