Geoff

Gary Whilst the nav lights should be wired / switched seperatly it is quite common for the dash lights , eg , tacho , speedo , compass etc to be wired into the ignition switch so if you want to keep it that way & planning to rewire the nav lights then check that the dash lights remain on the ignition circuit. Geoff

LH Killrust is a good product but like all paints is only as good as the preperation & undercoats. After removing as much rust as possible I suspect the surface will need to be treated with a rust converter then a primer , then top coat. If not sure of the process from the directions on the can then Google Killrust. There should be a lot of info on the web. In respect to my comment about Killrust , it is in direct relation to incompatability between KR & Penetrol. From what I understand overcoating Penetrol oil with any product that is not 100% turps base can effect the life of the protection. If applied correctly I'm sure you will be happy with the result from Killrust. Geoff

Reference my post , http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=61028 Following lots of research into products suitable for rust control & repair on boat trailers I thought a summary may be of interest. I ended up using Penetrol painted with Penetrol Aluminium (silver). More about that below. There are 6 products most commonly used that fall into 3 catagories, Re galvanising , painting , penetrating oils Re Galvanising. This is by far the best as it gets inside the frame but requires a complete strip down of the trailer. Painting. The two products I looked at were Galmet & POR 15. I'm sure both are good products & do what the manufactures claim but it's a 3 course application , Rust Converter , Primer & Paint. They tend not to have good penetrating qualities so a strip down including U bolts etc should be done. Penetrating Oil. I wanted a product that would migrate into areas beyond the brush , eg , behind U bolts. Three products were considered , Fishoil , Penetrol & Tectyl 506. The guy from the Fishoil manufacture advised that whilst FO is a great product for controlling rust it is not suitable for boat trailers regulary dipped into water so scratch that one. Tectyl , Does the job but dries with an amber tinge. OK if it's to be overpainted but if just being sprayed onto Gal may look a bit strange. Penetrol. Dries clear & when overpainted with a pure turps based product (Killrust has solvents) should provide many years of protection. The only down side I could find was it is not UV stable & areas just with Penetrol oil & not overpainted may need a fresh coat every 6 - 12 months for trailers stored outside. I finished the job today. Time will tell the degree of sucess Hope this is of interest to Raiders looking at doing some rust maintance on their trailer. Geoff

The lights should be wired seperatly, not via the ignition switch. Leaving the switch on could cause damage to the motor electrics. Normally the Nav lights & anchor light are on seperate switches. Geoff

If you have an accident & someone is injured compensation claims can be over $100,000. Is it worth the risk for a few extra knots Geoff

The motor is too low & should be raised so it is at least leval with the bottom of the hull. Having the trim too far in , which appears , from the pic's, to be the case will push the nose down. As a starting point , if you hold a straight edge along the bottom of the boat the cavitation plate should be parallel to the bottom. In respect to the motor size , if the boat is rated at 40hp then that is the maxium you can fit without efecting your insurance or liability if an accident occurs. Weight does not come into the equation. Geoff

BFB Tks for clarifing the difference between the two props. Whaler. For a mono hull boat your correct about the height but as I mentioned earlier , Disregard that on mine the cav plate is 50mm lower than the bottom of the boat. This is necessary so the prop is in "clean" water when coming through the tunnel of a twin hull boat. It does create additional drag which effects performance but this is the trade off with only requiring one motor on a twin hull boat. Geoff

I think there the same but just to check , the model No. on mine is a 70BETO. Interesting about the prop ,they look the same with the same distance from the tip to the cavitation plate but mine is stamped , 13 1/2 X 15K Geoff

I've done a fair bit of homework this morning , mainly via the phone & Pentrol is currently out in front as the preffered product. Could you advise , How long ago did you apply the Penetrol Did you paint all the Penetrol with Galmet or just some. I'm hearing that Penetol is not the best when exposed to UV. Any experience or comment with this aspect. Geoff

As close as possible to the pump & well above the water line , preferably on the drivers side so you see when it stops pumping Geoff

Alfa-Rosa Yours is a 15" prop. Mine also measurers 20mm from the tip to the cav plate. The height looks OK but to check , trim the motor out so the cav plate is horizontal to the bottom of the boat as shown here. Disregard that on mine the cav plate is 50mm lower than the bottom of the boat. This is necessary so the prop is in "clean" water when coming through the tunnel of a twin hull boat. Of the 3 options , trim , height & prop I'm now leaning towards trim. When on the plane how many bars are showing on the trim gauge, Whilst mine is a different boat the trim gauge reads 2 bars when the cav plate is leval with the bottom of the boat. When on the plane 4-5 bars is is best position. Any thing more , even with a Permatrim & cavitation begins to occur. Geoff Geoff

I'll add two more products to my origional post & would appreiciate any feedback when used on Gal trailers. I used fishoil on cars many years ago , back in the days when doors , guards used to rust. It was a very good protector however I found that on occusions , if the oil became wet then it would peel off which is not too good on a boat trailer. Perhaps I can paint over F.O. I would like to use a silver colour , eg Killrust or Galmet. The other product is Penetrol. I've not had any experience with this product but a search around the web suggests it may be a good option. Geoff

I'm in the process of doing that today , so far it's all good & solid. Lying under trailers is not my idea of fun but it needs to be done Geoff

Trim is one aspect , height of the motor is another. The cavitation plate should be leval with or perhaps a few mm below the bottom of the boat. I have a 70 Yammie & when the boat was delivered it was supplied with a 13" prop that cavitated when turning. The dealer replaced it with a 15" prop & problem basically fixed. Later I did add a Permatrim & now 100% OK Does your prop look like this or is it the one with the rounded ends rather than the "pointey" end Geoff

Deek I had a look at their web site then rang them to see what they recommend. Just need one product , Rust Conqueror. This can be overcoated with silver enamel if required. Have you used the product , if so how is it performing? Geoff

I need to do some maintaince on the trailer to protect the areas where the gal is flaking off due to underlying rust. In checking the forums , there appears to be two preferences , Galmet & PRO 15 I've spoken with both companies. After cleaning & removing as much as the rust as possible Galmet recommend 3 products , cleaner , primer then Galmet paint. PRO 15 is similar but also suggest a top coat making it 4 products. The cost , Galmet $85 for the 3 products , PRO 15 is $160 for the 4 As for application , the impression I got was , PRO 15 was more difficult to use. I'm leaning towards Galmet at present & would be interested to hear comments . in particular from an application aspect on both products & perhaps how they have performed since application Geoff

Stav. Not sure what you mean by glass rot. If your reffering to the rotting of the internal timber frame , yes it can be a problem especially around the bung holes if they have not been correctly sealed. The inlet hose for the tank is well above the water line. The outlet should also be above the water line. The skin fittings have a large internal & external coller & this , combined with the corrent sealant like Sikaflex , will prevent any water entering the internals of the transom. Geoff

When you say "sways" do you mean it is swinging from left to right? Firstly , the type of anchor , rope etc have nothing to with the problem. What your experiencing is not uncommon , it depends where your anchored & the tide / wind at the time. I suspect the hard top , clears all around are acting like a sail & if you anchored in a spot where the tide is , say , running out & the wind is from the opposite direction the boat will want to lay with the bow into the tide but the wind is pushing the boat in the opposite direction . It depends which is the stronger , tide or wind at any particular moment hence the boat swings from left to right. Perhaps if you find a quiet spot , no wind , but good tide flow , anchor up. There should be little or no movent. Geoff

Post or PM a photo to brickman (Gary) at Serious Stainless. He could give you a price , it may be well worth the 30min trip to Silverwater. Geoff

Stav. Here is a few you might like to consider , Deck Wash. For a few extra $$$ a deck wash can be fitted into the inlet hose. The plumbing has since been modified so the hose is not on the floor. The hose can also be fitted to the bait board. The LBT can double up for other baits. On mine I can have livies in the tank & still use the bait buckets. Geoff

Gary Your correct ,it was the only photo I had , just of the bracket. The bracket in this photo is the correct position to avoid damage. Geoff

How reliable was the source . An official announcement or a comment from someone. If correct , they may be able to identify tackle / bait stores who sell frozen , fresh & live bait but other places also sell product that can be used as bait. EG I buy most of my bait from a large fish store at Bankstown. This includes school prawns , yakka , slimies etc. As far as the store is concerned I'm purchasing product to eat so unlikely they will be efected. Geoff

Gary No problem , always glad to assist fellow Raiders , especially if it can save a few $$$$ In respect to the bracket , have you considered making a batch of the pump bracket? Marine dealers charge up to $50 which for what you get is very expensive. These are in stainless but considering there is next to no load 1.5 or 2.0mm aluminium would do the job. The pick up pipe which only comes into effect when on the plane could be straight , say 25mm long with the front chamfered so it acts like a scoop. I'm going to make one up to confirm it works but would be interested in your thoughts. Regards Geoff

Brett 100% spot on. The number of people trying to retreive a boat with the trailer to high or to low in the water never ceases to amaise me. Your comment about allinging the boat is one that a lot have yet to learn. Getting the boat straight especially in a cross wind and or tide flow can be rather difficult. A lot tend to reverse then give it another run all of which takes time. Once the nose is in the correct position , using the motor is the way to go. Geoff

Definitely need more info. Can you post some pic's of the rear of the boat. $770 is ridiculous , even half that is expensive. What did the quote include , tank , plumbing components , electrics etc ??? Where are you located ?? Geoff