rickf

If you are running 400 rpm then the prop is fine. I do question 9 adults on a boat that size. What number of adults does the rating plate say? You shouldn't be trying to go flat out in rough water. That is just inexperienced operation. Three to four foot waves in a 23 foot boat is pushing the limits of safety under the best of conditions and you were very overloaded, even if all 8 women were 100 lb. beauties! You are very lucky to not have swamped or capsized. I agree on the safe boaters coarse, Peoples lives are in your hands. Rick

That sounds right. There are no PCV valves, just the two breather hoses going from the valve cover to the spark arrestor. The hoses attach to metal tubes that are held to the arrestor by the nuts on top usually. Rick

It would also cause a dangerous situation when you are alone on the boat coming into the dock and you have to step away to grab a pole or line. Motor shuts off and you have no steering or reverse to stop the boat. Also, I am a river boater and a lot of the docks I tie up to have a substantial current to deal with. sometimes upwards of 15 knots! You don't want to shut off there that is for shore! Rick

I am not real familiar with the 4 strokes but the main thing you need to watch is weight. As was mentioned if you add more to the rear you should move weight forward. I think the 4 strokes are heavier than the two stroke so you would have to go by weight and not hp rating. When that rating was applied there were no 4 stroke outboards. Rick

Now we know where all of the oil mysteriously disappeared to! The fish ate it. Rick

Thudpucker, I know exactly what you are talking about but now that I think about it I have not seen one of those for years. You might try Radio shack or do a Google search for small red led clock. Sounds funny but it may turn up something. If I get time this evening I will try it. Hell, Why do you need a clock? Sun goes down it is time to fish, sun comes up it is time to go home. Rick

"Pulled his keg up on the beach" Nuff said. Rick

You don't want to be forcing the valve while the boat is in the water. It could break off and then your can of worms would float away as the boat went down!!!! You could try tapping lightly on it in each direction and see if you can get any movement. If you do then just work it back and forth a little at a time. Do not use a lot of force.

Is it my imagination or were both of those motors the same rotation? Rick

That stuff should really be in with your safety gear no matter what. Like was said, you never know.................... Rick

I would bet the outcome would be a little different if were Mr. Average Joe.

I went snowmobiling on my bachelor party, I was by myself on the sled. I also did not put it on you tube. Perhaps you were sober and your friends were not very drunk. That was not the description you gave about your friends. Maybe nobody was going to get ejected, then again, the guy with the camera damn near fell because he was not hanging on. In 22 years as a first aider I pulled 26 bodies out of the water. 2/3's of those were boating related. One of them was a friends girlfriend and he was paralyzed because of two different people being stupid. He decided to blast down a creek at night doing 75 MPH and never saw the other idiot anchored in the channel with no lights. He went in one side of the cabin cruiser and out the other killing both people on the cruiser and his girlfriend in his boat. I am glad you all got back safe and I am happy for you getting married. You want to have fun, great. Keep the video to look at with your buddies. Don't put it on the internet for all the see and not expect some flack.

What size and pitch prop are you running?

At first I thought you were talking about the story of the guy who ran over a couple of people and was cleared of any charges. It would have fit that thread. But in this case, while the crew may have been boneheads (friendly but loveable though), the captain made a point of stating he was completely sober. He didn't do anything most of us haven't done while heading offshore fishing. Running a boat at speed in snotty weather isn't always being a foolhardy and wreckless skipper. It might be, but in most cases it's sane and deliberate. I at least didn't see anything wrong with the post. It was his bachelor party, and he was having a good time. More power and more speed to him. Or did I miss your point? Well yes you did sort of miss my point. Did you see anyone at the controls? He even said it was on autopilot. Would you go out with a bunch of drunks in those conditions on autopilot and not even be sitting at the helm? Rick