Geoff

The problem I've found that some cig sockets , over a period of time , either short out or have power seepage , neither are good. Personally I would not be leaving them constanly active. In respect to the wireing , the power going to the switch panel should be at least 6mm , therefor you should only need to run 6mm from the pannel to the cig socket . Geoff

Crossfire. Thanks , That's the same guy as I found. As I only want to do the drages at this time he said the 7g tub would be all I need. Ordered yesterday , should be delivered in the next few days. Geoff

Dave As a tempory measure , can you not remove the recoil assembly & rope start the motor around the fly wheel. I thought this motor had the recess on the top of the fly wheel so it could be rope started. Geoff

Checked Motackle , they have the kits for $48.00. I really only need the cleaner & lubricant so $48 is a bit expensive . I found an auction site that sell Cals grease for $10.00 delivered. I am yet to check out the local tackle store. Have you found the grease to be available at most stores or is there somewhere special I need to go. Geoff

Following on from my previous post on Spinning reel & the comments regarding the importance of a smooth drag , I decided to Google the subject to find a heap ot sites with information. This one is very detailed but unless I missed it there little info on suitable products to actually clean the drag components then to lubricate http://www.fishraider.com.au/fishing-articles/fishing-reel-drag-maintenance.php A further search found Ardent Reel Cleaning Kit but with the exception of a retailer at Tweed Heads who is asking a rediculous price $60.00 the only outlets appear to be in the US a shop US are selling for around A$19.00 + freight Has any one seen or used one of these kits , if so where ?? As an alternative to the kits , perhaps members can share their experience on the best and / or the correct products to use. Geoff

Well ,, this has bought a larger & most interesting response than I first thought. Thanks to all for taking the time & your detailed posts. I mentiond the No. of bearings in my origional post but as many have pointed out the drag system & quality is perhaps more important & needs to be kept in mind when purchasing less expensive gear. To try & summerise , we would all like to have the best gear available but cost & frequency of usage play a big part. For those on either charter boats or who chase the big fish off shore on a regular basis then the top quality gear is the best option & the $$$$ easily justified. For the occusional weekend fisho hoping to catch a few keepers for the table then the less expensive gear will most likely do the job without breaking the bank. For me , I tend to fit into the latter category of less expensive gear & other than a broken handle , which was my own stupid fault, have not had a gear failure in more than 40 years of fishing. So , at the end of the day it appears to be "horses for courses" with a degree of budget & past experience mixed in. Geoff

I was at a large tackle store earlier this week to pick up some bits & pieces & noticed a large table with an assortment of spinning reel , mainly Jarvis Walker at $29 for the medium size & $39 for the larger modles. These were all metal , 3 ball bearing with S/steel main shafts. Now I know JW may not be in the same class as Shimano or Dawia but for the average fisho , fishing enclosed waters or perhaps some close off shore it's difficult the justify spending an additional $100 - $150 for top shelf gear which , in essence , gives you a few extra ball bearings. Am I missing something hear which justifies the additional cost or is it just paying for the brand name & their advertising. Geoff

The batteries are not light , especially if you decide on two. Consider where they are placed so not to effect the boat balance. Geoff

This is certinally an option but they take up a lot of space & are exposed to the elements. Geoff

Agree , this is the easiest , least expensive & the box only consumes a small amount of space. This small container can hold up to 20 plus rigs Geoff

I may be way off the money here but keep in mind the motor is sucking in salt air & over a period of time salt deposits may appear. Why it is around the plugs the only thing I can think of is air flow around that area. As it appears not to have effected anything , I would clean it up , perhaps a spray with Inox (not WD40) & see if it reappears. Is there salt build up any where else??. It's a bit hard to see in the photo but is the plug on the right hand side salt free?? A lot of people give their motor a light wash down with fresh water from time to time then perhaps a spray with Inox so others may not have had a similar experience. Geoff

Suggest you post some photo's ,along with the boat brand & if possible the model , otherwise members will just be guessing on what is the best approach. Geoff

Check your car insurance , I think NRMA cover that aspect in their car insurance. I prefer NRMA , whilst they provide a total value , they allow you to value each component seperatly , eg , boat , trailer , motor. As the trailer is the most vunerable when parked at the ramp I have over valued the trailer with a lesser amount on the motor & boat. Geoff

The current fixing also crossed my mind. If you use 316 marine grade screws electrolysis is not an issue. Are you planning to cover the new floor with carpet or something else?. Bare aluminium can become rather unplesant on hot days , also if left in a bare state , can become slipery. Personally I would go with standard waterproof ply (not marine ply) , it's a lot easier to work with & provided you give it a good seal underneath & on the edges it wil last for many , many years Geoff

Other than possible damage like sand I think most people do it just as preventive maintance , it's like those who replace their trailer bearings annually. The chances of a pump working one minuite then not the next is extremily unliky. On mine , I keep an eye on the strength & volume of the water comming from the tell tail. If there is a good jet then I don't worry about it. Considering E Tec don't require service for the first 3 years & even then may not be necessary to service the pump then it's fair to assume other brands would have a similar pump life. The other aspect is how frequently the boat is used & how far you travel , ie , if going to Browns Mounton on regular trips & doing lots of hours it would be wise to service the pump more frequently than a boat only used occusionly for river fishing. Geoff

The swell at the ramp can be an issue & as you say there is no where to park the boat whilst collecting the trailer if by yourself. They spent a lot of money on the ramp which is a big improvement on the beach launch but they failed to provide a place to tie up or even pick up or drop off crew. The other option we use is to fish on a midday tide. If the boat is not too big it's easy to get up the creek & retreive from the ramp next to the caravan park. Assuming there is a crew member , we drop one of the guys off at the small sandy beach al the end of the break wall , he picks up the car & drives it around to the ramp. These photos was taken on a good day & than on a very bad day but shows what can happen when a big N/E blows in the afternoon. Geoff

I have the Elite 5 combo. I assume the software logic for this function is the same for both the 5 & 7. In checking the manual , which at times can leave a lot to be desired , there is info regarding trails but nothing relating to distance. I suspect the trails function is just that , ie to show where you have been which then allows you to retrace your course. The distance traveled is not really relevent hence it is not an available function. Could be wrong , will be interesting to see what others have to say. Geoff

Just looked it up , it's called , The Green Slip Calculator. http://prices.maa.nsw.gov.au/ Geoff

Like the others , I've had the same experience. There is a web site called , something like , green slip comparision. Fill in your details , hit the go button & it lists all the current rates for the companies offering green slips. The differences can be amazing. Geoff

Depending on the distance you travel , how much is at WOT V's trauling V's just moving from on location to another at low rev's etc , I question the value of a fuel flow meter. Over the years on a variety of outings my boat averages 1lt / mile. Sometimes it is up , others it is down so adding a fuel flow meter does not have a lot of advantages. As for the LBT I would not recommend drilling holes in the boat for a through the hull set up , also , there can be a problem in picking up water when on the plane. Fit a bracket available from most marine shops + a pump & run the inlet into the tank. Depending on your set up the inlet may need to come through the hull via a skin fitting. The bracket can cost around $50.00. I have a home made one you can have for free The outlet which needs to be somewhat lower may also need to go through the transom. Having done quite a few over the years , setting them up is quite easy. I would also suggest you incorperate a deck wash off the LBT pump. They are very easy to install & cost only a few $$$$ Geoff

Check out this statement , it may clarify your question. 140A Dual Battery Isolator (VSR) Allows two batteries to be charged from your engine alternator at the same time. When your engine is on and the start battery is sufficiently charged the isolator kit will begin charging the second (auxiliary) battery simultaneously. When the voltage of the start battery drops (i.e.. the engine is stopped) the isolator kit disengages from charging the auxiliary battery. This isolates the start battery and eliminates the possibility of draining it, ensuring that you always have enough charge to start your engine, and also protects sensitive electronic equipment powered from the auxiliary battery from harmful engine start-up spikes. Suitable for 12VDC Marine, 4WD, caravan and solar applications. Geoff

Calcium batteries require higher charging voltages (15v) than lead acid (14.2v). I think you will get some argument to that statement considering that 12V batteries are 12V but wil take up to 13.5V. I suspect trying to pump up to 15V will not be good for the battery. I certinally would not try it especially on a new battery. It would be interesting to know what contex the statement was made , perhaps it was a suggestion to try via a shock treatment to remove or penitrate the calcium from the plates in an old battery. Geoff

VViCKiD. A few points to consider , New batteries or normally fully or close to fully charged when purchased. The battery has an 18 month warrenty & I'm sure that if the battery is found to be faulty it will be replaced. Don't belive the status of the battery by the light. A few days ago a friend had a similar problem but in reverse, the fully charged light was on when in fact the battery was not fully charged. The only way to check is , as I mentioned before , test the battery voltage with a multimeter then the voltage of the charger prior to connecting it to the battery. Geoff

Is this what the battery looks like? There are two versions , the Standard & the Gold. The Standard is the most common. When you say , it's not fully charged , what is the voltage reading when tested on the multimeter., it should be around 13.5V. It's unlikely the motor will bring it up to that level. Have you checked the voltage rate of the battery charger? If you turn it on but not connected to the battery it should read around 13.5V Depending on the voltage leval in the battery it can take up to 12 hours to charge or , perhaps even longer if the battery is very low. Geoff

I have a similar problem on my boat from time to time. The main cause is , the lubricant , normally grease goes hard causing the tube to seize If I raise the lower the motor several times the tube twists there by freeing it up sufficently to move the steering out so the tube can be cleaned. Alternativly , remove the linkage arm & using a suitable device like vice grips try to twist the tube BUT great care is required so not to burr the tube. Once free , move the tube in & out several times , each time cleaning the tube untill all the old lubricant is removed. Relubricate with a suitable product that will not go hard & seize up the arm . Geoff