fireboat

I'm in kind of the same situation with twin 93 200 2 strokes, however mine are still running good. The new Yamaha 200s are only a few pounds heavier but they cost a fortune! My plan is get a used pair of 200 hpdi's, it is a very good motor by all accounts and weighs about the same as the old 2-stokes. Plus you can find a good pair for 10k and keep your same rigging and controls. There is no way I can justify a new 4-stroke.

Those are great pics! It has to be cool seeing orcas up that close.

I'm all for merging some forums together, ie...,boating destinations, diy, electronics etc... but I still kind of like keeping fishing and off the hook discussions such as home improvements separate. If I am looking for some boating project motivation or ideas to incorporate in my boat, I don't really care about windows for my house. So perhaps just a few divisions would work out such as anything boat related including classifieds as one forum, and then a separate off the hook forum. Anyway, just my feedback.

Yeah, I have been getting frustrated at that other forum. It seems no thread can stay on track without getting sidetracked by some dumb bickering. I'm going to try to make it a point to visit here everytime I check in over there. Kind of a New Years resolution lol.

If you look at the performance bulletins from the outboard manufacturers, a slow idle at 1,000rpm and about 6mph will give you the absolute best mileage. But, a slow plane at around 3,000rpm and upper 20s-mph will give you only slightly less mileage. That would seem to be the way to go, especially if you are going against a current.

When I turned 16, I wanted a motorcycle bad but my dad sensing that I may not be the safest rider around, bought me a 14' Mirrocraft with a 20hp Merc. I did everything with that boat, I fished the Gulfstream (people might say that was dumb but I had a great time), went camping on the islands in Biscayne Bay and waterskied a lot! (I was very skinny). It is amazing how far 6-gallons of gas would go. I was hooked though and I forgot all about getting a motorcycle. My first job was working for a boat dealer and I bought a 18' Slickcraft by myself before I even got a car! When I got older, I always thanked my dad for getting me that aluminum boat. It literally changed my life. Good times!

If I am alone on the boat which is most of the time, I never play any music but I do have the VHF on. But if I have friends or family on the boat, the tunes are almost always on.

Also try Barbour Plastics, they have good selection, prices and service. Here is their link, http://barbourrubrails.com/marine-prod-instock.htm

I have been looking for a thick long lasting corrosion preventative for my trailer hubs, axle, springs, etc... Do you suggest your Lanox mx4?

Back at you, have a happy, healthy and safe new year and vow to get out on the water as often as possible.

I'm just curious about this as I have never seen a step like this where above deck vent tubes feed down into the aft face of the step to aerate the water flow. Has anyone seen a setup like this before? I'm assuming it didn't work too well as it sure isn't a popular innovation. I'm not into offshore racers so I don't know much about Chief Powerboats but I know they have been in and out of business and Bob Saccenti (from Apache Powerbosts) now runs it I think. Here is a link to it from Craigslist. Go down to about the 7th to 10th picture. I also attached a pic of it. http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/boa/2111423350.html

I think you are onto something, some of the magazines have a forum but it never seemed like it worked. People go there for the articles, not a forum. You are doing it in reverse which might actually be better because forum regulars often are looking for something to do after reading all of the new postings. I think boating forum junkies are true boating junkies as well. Anyway, it is looking good so far, keep it up.

This is typical of nearly all of the print media that are struggling to survive. They just haven't figured out a way to profit from the internet. Boating Magazine is part of the Bonnier Marine Group that dominates the boat magazine business with other publications like Motorboating, Boating Life, Cruising World, Marlin, Saltwater Sportsman, Sportfishing and Yachting. The magazines are thinner and they have fewer staff writers as they rely more on cheaper freelancers. Who knows, they may dissappear entirely leaving internet only sites like Boat Test and Mad Mariner, although I think there is room for both.

A ten year old boat should have a fair amount of life left in the gelcoat. I agree with Reel Deel, sanding and compounding will make it shine again.

It wasn't a really horrible day for a bigger boat, but it was in a 13' Whaler going across Biscayne Bay against 20-25mph winds from a cold front and steep 3' seas. I was soaked, cold and sore from getting slammed a thousand times.

Yep, we had the largest aerial display we have done yet for our block party. It was a great night, we only had some rain earlier in the afternoon. I wore hearing protectors (I have some hearing loss already, don't want to make it any worse). However, I learned why I always run after lighting the fuse as one of the mortars failed to launch out of the tube and exploded. The first time that has happened to me. But we keep a safe perimeter, so no one got hurt. All in all, a good fun night.

Regardless of who is doing the stealing, the fact is that a LOT of boats are being stolen throughout South Florida and it is costing us all with outrageous inusrance premiums, especially here in Miami. The key is concerned neighbors as was the case here. Also, we boaters need to be alert for anything suspicious at the ramp. The more of these crooks that we put away the better.

With four people onboard, 65 mph is what we got (well, actually 64.8mph) on a one way run.

Never tried Woody Wax but with everyone singing its praises, I want give it a try. So I am requesting some also.

How about the new Pathfinder/Maverick that was just released? Are pics allowed of that?

Yeah, a lot of people are going to argue whether she should have gone, personally I feel it was their family decision and she is a competent sailor so I don't have a problem with it (yeah I admit I would not let my daughter go at that age). Her brother completed a circum-navigaton last year when he was 17 so Abby Sunderland and her family knew what was to be expected. The mistake that I see is that she started the voyage at the wrong time which placed her in the Indian Ocean at the worst time of the year. I guess they did it because they were trying to break the record for the youngest sailor to sail around the world, so they didn't wait for spring time in the Southern Hemisphere, possibly a tragic mistake. She might be okay though as she manually activated her EPIRB, which implies she is conscious. Also, her automatic EPIRB has not activated which suggests her boat is still afloat. I think that probably her boat pitch-poled or rolled and since it is a self-righting design, it is floating but is dismasted. Her problem is that she is in the middle-of-nowhere with help thousands of miles away. So indeed, some prayers would help.

A group 27 battery is about 2 inches longer (about 12 inches) and about 20 amp hours larger than a group 24. If it fits in your battery hold down, IMO bigger is better. I have even thought about going from 27s to 31s for my center console. Deeply discharging a battery is what kills it. A larger battery with more capacity will be discharged less so in theory it should last longer. However, if you don't discharge your battery, i.e.-you don't spend time on the hook with accessories on, the smaller group 24 will probably serve you just as well. On the subject of Interstates, I know a lot of people who swear by Interstate, but I never had one last as long as I thought it should.

It is rare that I am out of VHF distance so I plan to rent an EPIRB maybe once a year when I take a trip to the Tortugas. But there is no substitute, that 16yo sailor, Abby Sunderland has apparently activated her manual EPIRB in the Indian Ocean with monstrous seas. Her problem is that she is so far away from any rescue assistance, that it is going to take some time so she will have to survive on her own until help arrives.

I'll second Mal de Mer, I have never had a problem with bearing buddies, they are cheap and easy to maintain. I have the posi-lube system now which is supposed to force the old grease out. But I think it is true that with any system, you still need to pull the hubs every year or two to inspect the bearings and replace the seals. I don't know, do they make stainless dust caps? I've seen some trailers with regular dust caps and they are pretty rusted up.

Darn shame, my sympathies to the families. However, its gotten to the point where you expect that some people will die over Memorial Day weekend. It is almost always preventable and usually it happens because someone was not paying attention at the helm. I never could see how a boat could run another over in clear weather. Was alcohol involved? yeah probably but you would think that there was someone onboard who was sober enough to lookout. And then 7 people on a 17' boat, that little boat probably couldn't get out of its own way. I don't go boating on Memorial Day and I don't go drinking on New Year's Eve, too many amateurs.