The Rooster

Thank you. In looking and reading about these two, it looks like I will definitely need a wiring harness adapter to use the BRP control box. This is probably the best way to go but it's also very expensive. near $500 with all the parts I need. I haven't spent a lot of time looking to see who has the best price yet though, just spent time learning about it to see what all I need. Also, it looks like the Uflex box is just for cable controls only. What would I do about using the key start for the engine?? The Uflex is a little confusing because it says I need a kit to connect the C14 cable to the engine but the C14 cable looks identical to mine already. It should just be a direct swap. The Uflex box is much cheaper and I found it online for $158 already, but the absence of anything other than cable controls is probably why. I'd have to figure out something for the key start. That might not be so bad though. Never did this before so I really have no idea.

Searched for 3 hours online tonight with no luck other than finding old used units on ebay, which may be no better than mine now. Johnson's website says the part is not available anymore, and I've read of at least a dozen other people having similar troubles with no solution to it. What can I do?? I'm about to just go engineer something up and make the best of it.

Bent prop shaft?? I'm dealing with this now on a Minn Kota. Won't turn, just hums loudly. Is a fairly inexpensive fix. New armature needed, costed me $54 with shipping and new seals too.

Ok, I did some tinkering today with the shifter cable. I completely uninstalled it. If it has any play in it, it is only 1/8 inch or less. I can actually get the front end of it to slide into the insulation just a tiny bit before the rear end of it begins to move. I guess this is from slack in the insulation around the wire. Otherwise I think the cable could be ok. It's tight compared to other things I found that aren't. What I found that does explain a few things are two problems, one on each end of things. In the motor head where the cable attaches there is a plastic bracket that it hooks into. The plastic bracket is bolted onto a lever that moves to do the shifting in the motor. The lever has no play in it at all, it's solid, but the bolt that holds the plastic cable bracket to the lever has a good bit of wobble to it. Like the hole the bolt goes through is wallowed out. It has a plastic insert that goes into the hole and the bolt goes through that. I think this plastic insert is worn down a good bit allowing for movement. I can fix that I believe. A new insert, or new bolt to fit tighter. But with it the way it was being loose, there would be some movement that kept the lever from being pulled far enough forward to hold the motor in gear. That alone might have been enough to cause the problem I've been having, but that's not all I found. Then inside the control box where the other end of the cable attaches, it hooks to a swinging arm that is geared to move with the shift lever. I think this is called the shift lever cam. This thing has a good bit of play when the shift arm is in the idle position. When the throttle is pushed forward it has less movement, which explains why the motor would stay in gear at higher speeds but anytime it was just in the first detent position where it would just idle it was possible for it to jump out of gear. I can see why now, it has as much as 1/2 inch or more of movement. This would allow the cable to move and let the lever in the motor head to move and come out of gear. Not only that but it's made of multiple parts that are riveted together and the rivets are loose enough to allow movement also. Not sloppy loose, but definitely not tight. I think this thing is worn out. So my next question is can I buy parts for the control box or do I need the whole thing new?? This is where the bulk of the slack is in the line. At least 2/3, with another 1/4 being in the slop from that bolt on the lever in the motor head.

If you plan to put in vinyl replacement windows in the spring then you should know they are generally measured to fit into the old window frames. All you do is remove the old sashes and inside center stops (narrow wood strips separating the sashes). You leave the exterior stops in place, and also reuse or replace the interior stops that serve as trim into the frame to the sash (now the new vinyl frame). What you do now to repair the rotted frame will affect that job in the spring. You will need to shape it like the old wood if you can or it will be some harder later to fit a new window in. You may just have to do some woodwork at that time. Exactly how rotted is it?? Is it just a spot or two or is it one whole side?? Sometimes if its not too bad, it can be metal capped, caulked, and forgotten. If it's wet feeling then it will have to be dried out before covering. Get it dry, keep it dry, and further damage won't happen.

Mine has the pins only. I had the same idea today but there was no way to take the end of it apart. Where would I look to see what might be out of adjustment?? The boat mechanic was who told me it might be stretched, and I've heard that before from a buddy of mine who changed his cables because of the same thing, but what you said makes sense about the lack of enough stretching pressure. I am inclined to agree, it looks like something would break before it just stretched out if there was that much pressure.

Good news!! My shifter cable is stretched out to China!! Haha!! Ok, not good news. That's better than the alternative news of a bad lower unit though. I had the hood off and watched how it worked as I shifted it and saw what cable did the shifting. Then I turned the prop with it in gear. I kept hearing a ticking noise as it slipped and it came from inside the lower unit as well as up by the motor head. So I looked at the head while turning the prop and I could see the lever that the cable is attached to moving a little bit. So I manually pushed it forward since the cable could not be made to do so, and then the prop would not turn anymore by hand. It will engage and hold the gear if that lever is pushed forward and held. I can let off holding it and it will stay on its own too, and the prop still isn't able to be turned by hand, but if I shift back to neutral and then into forward again it will not engage the gears on its own. Seems that the cable is stretched to me. The adjustment for the cable is already maxed out from previous owners apparently. There's none left to give. I figure the reason it holds in reverse is because in that position the cable is pushing the lever, not pulling, so it's jammed in place and the stretched cable doesn't have an effect then.

It's a Johnson 88 SPL. Now I'm worried.

Ok I just watched a video on the gears of a lower unit and I understand now how it is shifting. I believe the slippage I'm feeling is the actual gear on the prop shaft slipping by on the gear dog until it catches another tooth?? Maybe?? This could also be explained with a shifter cable that is stretched out as well couldn't it?? The mechanic showed me how mine is nearly at maximum adjustment and there is not really anymore to give there. That might be all that's wrong, but that's enough alone.

I'm sorry, I know near nothing about the mechanics of an outboard motor. I just got my boat back from the repair shop where I had it fixed for a spun prop hub. I'm paranoid about it, so with it not running, to "test" it out I put it in forward drive and then I turned the prop by hand in reverse to mimmick the internals turning until they connect on the prop which would then continue turning to make the prop spin in the right direction and make it go forward. With not much pressure, it will connect with whatever's inside there, and then slip passed it again until it catches again further around. It will keep slipping if I keep pushing and turning. This makes me think that under power from the motor it will just fail. I did this for reverse too, and turned the prop forward to do the same as above again. It connects solid, and doesn't give, and I can feel it beginning to move the pistons in the motor if I keep pushing. So, does this sound like I can expect it to fail in forward gear on the water?? I had an issue before with it not wanting to go into gear and stay there. It would grind going in and sometimes jump out again, and it finally failed completely. It would not go forward or reverse on the water. The mechanic suspected a bad gear dog and also gears based on what I told him, but later said it was a spun prop when he looked at it. I know that much was true, but I wonder if there is still more wrong. I have to try it on the water to know but it's killing me to wait until I can to know.

I vote the same as above. Bondo would be something I'd put the time into for a more long term repair but I'd never use it on a house anyway. Anywhere you have to fill in with that I'd just use caulk instead since its easier and plan on replacing the bad wood when funds are available. I run my own home improvements company as a full time job. When we do windows we always trim the outside wood moldings with aluminum cap metal to protect from rot, eliminate the need for painting, and then seal the edges with silicone caulk. This makes it watertight. Vinyl replacement windows would be a good solution here, and cap the trim with metal. You might have to hire that part done since it requires a metal brake for bending the aluminum and knowledge of what to do there, how to cut it, how to allow for tolerances when bending the metal so it fits snug but not too tight, or loose. Or, Lowe's sells vinyl trim you could use instead. Installs and cuts like wood, but rot proof and needs no painting ever.

This is true. However I think for me personally I'd prefer a reel with brakes that were simpler to use. I think pins and magnetics used together in such a way as to achieve the same slowing power of pins alone in another reel is just a bit too complex. I'm not trying to bag on the Lew's reel though. I may end up with one in the future. I like them. But if they had a 6 pin system, I'd love them.

I am mostly thinking that the spool doesn't have the room to be out of balance and wobble due to the bearing to shaft tolerances. It's so tight that it couldn't possibly wobble. I plan to find out though. I can speculate about it all day on what it might do but there's only one way to know.

That thing is ugly. Would scare me good in the water with me but they only eat plankton and other small stuff. Resembles a shark in the body, but that face........gross.

Strike king makes good baits. War eagle too. Basically they're all similar but I only get the ones with ball bearing swivels and open R bends for the line ties. Avoids line tangle hassles this way and makes blade turn easier with slow rolling them. Tackle shop made baits can be good and usually offer lots of "non manufactured" colors and blade combos. Got any local shops nearby?? But trust me, you want the white Booyah.

That's one reason I keep them separated also. I don't want a dead cranking battery. The circuit breaker is auto resetting, but it never tripped. The motor just whines loudly but won't turn. I tried the hammer trick but had no luck. I will see about ordering a replacement armature but I'll sell it after that. Got a new motor now.

Booyah is a good bait. I like larger ones in the 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 oz. range though. White is an absolute must have color. Black or some other dark color is too. Chartreuse, or white/chartreuse can be also at times. Blade combinations are endless and there are several different ones I use depending on conditions. I carry as many as 40 all the time. Tandem willow and Colorado blades are a staple but I also like dual or single Colorado for murky waters or low light conditions. Double willow is great for burning a bait or for grass.

No, the batteries are actually running separated. I keep one for starting the outboard, the trim motor, and electronics, and the other is just for the trolling motor but I do have the bilge pump on it too, but it's nearly never used so it's trolling motor only really. I probably should parallel them but they are not the same age so I figure one is weaker than the other and I believe that paralleling unequal batteries will drag the stronger one down. So I've been told. I also have a two bank onboard charger, a Guest brand with dual 5 amp banks. I think I remember that I could put both banks on one battery but I can't be sure now, and can't find the manual to check, so I just leave the batteries separated so each bank charges one battery. If I parallel them then that would also parallel the charger banks. I think that's ok though, but I want to make sure before doing it.

Absolutely, hence my name!! I have a box full of these always on the boat. Probably more than most as I have at least $150 worth of them in it, just the Worden's original Roostertail only. Sizes 1/8, 1/6, 1/4, and 3/8. Used to fish the 1/16 sizes but only small panfish ever hit it. I got away from that size for that reason. I buy them in sets of three, same size and color. I either have extras for me when one gets lost or damaged, or for a buddy to use one and have a spare should either of us need it. I don't just resort to Roosters when other things don't work though. They are a mainstay in my arsenal and I normally keep a rod just for them with one tied on always. On any given trip I will put in at least 50 casts with a Rooster, sometimes the whole trip on that one bait type. Bass especially love the 1/8 size in glitter frog color.

I just got a new Minn Kota Edge 55 trolling motor and I'm wondering how long it can safely run on high speed before it damages the motor?? Recently I spun a prop hub on the water on my outboard and had to rely on the trolling motor to get headed back to the ramp, so you can imagine we ran it on high for as long as we could after that. Can this overheat the motor doing this?? I know I'm going to regret telling this story but here goes. Maybe you all will get a kick out of it. I knew that outboard motor was having some difficulty shifting into gear when I bought the boat. It slowly got worse over time. Thought it was just a gear dog going out and would need a rebuild in the lower unit eventually. I just kept using it though since I never stray far from the ramp most times anyway. Figured trolling power would get me home if needed. I had a Minn Kota Power Drive 55 trolling motor and it is supposed to maximize run time from the battery so I never worried because I had a good, strong motor that was really efficient, a spare prop, and tools to change it if needed. Always thought the battery would be my only concern after maybe 8 hours of fishing and then having problems so I have two onboard just in case. This way all my bases are covered........or so I thought. So one day the outboard finally gives out and we're on electric only. We start trolling back, about a mile or more. On the way back to the ramp after losing outboard power the trolling motor suddenly took a dump on us as well and we had to paddle for about an hour before we finally made it. The battery was still up so that wasn't it. After we got back to the ramp we looked at the motor. We think it was the result of having the prop shaft bent when we got stuck in some shallow water while retrieving a lure. It now wobbles when turned by hand, and only will turn a half turn now on its own, and then just stops and hums loudly. What was strange is that it ran fine for a long time after we got it unstuck, and then suddenly just crapped out in 30 feet of open water later after we ran it for 30 minutes straight. I believe the problem is related to the shaft being bent but since it ran so long after that it makes me wonder. Anyway, now the boat is at the marine shop getting repairs and I got a new trolling motor waiting here at home when it gets back. I want to avoid any problems. Normally I don't run the electric motor for long periods of time but I'd like to know I could if needed. As for repeating what happened to the last motor, I think from now on I'll consider a $500 plus motor more valuable than a $5 bait and just break off. It's funny (not really), but this is exactly the same thing I was just saying to my son-in-law as I was retrieving his bait from the stump in shallow water and that's when we suddenly got stuck in its roots. I think that's when we bent the prop shaft right then. I would have thought the prop would have broke first, but apparently not.

About the pin braking, I always heard to have brakes on in even spacing around the reel spool. Some people believe in this totally. With the 4 pin system it means either 2 or 4 only. With the 6 pin you can do 2, 3, 4, or 6. I doubt there are many who would ever use 6, but I do occasionally use 3. I was thinking about it the other day though and I can't see that you would need to have them balanced as described above. That little brake pad is only moving out about 1/16 of an inch or so. How much difference can that make really?? I think you could use 3 on the Lew's reel in a T shaped pattern and you wouldn't have any adverse effects at all. Likewise you could use 5 on the 6 pin system, or even just 1 and it would be fine. I don't think it's even physically possible for the spool to be "out of balance" with odd brake settings. I think next time I'm out I'm going to set 3 brakes to on with the Curado and have them all on the same side to see what happens. I bet it's the same as 3 in a Y pattern.

When you say you loosen the tension knob until the bait starts to fall, how fast are you letting it fall?? If it's just until it starts to fall at all, even sluggishly slow falling, then I would still consider that way too tight. I used to do it this way. But when I did, my bait would fall fast enough that if it hit the floor it would backlash it severely. I was just watching for a certain amount of speed on the fall to let me know it was about right. But it was a fast fall for sure. I don't set mine up like that anymore. Now my spool is as loose as I can get away with, regardless of bait weight. Honestly, I only tighten it until all side to side movement is gone and rely on braking and my thumb after that. Sometimes I have to tighten it just a bit more for whatever reason, either the bait weight isn't quite right for the rod, or too much wind, but when that happens I only tighten it about 1/16 to 1/8 turn, just as little as I can get away with. This way I get maximum distance on everything, or ease of cast at closer targets without having to do anymore than flick my wrist.

Yeah you scored. I'm glad I read this thread now though because I clicked that Gander Mountain link that was posted and I love the way those house brand rods look. They remind me of the Shimano rods from when they had full cork handles. That's what I like. I have a GM store about less than 2 hours from here that I've never been to. Time for a trip.

What weight lure are you casting when you get the short distances?? It might also benefit from a clean and lube. And is the tension knob too tight??

You could upsize the wires but before I would do that I'd go through with some testing. First, disconnect the depth finders and run a test wire straight to the batteries to power them instead. This bypasses the fuse panel so when you turn everything else on, you get a better sense of what might be causing the problems. If the problem goes away then it's probably the wire size like you suspected. If it's still there then you know changing the wire size alone isn't going to solve it. Also, you can test whether upsizing the wire will help by simply adding an extra run of wire from the battery to the fuse panel along side of the factory wire. Use one large wire or several strands of smaller wire. Doing this is just as good as removing the original and rerunning a new, larger wire. Use jumper cables if you can, they're a fast source of 8 gauge or more wire that is readily available for a fast test. It's also possible that one or both batteries could be the problem. I do know that when you connect two or more batteries together, in parallel or series, they will try to equal out to each other. So both batteries must be good, or if one is weaker than the other the weak one will end up killing the other one too. Try testing out everything while only connected to one battery and see what happens. Make sure to have full charge first. What makes me think batteries is that you said they start out full charged. A failing battery can read 13.5 volts in the beginning but drop fast as it has no current flow to give. It's like a false charge. A build up of voltage but no "oomph" behind it, in other words. Lastly, check all of your connections, especially the main wire to the battery, and at the fuse panel. Weak connections cause all sorts of problems and can create erratic behaviors in electronic devices.