Geoff

When you say "it was tested" how was this done , ie, what equipment was used? A battery can be fully charged but when placed under load like starting a motor the charge can drop away. An Auto Elect have the gear to do this test. A multi meter could also be used. Test the voltage with no load , should be between 12.5 - 13.5 Volts. Repeat the test when trying to start the motor. If the battery is faulty or near flat the voltage will drop away considerably , perhaps under 9V. The fact the Seamaster is turning the motor over OK suggests the cabling & starter are also OK. Geoff

13th , OK. It's on the calender. Geoff

Charzy See your PM's Geoff

Further to the post commenced by Twister84 & the photos by Paddy 454 I decided to go for a drive & check out the situation at low tide. I was there for an hour or so watching the activities there were no shortages of visitors , mainly guys with the same thought as mine. There is sufficent water on the Eastern side of the pontoon to tie up most boats so that aspect is not a problem. The two key aspecs mentioned in the previous post was sand on the ramp & the drop off. It's a two lane ramp however the Eastern lane has about 10" ( 250mm) of sand which makes is basically unusable even for 4WD. To retreive a boat of any size then the trailer needs to be next to the pontoon (Western side) & the wheels dropped over the end of the ramp. There is a thin layer of sand on this side which is OK for 4WD but a challenge for 2WD. Here are a few pic's for interest. This is a tandom trailer , the rear wheels are over the edge, the front are on the ramp. The bottom line , when launching, using either 2WD or 4WD should be OK Retrevial at low tide , OK if you have a 4WD. For 2WD pick the tides , ie half to high Geoff

There is a jetty at the Little Beach boat ramp which is frequently used by LB fisho's but note , about 5-10 mt East of the jetty to Nelson Head ( where the Coastal Patrol is located ) is Marine Park so fishing in this area is not permitted. Map should be available from the local tackle store. I think there is one in the Nelson Bay shopping center. Geoff

Boattart. I don't live in the shire but I mainly fish out of Pt Hacking so would be interested in coming along. Unfortunatly , not available on the 6th , the 13th / 14th are OK. also , the 6th is the last weekend of the school hol's so some people may still be away. Any way , the date is what is best for the majority. As for the venue , would prefer a club. Normally the parking is easier , no problem concering the weather , a few tables together & the bar close by. But again , what ever is prefered by those attending. Geoff

I have a 70hp & found the same thing. I had a Tohatsu previously & used Valvoline 2 stroke oil. No problems. Tried it on the Yammie & there were issues so changed back to Yamalube. The XD 50 or 100 I think would be OK & worth a try if you want to reduce the smoke but it's more expensive than Yamalube. Geoff

Hi David. Nice to see you back on line. The HB is a nice unit & sure you will work it out. I've just purchased the Lowrance Elite 5 Combo & it's taken several outings plus time in the back yard playing with the GPS to work out the settings & operation. Geoff

Agree. There is a lot more votes in supporting the ban than there is in opposing & is that not the name of the game ?. Geoff

There was an interview on the ABC last night & the guy , did not catch his name but appeared to be well informed on the situation. He made some interesting points , The trawler may not be allowed to opperate for 2 years but the 18,000 ton quoter remains & implied this could be used by the Tassie company on smaller boats. The Tassie company already has an 18,000 ton quoter so the total is not 18,000 but 36,000 The name change to the Able Tasman is it's 5th change since going into operation. There was then dicussion on the "by catch" & an example of 10 seals was used which posed the obvious question , what happens if the number is greater than 10. This aspect was not covered. I don't think we have seen the last of this story. Geoff

There should be a hole , approx 1mm in Dia on the side of the housing. Normal practice is to pump grease in via the nipple until grease emerges from the hole. The grease will then be at the correct level. Geoff

When heading to Parsley Bay boat ramp there is a small shopping center at the end of Brooklyn Rd , there is a pub is on the corner. A shop , a few doors back , sell Hawksbury bait but it can be a bit of hit & miss depending on what the trawlers have supplied in the previous 24 hours so it's best to take a back up supply just in case they are out of stock. Geoff

Towing is one thing , stopping is another. What ever you choose ensure it has big brakes which are invaluable if an emergency occurs. Geoff

It's not necessary to be on the water to use the Chart so you can play around with it at home provided the boat is outside so the GPS can pick up the satelites. I have the Elite 5 Combo which I understand is basically the same as the 4 but with larger screen. The Navionics XL9 Gold card was supplied & included in the price of the Elite 5 unit. The first thing to determin is what , if any, card came with your DSI 4. If not sure , go to , Chart , Menu , select Chart Data. The default is Lowrance. If the Gold card is fitted select "Navionics" On the drop down screen , Enter. If it is fitted the screen should look like this when the horizantle & vertical grid lines are moved to a coastal position or when your on the water. When at home the screen will be a light brown colour which depics land. Move the grid lines (in the manual these are refered to as the "curser") with the arrow buttons to the coast or your normal fishing spot.. If it does not look like the photo then suspect there will be more expenditure. Geoff

Carlo. The trim tab is like a small rudder & only needs adjusting if , when the motor is straight, the boat is steering to the left or right. Lean is normally caused by having the motor too low. If the cavitation plate is below the bottom of the transom then the motor needs to be repositioned higher on the transom so the cav plate is level or a few mm higher than the bottom of the transom. Geoff

Ian I've just purchased the Elite 5 Combo which is similar to the HDS but with slightly less Sonar definition. I rarely use the split screen function , it's either the GPS to get to the mark then switch to the sonar so perhaps not a need for two units , ie once your at or near the required location then change to the sonar. I was concerned with the screen size when shopping around but find the 127mm is more than adeqate. The Elite 5 comes with the Navionics XL9 Gold card. Is this the card your refering to in your post ?? If you want a larger screen then check out the GME G Series. They have a 142mm screen. Geoff

Tom I fish similar areas to you. Spent a fair amount of time at the Boat Show looking at different Combo's under $1000. It came down to 3 , Elite 5 GME 142CFD H.B. 788cXi From a technical aspect they were ,in essence , much in a muchness H.B. was the most expensive but does have the best pixel at 640 x 640. Looking at the screens I could not justify the additional $$$$. The GME had the largest screen at 142mm (5.6") compared to the others at 127mm. It was a bit more expensive than the Elite 5 but it could be argued the larger screen offset that cost. The map on the Chartplotter I thought was not as good as the Elite but it was only a minor difference & basically came down to personal preference rather than a technical aspect. The split screen is horizontal compared to the others which are vertical which some may prefer The Elite 5 had all the functions I wanted & was easy to navigate around. That's not to say the others were difficult , I was just more comfortable with the Elite. Having said all that , it then came down to price & I ended up buying the Elite 5 for $750. If your leaning toward the H.B. then suggest you consider the Elite 5 DSI . It's a similar price to the H.B. but the Elite DSI has Down Scanning which provides a much clearer picture of bottom structure. In summary , I think it's a flip of a coin between the Elite & the GME with the HB coming in third. Geoff

Fitzy , I've had the same experience so stick to the good quality brands. The other one to add to your list is Tufline See your PM's Geoff

Formosan. See your PM's Geoff

Yes , I installed them myself. Are yours the common type ,what they call "trailing springs" , ie bolt through the front eye & the rear sits in a U shape bracket. Jack the trailer up & support the actual frame with a car stand or something similar then place the jack under the axle to provide support. My U bolts & front bolt were badly rusted. Did not waste time with WD40 etc , cut them off with the angle grinder , only took a few minuits. I did get new U bolts & the front bolt / nuts. Cannot recall if I got them from the trailer guy or the caravan / trailer place on the highway at Lansvale. Either way bolts / nuts are supplied seperatly & as such are additional $$$$. Will need to get the name for the trailer guy , they are in Carlingford St , Regents Park. Geoff

I recently replaced my springs & as others have said it is bacisally the overall length & the number of leaves I purchased mine from a local trailer manufacture , they are AL-KO brand which are perhaps the most common. I think they cost $100 for the pair. As for the hubs , the bearings have a number stamped on the side. Mine are Ford & the No's are , Outer L68149 Inner , LM12749 If you take one of the outer bearings to a bearing shop like CBC or SKF they can advise if they are Holden or Ford. Geoff

I've fished both & never caught more than a few throw back baby bream & chopper Tailer however , I have heard Wallaga lake can be productive at times so it's worth a try especially around the entrance. If your only looking for enclosed waters then try the lakes on the western side of the Narooma bridge. It may be worth the 35min drive from Wallaga to Narooma. There is no bar at Bermi so , depending on your boat size & the weather heading a short distance offshore or down the coast could be considered. It' worth a visit to the servo opposite the river boat ramp (just over the bridge on the right). They have all the latest information. Geoff

I use 4.0lt wine bags , filled with 2 - 3 lt's of water , two lie flat in the bottom of the esky. In respect to , avoid washing fish in fresh water , the same applies to bait. Any new bait I purchase that needs processing prior to the outing or anything worth keeping after the outing I wash in salt water. I keep 2 X 2lt botles of saltwater which I fill when out fishing. Geoff

I give the internal of both the plug & socket a spray with Inox once or twice a year. Externally , more frequent. I've found Inox provides better protection than WD40 Geoff.

The rule states , the light is to be not less than 1 mt above the side nav lights however if the canopy or any other structure is higher than 1mt then the light needs to be higher so it can be seen "all round" Bias hav a light , cat No. 5466 which extends to 1220mm. Other large marine dealers have similar lights The other option is to mount a light on the top of the canopy. The cable runs on the inside of the tube & can either be hard wired (permenent) or via a plug / socket to the switch pannel. Here are 2 examples ,one on the canopy , the other , which is in the folded down position for storage on the rocket launcher Geoff