CudjoeDon

Saw this over at THT. Groupon appears to be legitimate. I just did the deal and the vouchers seem OK. http://www.groupon.com/deals/national-marine-manufacturers-association-1?c=dnb&p=3 CudjoeDon

Wife and I will be there 19th and 20th. Not in "trade-up mode", but will be looking at 150-200HP motors and boats in the 22-27' range [especially cats]. Have hotel reservations, now looking for any discounts on the tickets. CudjoeDon

Wife and I will be there 19th and 20th. Not in "trade-up mode", but will be looking at 150-200HP motors and boats [primarily] in the 22-27' range, especially cats. Still looking to see if anybody is doing discount tickets for the show -- we already have hotel reservations. CudjoeDon

Wife and I plan to be there 19th and 20th. Looking primarily at cats [and some v-hulls] up to about 27'; outboards 150-200HP; and dreaming about the yachts and other expensive toys. CudjoeDon

Sorry to hear that, especially since it's about 80deg here and I'm about to put my boat back in -- it only comes out for maintenance. Hope you have a decent winter. CudjoeDon [formerly Framingham and class of '76 Bellingham, MA]

Excellent motors overall, only issue is a design defect that can lead to a exhaust corrosion hole in the engine holder. Easy to check by taking off the left side [from rear] mid-section cover and looking all around the screw-in plug. To replace the engine holder is around $1500 [$800-$900 parts, 4-5 hours labor], so not something you want to miss on your inspection. They can turn larger props than most, but the 2.50 gear ratio means you have to be more selective to get the right prop. CudjoeDon

If it meets his needs, sure. Worth it for the parts, but expect some things will need to be fixed before it will be "perfect". CudjoeDon

What, no color-coordinated screen cover for the Garmin? Low-class all the way! [just kidding] CudjoeDon

I believe that's the guy originally from Glacier Bay boats. The Aspen is an asymmetrical catamaran with only one engine in the wider hull, none in the narrow hull. Supposedly more efficient and less drag, don't know what it means for handling at higher speeds. CudjoeDon

Be careful in your selection around Cape Coral. There are bridges and locks that seriously affect boating. Also, too far up the river and the no-wake zones are a hassle. Much of Cape Coral is made up of filled in land so homes can have serious settling cracks and structural issues. Generally the best long-term value is in the older "yacht-club" area of town. Closer to open water and unrestricted access. Homes and lots are often smaller, but hold their value because of the more desirable boating. Look for "sailboat" access -- deeper water and no low bridges. CudjoeDon

1bandit, normally I agree with the separate units -- but this is a 17' skiff. Not likely that there will be trolling spreaders over secret waypoints, etc. Even with the split screen, the screen is a little bigger, more importantly, it's brighter and the controls can be used while moving compared to a handheld. I find I rarely need both on screen at the same time -- chartplotter while going to a spot, then sounder when there. No problem if he has the space for a separate chartplotter-only, still better than a handheld unit. CudjoeDon

I have a Garmin 440S with the G2 card [same rebate deal which is why I did it]. This replaced a Garmin 72 handheld and Garmin 120 fishfinder, then I replaced the 72 with a Lowrance H2Oc color handheld. I found the handheld screens too small and not really bright enough to use on a moving boat in daytime -- plus none really seem to have enough marine chartplotter features. I would not go back to the separate units unless you would use the handheld a lot for other things. The G2 card covering the Keys seems to be very accurate. Much of the other stuff it has is largely "fluff" [photo's, marina/restaurant/services info, etc.] for most people who are not cruisers. Looks like the only things the 441s has different from the 440s is more waypoints/routes and NMEA 2000 support. For your purposes the transducer change isn't necessary unless you want dual-frequency and temperature [if your current one doesn't have these]. CudjoeDon

Cudjoe Bay generally has 3+ feet at normal low tide. Biggest issue is the transition from canals to the bay. Canals usually 5-10 feet deep but the "intersections" of them to the open bay often have a "hump" of 6inches to a foot. Usually this is only an issue at lowest tide -- depends on your draft and whether you can be patient for a 1/4-mile or so at slow speed until reaching deep enough water. Other side where I am [Venture Out/Spanish Main Dr] is somewhat better [and has always 6+ feet the back way along the US1 bridge channel] even though we have a "hump" just after our channel markers. Lower Sugarloaf, Ramrod, and Summerland canals farther from the open water have long idle-speed runs to deep water. HTH, CudjoeDon

Colts win 23-17

You either need to go the dual battery route [my preference] or carry a portable jump-start battery pack. With what you have invested, plus the time and distance you are going, you need something for safety. CudjoeDon

Actually, it's NMEA, not NEMA! CudjoeDon

Except when you need parts! I have to occasionally look at the 2005 chapter of my factory manual for my 2006 Suzuki DF140 because it was actually built in the last quarter of 2005. CudjoeDon

1. Penetrating oil, then very gently tap the screw with non-marking hammer, mallet, whatever -- just to vibrate the area and flex the o-ring to allow more lubricant deeper inside. 2. Next level of seriousness: heat. Start with blow-dryer or heat gun, not as reliable since the aluminum often expands first. But if it doesn't work while still hot, let cool since the expansion-then-contraction does work. 3. Cooling. If you have a store that sells dry ice, cooling can work. But you have to be very careful both for you and for the finish working with dry ice. CudjoeDon

Yep, depends on what is important to you. If primarily fishing and kicking back, anywhere in the Keys will do. If you want the Key West experience in addition to fishing/snorkeling/diving best is in the city but will be expensive at that time [snowbird season]. From Big Pine Key to Key West is good -- both easy back country and deep sea fishing, great snorkeling at Looe Key, decent access to Key West. Depending on number of people, how far to drive, etc., look at these on Cudjoe Key: www.waterfrontkeys.com and www.dolberryrealty.com CudjoeDon

Contact them at http://www.bandyboats.com/index.html Looks like it might be their first hull. CudjoeDon

No. I typed the info in since it is a common question. AFAIK, there are no electronic versions of the service manual [they make too much money on them at about $65 a pop to give them away ] CudjoeDon

DF140 10-Hour Break-In [from Suzuki Service Manual] Avoid maintaining a constant engine speed for an extended period at any time during the engine break-in by varying the throttle position occasionally. 1. FIRST 2 HOURS For first 15 minutes, operate the engine in-gear at idling speed. During the remaining 1 hour and 45 minutes operate the engine in-gear at less than half throttle [3000RPM]. Note: The throttle may be briefly opened beyond the recommended setting to plane the boat, but must be reduced to the recommended setting after planing. 2. NEXT 1 HOUR Operate the engine in-gear at less than three-quarter throttle [4000 RPM]. 3. LAST 7 HOURS Operate the engine in-gear at desired engine speed. However, do not operate at full throttle for more than 5 minutes. CudjoeDon

Not enough info. You get 5700RPM, but is that full-load, light-load, or between? Is that trimmed up just before it loses grip? What speed? What are you trying to improve -- top speed, acceleration because of shallow water, MPG at cruise? Are you happy with how the prop performs now with regards to grip, handling, acceleration and so on? And most importantly -- what prop do you have? I have several props for sale because I'm still searching for the best all-around prop for my boat -- since it is a single-engine cat my case is trickier: Solas Amita4 13.75 x 17pitch 4-blade aluminum Power Tech SF115PTR4R15P 13.75x15pitch 4-blade stainless Power Tech SF115PFO4R18P 14x16pitch 4-blade stainless [re-pitched from 18 to 16 and about half the cupping removed] Best prop so far is a pretty basic Evinrude 14x17pitch 3-blade aluminum, but I have a Power Tech 3-blade stainless 14x16pitch on order from Prop Gods. CudjoeDon