Fishing Rhino

I can believe the 60mph with the Optimax. I have a 150 EFI Merc with an inch less pitch than the Optimax has on the Z7, and I've seen 58.7 on the GPS. Speedometer reads about 65. Thats with just me, and a nearly full fuel tank with all of my gear aboard.

Looks like an underwater version of a radar display. It is the next logical step to di and si. What I find interesting, that piques my curiosity is that the shadow of the standing timber in the lower left quadrant is twofold. The weaker, like all other sonar images is cast away from the center of the display, while a bolder shadow is cast toward the top of the display, as though the signal was generated from the bottom of the image rather than the center. Looking at the image again, there is a third "shadow" halfway between the other two.

I like living on the edge But seriously, I was only 69 at the time of this incident. Ergo, I was not a 70 year old man, "out there without a boarding ladder".

Every job is looked down upon by someone, somewhere. It could be worse. You could be a lawyer, or a car salesman. As far as careers go, tradesmen, for the most part are associated with construction, be it residential or commercial. As you well know, right construction, particularly new construction (home building) is in the dumper. It wasn't too long ago that if you needed a plumber you had to wait. I use plumbers as an example because they are most often needed when a hot water heater fails, or pinholes develop in the plumbing and a basement gets flooded. Been there, done that. It's not a major problem for me because I can take a piece of inner tube or similar rubber/plastic product, put it over the pinhole and tighten it down with a hose clamp. Problem solved, temporarily. But, many homeowners aren't handy around the house and their only recourse is to turn the water off until they can get a plumber to make repairs. But, if your roof developed a leak, when building was booming, you'd be lucky to get a roofer or home builder to make temporary repairs with a tarp. And then, they'd charge an arm and a leg for their services. Whether or not they are worth what they charged is another matter. Folks felt they were being taken for a ride, or being ignored. Now, in today's economy the law of supply and demand has taken over, and many tradesmen are willing to negotiate their fees. One major plus regarding the trades. Your jobs cannot be outsourced to foreign countries. My dad was a machinist, a tool and die maker. He went to a local trade school when he got discharged after WWII, and was never without work. At the end of his working days computer controlled lathes, milling machines, etc., were just making their way into the profession/trade.

I agree with everything said above. A perfectly sound boat may have stress cracks. But, here's the qualifier/disclaimer. Stress cracks can indicate a boat that is pounded mercilessly, as previously stated. Some might consider that abuse, and not want a boat that has been hammered over rough water. The other possibility is stress cracks due to structural weakness. Unless a person can determine why the stress cracks exist, the wiser course of action is to steer clear of that vessel.

Drilling a hole at the end of each crack should stop them from growing. Unless you have a problem that is getting worse, such as stiffeners of wood that are getting punky. This includes the transom, the most important structural part of the hull. By drilling holes, you'll end up with something resembling Swiss cheese. As suggested, your best course of action is to look for another boat.

I'm a strong advocate for 3M 5200, but not for thru hull fitttings. The stuff is an incredibly strong adhesive. To remove a fitting that was installed with 3M 5200 you may have to cut and grind it off. Use a good quality silicone, either marine grade or the bath and shower stuff you can find at hardware stores. When installing the fitting, use a good sized bead on the flange. Tighten the fitting until the silicone forms a bulge around the edge, and leave it there for 24 hours. It will set up into a silicone washer. Then you can tighten it and the silicone will not ooze out. If you tighten it before the silicone sets, it will be squeezed out and will not make a tight seal.

There is no "one size fits all" regarding pickup trucks. Some guys don't like four doors or extended cabs, some don't like two doors. Having had several two doors, one extended cab and one four door, it will always be a four door for me. The downside is the short bed, less than six feet. However, I can and do carry rods up to eight feet long in the back of the truck. I have a cap which allows me to put them diagonally in the back of the truck. You do have to pay attention to how you load the bed. You want the rods supported in the center as well as at the ends. I have stick jackets on all my rods which eliminate the problem of them clanking together. A couple of towels to separate the reels takes care of everything nicely. I have an ARE cap. All the windows are dark tinted, making it impossible to see what is or is not in the bed. Sure, someone can break in and steal the contents in the bed, but, and this is a significant but, it's better they break into the bed than into the cab, which they will do if they want to steal fishing gear or whatever. With a cap, you can, if desired, put a shelf on the inner rails that sit on the bed of the truck, with bungees to hold rods in place and heavier gear that might shift beneath the shelf.

One thing you always need to keep in mind when someone has a major gripe about an outboard, auto, or whatever for that matter, many times the source of the problem is owner abuse, failing to properly maintain their piece of equipment. Always take consumer gripes with a very large grain of salt, unless there is a factory recall, or some other indication of abnormally high failure rates. Improper break in (when required), not allowing for a proper warmup before nailing the throttle, etc, can account for premature failure of components. Churning over mudflats or shallows can take a toll on water pump impellers. If any make was truly "junk" they would not last long in the marketplace. There are too many reliable products for the junk to survive.

Waking up in the morning. Every day is a bonus.

[quote na me=SirSnookalot' timestamp='1329292956' post='1076253] Kayak, they check all the sites. A tip for the future. We have a Southwest Visa credit card, we have received 4 free tickets for using their card over the last couple of years.

I just checked Southwest. They serve both Jackson, Mississippi, and Buffalo,NY. Looks to be a hundred or more mile jaunt to Jackson from Camp Shelby. But still, that's a two hour or so drive. If you do book a flight, be sure to tell them you are a serviceman, on active duty. You may be eligible for special rates.

From where? To where? If Southwest serves those hubs, and you book it when they open up the flights for your time frame, you can get some great deals. When we fly, we fly Southwest. They are the number one airline for being on time, for departures and arrivals. Some claim you are herded like cattle on Southwest, but that's not accurate. They do not have assigned seats. Pick your own from what is available. You can print your boarding pass(es) 24 hours prior to your flight's scheduled departure. The quicker you get on line with them the sooner you get to board. However, for an additional ten dollars, when you book your flight you will get on ahead of those who check in on line. When we fly with our daughter to Daytona or where ever, we pay the ten bucks on one ticket. That person gets on early, picks out a seat and holds the other two seats 'til they board. Never seen a hassle about seating. It's odd, though the earlier boarders tend to grab the forward seats, Southwest still loads the passengers faster than the other airlines which board from the back first. One other important consideration. You can check in two pieces of luggage, plus have a carry on with no additional charges. Other airlines charge you for all checked in luggage starting with the first piece. Some give you one, and charge you for additional check in luggage. Be sure to factor that in to the total price of your tickets. We have yet to find an airline that beats the price for Southwest, provided you book early enough to get in on the specials they offer. I've flown non-stop from Providence RI to Phoenix AZ for 99 bucks each way. Granted, that was a few years ago, but the closest price to that was 350 dollars round trip.

To those producing knockoffs or similar, I suggest using the term Bamabrella, or Bama Brella, or Ala bamarig. As in ala carte.

I've got plenty of combos on my boat, seven baitcasters and seven spinning. The baitcasters are four Extremes, two Nitros, and one lightweight BPS baitcast combo. I rarely use the baitcasters. Also have a variety of spinning combos, all with Shimano Saros spinning reels.

You better be fit and rarin' to go ten weeks from now.

Heck, let's practice green fishing like they do in China. Use Cormorants with a ring around their necks. The ring is a snug fit so the cormorant cannot swallow the fish it grabs. Find a school of fish and let your flock of fishing Cormorants do their thing. You think I'm spoofing? http://www.environme...rmorant-fishing http://www.bing.com/...tail&FORM=VIRE3

OK guys, I have a room reserved arriving on the 20th and departing on the 27th. Anyone wanting or needing to share a room for that period or any portion thereof, send me a p.m.

That's a shame. Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. Hope you get well real soon. Take care of yourself, and don't try to "tough it out".

Dicks has the best prices, and there is usually something on sale. Their best bargains are two packs of Yamamoto products for ten dollars. BPS is around eight bucks for a single pack. Dicks regular price is about six-fifty. They have reasonably good selection of fishing products. Nowhere near as much as BPS, but sufficient for plastics, jigs, hard baits and spinnerbaits. Their line selection isn't bad either. No Cabelas or Gander Mountain stores anywhere near our vicinity.

When something goes wrong, it's just another turd in the toilet bowl of life.

I have two. I heard them from my dad, many, many years ago. Gossip is like a pile of manure (he used a word other than manure) , the more you stir it, the worse it stinks. and, I doesn't cost a dime to be decent to people.

You need to know the length of the package, from the hitch (unless it has a folding tongue) to the back of the motor. Keep in mind, overall it will be longer with the motor tilted up. I have a Z-7 with a folding tongue on the trailer. My garage is 24 feet deep, on the outside of the building, a bit less on the inside. I have about a foot and a half to spare with the motor tilted up. If the tongue did not fold, it would not fit. If I tilted the motor down, I'd gain over an extra foot of clearance between the back wall and the door. Maybe two feet. The thing is, if you tilt the motor down to make it fit, you have to remember to tilt it back up before you hit the road.

Keep in mind. The wood is for the purpose of forming a fiberglass beam. A common practice is to use foam in place of the wood. If the wood is rough, consider using bondo to fill irregularities before you encase them in glass. You won't have to worry about air pockets. For epoxy, you might find it easier to coat the stringer with epoxy. Then apply the material. It's easier to force the resin through to the surface than to apply the material and work the resin into and through it. I'm assuming you have an assortment of "bubble busters". They are grooved rollers, and do a great job of working out trapped air. In the image below, those at the top right are barrel rollers named that because of their shape. They are best for working concave surfaces. The mid sized is what we use. We also have the long roller of the three at the top left. The smaller diameter rollers are good for working in corners. Be sure to clean all rollers in acetone before the resin on them starts to cure.

That's fine by me. We'll take turns at the controls. That'll take the pressure off me having to "guide".