toxicfish

thanks for the advice all, I can assure you I trim in all the way for aggressive turns, and the grip is still not there. It can be said that I could lower the motor by one hole, but then it will be sitting a bit low, causing drag and sinking the permatrim when on the plane.. I'm not after an increase in top speed, but rather better bite from the prop during turns, better acceleration instead of lots of slip etc, so I think I'll go with a 15pitch four blader and see what comes of it, I'll report my findings, but I do have to wait a month for payday to roll around ;-)

thanks mate, secretly I was hoping Huey would reply to my topic (aswell as those more learned than me) so that others considering a reprop would also benefit from the info... Errr, especially yammy 115 owners

G'day all, I'm after a bit of advice from the guru's out there- I'm looking to reprop my Yamaha 115HP 4Stroker (08 model)- but 1st i'll post the info that i'll be asked before advice can be recieved ;-) It's pushing a Whittley CR2080 (new name for the 550 model), it has a permatrim fitted (which rides as it should in the water, (it can be seen when on plane at full stick with trim) At present it is fitted with a 17K black yamaha stainless prop I achieve a WOT of 67kph at 6000rpm with about 50% trim; in flat conditions, trimming out further lets me hit the rev limited of 6100rpm at about 70% trim. In tight turns, the motor/prop lets go, which i wish to resolve, even trimmed all the way in. In a following sea, it does slip a bit. And, what i do with the boat - Fish, Ski, Wakeboard, SCUBA and Cruising/overnighting. So there ya have it folks, if anyone can offer some advice, that would be great as a starting point, I have been told 2 potential props: 1) Solas HR Titan 4 in a 17p (or a 15p if the Yammy cant handle a 17p 4 blader) 2) Solas New Saturn 17p Any ideas/advice greatly welcomed - i really would like to reduce prop slip at holeshot and also during hard turns (for skiing/boarding etc) Thanks in advance... Scott.

can i get that PM aswell, i'd like to modify my existing setup with something more practical... thanks in advance.

i havent been out for the whole month of september, but in august the ramp was open, the carpark was done along with the new drivethru section, are they now refurbing the actual ramp itself, and that's why it's now closed?

do they not need flushing? (must be part of the maintenance free 300hrs, or 21million female words) looked at heaps of them, broken on the ramp - that's why i got a Yammy JK

The way i see it, you have 2 options - 1) Use of a multimeter 2) The system method (one pin at a time, left to right -> Disconnect one from the old connector, then connect that to the new connector etc etc)

Are you using nauticpath charts or the navionics?

On my 115HP Yammy 4St, i find that if i don't fit the muffs "just right" water won't come thru the tell tale... The muffs i have are the rectangular "large" size, but they only pump thru from one side (single hose attachment on one side). If they are positioned just a little too far forward or rearward (even still covering the water inlet) they just wont allow the water up, if there's something better out there, let me know, i'm keen to get something better too...

depending on location, count me in, i'm in need of a license..

The lowrance unit gives you the choice of 2D or 3D viewing...

very nice mate, very nice. can i asked who you got to do the clears?

Thanks for posting this info Selous! That is very handy, and eye opening indeed. What a p!ss poor answer from Navionics. If there's a "problem" between the two, you think they would have a better stance than "oh well, thats how it is" especially after all the hype of the recent update.. I was so looking forward to using the 3D view to get a better idea of drop-offs etc, but this looks a little more than disappointing to me. I wonder what the deal is, the new update was supposed to make them compatible, but it looks more like a band-aid patch than a true compatability upgrade... very disappointing indeed. It would be interesting to know if the platinum+ range has a more ideal "resolution" for the HDS range, or if it going to be more of the same poop...

you could try checking the plugs yourself - i'm no mechanic but it's not too hard. You could use the lawnmower as practice, just like i did (it has one single plug, and the process for removal is the same). take off your cowling, locate the plugs (if in doubt, follow the leads that are thick and have a "cap" on the end, remove the cap and you will see the spark plug contact) slot your socket (preferably a spark plug socket, it has a little rubber cushion inside it, they are about $3.50 at supercheap auto and the like) and unscrew it. If it is pitted at the contact point, sludgy, or burnt out you found the problem. If you have someone you know/trust, by all means get them to check the plugs for you, but still have a crack at the lawnmower for practice, you may need to know how to one day on the water.. I agree with Billfisher though, it may be a carby adjustment issue, nothing really "wrong" just needs to be "tuned". I should've thought of that, but i'm in the world of EFI, and forgot about carbys altogether. (if you want to know how a carby works, go attack the lawn mower ;-) )

i would check the condition of your spark plugs. I dare say, if it is only 5 months old, but overdue for service, you'll probably just need to clean/replace the plugs. Can't quite explain why it worked fine on the flusher in the driveway, my only thought is that with a bit of a run before heading in for the day, your burnt off a bit of the crap that can gum up your plugs... either way, checking the plugs (remove, clean, refit) is free, so it won't cost you anything, and it'll give you something to do while your saving up the cash for a service. Re-test it in the driveway on the flusher before next launch...

My new rig is fitted with a 4stroke Yamaha 115hp, and I am happy. But - to be fair, i think i would've been happier with a 115HP E-Tec, i would like the extra torque out of the hole. We are happy with our Yammy, and the reason the rig still has it is that we could find not HUGE reason to want to go through the pain of repowering the rig prior to pickup (the rig was fitted with the Yamaha, and we would've had to wait for it to be refitted with the e-tec, and probably at some cost no doubt). In the end, we test drove the rig with the yamaha and are happy since then, but if the E-Tec provided better hole-shot (which they do in my understanding due to extra torque) then i would have been the happiest guy ever to pickup a BMT package... If i had my choice again, and i was ordering a new BMT, i would be buying an E-Tec (if the dealer knows his E-Tec's) but that's just me. I'll be honest, i don't care what anyone says, at 4500-6000rpm, the yamaha is not so quiet that you can have an easy conversation on board, so don't buy into all the hype of super-quiet running, and for those that can't hear it idle, they either have a very large rig or need hearing aids, i have never once come close to thinking the yammy was off when it was idle... I will add though, that unless its 10pm+ the yammy can be flushed in the driveway without waking the whole neighbourhood.. Sure, no-one will like it, but it just sounds like the guy across the road with the toyota corolla and a baby eating exaust fitted to it (you know the ones)

the same day i had forgotten to remove my rear tie-downs @ ATB, i did see quite a sight with 3 older guys (all well into retirement) backing a new looking lexus sedan down the ramp to launch a boat that looked as though the oldest of them had owned it since new, when he was 20, but forgot about it in the backyard.. They had trouble starting it, so they sat on the ramp starting it out of water, then let it warm up out of water for about the next 5-8mins. All was going well, they backed it into the water (finally, by now i was near deaf) removed the rear light bar from the trailer but couldn't get the boat of the trailer, it was siezed fast and hard. A few more "up the ramp, down the ramp" manouvers and adjustments still saw no success to this endeavour. They tried everything to get the boat off the trailer, including near submerging the boot of the lexus sedan. After a while, they again moved up the ramp, tied a rope to boat and another to the trailer, reversed the lot and then unhitched the trailer to float the boat (I thought this was a great idea for getting a stuck rig off the trailer myself, through the tears i was holding back) then they roped in the submerged trailer, rehitched it and one of them went to park the car. Their now floated boat had a problem though - UH OH, it wouldnt start again after stalling. There it was floating around at the end of the ramp with a rather panicked skipper. After a few more attempts she started... GREAT, disaster averted. Now, if only they had checked they could get gears. Problem is now, the throttle box had jammed and could get no forward OR reverse.... After getting very close to the ramp, and slowly drifting from right to left across the back of said ramp, but out of land-based reach, eventually the skipped found gear...too bad it was forward.... Now he was on a slow and steady course straight back to the ramp, wrestling the steering as best he could he managed to narrowly miss a boat on its trailer awaiting launch (yep, waiting for these guys to get sorted). Eventually reverse gear was found and the smoky old 2-stroke was taken away from the ramp and other boats, only to have a problem getting OUT of gear when coming alongside the jetty (you can just picture it cant you?) Eventually all 3 guys drove off happily down the hawksbury, how they faired getting the whole thing back on the trailer i have no idea, but a bit of maintenance at home could've save alot of grief on launch day IMHO...

i know i'd rather forget the rear tie-downs a few times and scratch my head a bit than drop the rig on the ramp... oucha... just out of curiosity, how do you get a dropped boat OFF the ramp?

Thanks very much for the huge wealth of info, i take your point(s). Cheers, it is appreciated. I owe you a

my first solo launch was thus far my funniest. It was about 6.15am at AppleTree Bay (chose a nice wide ramp, hehehe). All was well, got there early, let the experienced fisho's get there boats in an underway, took the boat to the parking area to pack it all nice and ready, tied my safety bow line, quick scan revealed i had the ramp to myself if i pulled my finger out, sun had broken, so i backed it in nice and easy. Cool, boat's in, climbed aboard, warmed engine, did double and triple final checks, put a little forward throttle on to hold her steady on the trailer while i disconnected winch strap and safety chain, back aboard, unhooped safety bow rope. 5 Minutes later of pushing, pulling, reversing and cursing, it dawned on my i left the rear tie-downs attached to the trailer, and thats why she was going no-where fast!

At the moment we only have the nauticpath charts that came with the unit, these are "ok" but i was thinking of upgrading to navionics, and as yet i don't have the card or maps. Thanks for the help though, i appreciate the offer.. I'm interested in the 3D view that the platinum range would offer, has anyone had any experience in comparing the standard "gold" 2D maps VS their 3D platinum cousins?

well, just a quick update as promised; The VZ was fitted with a hayman reese Heavy Duty tow kit (2100kg rating) instead of the holden OEM gear due to a bit of a stuff up with booking it in for fitment etc and my work schedule, confirmation from the lease company says this is fine, they don't require Holden gear exclusively, as long as it has been fitted by an approved fitter etc and it is a legal towing capacity for the vehicle (check). Picking the boat up from hunts marine in Blakehurst saw us tow it to the St.George boat club ramp and that was fine, then we had to pull the boat out of our water test at low tide (bit of slime on the lower end of the ramp) and this was also fine, no wheel spin etc, towed it home (past a/port, East. Dist., Harbour Tunnel, M2, M7) and all up it went really well, fine up to 100km/h (no sway induced, not that we stayed at 100km/h for a long length of time). Car pulls fine, stops fine etc. I would like to fit some stiffer springs to the vehicle, but as it is coming into winter and won't be towing long trips during that time, (mainly just down the road to the hawksbury at windsor) i'll wait for the falcon replacement vehicle before optimising the vehicle for towing. I'm happy to plod along at 80km/h if required, leaving plenty of distance, playing the defensive driver all the way to our destination. Thanks to all who posted their feedback, it has been really helpful. for interest sake the ar$e end of the wagon does dip a small bit, but not to the point that the headlights become off putting to oncoming traffic (or someone i am following) and the steering and braking remains responsive and firm. The setup did not once mis-behave on the 70km of towing we did to take it home, and handled the suburban streets fairly easily. I did notice a very slight increase to the nominal running temp of the wagon, but a quick call to Holden verified this is to be expected (why they still confirm an auto-cooler to not be necessary is beyond me) but as the vehicle is a company car, and the fleet manager doesn't want me to go fitted an external cooler for the short time I'll still have the car is good enough for me. Cheers all, cya on the water.

G'day all, We've got a Lowrance HDS-5 unit fitted on our new boat, and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the navionics "Platinum" series of maps for the Australian east coast? Is it worth upgrading from the standard "gold" maps pack to these more expensive "platinum" range? Any thoughts or input? I think the platinum maps run at a bit over the $650 mark, and I'm wondering if they are worthwhile? Thanks in advance.

Thanks all, i've decided to stick with the OEM holden gear, mainly because then there is no recourse for the lease company to have a winge about it - or my fleet manager. After we pickup the new rig on Friday, i'll post back with how it tow's, and based on that, i'll make a descision in september to take the company falcon wagon or novate a vehicle more suitable for towing.. for the record, the company VZ wagon is an auto, and holden has advised that no extra transmission cooler is needed or warranted I'll ask the fleet manager if he wants me to fit one anyway (with full disclosure on towing). Thanks all for the great advice, it is appreciated; will let you know how it goes after friday (and of course wetting the rig on the weekend)

Unfortunately the gear won't be transferable between vehicles, as I will be moving from a Commodore Wagon to a Falcon Wagon in the future, so the setup and towbar will be different models. Not necessarily a bad thing, they are a better tow vehicle, so i read on caravan forums (live rear axle, instead of IRS etc). I may look into getting a novated lease so i can pick my own tow vehicle come september, but, in the mean time, i'm stuck with the commodore, so i'll take it easy when on the tow... I live 30min from the Hawksbury on flat smooth road all the way there and back again, and they will be my main haunt, i may take it out to the oatley ramp from time to time, but i'll see how my short trips fare in the mean time before i make that jump... Thanks for the input all, i do appreciate everyone's feedback...