Fishing Rhino

Ramps vary. On the steeper ramps you can get the boat onto the trailer, and step off the bow onto dry land to hook it up, and to winch it all the way on, if necessary. On gently sloping ramps, you may have to get the rear wheels of your tow vehicle in the water before it will float off. I've been on ramps where I've had to get four wheels of the tow vehicle into the water. When I'm on those type of ramps, I bring my hip boots. Slip out of my shoes, and into the hip boots. Once launched, change back into my shoes. Reverse the procedure for loading. I use the long rope technique, but I secure it to the winch stand. I back up slowly until the boat floats off. Then I pull the truck ahead, slowly, until the trailer is out of the water. Then get out, disconnect the line from the trailer, and deal with the boat. On some ramps there may not be a dock, and the bottom may be rocky on both sides of the ramp. That's why I have a keel guard on the boat. I can pull it in until the keel guard touches the ramp. Then lift the bow slightly and pull it on a few inches. If there is a sign post or something like that at the ramp, near the water, I secure the line to that while I park the vehicle. Lift the bow, push the boat back until the keel guard just touches the ramp. Getting behind the wheel makes the stern squat a bit which lifts the keel guard from the ramp. This allows you to back away without scraping the keel guard on the concrete.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow's a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present.

That seems typical of most bass boats. I'm surmising they are designed that way to provide a visual for lining the boat up when loading it onto the trailer.

I agree. In most cases, it is more feasible, economically, to develop such things from a clean sheet, than to make modifications that will adapt to existing products.

"The international language of aviation is English. In most places, the pilots and air traffic controllers have demonstrated the ability to speak and understand English up to a level specified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Some of the accents can be very challenging. By using ICAO standard phraseology and speaking very distinctly, the necessary information is transferred." Unless I'm mistaken, the same is true of ocean navigation, military and commercial. "At first maritime English may not seem to be of great importance; however the issue takes on greater significance when one considers the fact that the 75% of seafarers presently employed aboard merchants ships or at work in most European Ports do not come from European Union countries and have been educated at institutions outside of the Union and are not fluent or even able to speak English at all. Because merchant shipping is an international industry and accurate communication is vital. It is widely accepted that English is the language of the sea. Therefore a seafarer’s ability to communicate to a high standard of English is essential." http://martel-standards.org/Researchers/Downloads/Maritime_Test_of_English_Language_C4FF_Article.pdf I'd bet most people on here are tri-lingual speaking foul language and French as well as English. French you say, how's that? Ever heard someone say, "Pardon my French" when they curse, or say something crude. It is similar to foul language.

They could. But it would probably be overly expensive and cumbersome.

When I have my boat winterized, it also consists of fogging the engine to coat all the internals with a film of oil and/or rust inhibitor. I also have them check the impeller, and lube all the pivot points. Cheap insurance. It only takes a tiny spot of corrosion to cause big problems after sitting through the off season.

I've had this happen twice. The cable did not break. It pulled out of the steering rack. When manufactured, the cable is swaged/crimped where it goes through a cylinder that is part of the rack. The first time it was under warranty. But, I made a temporary repair. I drilled between the teeth on the end of the rack where the cable passes into it. I then threaded the hole and put in a set screw to hold the cable. I also took a pair of vice grips and carefully crimped the cylinder where the steering cable passes through it. When the new cable came in, I took the "repaired" cable in to exchange it for the new cable. Two years later, that cable pulled free from the rack. I fixed it with the set screw trick and have not had a problem since. In both instances, I got a symptom that indicated the cable was beginning to slip. I was constantly having to adjust the direction indicator on the top of the engine to line it up with the motor and prop. I also felt a slight clicking in the foot pedal. That clicking was caused by the cable sliding, disengaging where it was crimped and then engaging again when steered the other way. Eventually the slipping gradually got worse until it finally failed. A hole in the rack passes from one side to the other. It's like a window, and you can see the cable in that hole when it's in place. I drilled and tapped a second hole between the rack teeth and through that hole. With everything in place, I tightened the first set screw. I then installed a set screw in the second hole that was in line with the viewing hole in the rack. I then tightened it enough to put a bend in the cable. It is impossible for it to slip now.

For what it's worth. I add the stabilizer to my boat's fuel, and to the five gallon gas jugs that I have for the lawnmowers, rototiller, lawn edger, and emergency generator. Prior to that, the lawn edger's tank had to be drained and filled with fresh gas, or it would not start. Everything else would start. I started treating all the gas I get except for what goes in our road vehicles and it cured the starting problem with the edger.

"Washington, DC – The National Safety Council announced today that it estimates at least 28% of all traffic crashes – or at least 1.6 million crashes each year – involve drivers using cell phones and texting. NSC estimates that 1.4 million crashes each year involve drivers using cell phones and a minimum of 200,000 additional crashes each year involve drivers who are texting. The announcement came on the one-year anniversary of NSC’s call for a ban on all cell phone use and texting while driving. " http://www.nsc.org/Pages/NSCestimates16millioncrashescausedbydriversusingcellphonesandtexting.aspx

I agree. My bow eye is snug against the roller and the hook connected to the bow eye is beneath the roller, which holds the bow down when travelling over bumps.

May you make many happy memories fishing from your new vessel.

I have one burning question. Is that your personal best?

My wife has two sets of the multi-colored bowls, and wants another. Heaven help me if I put the wrong color combination together when I pull them out of the dishwasher. To make it worse, we keep them on the top of the fridge so you can only see the largest bowl in the stack. The scissors will open. The trash bin at the theater. Is that a pencil sharpener, a lifting ring, or an ashtray on the top?

That's not my boat, just an image I found on the net to show the strap passes beneath the roller. The bow does sit on the roller. The hook for the bow eye sits tightly below the roller. That prevents the bow from lifting. Glenn's image shows it better, but that "S" hook looks sketchy.

Some front rollers are adjustable. Post a picture of the winch with the boat on the trailer. That would be helpful.

Good answer. With it upside down, and not enclosed, you won't need to think about mice, or other critters that are looking for a dry place to spend the winter. If you have gear in the boat, remove it and store it inside. No matter what cover you get, the sun will do a job on it, even in the winter. If you had a glass boat, then you might want to cover it, just to protect the gel coat from the ultraviolet rays of the sun.

Glenn is correct. The winch strap goes under the roller for one main reason. It holds the bow down. If it goes over the roller, the bow can rise off the roller, then drop back down with a thud. That's why you have been breaking rollers.

These work well for fingers.

Thanks for the reply. One of my pet peeves is that some ask for advice, then never post to let us know how they made out.

I have read in several places that the best way to test the charge in a battery is with a hydrometer. It shows the specific gravity of the electrolyte in a battery's cells. Supposedly a more accurate measurement of a battery's condition.

Two words: tecnu extreme. The stuff works. It is expensive, but worth every cent. My wife gets poison ivy from looking at it. Before tecnu, it would take a couple of weeks for the rash to clear up. I had a mild case last year and tried it. It was amazing. Cleared up in a couple of days. The discoloration lasted longer, but there was no oozing or itching. You thoroughly rub the rash area for about fifteen seconds then rinse with cool water. I've got some stuff that works great. It's aerosil or cabosil, a thickening agent for making fiberglass paste, fairing compound. It is a powdered form of fused silica. Fused silica is a dessicant which absorbs moisture. Those little packets of crystals you find in electronics packaging are fused silica. Just rubbing a small bit of it between the thumb and forefinger makes you feel dehydrated. I put the powder over the affected area, and put a bandage on to keep the powder in place. An hour or so later, I remove the powder, and wash the affected area thoroughly. It does a great job of absorbing the urushiol oil. It is chemically inert, though it is an irritant when inhaled. You must have some of that in the fiberglass shop.

This reminds me of Clinton saying, "That's a good looking mummy". ""You know, if I were a single man, I might ask that mummy out. That's a good-looking mummy! That mummy looks better than I do on my worst days, I'm tellin ya. If there was ever an agrument about agism with that mummy, I'll tell ya." http://www.hark.com/clips/kpvmksvwzw-ask-that-mummy-out

Cast iron window weights, if you can find them. They come in various weights. Try a place that buys and sells scrap metal. The downside is that they will drag easily. The upside is they are fairly weedless.

The ratings for trailer jacks not only involve their weight capacity, but also the gearing. So the answer to your question is yes, a higher capacity trailer jack will lift your trailer with less effort. This may be a practical, simple solution. First, clean and re-lube the gears, and the tubes that telescope. Then, cut your handle so you can make it longer by inserting the ends of the cut handle into a tube, and weld them in place. That will increase the leverage, making it easier to operate the jacking procedure. Do a careful check first to make sure that nothing will interfere with the lengthened crank.