pmagrady

Glad to see that you got out

I sold it on Ebay.....

I have Direct TV and rain fade is a problem, as you know, here in Florida. I am also worried about that dish flapping around in the wind during a hurricane like the stop signs they show on TV during storm coverage. I'll probably take mine down if we are going to take a hit. I am going to switch to ATT when the come here. Cable was not the answer. BTW, during the infrequent rain fade times, I watch previously recorded TV. As a matter of fact, I never watch "live" TV, other than sporting events and the news. Got to love DVRs. Direct TV has lots of "on demand" content. You can connect your DVR/Dish Box to your computer with a wireless kit and expand your ability to download "on demand" endlessly.

Please pardon the following really dumb questions. I troll with some TLDs which serve my needs when I get the itch for dolphin. I don't fish tuna or marlin, so my trolling reels don't have to stand up to a tough fighting fish. I have tried a few of the small lever drag reels for grouper and other bottom dwellers. I decided that I did not like lever drags for this purpose. It seemed that when I increased the drag pressure, the reel was more difficult to turn. This was not while fighting a fish, it was when I retrieved the "empty" hook after a bait stealer cleaned my hook. Is it normal for it to be more difficult to turn the handle as the drag pressure is increased? The reel as an Accurate, BTW. Also, what's so awesome about great free spool in a reel? I'm sure it does not come into play in my fishing. That's probably because I am a lowly bottom bouncer.

OMG......Now that's a GARAGE.

Hmmmmmmm. I had more issues with XP than I have had with Vista. Ive been running Vista since it came out. I had a few problems with drivers in the beginning, but everyone is now caught up. I just loaded SP2 and my lap top is running great. I have learned that you can't neglect maintenance on these systems. I run a registry cleaner weekly. I also run Driver Detective monthly. As a "just in case" I run Carbonite to continually back up my files. If I were considering Windows 7, I'd wait a year for the drivers to catch up and the bugs to be eradicated. It, after all, is a Microsoft product. Better yet, but a Mac........

If your Bride wants to be in the Western Caribbean, that's where you will be. (I like the EC better too) I've cruised the Western Caribbean on RC. If I did it again, I'd never leave the boat in Mexico. When you go to the ruins, they bus you there. When you get on the bus thay tell you that they have a special treat in store for you. You will be stopping at a jewelry "factory". They take you to a big jewelry store and stay there for an hour. The prices are higher than they are state side. Basically this mini-kidnapping spoiled the trip to the ruins for us. Oh, if you do take this tour, bring your bathing suits. The beach at the ruins is great. The best thing about the RC ships is that they usually have small specialty restaurants. You make reservations for these and they do cost extra. It is worth the extra $$$ to be seated at your own table for two in a small restaurant for a few of your dinners. The main dining hall has large tables where you will be randomly seated with strangers. There are always a few people overwhelmed by the "all you can eat" aspect of cruising. If you enjoy watching someone eat two full dinners you will like the main dining hall. The only good thing about dining there is that coat and tie are not required. RC is informal compared to other cruise lines. Princess and Celebrity are a step up, but they are also more formal. Coat and tie at dinner. I think they also assign a "permanent" table and dinner time.

Let us know what Yamaha tells your mechanic.

I looked at the connector going into the SR100. It was clean. I guess the next thing to look at is the connector right at my antenna on the hard top. The shrink wrap looks good, but there mey be trouble inside the shrink wrap. Did not take it apart this weekend because I wanted to fish.

Our fishing club has been supporting Don Hammond's efforts to track Dolphin. He does this full time without government support. Contributions are deductible. Take a look at his site. http://dolphintagging.homestead.com/index.html

Sweet set up Oreely Do you use mono or cord for the out rigger lines?

The antenna is on the hard top and it has worked well from that location for the past two years. I will check the connections. Thanks

They are keeping me up past my bed time

Here are a few:

Thanks for the pics. They help fire me up for my upcoming week of fishing in SE Alaska

I have Sirius via Ray's E series and a Clarion Radio. The Sirius stations will come on, but they fade in and out. The other radio functions work. Anyone have this problem?

The dryer sheets work great! I used to power wash them before I tried the dryer sheets. This spring's love bug season has not been too bad.

Agreed Value Policies = A Total Loss is paid bases on the Policy Value at the time the policy is issued. If you insure a boat for $100,000, a total loss 4 years later will be covered for $100,000. Actual Cash Value Policies = A Total Loss is paid based on the value of the boat at the time of the loss. In other words, the boat value continues to depreciate over time. If you insure a boat for $100,000 originally, a total loss 4 years later will be covered for $60,000, assuming that is what the boat is worth in the market place. The insurance company will use the NADA Guide, or their own data to determine market value. Replacement = Actual Cash Value Agreed Value Policies cost more and they are usually issued after a survey, unless the boat is a newer boat.

I have had a few newbie boater owners/fishermen ask me to take them out and show them how to fish for dolphin. They discover what a fishie area looks like and how to set up a simple spread. You know, all the normal stuff. The most important thing I show them is how to drop back to catch that fish that hit and missed. Many striking fish will hit a bait and then come back to eat it while the bait fish is stunned. If your bait is hit, but keeps moving forward, the dolphin may not find it again.We keep trolling, but the fisherman on the rod that got hit will put it in frees pool after a miss. This lets the bait stop and start to drift down. As you know, you have to keep your thumb on the spool to keep it from over running. I have them pay attention to the speed of the spool. If the spool speeds up, you may have a fish. Let him have it for a few beats and then engage the drag and wind him in. The newbies love being able to catch "the one that got away".

Did you buy the Agreed Hull Value Policy (Yacht Policy, Angler’s Best ), or the Actual Cash Value Policy (Boat Saver, PWC and Angler Boat Saver)?

Did you use the MARINE SHIELD Restoration Compound?

I can verify Pursuit's service.

1. Wash the boat with dish soap, like Dawn. This will remove the old wax. 2. Remove any stains with "On/Off" or Snowbowl 3. Now you want to inspect the finish to determine if you need to compound or polish. Do that by wetting a small area. What you see is what you will get after you wax with out compounding or polishing. If it looks nice and shiny, you can just apply Colinite wax or Rejex Polish. 4. If the boat finish is slightly oxodized polish it with 3M Finesse-It II. Read the instructions. You will need a buffer to do this right. 5. If you have a deeply oxodized surface you will need to use a buffing compound and them the 3M polish. 6. After polishing, apply a protective finish, like Colinite Wax or my favorite non-wax product, Rejex Just a note about "wax". This is a protective finish and not a polish. Polishing the boat to remove "dead" gelcoat is what makes the finish shine. If you don't polish with a product like Finesse-It II first you could end up with a surface that looks kind of OK, but with patches of less reflective gelcoat.

PM Sent