Fishing Rhino

Musta been wearing his elevator shoes.

No one has mentioned it yet, but when you post on a thread, the "dot" becomes a "star".

I'm the person to answer your question. Anyone wanting an answer to a dumb question, should come to me. Like Hallmark has a card for every occassion, I have a dumb answer for every dumb question. Keep in mind, my dumb answers are not exclusively limited to dumb questions.

I could move the motor from side to side in the Z-7 I owned because it was cable steering. ON my Z-8,with hydraulic steering, the motor will not budge from side to side, even when it's just hanging on the transom without the "saver" installed. I'm of the understanding is that the main purpose of any of the devices is to prevent the lower unit from striking the pavement, especially when being towed. Interesting info from the Mercury Marine website. What precautions should I take when trailering my outboard powered boat with the engine attached? Trailer your boat with the outboard tilted down (vertical operating position). Shift the outboard to forward gear. This prevents the propeller from spinning freely. If additional ground clearance is required, the outboard should be tilted up using an accessory outboard support device. Refer to your local dealer for recommendations. Additional clearance may be required for railroad crossings, driveways and trailer bouncing. IMPORTANT: Do not rely on the power trim/tilt system or tilt support lever to maintain proper ground clearance for trailering. The outboard tilt support lever is not intended to support the outboard for trailering. http://www.mercurymarine.com/search-results/#trailering

I can remember the first effective devices that were used to keep motors tilted up while trailering. Tilt the motor up. Insert a two by four across the mounting bracket and secure in place with a bungee cord. Actually the first device was the tilt lock, but it didn't work out very well. This was back in the day when a 30 - 40 horsepower engine was an impressive piece of machinery.

Apples peeled or not, cored, sliced, and sauteed slowly in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger to suit you. You can cook them through, or leave them a bit crunchy in the center. There are endless variations. If you want to try them, stop at a Cracker Barrel. You can get them with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There are pros and cons to both. Locknstow's main claim is that it reduces "road shock", whereas a transom saver transmits it from the trailer to the motor, and thus the hydraulic seals. On the other hand the transom saver reduces the "road shock" to the transom, hence the name, transom saver. I have my doubts that the force on the seals from road shock comes close to the force on those seals when the boat is under power on the water. What both do effectively is to keep the lower unit elevated. Take your pick I have a transom saver that is spring loaded. It has a stiff spring, almost like a valve spring which I partially compress when I install the unit. The spring will absorb the shock when travelling rough roads or terrain. How much strain is put on the transom while towing over bumps or potholes. Does it even begin to amount to the force a big motor puts on a transom on a hole shot, or when a boat goes airborn over a wake (never a good thing)? With a transom saver, whatever "road shock" there is is transmitted to the engine. With a locknsave the "road shock" is transmitted to the transom. At least, that's what both devices claim. As for stowing, the transom saver takes up no storage space in my boat. It gets locked in the back of my truck. One time, I did forget to lock the cap, and someone relieved me of it. If I had a locknstow, that's where it would go as well.

I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were in the running. Makes me feel better, that I'm not the only guy who caught more than his share of those slimy beasts. If I recall correctly, I caught five of them, the largest being about fifteen pounds, and the smallest around five. Drum Major is a title I'll be more than happy to cede to you.

Of course. The Drum Major will be there.

Actually Linkletter used both. Both were going around in my mind, so I googled it, and found that he used it both ways. Maybe he wrote two books using each word on them.

If you were a youngster, that sentence would make the best of Art Linkletter's "Kids say the funniest things".

Blocking the mirrors? Wait 'til you're my age. You'll consider the mirror blockers to be your friends. It's all in the perspective.

Nice. Enjoy!

Merchant Surcharging – Understanding Payment Card Changes What is a Surcharge? A payment card surcharge is a fee that a retailer adds to the cost of a purchase when a customer uses a payment card. Changes to Surcharging Fees in the United States Beginning January 27, 2013, merchants in the United States and U.S. Territories will be permitted to impose a surcharge on consumers when they use a credit card. Historically Visa has not permitted retailer surcharging, but allowing surcharging was a key provision required by merchants to settle long-standing litigation brought by a class of retailers in 2005. States Where No Surcharge Laws Protect Consumers Surcharging isn’t allowed everywhere. Currently, there are laws limiting surcharging in: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas. Consumers who are subjected to a surcharge or checkout fees in states where they may be prohibited from surcharging may want to report the retailer to their state attorney general’s office. http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_visa/checkout_fees/index.html

I heard something on the news today that the credit card companies and the businesses that accept them have reached an agreement which allows those businesses to put a "surcharge" on credit card purchases. They cannot do it in Massachusetts and some other states because state law prohibits the practice. Nonetheless, those discussing this agreement told listeners in Mass to check the receipt before signing it to make sure the surcharge was not added.

You got your shoes on your feet. I've seen that one pulled on some tourists when we were in NO.

The silicone for shower and tub enclosures is probably acceptable, but I'm not sure. It's certainly not worth a gamble to save a couple of dollars. Here's a neat trick for silicone if you want to install something like a ram mount and want it to be watertight. When you've laid it out, and have the holes drilled, put a good bead of silicone on the face of the mount that will be against the boat. Then install it, tightening the fasteners just enough so the silicone bead starts to bulge out around the edges. Then let it sit for 12 to 24 hours. Once it sets up, you have a nice silicone gasket. When you finish tightening it down, it will not squeeze out. Most people will just tighten it down right away. All that does is to squeeze the silicone out from between the two surfaces. What silicone remains, is not compressed, so it will not seal as well. I learned this the hard way when I replaced the lexan window panels on my lobster boat. I applied the silicone and tightened the windows. Within a year, water from spray would trickle between the lexan and the wood. Someone told me about the technique to make a silicone gasket. When I did that, the windows never leaked again.

Telegraph? Heck no! Smoke signals.

Nice. The storage space was a great idea.

Be sure to use the right sized drill for the screw. Too tight and you'll get spider cracks around the edges of the hole. The instructions should tell you what size drill to use if clamps were included in the hardware package. Get a small tube of marine grade silicone sealant, and fill the holes before installing the screws. It will insure a tight seal and prevent water intrusion. Use masking tape or adhesive tape, and wrap it around the drill bit to act as a depth gauge. Wrap it around so the exposed part of the drill is slightly longer than the screw you'll be using. I start using a very small drill bit, then I use a countersink. The diameter of the countersunk hole should be slightly larger than the drill size you'll be using for the screw. If you don't do this, the gel coat is apt to chip. When you've finished drilling the appropriate size hole for the screw, the hole will have a slightly bevelled edge. The sealant will fill the slight bevel, and a bit may ooze out from beneath the clamp. Unless you have a big blob of sealant, leave it as is. If you have a big blob, use a finger to remove most of the excess. Leave some to make sure you get a good seal at the screw and clamp.

Funny thing about meds. They have different affects. They can plug 'em up, or flush 'em out. I'm pretty lucky in that regard, meds don't seem to bother my digestive system, except for the stuff they have you take prior to a colonoscopy. Then, I have to make sure I'm no more than a few steps from the porcelain throne.

That would be me.

One other thing. UPS will cover up to one hundred dollars (I think) in damage, unless you pay for more insurance. If you're shipping a thousand dollars worth of gear, be sure to get sufficient insurance to cover it.

If you liked the first meds, you're gonna love the one you get just before they wheel you to surgery. You'll remember getting the shot, but not much after that. The next thing you know is that you'll be waking up in the recovery room, and it will be over. One thing. Take the pain meds as the doctor recommends. If he says take them every six hours for two or three days, do it. Don't think that because you aren't feeling uncomfortable after six hours that you can hold off. I've had a couple of friends who just plain don't like the idea of taking pain meds. They figured they'd wait until they started to feel the pain, then take a pill. Too late. They ended up going to the ER to get an injection. You want to maintain a level of meds in your system for pain control, and your doc knows best. Do not be a hero. You'll likely regret it.

One suggestion. I'd run the cable for the stern transducer over the top of the transducer in line with the hull, rather than running across it as seen in the picture. I'd also secure it to the hull with a couple of cable clamps. You might not like the idea of drilling the hull to mount the clamps but, here's why. Up on plane the water will pass beneath the cable, but while getting up on plane, and coming down off plane the water might grab that cable that runs diagonally across the line of travel. If it does, it will tug against the housing of the transducer, and doing so repeatedly over time could damage the cable. If it's secured above the transducer, in line with the hull, the cable is in line with the direction of the boat over the water. There is not much surface for the water to "grab" the cable, and the clamps will be holding the cable in place rather than the water tugging the cable against the housing of the transducer.