petrel

I start with a fresh water rinse, followed by a silicone squeege, then finish with optics cleaner made by Zeiss along with a microfiber cloth. If I have waterspots, allowing the Zeiss spray to soak a bit tends to loosen them up.

During two different inspections, the USCG strongly recommended that my epirb be mounted where it could float free in the event of a sinking. This struck me as odd, considering that mine is a manual release! I'd prefer to keep mine in and tethered to my ditch bag, but instead, I bought a plb for the ditch bag, and will be mounting the epirb on the railing behind the helm chair.

Thanks for the update. Did anyone find out how far North this journey will reach?

Same here. Have the round rod holder mount. Stores nicely in a very tight canvas sack. We only use ours at the dock, so it stays in the dockbox. I would think it would be awfully noisy, rattling around in storage somewhere. It gets very hot, very quickly which is great for steaks, but if there is a little wind, it is difficult to keep burning consistently low enough for chicken. Just like the previous posters, I would go for the bigger model with more adjacent work area next time.

Any news?

OK, thanks. Is there more information about this being posted elsewhere?

I think I missed something...Is Jay going to bring the RS34 up the east coast of the US, or just the east coast of FL?

Thanks for the response. The only references I've gotten so far have been commercial ones, but that is still a good indicator of their quality. They also produce a line of products for outboards. That I what I am attempting to learn more about.

Anyone had any experience with this product/company or heard anything about them?

When I had a boat surveyed prior to purchase, all of the surveyors advertised that they had a device that could determine if there was water in the hull. If there is anything to that, maybe you could consult a surveyor before you start cutting holes in your whaler. I am sorry to hear that happened to your old Whaler. I hope that the impact was minimal. I've got a '71 21' Outrage that we regard as a member of the family! She is all original finish (not perfect) and trim, but on her second bow railing, third engine, third trailer, and fourth full set of electronics.

Mine are located in the console, which was on my prerequisite list when purchasing a boat. They are in a separate compartment from the head, and there are vents on either side. They are not boxed, just strapped down on battery trays with rubber terminal protectors. The cables look to be 1/0 or 2/0 - nearly as big around as a 30 amp shore power cord.

I have been very satisfied with St. Croix rods. Their good lines are made in the US, they stand behind them if you have any problems, and they are nicely finished. I am half way through upgrading all of my spinning rods to St. Croix and have added four of their casting rods as well.

I've never owned a boat that did not need a little touch up at the manufacturer's expense. I have always been pleased that the mfgs were willing to step up and cover all of the costs. People who work with fiberglass have forgotten more about it than I would ever know, so I would always take the advice of a pro or two and proceed with repairs as recommended. I have been fortunate, that I have never had a boat turn out less than perfect after the repairs, but I have always purchased used boats. If faced with that situation, and there was no way to return the boat to new condition, I would be inclined to ask the mfg to exchange the boat for another.

My F250s used to run great on the muffs. After the water pumps were replaced they will no longer run on the muffs, but work great in the water? I'm liking the stock tank idea mentioned earlier (much earlier) in this thread. Besides keeping the water above the cav plate and catching the pee water, are there any issues with running the engines in "recirculated" water? It would sure save the water from my well.

Were: Bahama, Yellowfin, RockSalt, Intrepid, or Edgewater represented at the show? If they were, would you tell me on what pages they appear?

Did the works today. Finished up the cylinder installation, purged the old hydraulic fluid out, installed the new smartstick, and a new helm seal. Filled the system with new hydraulic fluid and purged the air from the system and everything seemed to work great until.....I tried to trim my motors up and the cylinders hit the transom! Fortunately, I was standing at the transom while my son trimmed the motors up, and I noticed it before any damage could be done. AND while I was studying on that issue, my son discovered that the new smartstick had been bent and galled by the tie bar yoke bolt! Just an e-mail to Teleflex. Sure am sick and tired of this project!

On my traditional tilt helm, I could not remove the seal access plate without removing the helm pump from the mounting plate. I freed the helm from the mounting plate and pulled it down to an access hole to change the seal, what a pain!

On a tilt helm will the shaft seal come out of the front of the housing after the tilt mechanism is removed, or does the helm have to be uninstalled to get at the seal?! Thanks for your guidance.

Guns. dog won't last. will probably be too broke to use the boat.

My Raymarine rudder reference bought the farm, so I decided to replace it with a Teleflex Smartstick. E-mailed teleflex , before ordering the smartstick, to confirm that it would work with my setup and gave them all of the partnumbers. When I attempted to install and test the smartstick, the steering cylinder galled the smartstick, ruining the finish and bending the brackets. Sent photos to Teleflex and they informed me that my cylinders and setup were incompatible with the smart stick! However, they would be happy to exchange my entire setup with a new one that would work! I received two new steering cylinders, a new smartstick, new low profile sender, and four quarts of hydrauilic fluid, free of charge! Heck, all I was fishing for was a refund. I am planning on doing the replacement as soon as I figure out how to purge the old hydraulic fluid out of the system. Appears that the previous owner used some sort of red oil in the system that I am afraid is incompatible. Anyone know how to purge all of the hydraulic fluid from a teleflex system?

Ok, oil samples were perfect. No gasoline in the oil. f-it, i'm goin fishing!

OK, back to the "making oil" issue: Leak down results were well within specifications, injectors pressure test perfectly, pvc valves, and thermostats check out. Service center is at a loss and has sent oil samples out for evaluation and is contacting Yamaha for their insight.

I never got to it, and apparently neither did my last yamaha service center at the 100 hr maintenance. Is it common for that thing to "fuse" and require extra labor to remove??

Yes, the woodruff key in the water pump assembly. The dealer says both of mine are fused in place and that driving them out may damage the shaft?

both engines passed the leak down test, so rings are not the issue. Going to order oil samples to be sure it is fuel in the oil. service tech now checking for leaking injector or stuck pcv valve. As an aside, what is this thing about "fused woodruff keys?" Something about if it is not removed and lubricated at the 100 hours, it has to be drilled and tapped to be removed at the 200hr?? Is this common?