Geoff

Baz This was my understanding so was some what supprised when advised it came under the public liability section. The concern I have is , the boat / trailer is with NRMA & the car with Alliance . I have just checked with Alliance & they advise the car insurance also covers the trailer if I'm at fault. So , looks like all is OK Geoff

I have received the following advice from Shoalhaven Council, "The project is behind schedule but hoping for it to be finished before Christmas." Geoff

Dusky It's possible different insurance companies may have different policies or conditions regarding at fault situations so suggest a call to GIO to clarify. Also , I seem to recall GIO do not have agreed value only market value which exposes the policy holder to an accesors value on the day. This amount may be way less than what the owner belives the boat , trailer , motor value to be. Digressing for a moment to theft , the most likely or common situation is the trailer when at the ramp car park followed by the complete rig when at home. The chances of the motor alone being taken is remote. As such I have valued the trailer well above replacement value , followed by the boat then the lowest risk item , the motor Geoff

I'm in the process of renewing my boat insurance with the NRMA. Mine is an agreed value policy with the 3 main components , boat , motor & trailer each having there own nominated value. The first thing I noticed was the total insured value was $4k below current market value so that needed adjustment spread over the 3 components. The premium increased but by increasing the excess from $200 to $500 the premium is now less than last year . The thing that I've never been sure of is , insurance coverage if I have an accident with the trailer, Eg if changing lanes I side swipe another vehicle with the trailer ( I'm at fault). Is it covered by the car insurance or boat insurance. NRMA advise it is not like comprehensive motor vehicle insurance but covered by the $10 million public liability insurance which is a standard part of the policy. This seemed a bit strange to me & was wondering what experience other Raiders may have had if involved with an accident with the trailer where you were at fault and / or what coverage you understand covers this situation Geoff

Another is to use the outboard to provide extra push. When the boat is on the trailer & there is a traction problem with the vehicle , use the outboard to give the vehicle assistance, normally it does not need a lot of reves to help the car along. However , a word of caution. Ensure the winch post can handle the pressure otherwise it could end in tears. Geoff

Mike The ramp was supposed to be finished late October. I E Mailed Shoalhaven Concil a few days ago requesting an up date. Still waiting for a reply. Perhaps you can take a few photo's during your visit & post when you return Geoff

I think the birds you are reffering to are commonly known as Mutton birds. Tip a bit of tuna oil onto the water. The hate it & won't swim through it or go anywhere near the oil film. The other option is to throw a few scraps of bait on the opposite side of your bait to distract them when throwing your your line in. Geoff

Musty There are a lot to choose from in your price range. Lowrance , 2 Humminbird , 5 Garmin ,4 I think from a performance aspect most are much in a muchness , however some have more featuers than others. I currently have a base model B & W Humminbird & very happy with the performance For a canoe this one is worth considering as it come complete with mounting bracket & transducer. http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-1573-humminbird-fishin-buddy-110x-portable.aspx These are also worth looking at , lots of featuers , easy to use at reasonable prices. http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-1575-humminbird-matrix-12x.aspx http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-1567-humminbird-pirahnamax-150x.aspx Geoff

Fezza .I found another photo of the light fitted to the canopy The cabling for the light in the above photo , which is on a friends boat, runs inside the tube. I installed a light onto my RL using the same method. In respect to the wireing , the cable on mine runs inside the tube & comes out near the base of the RL & into a plug. This fits into a socket on the gunnal. It can be direct wired through the bottom of RL leg. I opted for the plug / socket in case I wanted to remove the RL. http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-412-plug-socket.aspx The cable was, Cat No: 583 Electrical Wire. 4mm Twin Core. 4mm Twin Core. 15 Amp. White Cover, Red & Black Inners $2.60 / mt Geoff

Yes , provided it is above the canopy & is visible 360 degrees. Check with Craig at Huett Marine , he has poles / lights the extend up to 1.5 mt's. That should be sufficient to clear your canopy. The alternative is to mount a light on top of the canopy. This photo shows such a set up. There are a few tricks to installing a light in this position . Can provide further info if your want to take this option Geoff

As far as I am aware there is no way to tell if they Ford or Holden from just looking at the rims . Having said that , I think Brooker use Holden. The only sure way is to remove one of the outer bearings , take a note of the bearing No. stamped on the side & contact on of the bearing companies like CBC for information & / or a new set of bearings. If you know the approx age of the trailer contact Brooker , they may be able to advise enquiries@brookermarine.com.au Geoff

Obtaining a trailer at short notice can be difficult. The easiest & fastest way to get the boat home is to call a tow truck , one with the tilt tray. They can winch the boat onto the the tray then drop it off at your selected location. If the trailer / boat is insured then the transport cost may be covered by the insurance. Geoff

If your launching at Little Beoch (Shoal Bay) read the council signs in the staging area regarding launch & retreival. A lot of PS inc part of Little Beach + off shore is a sanctuary zoned. http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/pdf/psglmp-zoning-plan-hi-res.pdf Maps should be available from the tackle stores Geoff

[ There can be quite a few variables , anchored or drifting , tidal flow , wind (if drifting) , depth & to some extent , line thickness. I try to fish as light as possible & as such , i've found over the years it's a matter of trial & error on the day combined with experience over the years. Start with what you think is an appropiate size sinker & then adjust up or down to suit the conditions. If there is one rule , when fishing on the drift for flathead or reef fish it is better to be slightly over weight to ensure your line is on the botton Geoff

Maritime have been having all sorts of problems with their new computor system. In essence , the software was not ready when some bright spark decided to go live a few months ago. If unable to renew on line , give Maritime a call & they will sort out your situation Geoff

Check with the larger marine dealers , they are normally available off the shelf. This particular one is not suitable for use on the water but inc here just to provide a price guide . 30hp , $24.90. http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-2223-ocean-south-outboard-cowling-covers.aspx From memory , the only difference between this unit & one suitable for use on the water is a cut out at the rear over the air intake A pair of sissors or knife could fix that. Geoff

Dicko Agree , the hand book provides the information but as you have discovered , it is scattered over several pages & some what confusing Perhaps this will clarify , Stern lights. Only applicable to boats with "plain" sterns. ie , nothing obstructing the light. If you have an outboard , this light is not permitted. If you do have a stern light then you will need a mast light to cover the remaining 180 degrees. Note I understand , that if an anchor light is fitted to the gunnal , near the transom (which is rather common on a lot of boats under 5 mt)but does not provide 360 degree due to say , the screen or canopy , simply fitting another light up front to provide 360 degree is not permitted. Maritime claim , that when approaching the boat from an angle where both lights can be seen , it can be confusing Red / green nav lights . These are reasonably straight forward Anchor light. It needs to be , Not less than 1 mt above the Nav lights Be at a height so it is visible 360 degrees Be visable for 2 NM The drawings on the LHS of page 40 show the set up for power boats under 12mt Geoff

Musty , your correct , there is the saying , "if they want it , they will take it" If they want it bad enough they can risk a a bit of noise , hopeing they will be hooked up & gone before any one appears. It's proberly fair to say that having a much security as possible may be sufficient deterant & they may move on to another boat. I think GPS is a good option & a brief surf around the web has several unit a quite reasonable prices. In essence they only operate when activated remoatly It would also be interesting to see a survey done by police of boats / PWC stollen over the past 2 - 3 years with the following info. Location (suburb) Was the unit at home or somewhere else Approx time taken Where was the unit parked , in a yard / driveway or on the street What security was affixed at the time , eg locks , wheel clamps etc. Perhaps there is a pattern which could assist with a security focus point Geoff

Donna The topic heading advises it has been "Moved". Pls advise to where. I thought it being a boating topic it was in the correct location Oz-brett I use a wire rope "lifting sling" of about 12MM thick that I managed to score from work, one end secured to a fence post that is cemented in the other end Padlocked to the trailer with a good brand/quality padlock + I have a hitch lock device on the front & a wheel clamp on the other side. The Boat is fully covered. Underneath the cover is a remote controlled motion detector alarm with piezo siren that wakes the neighbors when I forget to disarm when heading off for the early fish. Not perfect but would have to slow them down a lot. This was my thinking & I think you have about a near perfect system Wire rope is very difficult to cut with bolt cutters + the wheel clamp. Being covered is important so if they are "caseing " your boat they cannot see inside , in particular the motion sensor. Would be interested to hear your comments on trailer security when leaving it at the ramp Geoff

It sounds like fuel. You will need to check the system for air leaks (sucking air) or blockages. The easiest way to do this is s to run a hose direct from the tank to the motor , ie by passing the existing system. If the motor runs OK then the problem is somewhere between the tank & motor. If the problem persists then the next place worth checking is the fuel pump. On 2 strokes they use a diaphram system ( not sure about 4S) & over a period of time the diaphram can crack allowing fuel to be pumped directly into the cylinder which floods causing a miss. If there is a filter just before the pump check that it is clean Geoff

I'm sure many will find the new section on crime stoppers of interest. http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showannouncement=29&f=86 Perhaps someone has seen one of the boats in the photo gallery. I think that expanding this section to include security for both boat & trailer would be advantageous. Also , a list of reccomonded security measurers from police would be interesting to see. Prevention is far better than wakeing up one morning to find your boat gone or , when returning to the ramp , finding your trailer gone. There are many products available from the various marine outlets , some are more secure than others & I suspect a good set of bolt cutters would get past most locking devices . What I would like to see is perhaps the home made invention , thoughts on using SS wire rope rather than chain , padlocks which are impossible to cut with bolt cutters or electronic devices like motion sensors or GPS tracking. Looking forward to Raiders sharing their experiences & thoughts

Have just changed mine after 6.5 years. Was still working OK but not holding charge too well. It needed regular charging & was concerned it may die in the near future so decided it was time for a new one. Geoff

That is the current hold up. Aparently the hip doctors are reluctant to move forward until the chest aspect is resolved. Geoff

I visited him on Monday. He was to be discharged late Monday or Tuesday. The hip replacement is still to be done Geoff

As Rick mentioned , His car comes out first then the boat is lowered on hydraulics. We watched them load the boat & car. They had it down to a fine art & all occured with a minium of fuss Geoff