hookemdano

My goodness, that's be-yoootiful. Congratulations. Give me some specs.

The first boat I owned was a 14' aluminum flatbottom with a 5hp Clinton aircooled engine, bought used in 1975. Moved up to a Barrentine 14' semi v with a 9.9 Merc. Caught two 10+ lb bass out of that thing. Best riding boat ever was a 1987 Wellcraft 20' step V. Best saltwater fishing boat is the one I have now, a 2005 Sea Hunt 232 with an f225. Never owned a new boat, probably never will. Dan

Gotcha, and thanks.

Wiley, I like to crunch numbers also, but without prior month data, and not being familiar with the business, these are hard to judge. I assume by publishing them that you are pleased. Anyway, thanks for the site. It fits my style perfectly, and is the best boating/ fishing forum I've used. You've attracted a great bunch of posters. I never go back to the old train wreck...just not into carnage. By the way, I'll be in your neighborhood next week fishing with a cousin who lives just up the creek. I'll look for your sign on the way out. Dan

Alan, Nice family day on the water...thanks for sharing. PS: Hope you cleaned that reel when you got home

Jaydub, I have the Costas with the built in reader also, and love them. Before that I was in the $10 Walmart club. With the Costas I leave a pair of reading glasses everywhere except the boat.

Sounds like a great idea. However, if you have an electrical free backing device on your surge brakes you will still need a connection from the back up lights to the lock out solenoid. Since this very seldom gets in the water, it shouldn't be a problem.

Last week in Orange Beach the water was clear and king mackeral were hot! Also caught cobia and lots of spanish.

Just back from Orange Beach and Sams does not have the 10% ethonol notice, so I assume it's all gasoline. They were at $2.50, marina gas $3.20.

A waxed bottom actually creates more drag by increasing the "seal" between the boat and the water (think suction cups on a smooth vs rough surface.) Hence the stepped hulls that introduce air to create turbulance and separate the hull from the water. That being said, I wax the bottom of my 23 Sea Hunt because clean up is more important than .2 mph on a fishing boat. Also note that if you take the effort to wax the bottom, and then clean it with an acid hull cleaner, you've probably wasted your wax.

Thanks guys. Most stations in north AL do have 10% ethonol. I always add the Sta-bil marine additive to the boat gas, but I'd still like to have "real" gas just to be safe. My boat sometimes sits months without running. I'm scheduled to hit OB in two weeks; maybe gas will be back down by then....HA!

Do any of you guys know of a gas station that sells 100% gasoline near Orange Beach? Here in north Alabama there are a few, but I really prefer to pull the boat down empty; saves about 800# of weight. I normally fill up at Sams on Canal Road but I don't know if their gas contains ethonol. How about Robertsdale or Foley? I never really worried about it before, but there has been a lot of concern over ethonol on the forums and magazines in the past six months.

Ludicrous, Wiley needs to put you on paid retainer. I'll look at anything with your name on it. Excellent or excrement, it's always entertaining!!!

Inlet Slam 2010? No helicopter; how about a hang glider? Or, hot air balloon?

Pick up a 150 gallon poly livestock watering tank at Tractor Supply and you can fill it with water above the cavitation plate and let the motor run without worries. Even put the motor in gear if you want to warm the gear case before draining the foot oil. Also, if you have to tow any distance to your boating destination, you can put it in the pickup truck bed upside down and it makes a neat shelter for suitcases. Never enough room inside the truck. And, the most unique use; I water cows with it.

I rewired my old Wellcraft V20 two years ago - all new wire, fuse block, and switches. I think I caught copper at it's all time peak price. This year I bought a new (used) boat and am trying to sell my old one in a market at the all time low. But hey, you got to enjoy it.

Hotspot, I changed my water pump BEFORE I found your tips. Sure wish it had been the other way around. You've got some good "tricks" on there, better than the aftermarket manuals. I recently bought a used boat with an F225 (2005) and was amazed at the number of zincs on and throughout the engine. I know some will need replacing every year, some less often. If you have 1300 hours on your F200 I suspect you've been through them all, probably a couple of times. Any advice on that? Thanks for your work.

50/50 clorox and water in a pump sprayer will kill it, but it will also eat up anything not plastic or stainless. That goes for ropes, mops, iron, and non-stainless steel. Be careful with electrical connections. Aluminum tolerates it pretty well, but I would flush really well with fresh water after giving it a few minutes to do its job.

Washing and waxing the boat, two coats, top and bottom. There has got to be a better way to get your right arm in shape. Also, cut grass, spray peach trees, ad run the tiller in the garden. Hope to be on the water Moday. We've got the Talladega NASCAR crowd in town this weekend...forget going out to eat.

Chris, you ain't old...yet. But don't blink. My boat upsizing took longer than you guys, but that is part of the fun. I dread the day when that turns to downsizing because the big boat is just too much effort, and then when you just want to know some young fellow with a boat who will take you out! Still a ways off, I hope.

Obviously, anyone who really knows boats will recognize this as a V8, and not a V9. Sorry, clumsey fingers. How do you get this to appear as a photo instead of an attachment? I'm a little computer challenged.

Just another fast boat. Or, would his be classified as a cruiser? carboat.bmp

Orange Beach

Thanks guys. Those were good comments. The TLD 15, Torium and Speedmaster are the reels I am considering. I like the faster retreive of the star drags, and I think they will be more castable.

Nice video. Do more of that, please.