Chisox

What'll she do with the trolling motor? "Look Ma, twins!"

BW knows his proverbial sh!t...that's probably your best deal... BTW, we use all BEP clusters at PL...including the motorized switches on the 35...really cool!

It's a little slow here, but HEY! WELCOME!

Stay far away... http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/290383-www-1outboard-com-blackbird-industries-warranty-claim-my-yamaha-f225-4-stroke.html

Here's a pic I took the day I visited the factory . Looks like the guy on the left has a jig mounted to a hull bottom and is drilling away. also look at the hull to the right , engine holes are already drilled . I was pretty sure it was done this way at this factory but the pic is proof. At this facility the decks travel down one side of the plant and the hulls are on the opposite side. Both sides have a "cutting area" where all the holes /grinding is done. This just means "IMO" that the "FIBERGLASS ENGINEER" that worked on my boat just blew the jig alignment ,either it slipped or it had some crud on it when it went up against the bottom of my hull . These "Fiberglass Engineers" are not rocket scientists, no matter what builder they work for... As I said in my PM to you, the holes are crooked, and they need to be fixed and the job done correctly...

The guys from Americat created a new member named "THT Mod 4" to post over here after Mod 4 sent them to Banned Camp over there. They didn't want to pay the advertising fee, they were warned, but they kept at it... Frankly, with the type of behavior they showed, I'll NEVER consider an Americat...

Dave, The fixture rests on top of the transom cap where it is clamped in place, so it is imperative that the boat gets decked so that the hull-to-deck joint (typically 2 1/2") is the same on either side of the transom. The motor center is found taking measurements from both sides of the hull, never the deck, as often the deck will have a larger gap on one side than the other, which means the deck has shifted to one side (happens a lot). But the real key is the hull-to-deck joint height be consistent on both sides...

Back in '06 at our dealer meeting at The Vinoy, we had a new 23 Sport with a 200 small block Etec on it. Couple of dealers took her out early, came back bitchin' up a storm that she was a dog. That didn't sit well with our Evinrude field engineer, Mike Moon. I yanked her out, he found a dealer clear across Pinellas off Ulmerton that had a 200 HO, we drove over there, swapped out the motor, drove back, rounded up the same 2 dealers, and they said it was a HUGE difference. That was a fun 4 hours, in 95 degree July weather, hauling ass to get that motor swapped, hung it with a fork lift and chain. And that was 4 hours, there and back...

A little docking exercise...really teaches you to let her react... http://www.spot.pcc.edu/~mtrigobo/docksim/index.html

Aerospace fastener companies...just google aerospace fasteners.

Many in your predicament... :753_hammer_hitting_head:

Knot is correct, they'll be in the service manual, but not the owners...

The factory won't be able to do it any better than the guys at the dealer. The dealer should have a metal template, that paper crap is just that...crap. But I would have them fill the holes with epoxy, or even a mix of resin and chopped strand. But they need to use a metal drill fixture with bushings to guide the drill bit. Keep in mind that if the drill fixture lined up with the original holes, that would mean your deck is 3/16" higher on the port side than on starboard...and there is only one way to fix that...UNDECK THE BOAT!!! And they really don't want to do that...

Agreed. It's actually a simple job for any accomplished glass guy. But it needs to be done, on their dime!

Never knew about Kieth's death, as I lost interest in hockey once I moved down here (1981). Indeed sad, and tragic. Just had another member PM me about Chicago Heights, he went to Bloom HS. Small ass world, isn't it?

Im in new lenox not far from the heights or O.F. Sox fan too BUT how bout them HAWKS !!!!! Used to go to the Stadium when Makita and Bobby and Glenn, and of course Tony in goal...man that was fun! Kieth Magnuson, remember him? Played ball at Rich Central, we used to play non-conf games at Romeoville, Lockport, Joliet Central and Catholic, Plano...boy, that was a few years ago...graduated '78. Take my advice on the Vrod F-up. Tell them to fix it!

BTW, born in Chicago Heights, raised in Olympia Fields. My Mom grew up a couple of blocks from Mayor Daley's bungalow in Bridgeport. Just down 35th from Comiskey...yeah, I'm a Sox fan!

Part of my job for the past 16 years is hanging and rigging motors, including Vrods. There is only one explanation. The jig that is used to drill the mounting holes was mounted crooked, either it slipped because it wasn't clamped tight enough, or the rigger simply effed up. Regardless, the motor is crooked, plain and simple. The fix? Tell the dealer you want the motor pulled, the holes glassed and re-finished, and the motor hung properly...no ifs, ands, or buts. I've hung and rigged over 2,000 motors in my life, that's BS!

All is good...

Yeah, Marlin, I'd say you do... Would that be your office buddy?

Welder, We both know THT gets a lot more traffic than here, and it is Americat that is trying to tap into that base. They've tried on several different occasions to circumvent the advertising cost, when all they have to do is fork over a few bucks. Then they advertise all they want. And do we really know it's Mod 4, as has been pointed out? I seriously doubt it. Sounds more like someone (probably the Americat boys) who want to stir the pot. I mean, as long as the screen name wasn't taken, could be anybody from THT...

Contact Rob Wilhoit at http://www.boathaus.net/... He'll be able to tell you...

6:30 p.m., not even dark...WTF?

Bert, If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. That is great that Wiley's request/whatever you want to call it caused you to post! This site needs more participation, particularly from the veteran members, the ones, including me, who post "over there"... Bob C, AKA seabob4

It is widely known that reduction in tax revenue due to a certain administration cutting taxes caused agencies to drasticlly cut their budgets. But money is still needed to pay for stuff. How do agencies raise money? TICKET people! Hence, the greater presence...