Geoff

Kel A lot of boats , especially in this size are sold as package deals & to make them attractive , price wise , dealers fit the least expensive motor which , in this case , is a 40hp 2S I agree with Quintrex101 when he says , 40 would be too small mate. I'd want at least at 50-60hp. A 40 would push it fine with 1 person in it, throw say, a small family, fishing gear or 2 other keen anglers a bait tank etc and you'll find you'll have problems, it'll struggle to push the boat through the water (also using more fuel). Stay away from the 40hp , a 50hp would be OK & a 60hp would be great but suspect finding a 60hp would be rather rare. No one has ever complained about having too much power As for the boat , most well known brands of the same vintage would be similar , focus on the motor then on the boat not the other way around Geoff

I'm not familiar with the quality of Mariners / Merc's produced during the 90's so unable to assist. Suggest you speak with Huey however , before doing so try & find the actual year as I suspect a 1991motor will be a lot different to a 1999 motor . As to the HP , it will mainly depend on the condition , especially the compression. Geoff

What ever boat you look at , especially fiberglass check the gross weight , boat , trailer & motor then add around 150kg for fuel & gear. You mention the trailer has brakes so this means it's already over 750kg Compare the weight to the towing capacity of the Subaru. Also , towing is one thing , stopping is another. Will the Subaru quickly pull up , say 1000kg with out any drama In respect to slipery ramps , the Subaru being a AWD , should be OK. Mariners are rebadged Mercury. Not that there is anything wrong with that , just info on the motors origion. How many hours on motor ?? If the compression is OK & is basically the same in each cylinder , starts & sounds OK then should continue to give reliable service but it would be best to have it serviced just to make sure. There are ways to check for soft transoms , one is to feel inside the bung holes for wet or spongy timber. Talk to Huey , he would be able to provide more information Geoff

I fish PS from time to time. Not able to advise a "reliable" spot , however , if they are around , try just South (a few hundred mt's) off Tomaree headland along the cliffs. Launch from the new Shoal Bay ramp or Little Beach ramp , it's abot a 5 min run to the heads. Geoff

I think I'm correct in saying that Mariner are are rebadged Mercury so if unable to locate a Mariner manual then perhaps try Mercury. It sounds like your control box may be past it's use by date & therefore easier to fit a new unit which will be reliable rather than trying to fix this one & hopeing it the problem does not reoccur. Give Craig a call at Huett Marine , he may be able to help you out. Cowan is only a short distance from Gordon so it may be easier to take the boat to Huett's Geoff

Remove the spark plugs , using an oil can which has a pump device , give it 2 or 3 squirts into to the plug holes , connect the compression gauge & pull the starter cord several times untill the reading on the gauge no longer increases. Geoff

Tathra whalf is a prime spot , catch live bait from around the pylons then cast it out on a floater. The whalf is rather high so if you hook into something decent a long gaff , perhaps around 4mt will be required. On the RH side comming in to Tathra there is a sign to the boat ramp. Follow the road to the headland above the ramp & on the Northern side there are some good rock ledges Bega river enters the bay ot the Northern end of the beach. It tends not to be too productive but around the entrance on a run out tide may be worth a try. Geoff

The comment was posed as a question rather than the cause. It's not uncommon to see surface rust on plugs as the steel (casting) is not corosion resistant & simply being exposed to salt air will cause rust. If the rest of the motor is OK , don't worry about it. Geoff

If you go second hand , most of the well known brand names have good reliability. Just have the seller run the motor for you & check the compression. If it starts easily & has both good & even compression it should be OK. There is normally a good selection for sale in the auctions or clasifieds. For your boat , I would be leaning towards a 10 hp motor , it's better to have more power than just enough. Also , contact Huey , he may have something available or give you a good deal on a new motor. Geoff

It's perhaps a half hour drive from your place to Cowan , defitnatly worth the trip to have qualified people at competitive rates fix the problem which as Huey suggests may just be using the correct oil. Geoff

I think it's back to square one. The wire for the stereo would be on a seperate circuit & would suggest it was purley coinsidental that the motor started. There is a loose or corroded connection some where in the power cables from the battery to the motor or in the ignition system. It's basically down to a process of checking & elimination. Geoff

It's interesting that it was OK when jump starting. Was this done in the convential method , ie the boat battery was connected & the jump leads connected to the cable terminals or something else. Did you try disconnecting the terminals from the boat battery & then connecting them direct to the jump leads?. What was the result. If that started the motor then the problem is with the battery. A multimeter is handy in this type of situation as it can indicate the either the voltage or circuit condition at selected points. Basic units are available for less than $20 Geoff Geoff

Gibbo , Huey has covered the possible problem areas. Perhaps make a list of the items to be checked or changed then go through them one at a time starting with the easiest first. I would suggest , 1. Check the gearbox. I don't think that is the problem area but needs to be elimated. 2. Change the oil. XD 100 or XD 50 are the best options otherwise , what ever Johnson reccomend for that motor. Avoid Valvoline & perhaps Castrol. Whilst they both make good quality products & would provide the appropiate lubrication to the motor I found on a previous motor I owned , a problem , from time to time , similar to what your currently expericing. If the problem still continues them , as Huey suggests , the fuel system , carbys , fuel pump etc. Geoff

If it's black it's not gearbox , but to confirm undo the bottom (not the top) gearbox drain screw , about half a tea spoon will come out then quickly replace the screw.. The colour should be a golden brown. As you suggest , it will most likely be unburnt oil from the motor. Check the fuel / oil mix. It's possible too much oil or , oil / fuel is being injected into the motor. What brand of oil are you using as this may be part of the problem Geoff

Fish-on Just to expand on Bluefin post why does it need to be portable? Is it a security issue. Do you mean "removable" In checking the web , the 350C is discontinued & replaced with the Lowrance Elite 4x. If someone in the US is selling the 350C then it's old stock & old technolagy. Also , buying this type of product from overseas has no Australian warrenty. Suggest you buy from a local supplier. For interest , the 4x cost around $260 but I would spend an extra $50 & purchase the 4x DSI which has downscan. Geoff

I don't have any thing close to G.P. but if you take a 15 min drive & launch at Currarong this may be of interest. http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=59401&hl=banks If you do decide to launch at Currarong , suggest you use the "search" function. Enter , Currarong then , Search. Also , Google , Jervis Bay Marine Park so you know which areas are protected. Geoff

Jack.w GPS marks are generally used for outside fishing. When inside land marks are more commom. AFN produce good maps with a lot of information. Included in their range is a map for the Hawksbury & Sydney harbour which are available from tackle stores or via mail order. http://www.afn.com.au/store/AFN-Fishing-Maps/c14/p33/Map-29:-Hawkesbury-River/product_info.html There are two good videos around one is by no no no , fishing Syd Harbour & the other by Bruce Schumaker , fishing the Hawksbury. Google them , they may be on the web. Geoff

I don't know if this is a misfire or if this is fuel starvation. It's a misfire. Fuel problems tend to make the motor fade in & out or serge. The sound your getting is short & sharp also , the excessive smoke is from unburnt fuel Did you end up fitting new coils.? Geoff

I guess all are aware it is free parking & entry. With the increase in exibitors this year it's making it difficult to justify the $$$$ to visit the Sydney show. One other interesting product which I forgot to mention was a hub & wheel bearing kit which mounts onto the trailer for the spare wheel We carry spare wheel in case of a puncture but on occusions bearings also fail & replacing them on the side of the road is not a fun job , been there , done that. The spare is set up with the hub & bearings & mounted onto a stub axle which is inturn attached with a bracket to the trailer. If a bearing fails then the replacement assembly is already set up making the change over a lot easier. Makes me think , if going on a long trip , having a hub all set up in the boot of the car may be a good spare part to carry. Geoff

Just returned from the show. Similar to last year with a very good range of trailer boats & yak's. If looking in the 4.3 - 4.9mt range there are heaps to choose from , not sure how you would determine the best value for money. The one I found of interest is the new single motor Sailfish. It's set up , including the splitter , is basically the same as the Webster however , I was not keen on how the outboard well on the Sailfish extended into the deck area. The big plus for this year , there are a lot more accessory stalls so if looking for the latest gadgets it's worth a trip. Stoped by to see Huey but he was busy with customers. I can understand why , a good range of boats with excelent package pricing. Defenitaly worth stopping by to check out the display. Geoff

If they are there then basically any sort of burley will do the job. Chicken or rabbit pellets will also work & can be cleaner & easier to use than some other types of burley. The best place to purchase pellets produce stores. You can buy a few kg's for a couple of $$$$ As for the rig , use the Sibiki. These come in a range of sizes , for yakka , the smaller ones with size 8 or 10 hooks work best. They normally come with 6 hooks on a jig. I find these become easily tangled when unhooking the fish so I cut them down & make 2 X 3 hook jigs. Unhooking is faster & the jig back in the water quicker. Hooking , if trolling through the jaw , if on the anchor or drifting then either through the jaw or just behind the head. A ballon , located a few meters from the hook , work well to float Yakkas away from the boat or if land based Geoff

The RMS & Council have spent hundreds of thousand $$$ up grading this ramp & unless you have a decent 4WD the ramp is use less if trying to retreive any sort of boat over 4.5mt when the tide is low. The sand is one issue making traction very difficult. This could be easily fixed by extending the rock wall on the Eastern side. But , the main problem is , the ramp is too short by about 1mt & the end of the ramp , instead of blending into the sand has a 150mm drop off. This photo was taken at low tide & as can be seen , the end of the ramp is not far from the waters edge Put the two together , at or near low tide , with a 2WD vehicle & retreival is near impossible. I heard a comment that the ramp length came about as there is sea grass at the end of the ramp & this should not be disturbed. What fish in it's right mind would decide to breed at the end of a ramp. Unlikely any.!!!! but that's what happens when politicians get involved Geoff

Seems like a never ending story of failing shit with this engine. Sarge You have certinally been unlucky , if it's not one thing then it's another. Even if you throw more $$$$ or time into repairs I suspect , when on the water , your level of confidence that the motor will get you home will always be a concern. Perhaps it's time to bite the bullet , say , enough is enough & buy a new or good quality second hand motor. Geoff

Billy just moving off topic for a moment , what happened with the boat purchase that you posted previously ?? Did you end up getting something ?? Geoff

Hi Geoff where did you get the short bait jig (in the 1st photo) - if I go to a shop, what do I call it? It's the standard jig as shown in the photo below but with the stem cut off. I made the trace with the hook / swivel & then feed the line between the barbs attaching the line to the jig using small (75mm) white cable ties. The ties are a bit hard to see in the photo but they are there , one each , just above the pink collers Geoff