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  1. JASinIL2006

    Screw and Pilot Hole Sizes

    I never found anything like that; for me, it was trial and error. I broke my share of stainless screws when attaching my deck to heavy fiberglass stringers. Those screws are so brittle... you hole needs to be nearly the size of the screw, just a hair smaller. I found that putting a bit of 3M...
  2. JASinIL2006

    Crack in Hull

    I absolutely would not use that boat until it's repaired. You would be risking your life and that of your passengers.
  3. JASinIL2006

    Possible boat purchase!

    The sound test is pretty much meaningless for checking the transom. Most owners won't let you drill test holes, but you might be able to poke around in the wood of the transom with a screwdriver to see if the wood is solid. A 25+ year old boat is a pretty candidate for rot, and since the boat is...
  4. JASinIL2006

    Jacking Trailer

    Correct, but the load is distribute evenly across all the surfaces, not concentrated in one spot. It's not a safe way to support a jacked up vehicle, especially if a person will be underneath it.
  5. JASinIL2006

    Hello, New member. Assistance Please and tks

    Boats break. Outdrive parts fail. If it's running now, what happens if it needs repaired in a week? I just don't understand why anyone would want to take that gamble.
  6. JASinIL2006

    Transom replacement

    If you're really worried about water intrusion through the screw holes, you could always fill them with 3M 5200 (or something similar) before installation.
  7. JASinIL2006

    Jacking Trailer

    I don't find jacking up the trailer to be a particularly difficult task. I do it every winter so the boat and trailer aren't sitting on the tires. Takes about 5 minutes.
  8. JASinIL2006

    New to me boat trailer: Safety chain and loading with bunks.

    I think a safety change is always a good idea. It would help prevent the boat from coming up over the bow stop and into your tow vehicle should you hit something and come to an abrupt stop. Even if the trailer doesn't have an attachment point, you can still loop the chain around the center...
  9. JASinIL2006

    Sharing a berth

    That kind of berthing no doubt works great when you have a trained Navy crew managing it. Maybe not so much if you have to entrust Joe Weekendboater to get it right...
  10. JASinIL2006

    Jacking Trailer

    My jack stands will not slip... they have a pin that runs through them (see below). I'd far sooner trust my neck under something heavy to a jack stand than cinder blocks. Cinder blocks can shatter under a concentrated load. They're fine for walls, but for supporting a load focused in a small...
  11. JASinIL2006

    Hello, New member. Assistance Please and tks

    With a 30+ year old boat, who made the boat is much less important than how well the boat was cared for, and the conditions under which it was used and stored.
  12. JASinIL2006

    Replacing just the rotted area or whole back of boat/transom?

    It's crazy to go that far and not replace the entire transom.
  13. JASinIL2006

    Jacking Trailer

    I jack mine by raising the trailer tongue jack as high as it will go, then putting a jack stand under the coupler and lowering the tongue onto the jackstand. Then I jack up the frame at the rear (I have two jacks) until the tires are well off the ground, then I put jackstands under the frame at...
  14. JASinIL2006

    Hello, New member. Assistance Please and tks

    If you're really thinking about the boat, I suggest you try finding a replacement outdrive, or parts for it... it doesn't matter how accomplished you are as a mechanic, if you can't get parts, you can't fix it. I think you're nuts to even consider it -- folks like Bondo know what they're talking...
  15. JASinIL2006

    New Tires

    I bet you’ll be pleased with Goodyear Endurance tires. I really like mine.
  16. JASinIL2006

    Hello, New member. Assistance Please and tks

    A boat with a broken, defunct OMC drive? Personally, I would not even consider it. Few, if any, places will work on it, parts are hard/impossible to find… no thank you.
  17. JASinIL2006

    New Tires

    Load range really refers to the number of plies and the pressure the tires run at; it seems to be roughly correlated to the load index, which is the weight rating. (Load range D tires seem to have a higher load index.) I would go by whatever the tires have printed as their weight rating on the...
  18. JASinIL2006

    New Tires

    Every time I've bought trailer tires, I tried to research what was best at the time, and every time I found it to be a morass of conflicting, usually anecdotal information. "Buy ST." "Don't buy ST." "Get radials." "No, you have to have bias ply tires." "Avoid tires from China." "My China tires...
  19. JASinIL2006

    Pontoon boat vs. Open Deck for Lake - Total newbie

    For tubing, anyway, unless you're looking to provide a fairly mild ride, a pontoon won't be ideal. You just can't cut hard enough back and forth to swing the riders through the wake (at least not on any pontoon I've seen). With enough power, it might not be bad for skiing, assuming you can pop...
  20. JASinIL2006

    New Tires

    The last time I replace trailer tires, I went with Goodyear Endurance trailer tires. They are really nice; they ride smooth and have held up very well. I'll be buying them again... but probably no time soon!
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