Fishing Rhino

I power load unless it is prohibited. But, I know how deep to set the trailer in the water to minimize the force it takes to get the boat into place. For most ramps, the fenders need to be barely awash, just showing above the surface of the water. That allows the boat to self center, and glide to within a few inches of being tight to the bow roller. It doesn't take much thrust to get it where it needs to go. I don't know what constitutes a "properly constructed ramp", but the wash from the prop in some instances stirs up the water fifteen feet or more behind the boat. That swirling water can do a lot of "damage" to anything other than a rocky bottom. Around here, they sometimes set pilings by attaching a garden hose to the piling, and slowly lower the piling into the bottom with the jet from the hose being sufficient to flush the bottom material from beneath the piling. They can set pilings several feet into the bottom using this method. If a 3/4" garden hose can create a hole for a piling to settle into, multiply that by the wash from the prop of a 250 hp motor and it can move a lot of bottom material. Some of the ramps around here have a concrete "wall" at the deep end that is a foot higher than the ramp. I can see where that would prevent or considerably reduce the amount of damage the wash can do since it deflects it up, away from the bottom.

I understand your reluctance to drill into the transom. You wouldn't fill the holes with epoxy. You'd fill them with gel coat. Get the proper color and they would not be noticable. A bit of wet sanding followed by buffing and you'd never know they were there. If you aren't comfortable, it would cost you a few bucks. I think Wayne has your best option. The kicker is the remote sensor will need to be attached to the hull, most likely with a screw. But, that's only one hole. I offer this suggestion. When you upgrade, leave the unit you want to use now on your boat, and when you trade or sell, let it go with the boat. My boat came with a dash mounted Lowrance. I added a Humminbird 898. I run both of them. There are times when a plain old sounder tells you all you need to know about the bottom beneath the boat. I refer to that simple unit frequently. The Lowrance does shoot through the hull and has the temp sensor screwed to the stern.

Do not use 3M 5200 on anything that may need to be removed or replaced down the road. Use a marine grade silicone sealant. Put a quarter inch bead of silicone in the corner of the threaded tube and the outside flange. Install the fitting and squeeze the silicone slightly so it spreads. Do not tighten the fitting until the silicone sets up. Once it sets up, you have a silicone washer/gasket that will not squeeze out. It will compress, forming a perfect seal. I learned this trick when installing new windows on the wheelhouse of my lobsterboat. If you tighten it down while it is still soft, there will be no thickness of silicone left to compress. I'm a great advocate of 3M 5200, but not for your project.

I wouldn't attach anything to the anode. First, the anode is a sacrificial piece which disintegrates in the presence of electrolysis, or is it galvanic action? I get the two confused. Electrolysis, I believe is caused by a current leaking into the water, much like they use in electroplating metals. Galvanic action is two dissimilar metals forming a battery, of sorts, and generating a current which will erode the less noble metal. Either way, the anode is not intended to be, nor should it be used as a structural member of your boat for mounting anything. If I wanted to mount the transducer at or on the transom, I'd determine where it should go, drill the appropriate size holes in the transom, fill them with a marine grade silicone sealant with a small donut of sealant around the holes, and mount the bracket. One and done.

My clothes aren't packed, but my boat is organized, cleaned, waxed, ditto for the trailer, ditto for my truck. The boat has been on the water the past two days making sure all things function as they should. Fuel tank is not full. No need hauling the extra weight. Even have the tires nice and shiny. If there is a problem, it won't be for lack of preparation. Come late morning on Thursday, and I'm outta here, headed for Alpster's then on to Moors. Looking forward to seeing all, you too Steezy. We have to fish together on one nice day, not in the monsoons of last year. I'm headed out to clean the inside of the windshield to mount the EZ Pass or Fast Pass, whatever it is, transponder. No stopping at toll booths for this crew.

Why would you want it coming off the back of the roll? It then lies against the wall, nowhere near as efficient as when it hangs a few inches from the wall. Any time study program would tell you that it is not as accessible against the wall.

Stage five doodle? Is that like the "Hershey squirts", or the "green apple trots"?

What spilled was electrolyte, not water. Replacing it with water will dilute the electrolyte (a sulphuric acid solution). There should be a battery dealer in your area that can replace the electrolyte or tell you who does that in your area. If you were from this area, I'd send you to a company that deals with Rolls Surette batteries. Maybe it has changed in the past several years, but I used to buy 8D batteries for my lobster boat, and they received them dry, no electrolyte. They filled them as they were sold. Replacing your spilled electrolyte with water is akin to spilling half your cup of coffee and refilling it with water. It's still coffee, but not as strong. When electrolyte in a battery is depleted by natural charging cycles, and does not cover the cells, it is water that has evaporated, and needs to be replaced, hence water is added.

d**n the torpedoes, full speed ahead!!!!!

I had problems with depth readings on my 898 when the engine was shut off. It would "lose" the depth and start showing several hundred feet of water. Start the motor, and it would acquire the proper depth. It didn't happen on the dash mounted Lowrance that came with the boat. It seemed like a low voltage problem since it disappeared when the engine was running. My suspicions were confirmed one day when the starting battery, which also powers the electronics failed to start the engine. I don't make long enough runs with the engine on the small waters I fish around here to keep the battery up to snuff. It took a couple of months, but the starting battery was slowly but surely drained of its power. Now I put a charger on the starting battery after every trip. No more problems. It seems my Humminbird was sensitive to low voltage, at least moreso than the dash mounted Lowrance. Double check all your connections. If you don't have one, get a volt meter so you can see what voltage your battery is producing. It should be about 12.5 - 12.7 volts fully charged. If you are at 12 or less, your battery might be the problem. There is no "sweet spot" to give you a consistant depth reading, or clear images. It is necessary for it to be level to give you an accurate depth reading. Static usually indicates the presence of some type of interference. Try turning off your flasher. It could be causing the display problem. If that solves the problem, you'll need some type of "noise suppressor" to filter out the interference. Humminbird refers to it as a "choke" if memory serves.

Good question. They did at the Pickwick Lodge, but I'm bringing plenty of extension cords, just in case. When in doubt, go to the horse's mouth. Just called Moors. They do have posts in front with outlets, but they also have them on the outside of the building as well. I'll have a three way adapter so we can park side by each if necessary and share the source. Shouldn't be a problem according to the lady I spoke with.

I'm planning on getting there at sunrise, bundled up with several layers of clothes. Fishing is never fun when you're cold. It doesn't look like my buddy will be able to make it. That will open one seat for anyone who wants to fish but doesn't have a boat.

I installed IE9, then had to uninstall it. IE9 is not compatible with my Canon wireless printer. Pain in the butt. What's up with that?

Still too busy with those greenhouses? Someday we'll get together.

Good luck. Ever heard of the verse from the 23rd psalm, "Lead me not into temptation"?

Uhhhhhhh, no. Sorry.

It's possible they are the same. If you want to find out for sure, sign on, but don't include your password. Instead, click on "forgot password" or some such thing. You will get an email from the forum which includes your user name, and a new password. But, keep in mind, you'll have to log in using your user name, and new password. Then, you can go into your own info page and change it back to what you currently use.

When you try to log in/on, click on forgot password. It will include your username which is different from your screen name. The problem was not your password. The program does not recognize screen names or email address, in spite of the fact that it asks for them. From there, it's a simple matter to change your password back to what you have been using. By the by, I really like the "go to first unread post" feature. If the prior program had it, I did not realize it. I've been on other forums that had the feature, and always wished this forum had it. I'm getting used to this, and it will be fine once I make the adjustment. I'll echo what some of the other geezers have said. The new forum is not as old eyes friendly as the former, but it may be possible to customize the font to a larger or bolder format. It's only a "problem" when my eyes are tired. Right now, it's fine. Tonight, or if I've been on the computer for a while, it won't be so fine.

I'll be getting there early as well. How 'bout we send you a pm with our cell phone number? We can include screen name, and first name with the number. You can send the info via private message to those who will be attending. We won't have to be yelling Bass Resource all over Monponsett. By the way, I still have a seat available. Or, we can do this. Here's a pic of my boat.

Grampa, sorry, I just read this post. Yes, it's still fishable. I haven't fished it in a couple of years. South Watuppa still has smallies. I do OK there early in the year, but once the summer rolls around, I have trouble getting a mosquito bite. I've talked to a few guys and they have the same experience.

As far as I know, it'still on. I'm planning to be there unless I hear otherwise. As to the side we'll be fishing, I'm not sure. I'm planning to get there early. My regular buddy says he'll make it, so I'll have room for one more on my boat. The forum being down for a few days while it was being changed over kinda put a crimp in things. Logging on was a hassle. I had to put in my user name, not my screen name or email address.

In the end, it all boils down to this. The man in the boat is more important than the boat the man is in.

I've worn the standard issue 30 - 50 dollar pfds. They will keep me afloat just as well as the Mustang, maybe better. They cannot fail to inflate, nor can they accidentally inflate. It's more a matter of comfort, than practicality. I've got two of the BPS ripcord inflatable vests on my boat for guests, plus I have a couple of the standard issue. I haven't worn the vests simply because they won't do any good unless I'm conscious and cognizant enough to find and pull the inflation cord. Guests have the option. Both meet USCG standards.

I'm sure we've all seen reset buttons on electric motors, vacuum cleaners, and other appliances. They exist to protect the unit, not to prevent meltdown. While fuses were initially used to prevent house fires. Now, automatic circuit breakers which will reset when they cool down are to protect devices from damage. Windshield wipers on cars for example. You turn them on a winter's day and ice prevents them from working. The circuit will shut down, and reset when it cools, thus saving the wipers from self destructing. Sometimes they may blow a fuse. Replace the fuse and they will work. It's common to read in the trouble shooting instructions, when a unit doesn't work, to check the fuse that can usually be found on the back of the unit. Remove the fuse cap, replace the fuse, and the unit will often work. The assertion that fuses aren't intended to protect devices is wrong. Some are, some aren't. Ground fault interrupters are a unique type of circuit breaker/resettable fuse, the purpose of which is to prevent injury, or even death.

However, as per usual with BPS, you have to pay attention. In their flyer, the vest is on sale at 30 dollars off. Regular 230, now 200. I went to the after hours, members only, promotion. When they rang it up the register charge the 230. I came prepared with the flyer, so they voided that charge and with the approval of a supervisor charged me the 200. With my VIP card, I got another ten percent off, now it showed at 180. Because I charged it on my BPS rewards credit card, I got another ten per cent off, bringing the final cost to 162 bucks, a savings of 68 dollars vs their regular price. Be sure, that you bring any flyers or catalogs, if you want to buy an item that's on sale. They will check if you tell them about it, but it's quicker if you bring the documentation with you. BPS will charge the regular price unless you call them on it.