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  1. jayhanig

    Should I be concerned?

    I managed to hit a sandbar today doing about 25. I tried to power my way off without success only for a couple of brief tries in each direction. The engine did not stall but I then shut it down, climbed into the water, and pulled the boat into deeper water. I then restarted the engine and...
  2. jayhanig

    Don't want the block to freeze but don't want to winterize either

    Looking at the forecast for the next several days I see where it is supposedly going to drop down to or near freezing on a couple of nights, then warm up again. The weather right now is still pretty and I really don't want to put the boat up for the season just yet. I know there will be many...
  3. jayhanig

    Keel Roller Bracket Drags

    I recently noted one of the keel roller brackets under my trailer was broken and replaced it with one like this: specifically the 12" one piece bracket. What I discovered at the boat ramp yesterday is that the bottom of the bracket drags horribly :eek: as I transition from the flat approach to...
  4. jayhanig

    Approximate Trailer Weight

    I took my boat today to get it weighed and did not bother to separate the trailer from the truck. The truck was on one section of the CAT scale; the boat and trailer were on another. Supposedly the truck weighs 3900 lbs and the boat/trailer combination weighs 2640 lbs. I didn't sleep well...
  5. jayhanig

    Can you paint over epoxy?

    My girlfriend suckered me into building cornhole boxes for her. She intends to paint them on the sides and then apply a decal to the front and cover that with some sort of clear coat so it won't peel. I'm not inclined to use pressure treated lumber and in any case, the sheet goods used are...
  6. jayhanig

    Some days it just doesn't pay to get up...

    I had company here at the beach and naturally that called for me to drag the boat to the ramp and take them for a ride. Last week, I pulled the boat to a gas station that sells ethanol free gasoline but managed to cook a trailer bearing at some point on the trip. To make a long story short...
  7. jayhanig

    This doesn't look to encouraging to me...

    Today at Soundside Park in Surf City, NC, I observed a pontoon boat toodle in from the ICW. Nothing real noteworthy until I glanced at the trailer. :eek: That's not a black mark; that's a space where steel once was. It's the same way on the other side of the beam. And I meant to type...
  8. jayhanig

    Kill Switch Question

    Yesterday I was at the boat ramp when a 21' Sea Pro equipped with an Evinrude OB was towed in. The owner told me he'd been cruising down the Intracoastal Waterway when the engine quit and then it refused to start. I asked if "refused to start" meant it cranked but didn't catch or if nothing...
  9. jayhanig

    Where is the best thing to connect?

    I had a hour meter added to my boat to keep up with time on the engine for scheduled maintenance purposes. Unfortunately, I've noted that the gauge is apparently tied in with what I will call the general 12 volt bus. In other words, if the main battery switch in the engine compartment is on...
  10. jayhanig

    Wanted to give an "Attaboy!"

    I had two trailer related needs I wanted to address: 1) I find my boat/trailer too heavy to maneuver around my driveway by hand, even using a caddy; and 2) The coupling on my trailer was rusty and I wanted to replace it. I called etrailer. I ordered a Trailer Valet which will be drop shipped...
  11. jayhanig

    Aftermarket Mercruiser Decals?

    Does anybody have a source of aftermarket decals suitable for placement on my alpha one outdrive? The current ones are the worst for wear. The OEM decals I find on line are apparently worth their weight in gold. I'm looking for something a little more reasonable.
  12. jayhanig

    Dumb Question About Swapping Props

    How do you normally go about homing in on the proper prop? I know my 1997 GM 3.0 liter Mercruiser ought to go to 4600-4800 RPM at WOT. I also know it actually will turn faster than that if I were to allow it. I am leery of overrevving the engine and as a result don't really know how far out...
  13. jayhanig

    GPS Data For Navigation Markers?

    In my downtime, I'm trying to upload new routes into my Humminbird GPS/Depthfinder/Chart Plotter. Towards that end, I need to enter some local buoy locations to use as waypoints. I've done this before but I can't remember where I got the GPS coordinates from in the past. Specifically, I'm...
  14. jayhanig

    Thanks Once Again!

    A few months ago I posted here looking for help on finding the proper flywheel for a GM Mercruiser 3.0 liter long block I had bought from an individual that had sat in storage for a few years still in the shrink wrap. While there was a number stamped into the block that suggested the block was...
  15. jayhanig

    Trouble finding the right flywheel/starter combination; also fuel pump

    I've had my boat in the shop for quite a while getting essentially restored and it's ready for the engine to be reinstalled. My old one had a cracked exhaust manifold which allowed sea water into the cylinders and so it had to be trashed. I found a "new" long block GM Mercruiser last winter...
  16. jayhanig

    Boo! Hiss!

    Just when I thought it was safe to take a breath, bad news came my way. The little straight 4 Mercruiser engine on my boat apparently developed a crack in its exhaust manifold and let salt water in. Then when I winterized it antifreeze got in there too. In any case, the engine is now toast...
  17. jayhanig

    Motor oil in the outdrive?

    We had to pull the engine out today to make some deck repairs and when the outdrive was being dropped, we found what appeared to be motor oil in the part of the outdrive that remains on the transom (I think it is where the U-joint is). I checked the dipstick on the engine and the quantity...
  18. jayhanig

    Ever had a ball come loose?

    The 2" ball on my trailer hitch has become visibly loose twice in the last week. The first time I noticed it strictly by accident and was shocked at how close I came to having an event. It was barely retaining its nut and washer. I took a crescent wrench to it and tightened it up what seemed...
  19. jayhanig

    Is there a listing of GPS waypoints of the Intracoastal Waterway?

    I finally got a way to power up my Humminbird Chartplotter/GPS in the comfort of my air conditioned office and I thought I'd like to preload the GPS coordinates of the buoys that define the ICW near where I live so I could generate routes to my most likely locations. Looking at a 40,000:1...
  20. jayhanig

    Battery On Charger: Is This Normal?

    My boat has been sitting in the driveway for a couple of weeks while I wait for some parts. I decided this afternoon to throw the battery charger on it just to keep it topped off. The clamps are directly on the battery posts.... a good solid connection. Anyway, when I first plugged the...
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