Geoff

With the overseas I decided to visit friends in Perth. Caught the Indian Pacific on Saturday , arrived Tuesday . The trip included tours of Adelaide & Kalgoorlie whilst the train was being serviced. There were other stops one being at Cook in the middle of the Nullarbor. The sign reads , Population , 5 people , 2 dogs , 3 cats & 2 million flies Went crabbing in the Swan River on Thursday. Laid 10 traps then back to the first checking if any takers. We did the circuit about 5 times pulling in around 30 crabs of which most were undersize but did manage a good feed. Friday headed off shore. Managed 2 keeper Whiting , moved to the weed bed for squid but no luck. Anchored up & with the burley running soon had the fish about . With the exception of 2 good size garfish the rest were throw backs. All in all , a great time Geoff

The boat belongs to Humesy (Andrew). The bucket in the photo looks like the unit but check with Andrew , I think he purchased it from Whitworths. The bait board is a brand called Baitmate. This particular unit includes a live bait tank & a drawer When installed , we included a deck wash outlet Geoff

Do I understand the pump is inside the tank ?? Have you removed the pump from the base to check the impeller is not slipping on the shaft ?? If you remove the hose from the pump then turn on the pump is it pumping water , if so that would suggest there is a blockage in the hose Geoff

Puregeek You have a bit of a space problem with the ladder on on side & accessories on the other but perhaps this may be of assistance. It pivots on a pin so when traveling it swings up & the bottom skims across the water Geoff

Jewgaffer with a prise catch , or perhaps I should say a prise cap. Geoff

I dought this has very little to do with protecting the environment it's simply a name given to a new tax to help balance the budget. They could have increased GST , personal or company tax & achieve the same result but chose to create a new tax & call it a Carbon Tax. By doing this , they get the money & keep the Green's happy , two birds with one stone , so to speak. Forget the name & all the surrounding hype , look at the $$$$ , that's what it's all about. Geoff

Terry As Mc Fishn says , the position is not important , it's the outlet size. Also , the position from the top of the tank is another key aspect. Too often they are installed high in the tank & as such overflow around the lid occurs Geoff

Trung Well done , I think that makes a perfect score card & your all set to go. Geoff

Trung The work you have done is very impressive. Having the boat set up to your requirements makes evey outing more enjoyable. In looking at the photo's , two items you may want to consider, The "wing" type hydrofoils have been known to tip boats on their side which can be rather scary. Replacing this with a Permatrim or SE 200 foil could be worth considering. The other item , the anchor light needs to be not less than 1 mt above the navagation lights to comply with current regulations. Other than that , it looks great Geoff

It's possible. To check , remove the fuel pump , dismantle & hold the diaphram up to the light (sun). If faulty , you will see light through the diaphram. Geoff

Has the problem just started to occur & become progressivly worse or been a problem for some time. Are both plugs the same or is the bottom one wetter than the top?? If that's the case then it could be the fuel pump diafram is cracked or has a hole allowing fuel to be sucked into the cylinder. If the diafram then what your seeing is the engine flooding not excess oil. They are not expensive & easy to replace. Geoff

Mushtaka Firstly , if your not already aware , Currarong is part of the JB Marine Park. http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/jbmp-map-01.html Beach fishing is generally not too flash. The only decent spot was Hammerhead reef about half way up the bay but this is now Santuary zone. Live bait . Plutus Reef a few hundred mt's west of the creek entrance is worth a try. Enlarge map 3 on the above web site for it's actual location. It would want to be a good day to take a yack outside. Watch the bommie off Whale point. The best LBG is Beecroft but it's a bit of a walk & the last few hundred mt's decending to the rock shelf is not a place for kids. There is a large rock platform at Honeysuckle Point which is just around from Whale point but if the weather is OK it may be easier to fish from the Yack Also , see your PM's Geoff

The quality of the rope is a key aspect , the other , when the rope is new get the kinks out , ie remove it's memory. Two ways to do this , anchor up , let all the rope out & allow it to stretch. if the current or wind is light you can start the motor & at idle , place it into reverse to apply additional strain. The other is , in a good stretch of open water , preferable outside with no other boats around feed the rope out the back (without the anchor) as you are traveling along & tow it for a few k's. Geoff

There is a good range of taps in the gardening section of the large hardware stores. They are in the garden watering area & are suitable for use in salt water Geoff

Puregeek The 4.6 (4.9) Webster are available in the $23 - 25k price range & cover your requirments. It's hard to beat a shark cat in rough weather , also the available fishing space is a lot more than standard mono hulls of a similar length Only consider boats made after mid 2003 as they include the rear sponson extensions. Geoff

Is this what you are looking for?? Unfortunatly the photo is not very clear. Also , from what I can see in the cateloge , the tool is not sold seperatly http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-1204-press-stud-kit-10-studs-tool.aspx Geoff

Sna-per This is very impressive & as beejay mentioned , a job well done. Could you share some of the technical aspecs with us like cost , what lighting you used , supplier , wireing etc , ie is it all one one switch or different switches. I'm sure there are other Raiders would like to do something similar. Geoff

As others have said , it's the oil , not the petrol. Am I correct in saying your using pre mix , ie , adding oil to the fuel , if so the mix should be 50:1 (100ml of oil to 5 lt fuel) Suggest you confirm this mix with Craig (Huey)& consider using either XD50 or XD100 Geoff

Morgs I have a 250DX. Mine works OK except between 5 - 12 knots I get a faulse fish reading , ie , fish are showing on the screen but as soon as I stop they dissapear from the screen. I suspect this is being caused by either air bubbles or turbulance around the tranducer. I had a look at the Hummingbird web site which I found rather useless , the 250 is not even listed. As others have said , it is most likely the position of the tranducer. This could be either the depth or angle or a combination of both. I checked the user manual which confirmed this but also they mention to check the depth range. It is best this be set on Auto , not manual. The sensitivy is also worth checking. Attached are some photo's that may be of interest. The bottom of the transducer mounted approx 20mm below the bottom of the boat & is leval. I think tilting it forward a few degrees may be a better position Geoff

Tks for the replies & Pongrass for the tip. It was a great day & looking forward to the next outing in the near future. Geoff

A mate & I fished Bate Bay yesterday. The initial plan was to chase Snapper but even with a burley trail & a combination of floating baits & bottom bashing , they did not want to play. Other than a slimy , which we kept for bait , a sweep , the remainder were Maori Wrasse , all of which went back. Decided to try drifting for Flatties. A bit slow to begin but progressively picked up until we had a feed. They remained on the bite with most being 40cm plus. They lived to fight another day. Geoff

For various reasons , mainly health , I have not had the boat or a line in the water for 11 months. The weather is looking good so a mate & I will be going out to see if the fish are cooperative. Even if they are not , still looking forward to a day on the water & to give the boat a long over due run. Geoff

Having some tyres fitted to the car last week & the guy mentioned that tyres are stamped with the year of manufacture & shelf life of around 5 years. On cars etc this is nornally not a problem as it is likely the tread will wear out before 5 years. When fitting new tyres just check the year stamped on the side is the same for all tyres & it is the current year. Tyre age for boat / box trailers etc are a different story. For my boat the tyres are now 8 years old & are less than half worn. I am not aware of any specific law relating to tyre age , ie , one where we can be fined. Personally . I'm not about to go rushing out & fit new tyres however I will be keeping a close eye on them to check for cracking as this is a sign they are past their use by date. I don't need a blow out on the freeway. This web site provides more detailed information http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/passenger/care/age.aspx Geoff

There is one point I forgot to include , having a pump inside the tank will make it easier to empty at the end of the day. Geoff

Brettmann From your comments , I assume the tank will be siting on the floor. If so , you will need a pump outside the boat & a hose running over the transom to the tank + electrics. There will need a pump inside the tank with a hose running over the transom + Electrics. The tank will require 3 holes , 2 for the hoses & one for the electrics. As previously mentioned these pumps should be wired with seperate switches. I suggest it will be rather messy & more expensive than drilling 2 holes in the transom. The inlet , outlet hose & electrics are fitted well above the water line. Using the correct skin fitting & sealant the chance of leaks is zero. http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-960-acetal-skin-fittings.aspx Geoff