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  1. JASinIL2006

    Sharing a Pre-Startup Check List > What is yours?

    In Illinois, you have to have the plug removed and the bilge drained, ostensibly to minimize the chance of transporting invasive species (e.g., zebra mussels) from one waterway to another. I believe that would include livewells and other types of holding tanks that empty into the waterways...
  2. JASinIL2006

    Wellcraft transom reinforcement

    PT lumber (and PT plywood) that we get is always wet and is always 2nd or 3rd grade lumber. I can do much better with exterior-grade plywood for boat work. I would never use PT stuff with fiberglass.
  3. JASinIL2006

    Cross country trailering advice/tips

    I would add that I’ve always used the stainless model, not the chrome-plated one.
  4. JASinIL2006

    Cross country trailering advice/tips

    I like 'em. I have them on my trailer and I've not had problems with them at all. I still do maintenance on the bearings regularly, but I like the idea of the grease being somewhat under pressure to reduce the chance of water infiltration.
  5. JASinIL2006

    Wellcraft transom reinforcement

    Agree with you! I would not use treated lumber. It's just asking for adhesion problems.
  6. JASinIL2006

    Cross country trailering advice/tips

    I do at least a couple 1600 mile round-trip journeys with the trailered boat every year, partly over highway and partly on fairly undeveloped roads. I don't carry a hub, but I do have two sets of bearing/seals/etc. and the tools to replace them, along with two spares and a bottle jack. I also...
  7. JASinIL2006

    Outdrive will not go back into transom

    I've never had to tighten down the nuts to get the drive to go on all the way. I don't think you should have to crank down on the drive to get it to seat fully. It should slide right up to the bellhousing.
  8. JASinIL2006

    Harbor freight jack.

    I have the Daytona 3 ton jack. It works great. Of course, I never work under the vehicle without jack stands, but the floor jack is well made and mine has been quite durable.
  9. JASinIL2006

    Bimini top seems to have shrunk

    I don't think fiberglass expands much in the heat, so it's pretty unlikely your bimini isn't fitting because the fiberglass is moving. My Sunbrella mooring cover is always a bit tight after it has been sitting for a while, but the fabric tends to relax a bit when it's being used regularly...
  10. JASinIL2006

    Outdrive will not go back into transom

    This happens a lot. Sometimes turning the propeller to turn the drive shaft will help. Other times, I've gone away and tried again the next day and it slid right in. Best things to check are (a) the o-rings (light oil or very light grease is sufficient) and (b) the alignment of the coupler...
  11. JASinIL2006

    Bought my first boat to cut, gut and rebuild from bow to stern, including engine. Killed my back and suffered the wrath of the fiberglass demons

    Congrats!
  12. JASinIL2006

    Bennett SLT-10 Self-Leveling Trim Tabs - Vertical Mounting

    There are adjustments on SmartTabs. there are five different holes where you can attach the piston to the tab. If that isn’t enough adjustment, they allowed me to exchange pistons to a softer version at no additional cost. They were very helpful and accommodating.
  13. JASinIL2006

    Bennett SLT-10 Self-Leveling Trim Tabs - Vertical Mounting

    My boat has a similar transom (see picture below; not my boat, but the same model) and I was able to install Nauticus SmartTabs on it. I contacted Nauticus customer support and they said the tab's pistons could be mounted to the bump-out portion of the transom, but we might have to adjust the...
  14. JASinIL2006

    Do I need a trailer?

    How'd we get from answering the OP's question about whether he needs a trailer to discussing whether it's a good idea to smear grease all over your trailer?
  15. JASinIL2006

    Sunpad repair questions

    That’s an interesting question… I need to go out to the boat and see if there’s room to drill new holes in the fiberglass and move the hinge.
  16. JASinIL2006

    Sunpad repair questions

    The wood is actually quite sound; the black ring doesn’t seem to be rot, even though it looks bad in the picture. The wood isn’t soft or punky, and the plies beneath that surface layer are clean and sound. The wood looks pretty much the same as it did several years ago, when we had the marine...
  17. JASinIL2006

    Sunpad repair questions

    The screws that hold the hinge to my sunpad/engine bay cover have chewed up the wood that forms the substrate of the sunpad. (See picture below.) As a result, I can no longer tighten the screws. I peeled back the upholstery and to my surprise, the wood is actually in pretty good shape, outside...
  18. JASinIL2006

    Do I need a trailer?

    How often and how far will you be traveling with the boat in the truck? It probably could be done, but it sounds like it could be a pain to launch and retrieve. If you take the motor off the back, I would think the boat would ride better and be less likely to take a bend from hanging over the...
  19. JASinIL2006

    Leak into bilge, bellows?

    The amount of difficulty you're having getting the drive on and off (especially without the O-rings) would seem to be a sign that something is still not right. Sometimes drives don't want to go on, but having to cinch it down with the nuts is not right.
  20. JASinIL2006

    Leak into bilge, bellows?

    I have not had this problem from using the zerks to grease the coupler or the driveshaft. I have had a dickens of a time getting the driveshaft to seat in the coupler when I got overzealous greasing the driveshaft O-rings. I am very stingy now with that grease and it makes inserting the...
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