tntitans37216

good point

I don't think my boat's engine is running at top notch and it is a old engine, 70's or so, but one of my friends said he heard from a mechanic that if the carbs might be dirty because I have been going through so many spark plugs and lacking power when others are in the boat. He said to get a entire can of carb cleaner and spray the whole can into the carb. Then let it sit over night. Then when you start it up it will smoke for the first couple of moments but it will brun and clean up everything in it. Has anyone heard of this or done that?

Hey CGH, when you made that or something like that, how did you keep it from moving and falling over? I like the idea, and it seems not to hard to make.

I know for night fishing darker colors work best (black, blue, purple), but with it in the spring time I would say to start at creeks and work your way out. Catfish I'm still learning about so I'm not sure where they are right now.

I just painted my boat trailer and I just lifted the trailer up with my car jack and put jack stands under it and had them as high has they go to give me some clearance under it. That is the cheapest way. You have to lay under it and I put it on with a brush, but some areas are tough. My suggestion with the trailer is try to find some (a friend or someone at a dock), maybe even ask a manager of a marina if it is ok to park the boat for 1-2 days in a slit or in one of the open areas. They might work with you if they are nice. But since the boating season is about to open for for a lot of people, I would say the slits are going fast. But you can ask a friend that has a dock if you can keep the boat their for a couple of days. I have read once where a guy hooked up a chain to the rear of the boat and a poll (something solid) and put hay bails under the trailer and slowly pulled out and the boat slowly came off the trailer and rested on the hay. Then he had a friend with a tow truck help light the front of the boat as he backed up to the boat to load it back on. Now the boat, I'm not sure. I am thinking about repainting my boat and the top part will be easy, but the under part I am curious on the best way.

I went out on Old Hickory Lake, a lake in in middle TN, and with all the rain lately the two main lakes near me are higher then usual. Most docks you would have to swim up to because they are higher then where the ramp connects to land. The water was a lot more muddy and their was a lot of timber in the main channel. I'm still not great at fishing, so what would you normally do in this condition? Is this type of times pretty much impossible to fish or suppose to be better because fish have more cover? I tried swallow (3ft) and I tried about 10-13 ft range. Also close to shore and out in the middle of the cove. I didn't have any luck. I tired some different depth and color lures, but what color is best for muddy water? Any help or advice would be great.

I'm not sure where to post this, so the moderators can move it to where ever it needs to go. I am about to buy a new house and I was thinking about adding a compost bin, and then as I looked around the web I then started to think about a worm bed since I fish from time to time. What I have learned and researched, it is pretty easy. My question is I was going to build it in a breeze of the house. I was thinking about putting it in the back right on the side of garage not the house. I was going to build a wooden frame, I haven't decided on the size yet. My question is what has been the best to put on the bottom, to keep worms from going underground and escaping and on top from keeping them from crawling out?

I get Bassmasters (really good), Bassin' (is really good but not as many issues), In-Fisherman (is good), Field & Stream and Outdoor Life are good magazines if you want a good well balanced magazine. North American Fisherman, I didn't like it as much. In-Fisherman is a lot better. I also able to find some really good cheap deals on all those on Ebay.

Is it a actually boat alarm or one you made with a car alarm? How do you have power going to it?

It has two flood lights out off the carport, come in handle when coming home with the boat at nights, and I can add a motion light. It has a carpot, but I'm going to screen that area in. My boat does have a cover (trailerable kind).

I am about to buy a house and it is on a corner street and the back yard has just your normal chain link, about 4 feet (whichever is normal height), and I am trying to think of a good way to park my trailers back their and keep them safe. It is a some what safe area, but then also if you see something then it might be temping so I was trying to think of something to add a little more security to them. I have a 16ft bass boat, 16 ft open trailer, and a 4 ft lawn mower/bike trailer. I was curious on what others have done, if just the plan chain link has been enough. I am thinking about building a 6-8ft privacy wooden fence and that would be about $1,200 if I build it myself. I will most likely do that, but I was just trying to get some other ideas too. Also I have been parking in the back yard just in the grass in the past at my current house, but I wonder if it is better for the tires to sit on gravel instead? To help the tires last longer, keeping them from dry rotting. What do you think?

That is about the lightest boat you can tow, so you can tow it with the bumper easily. You can tow up to the vehicle tow rating with the bumper on trucks and suv. Their is a thick metal bar behind the bumper that helps support the weight, and that's what the truck/suv was made for. Most people get a under bumper hitch because you can change the receiver ball out quickly. Like I tow a 16 ft open trailer (2inch ball), 16 ft fishing boat (2inch ball), and a small lawn mower trailer (1 7/8inch ball) so having to change from a 2 inch to a 1 7/8inch is a lot easier to pull the pin and swap them. Also others get under bumper hitch because it is styles and for the looks over having a ball on the bumper. Also a big advantage the hith has over a bumper is you can turn tighter. If you have it on the bumper, you can't turn to scrap or the trailer will hit the bumper, and if you have a chrome bumper then it will make a ***** in the bumper and show up very badly on the chrome. you can get a good cheap universal hitch at Walmart for $110 made by Reese Hitches, rated for 5,000 LBs and made for mid-compact trucks and suv.

If it is a year old if might have some wear on it, but being a guide he might also take better care of it so it is in top notch shape so it is pleasing to the customers and so you doesn't have trouble out on the water. While some random used boat you might know less about it and could be more risky but could also be in the same shape. I might lean toward the guide because you might be able to find out more about the boat and be more trust worth because you are a customer and he would still want you to sent your friends over his way. While some, not all, people just want to sell their boat and not everyone will tell you if something is wrong. I know it's not right but people do that.

I'm trying to think, I thought 4 runners came with V6 mainly, and some 4 cyl, I didn't think 4 runners came with V8s. But for a your purpose, a V6 can pull any in land fishing boats. Your normal fishing boat style you see the pros in. But a 4 runner would be pushing it if you were looking for a off shore fishing boat, like what out TWRA have type style , or as if you start looking at round about boats. But most inland fishing boats a 4 runner with a V6 should be able to handle it. Also unless you do to real slippery boat ramps or live in the northern states, then 2 WD would be able to handle it. But if you live up north or go ro slippery boat ramps you could upgrade to a 4x4 version. But a V6 has enough torque and horsepower to get the job done. I have a V6 in my dodge dakota and it does pretty good with my 16ft old heavy fishing boat, so a newer lighter and especially a aluminum boat would be a breeze.

I would say if your truck is factor height (4x4 are a little higher then 2WD), a normal 2WD you can get the normal drop and I usually turn it upside down and mount the ball that way the ball sit just below where a ball mounted on the bumper would be. I do that with 2inch balls. But with my 1 7/8 ball I just keep it the normal drop the same and mount it and it comes down a little. I do that because 1 7/8 trailers are smaller and you usually don't put a lot of weight on them so you don't have to worry about it hitting the ground and the smaller trailers are usually lower to the ground. While a 2 inch trailer, I use a 16 foot open trailer from time to time to haul wood, vehicles, etc.. so that extra height helps when loaded down. That is about the receiver. You can get the receiver and ball for $25 at Walmart, Bass pro, etc.. If you want it perfect then do like the others say wait until you get the trailer, but then you wont be able to tow it since you don't have a receiver. The downside is if you have a high (lifted) truck and get a 4-8 inch drop receiver is if you get rid of that truck the next truck may not sit as high. But if it is about factor height then your normal 1-2 inch drop is fine. I have had my receivers with me through 3 different trucks, so they will last longer then your truck. The hitch is pretty easy. You can pay $500 or so for a one piece under bumper hitch, which is you have to look around and get one that comes up to the bottom of the bumper. You don't want to have a gap between the hitch and bumper, that doesn't look very great and you lose some clearance, if you were to go off road. Hitches are very easy to put on because their is holes already in the frame of the truck just for that reason to add a hitch. Then hitches have predrilled holes so all you have to do is put the hitch up and slide the bolts through the holes and tighten the nuts. That is the hard thing because a class III one piece hitch is about 40-50lbs. I think the easiest way, I haven't had any problems with mine and I have towed some heavy things (for my truck) in my Dodge Dakota Quad Cab, and that is I have the Walmart custom hitch. It was only about $150-less or so. It has numerous blots and holes in it so you can adjust the height and width so it fits perfectly with your vehicle. If I had a full size truck I would have gone with a solid one piece and go with a higher class rating then what I have. But for mid-compact truck or suv this hitch will do it's job because it is rated for the same weight as the truck.

This could be a stupid question, but what about designing it sideways? Could that work? Like say you turned it over on it's side, and then you cut part of the side (the side that would be the top part now). Kind of the idea like this? What this actually thing, but a the idea with it sidways and then you would have more length. But then it might take up more room which we all want the most room possible.

From that view it looks pretty nice and the trailer looks pretty solid too.

I haven't ever used mine to pull people, but from time to time I will load it down with camping gear and head out to a small island in the middle of the lake and camp out.

If your van is rated for 3500 lbs, then I wouldn't go over that limit. That added 500 lbs doesn't like much, but when you try to stop you will feel the difference. Then if you go to the lake a lot, then your transmission, engine, and rear end will take some wear and tear and go out faster then normal with the above weight rating. But if you do get a boat bigger then your rating, then make sure to start stopping earlier then normal and not to pick a steep boat ramp. You might not be able to pull the boat out if it is to steep. The biggest thing is going to be your tongue weight. If it is to much for the hitch then it could break off when you hit a bump, or if it pushes the back down and raises the front up some, then it will be harder to stop because of the lack of pressure on the front and also make the truck made to bounce more because of the lack of front pressure. I have towed more then the ranting for a couple of trucks, but only because I had to, but I took more cation and don't do it on a normal (every weekend) level. Maybe once in a blue moon hauling wood to the dump or something. But to be honest it's more of a feel and and seeing the boat hooked up to the van and seeing how it sits to know for sure. And it depends on how good you are driving a trailer and confident level with a trailer. I've been driving trailers around for a decade and started as soon as I was 16, so a trailer is nothing to be. But if you haven't ever had a trailer behind you then I wouldn't suggest dropping right to a oversized load (boat) first. I would suggest looking for a old truck full size (GMC/Chevy 1500, Dodge Ram 1500, Ford F-150) just for towing the boat. Even a full size with a V6 might be enough, becasue the tranny and rear end is better then a midsize with a V6. Also stopping it is a matter of size vs size, a full size truck has better brakes and weights more so it handle a bigger load vs a mid-compact truck. It's easier for a 3500-4000 lbs truck to stop 4000 lbs vs a 2000-2500 lbs truck stopping 4000 lbs.

You should be able to look in owners manual, but I would roughly say 5,000 lbs for your jeep. I think just about any boat from maybe 17-less you should be able to handle. 18+ foot then you might be going over, but it depends on the boat too. A aluminum boat is a lot lighter so you could tow a bigger longer aluminum boat but a fiberglass boat starts getting heavy as you add a foot to it. But I would still just about any boat that is 17-less foot, you should be ok. Just make sure with the automatic tranny, that you keep it in drive and not overdrive or you will burn up the tranny.

They bottom looks like it came out great, better then new. I wish I could flip my boat over and work on the bottom of the boat.

Bought this boat for $700 last Jan (2007), and with some certain legal issues has kept me at home more. So I decided to do some upgrading and repairs on the boat during this time. I decided first was to work on the trailer. It was getting some rush on on it and it needed a new fresh look. right when I picked it up starting to get some rust and old look needed to be sanded and painted old bunker carpet replace bunker carpet halfway primed all primed but the springs and hubs area fresh new paint new paint adding a better look before and after. I really think the white rims look better then black rims. I think I did pretty good, even thou I'm not master painter and actually hate painting but it had to be done. Next is upgrading engine, rather upgrade engine then upgrade boat because I really like the floor layout is good for fishing, hanging out with friends, or taking camping gear to a island on the lake. Then I'm also going to reapaint the boat, but I'm not sure what colors yet. I may stick with the white and green, at least the bottom white, not sure if I want to stay with the green or what. I thought about black to go with black bunkers and rollers, but then my dad said then the boat may not stand out enough in the water and could be a safety issue and I should pick out a color other then black. Also black may bring more heat and during the summer it gets hot enough. Any color ideas?

Best of luck, it is always fun to get something and then get ideas on how you want something and then to be able to make it happen. When you get it done you should give us a before and after post.

and you will love this site. This is by far the best fishing site out their.

oh yeah about the cable vs strap, a lot of people like the strap because it doesn't get rushy after a long time and it comes out more freely then a cable. Also the cables you don't want to grab the cable part with your hand because of a stray metal hair that can poke or cut you, while a strap is more hand friendly. Usually the cable is stronger thou, but I don't think their is a big difference and that is usually most people last thing to look or worry about.