BassChump

I called Mels marine for a key switch and while I was at it, I asked them about the trim tab. They told me to move the rear of the trim tab to the opposite side of the turn. In other words, if it pulls to the left, you put the trim tab to the right. They also told me to do it only 1/8 inch at a time as it make a huge difference. That's the definitive answer.

This is a long shot but it's worth a try IMHO. I have an old bass boat and parts are very hard to find and when I do find them, they are prohibitively expensive. I found a local boat mechanic that really knows his stuff and he helped me find very good aftermarket parts for pennies on the dollar. You might give them a call. I've been extremely pleased with them. They have helped me out more than I can put into words. It's called Mels Marine in Eugene Oregon. They are located on Hwy 99 and their number is (800) 637-0136 Their website is http://www.melsmarine.com/. I am not affiliated in any way with this business. They have treated me right and bent over backwards to get me on the water and I appreciate their efforts and I just wanted to pass it on.

Good question. I've been meaning to post that same question. The only difference is my boat pulls to the left and high speeds. I'm looking forward to the answer.

The same type of batteries are used on RVs so I would think it wouldn't be a problem with the batteries at all. All alternators have regulators of some sort so it can't overcharge them. It seems to make sense. It would be the same as yanking out the trolling battery and hooking up some jumpers to the truck to charge it at the lake. It sounds very viable to me but I'm sure there are lots of people in this forum that know better than I do. The thought of running hi power wires thru the truck, making another connection near the hitch and running more hi power wires thru the boat doesn't sound all that big a thing if it's done right.

I work in the RV industry. Travel trailers and 5th wheels many times are wired to the tow vehicle via the lights hookup to charge the batteries in the RV while driving???? Why couldn't this be done on a boat??? Even small trucks usually have at least a 60 amp alternator. Some full size trucks have 120 amp and up alternators. I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work for charging the trolling batteries. A battery doesn't care where it's charged from so with a little wiring, I'm guessing it would work fine and it's probably a cheap and easy way to go??? What do you guys think??? Just curious.

Hi Kevin, It's sits in the water just fine. I'll get the sliders, a long rope AND the waders just in case. I took my ex-girlfriend/girlfriend/ex-girlfriend/girlfriend/ex-girlfriend/girlfriend/ex-girlfriend/girlfriend/ex-girlfriend (long story for a completely different thread) fishing last week. I figured even though she never drove a boat, that I'd back the trailer in the water and she could just inch it up the trailer, shut down the motor and I'd pull out. She floored it and ran the boat almost into the bed of the truck. lol. It was halarious. It was so far up the trailer that the lower end of the motor got stuck on the trailer bunks. I will never know how it didn't damage a thing but I'm glad it didn't. Didn't even scratch the boat. The eye where you hook the winch to was almost touching the back window of my canopy on the truck. I had to back the truck into the water almost to the doors to get the boat to float enough off the trailer to get it unstuck. Lesson learned. I'll just get wet if need be next time. The waders would have come in handy. All is well.

The brackets aren't welded, they are bolted so I could adjust them slightly if needed although the way this trailer is made, raising the front won't lower the rear, it just raises the front which will just make it harder to load and unload I think????? If I lower the rear, the fin will hit the ground if I forget to bring the motor up. I've alread done that once when I got gas. I have to lower the motor to pump gas into this because the filler is just in front of the motor so I can't put the fuel nozzle in unless I lower the motor completely. I mixed the oil and gas, paid the attendant and drove off only to feel the skeg hit the ground going out of the station. I only have 3 inches or so clearance when the trailer is level so I can't forget to bring the motor up. I'm checking into the bunk sliders. They aren't that much and with those and a good pair of waders or tall boots, I'll probably be just fine but if there are more suggestions, I'm open to anything.

Thanks for the response and I appreciate your generous offer. Unfortunately, I kinda like this boat considering I got it for practically nothing. I think what I'll do is just live with it. I'm going to get some of those slippery bunk things and call it good. Anybody have any experience with these????

I read a thread on spark plugs and it reminded me how important my mechanic is and how much money he actually saves me? I know we all look at getting work done on our boats as an expense but let me tell you a true story of the value and savings of a good technician. I have an old Trophy bass boat made by Bayliner. It's a 1984 model. 17 feet with an 85 horse Force engine. Yes it's an old, cheaply made boat but I like it, it works great for me and I got it so cheap, I couldn't pass it up. It's actually what got me into bass fishing. I bought it because I knew what a good deal I was getting. I planned to sell it and make a few bucks but I wanted to take it out once. Caught a small bass on a spinner. Never got around to selling the boat. lol. The engine is very old technology. Simple, basic but it does the job. A few months after I got this boat, it started running badly. I couldn't hardly start it, it would hardly get on plane, smoked a lot and it was for some reason running very rich. So rich it was flooding out the bottom cylinder. It's a vertical inline 3 cylinder. I took it to a local mechanic. He worked on it for 3 hours and couldn't figure it out. He didn't charge me because he couldn't fix it. I took it to another mechanic locally. He spent 7 hours on it and all he ended up doing was cranking up the idle, advancing the timing so it ran "faster" but it still wasn't running correctly. I was standing there watching him. I'm a fairly good backyard mechanic and I understood everything he was doing. When he said it was done and wanted to charge me, I pointed out that it still isn't running right and to prove it, I pulled the plug wire off the #1 cylinder while it was running and it ran the same. He finally agreed but still charged me a "reduced rate" of $90.00. I'll never take anything to them again. I don't think I should be charged if a mechanic can't even find the fault. I took it to a 3rd mechanic. A respected mechanic in the next town. He couldn't figure it out and didn't charge me a dime. Honest guy. The timing was checked, new plugs, the ignition packs were checked, the carbs had been rebuilt, the compression was checked (150, 145, 150). Nobody could find a thing wrong. I was very frustrated. I just wanted to make a reverse drain hole in the boat and be done with it at that point. There is a boat yard in Eugene Oregon, about 60 miles away, that I have taken stuff to years ago and they always treated me right but since it's so far away, I don't usually go there. Well, one day I happened to be in Eugene and I stopped by just to get some oil and ask a few questions about my old boat. They have always been very patient with me as I stand at the counter or on the phone and answer all my questions. I walked in this day, bought some oil and asked them how much they would charge to look at my boat. I told him that I didn't have the money right now but I'd bring it in when I did. The owner didn't answer that question, his first question was what the engine was doing??? I told him and without saying a word, he walked away and when he came back he handed me a small piece of rubber. Some sort of gasket. He told me to take 5 screws off the side of the engine, take the old gasket out and put this one in. If that doesn't fix the problem, THEN come talk to him. Cost of the gasket???? $1.69. I went home, installed the gasket, went to the lake and it fired right up and ran perfectly. The gasket was actually the fuel pump diaphram. The old diaphram had a crack in it and was blowing fuel into the lowest cylinder. The #1 cylinder. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that guy. The knowledge and experience of a guy that is not just a mechanic, but a guy that knows what's really going on is invaluable. Since then, I have called to ask him lots of questions. One question in particular about my trolling motor. A question I posted on this forum twice and both times nobody had an answer to. He had the answer for that as well. I have called him several times thinking that I would have to take the boat into him and so far, every time, he walked me through it and solved the problem at the counter or over the phone. He hasn't hardly made a dime on me as of yet except for oil. I figure he has made less than 20 bucks on me yet has saved me hundreds and hundreds of dollars because of his knowledge, patience and kindness. If I ever do need a mechanic for even a little thing, I'm driving the 60 miles to this guy. He'll make some money on me someday and even if he doesn't, I'll be sending everyone I come in contact with to this guy. If you ever need a boat mechanic near the Eugene area and beyond, go to Mels Marine on Hwy 99 in Eugene Oregon. So that's my story. Anyone else have mechanic stories???? Good???? Bad?????

Yes, I figured on an older motor that it wouldn't have much of a charging system on it. Perhaps my best bet would be to just keep the trolling batteries charged. I can go about 10 hours of constant use before they both go down so that's good enough for me. I ran them down once since I had the boat that that took 2 days of steady fishing. Most of the lakes I'll be normally fishing are pretty small and I can get from the ramp to wherever I want to go within a few minutes so it probably wouldn't work in my application anyways. I appreciate your knowledge on the subject and I thank you again for the advice.

I have a bumper hitch and also a receiver style hitch. I've tried it every way. My trailer is just a pain with a shallow angle ramp. I might try those sliders mentioned above. Might make it a bit easier. I'm hopeful anyway.

My boat is a 1984 Trophy built by Bayliner. It has a 1984 Force engine. 85 horsepower. It's an inline 3 cylinder engine. Does anyone know what the output of this charging system is and can it handle chargine more than just the crank battery????

Yes, I have seen a boat come off a trailer before. I was waiting to launch one day and some kid borrowed his fathers boat, untied it at the top of the ramp and promptly watch it slide off the rollers onto the corregated concrete ramp. (the trailer had rollers, not carpeted rails) Needless to say, he was in big trouble as it was a pretty expensive boat. He was scared to death. I like your idea about the rope. I'll definately use that and I know the lake that I use that idea will work just fine. As far as where the axle is placed???? Yes, it's already on top of the springs so it's as low as it's going to go but thanks for the advice. What a great site this is and a great bunch of people here. All the suggestions are a big help and I appreciate everyones imput. Now all need to figure out is how to actually catch something. Be the highlight of my year I'm sure.

Wow! Great suggestion. I'll definately implement that simple idea. Why didn't I think of that??? Goes to show ya how smart I am. lol. Thanks.

I really don't have much room to lower it. As it is I only have maybe 3 inches with the engine down so if I lower the trailer, I may not have any room left if I forget to raise the motor. I'm usually pretty good about that but there is always a first time and yes that would totally ruin my day so I guess I'm just stuck with the way it is. If I go to shallow angle ramps, I'll just pack some hip waders with me and call it good. In any case, I'm having a blast with my boat and my feeble attempts at bass catching. I'm great at bass fishing but pretty horrible at this point actually catching but it's still lots of fun. If I get frustrated, I grab my ultra-light and catch a few trout and I feel much better. The water temps are still pretty cold here in Oregon so when it warms up another 5 to 8 degrees, I'm sure I'll have a great time. All is well.

Wow! I wasn't expecting all these responses. Thanks to everyone for their input. My boat is an 84 Trophy with an 85 horse Force outboard. Since those are cheap outboards, I'm assuming it will have a very small charging system. I have used jumpers on occasion to add some juice to the trolling batteries and it has worked. My question was more toward if I do that, will it hurt the charging systems. I think I fixed the problem though. The lakes I fish are a lot smaller in comparison to a lot of lakes you guys fish. I can usually get to where I'm going withing a few minutes of launching so what I did was just bought another trolling battery. When the first gets run down, I just go to the other. The last thing I can do now is have a big, expensive fix on my boat so I'm going to play it safe and with the additional battery, it should be fine. If anyone has any other imput, please post away. Thanks again for all the information.

Well, that's definately an idea. I'm wondering if it's worth the price and effort on a boat I only paid a grand for???? What would an axle like that cost a guy?????

Yes, that's how I do it if I have another person around. Just back it in, let it float off, pull out and park the truck. The problem I have is that I go out fishing by myself most often so I don't have the luxury of a driver. I have to back the trailer down, get out of the truck which is my now deep in the water, get the boat off the trailer, pull the truck and trailer out, park the truck and get back in the boat. I get pretty wet when I'm alone on a shallow angle ramp. I was just hoping there was a better way to do this but apparently not so I'll just get some hip waders or get wet.

Yeah, that's what I figured. I can't lower anything on the trailer to get the boat to sit lower without having the fenders hitting the boat so I guess it's just something I'll have to live with. Having to get the trailer so far in the water isn't a problem when I have a fishing partner but when I'm alone, I either am going to get wet or I'll need a pair of waders. Anyway, thanks for confirming that for me.

I saw the thread about jumping the starter battery with the trolling battery and I was wondering why you couldn't charge the trolling battery with the engine battery. Maybe have a battery switch that switches between the two or ties them together??? I've seen that on some bigger fishing boats with alternators and inboard motors. I'm assuming that since I've not seen anything on this on outboards that it either doesn't work or is bad for the charging system since it isn't an alternator or generator? Just curious. Thanks.

Hmm, How do I attach mulitple pics???? Here is one of the boat. Thanks.

Here are a few pix of the boat and a pic of the bracket. I'm assuming the bracket is supposed to be there otherwise the spring would not be able to flex. The boat is an older Trophy bass boat with the stock trailer. Any ideas???

I took my boat to a different lake today (actually caught a few, woohoo) and the ramp was very shallow. What I mean is that it had very little angle to it. So little that I had my trucks front tires in about 4 inches of water. That's when I noticed it. To get my boat to float, I have to get the trailer too far in the water. I've owned a few boats before and usually you get the trailer in the water up to the top of the wheel wells or so to get the boat off the trailer. My current boat, I have to get the trailer in the water about 8 to 10 inches over the fenders to get the boat off the trailer. This isn't a problem on steeper ramps but this was the first time I tried to launch on a shallow angle ramp. I noticed that on the springs of the trailer there is an extension from the rear of the spring to the mount on the trailer. Two pieces of metal where the bolts go thru the spring and the mount. Is this supposed to be there to let the spring expand or contract or has that been added by some previous owner to make the trailer taller and can I take it out to make the trailer sit lower on the axle?

It's not actually "cleaning" the points. After a while the constant zap of electricity going thru the points creates a high point on one side. This makes the points actually close sooner than they are supposed to which changes when the spark ultimately goes to the plugs. It changes the timing. Get a point file at the parts store. Emory cloth or a matchbook will do but a point file is best. They are only a couple of bucks usually. File that high part off, file any crust off the other side (don't file off too much, just a few scrapes will do) and then clean the shavings from the points with a small cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol. Let it dry for a few minutes as alcohol is flamable, check the gap, reset as needed and you should be good to go. Come to think of it, points are cheap at the parts store. They probably won't have a listing for those points so remove them, take 'em down to the parts store and have them match them up with new points and reinstall. That's probably your best bet. The points in that engine are probably pretty old and burnt anyway. After messing with the points, either adjusting the old ones or installing new, always check the timing because the point gap affects the timing as well. Hope this helps.

Yes, I realize the fishing isn't great right now as it is in other parts since the water is so cold. I'm frustrated at times but I'm not going to stick my head in the oven or anything. Hmm. Come to think of it, that won't work either. My oven is electric, not gas. Darn, I can't even get that right. lol. The ODFW just stocked a local lake with a bunch of 3 pound trout so I think I'll try that just for a few hours. Catch a few fish, feel that I can get a tight line once in a while and I'll be fine. I'm sure when the weather and the water warm up just a bit, I'll be posting some pix of me with a nice bass, a big smile and much more enthusiasm. Guaranteed. Stay tuned.