Woodsie

ALLSTATE !! My 2009 boat was stolen last year, and stripped overnight. It was a nearly total loss. Allstate had a Surveyor go to the tow yard and complete a loss list. He determined that the cost of replacing & repairs exceeded the value. I had replacement value coverage, so the Surveyor calculated the replacement value, less 3% depreciation per year.. I supplied all the original documents and title, and I was sent a check. Excellent customer service from the communications standpoint. I purchased another boat and Allstate has my policy. I could probably save a couple hundred bucks by shopping the policy, but the price to be paid is harsh.. I learned the easy way, not the hard way. Woodsie

That other big forum went down today. Check their FB page for refund info.. F/S had a China Syndrome this year, too. Is it the servers shorting out ? W

I helped a friend shop for a new boat. He wanted a 35ft+ CC with trips so he could fish the Central Bahamas. We went to factories from Ft. Pierce to Homestead to Tampa. We rode on hulls for sale. We attended all three boat shows and did in-depth comparisons. We even chartered several Captains who ran the short listed hulls.. The buyer's final choice was a 36 Invincible with trip F300 Yams. The build was flawless, and the cored & bagged hardtop came out perfectly. The performance & economy far exceeded his expectations. Bravo, Alex & Team !!

Wahoo ! And plenty have been landed this week. Best I have heard of was 77lbs, which is a Studly Mackerel !! My son picked up this decent Wahoo and the Dolphin on a quick trip last Friday.. BTW, There has been an invasion of garbage-can lid sized Jellyfish.. all over the reef and inshore.. They make the wire line jump all over when trolling thru them. Locals say it is the Buffet line for sea turtles.. Life is good here !! Woodsie

You will find the max RPM's to be 5500. It sounds like carburetor cleaning to me too.. The Ethanol issue made a number of my fishing friends VMaxes run poorly and not at all. rebuild the carbs, check the bulb and fuel line, and do the filters. Dump out the main filter and see how much crud is in it. If it is half full of gook or better, you will have other housekeeping to do in the fuel system.. Good luck, and be patient. That VMAX will be a brutish motor when you get clean fuel in it !! Woodsie

Between the Honda and the Opti ? That's a big, heavy lookin hull. You will burn a lot of gas if you don't put enough power on her.. The Hondas are fine IF you have a good mechanic close by and a source for parts.. If I were you, I would buy a simple & solid Yamaha F250B, and learn to change the oil,filter and lower unit lube to save the $. My $0.02. Nice hull for anything you like to do in the Keys !! Woodsie

Those carbed 150's are brutes. How big a sled are you hanging it on ? The only issue with them is the standard carburetor/water crapola where they get hard to start. That block was used for the 175hp and a few of the 200 hp models. It has plenty-strong internals. They do burn some gas.. You would be more efficient with an HPDI..

I had my way with this special.. We are going to the Keys this week, and I have a big tank and a truck to fill. It is a huge savings.. I cannot believe it is not more popular at my Publix stores.. I had to go to Jax for a funeral last weekend.. I got gas in Cocoa.. $3.36 for Regular. With the gas card, I paid $2.89 for a tank of gas.. Who cannot appreciate that ? Wow... Should take six cards to fill my boat, and get 20% off !! Thanks, Publix !!

I am sure OJ will send her a telegram of congratulations.. I am so angry I could spit. Geraldo made it worse.. That poor baby didn't deserve anything but love. Our Justice system is what it is, and we must abide by it. Don't hafta like it !! Marc

I agree ! Facebook sux for discussions and long photo-journals on builds. These Forums are the place to hang your hat !! Thanks for creating the environ.. Woodsie

I, for one, resent seeing Prop get 'scolded' on this Forum. Rickf, If you wish to be holier than thou, keep it to yourself ! Send prop a PM or a postcard decrying his actions. Swear to me you didn't run with scissors as a child, or STFU ! Some people unlike you take risks: People like Evil Knievel, Bill Gates, Dale Earnhardt Jr.. This is how you learn to run a boat that will go 75 knots. Sometimes people that get very good at a skill can hang it out. Prop has demonstrated his abilities, and his love of speed. He is not a stupid kid or a YooTube video fool. He did this one time. Deal with it. I have always disliked people that cite rules & criticize others openly, Yet contribute nothing themselves.. I am sorry to bust you, but please keep your social conscience to yourself. Woodsie

Ride on the Maverick, the lil Ranger, and the Pathfinder for big grins. Listen to the motor at top revs for the music.. It should be a fun day at work... Woodsie

You've been in the marine industry for a long time. Do you own a boat ? How do you pick the one you want ? I am lucky: I live in S Florida. I never miss a boat show in Lauderdale, Miami or West Palm Beach. They are events, each with their own appeal. It seems that I always have a friend looking to buy a boat for these shows. It is an ideal place to develop ideas and decide on features and electronics. Plus, the water tests open up more possibilities. For example, this year I was with a buddy who bought a trip/36CC. He was looking at all the big CC consoles to see where he would set the wheel, gauges, the electronics and controls. We water tested a similar trip CC boat and asked the V. competent captain what he preferred.. You cannot get any of this online. Then, to see the electronics you are considering and mess with them on the demo strips.. Then there are the engine makers, promo discounts, plastic surgery, warm beers, booth Ladies.. It's all good. I do fall victim to impulse buying as well... Marc

How very Cool !! Wiley.. Next year, get on a scooter and buzz the length of the brokerage show and capture the essence of that tradition ! I know when the show is over when I see the big boats on trailers northbound on I-95 about 5 minutes apart. I saw the Freeman 33 going north on Tuesday morning. You can't miss that hull sitting way up on a trailer !! It was a very good year at the MIBS... Woodsie

Good eye there ! The paradox there would be two 90 degree turns in the power & torque.. We will see in a couple more days ! I love a Miami boat show with some Buzzzzzz !! Friday still for me.. In-the-water first for a test ride, then to the big barn for the rest of the day.. Marc

Everything about them will be huge: Power, price, GPM's, lower unit ravages, transom destruction, prop pitch flattening.. I really want it to work, as this is the baddest and best motor GM has ever built.. It is the LSA, the 1.9 liter Eaton SC 6.2L aluminum CTS-V motor. A brilliant powerplant, thrown on its tail and cooled with salt water.. Oh ! The Humanity ! Marc

You gotta be kidding Me !! 556 HP Chevy V-8, supercharged, joystick controlled outboard ! No other details emerged pending the Debut at the Miami Show. Honda is showing a bigger motor too !! Sorry Honda.. Make sure your TTop clears the overhead at the Chevy Dealer when you get service. Woodsie

The Nordhavns are built to very high standards. That would be some build thread !! And by the way.. My tender would be towed behind. That Maverick on the upper deck would be for fishing the exotic and remote places I would be found in an LRC.. These Trawler shows are for dreamers, for sure.. Miami is the Show.. See ya all there. Woodsie

Dear Santa, Since I have been such a good boy this year, can you please remit this gift for Christmas 2011: A Nordhavn 75-Expeditionary. I like the yellow hull, thanks. Please don't forget the Maverick 18HPX-V for the forward deck tender ! F115 will be fine. You are the Best ! Marc

Yes.. And I also saw this one.. My buddy likes a lot of wind in his hair... Marc

Hey Skip !. Will the demo HPS step-hull have the F300 Offshore or the F250 SHO motor ? I have a friend that really needs to go on a test ride.. Marc

A buddy and I will be going on the first Friday.. We both have new boats coming and we want to look at the newest electronics.. 12"+ GPS units that load ultra-quick for faster boating, 2Kw fishfinder sets, Autopilots, second GPS units for redundancy, GPS mapping for central and eastern Bahamas.. Just some inexpensive electronics and such.. The hard part will be finding the real world knowledge, not marketing talk.. Security systems for both boats. Also communicating with 2 Insurance companies' security departments, looking for the best new technology, maybe for a beta test ?? Will update with new ideas and solutions to a vexing problem.. (redruM !) There are some new stereo heads out worth looking at, too. Carbon fiber outrigger poles (OOh Baby !) Ditch bag gear, beanbags, Advice on wiring 5 AGM batteries into a system..(Not Perko !) We will have a full day, and may not look at one hull ! If somebody is going to have some road-sodas on a boat, please let us know.. My buddy and I will need to wash down the traildust later in the day.. Coldness is the premium.. That and great conversation, too. We will contribute to the cause. Marc

Thank you guys ! I am familiar with the Competition boats. No-frills, old school, wave cuttin hull. I may resort to the longer hull.. I fish midweek by myself a lot, and my son takes out a lot of bikini-clad girls who can only look good. We need a boat that is simple to work solo.. I have looked at so many boats, so many times. I have dashed the hopes and dreams of too many salesmen on water tests. I have fished with great folks that offered their boats as an example of the model. I have already built a Pathfinder 23 DV.. to have it stolen and stripped in Miami (after two years ownership-- F250) I am torn now.. Another Pathfinder 23 Deep Vee or a Contender 23T.. What sayeth yee who know the boats ?? Woodsie

Yes. They are well built. They are plain but pricey. As I recall, they are pretty flat aft.. Am I correct on that ? (Variable Deadrise to flat aft..) I will have to look them up.. Thanks.

And you did a great job of bringing home the Boat Show for those who couldn't get there. Your information is attractive and informative. However, I was there looking to buy two boats, and spend the better part of a half million dollars. That is when you get serious about your investment. I am not a critical-sniper-hater-bushwhacker. I cannot stand those people. I do know quality in boats and saw some stuff I didn't like.. You photographed the back of that Hydra Sport, right ? Did you see the two cheese graters the motors were hung upon ? No.. You were waiting for the people to get out of the way, and get a good shot. (And a good shot you took !) If you took a picture from a different angle of one of the boats, you may have noticed that the motor was hung about a half inch off level on the transom. 6 feet up to the top of the F350, it was noticeably crooked next to the other motor.. My buyer saw it from about 50 feet down the aisle.. We walked over to confirm. Sure enough ! A careless employee. Not a corporate problem, a people problem. There were a lot of stupid little things, but there were some bad things.. A 34' CC sitting on two stands that had small pads to hold up the hull. The pads were the size of a half sheet of letter paper. Four small contact patches for a rigged boat with 10 tire kickers crawling all over it.. If you took pictures under that hull, you would have seen the big dents in the hull that may or may not leave damage when the boat is lifted off.. The stands the boats were sitting on had funeral tarps spread over them so you could not see. I wanted to see. I saw a significant hook in the hull of a big CC. It was on a proper long-bunk stand. These are premium boats. They are serious investments. They will be trusted running over to fish in the Eleuthras and San Sal. Trusted to stay together and not suffer an 'employee problem' in the middle of nowhere or Swordfishing at night. We just go the extra mile to look at the boats closely and disregard the lipstick on the pigs. ME: I want a 23-25' CC with a rock solid hull to live bait off Palm Beach. I want a 3 piece hull that I can billfish comfortably from with lots of live bait capacity. I don't want a wet boat. The choices are surprisingly narrow below $90K I am not a builder. Woodsie