Team_Dougherty

That interest rate is outrageous. Do you own your house? Do you have equity in it? My suggestion would be to go to your financial institution and look into a home equity loan. At my Credit Union I can get a 60 month loan for 6.24% up to $99,999. As a bonus the interest is tax deductible.

I have an older model of this http://www.cannondownriggers.com/site/html/htmlsite/bl/2202.htm it works very well.

Here is how I do it at a local ramp that does not have a dock in the winter. Tie a line to the bow eye on your boat. Tie the other end to your winch stand. Coil it nicely on your deck making sure it will not snag anything as it pays out. Make sure it long enough for your boat to get far enough off your trailer. Now the fun part. Back your trailer far enough in to the water to make sure the bunk carpet in wet. Makes it slide easier. If you have rollers skip this step. Pull your trailer out of the water. now backup just before the back wheel of you tow vehicle hit the water stop abruptly. Your boat will continue to back off the trailer until the rope stops it. After the boat is floating slowly pull in to the ramp with your vehicle. Once the boat is at the ramp untie the rope from the winch stand and go park your vehicle. It will take some practice to do it just right. Take it easy. Do not back to fast. usually just in reverse and the slope of the ramp is enough for me. Of course ramp angles will make a difference as well. If it is windy you will have to adjust. Here is another method that I use if the ramp angle is to shallow. Buy a second winch for your winch stand. Mount it as low a possible. Make sure is has rope or cable on it, a strap will not work. Purchase a good size pulley sized for the rope or cable you are using. Attach the pulley to the last cross member of your trailer. Thread the rope or cable from the winch down to the pulley and back to your bow eye. When you crank it will pull your boat off the trailer. You may need another pulley or two to help guide the rope under your boat from the winch.

Almost all states boat registration regulations allow you to register a boat in almost any other state other than the one where you reside. Almost all states regulations state the boat needs to be registered in the state of most usage. So if you live in PA and you boat spends most of it's time in the water in DE it should be registered there. I do not know how they can find out how much time you boat spends in the water in each state unless it is moored there full time. Reference material. PA http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Fish_Boat/faqregt.htm see item #12 DE http://www.state.de.us/research/AdminCode/title7/3000%20Division%20of%20Fish%20and%20Wildlife/3100.shtml#TopOfPage see section 3.2 MD http://www.dnr.state.md.us/boating/registration/ I just copied the above from a post I made on another site. So now how does that pertain to this. I live in PA. Bought a boat in DE. DE has no sales tax. I registered it in DE with my PA address. After that registration expired I just changed the registration to PA. Because I was going to "use" it there more. Just be careful. Some states will make you pay there sales tax or if their tax is higher, the difference if you make the "move" to soon. Some states make you wait 60~90 days others a whole year. Here is a great read on the subject http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/199364_boatoffshore12.html That applies to states where they have a use tax on boats where they send you a bill for 5,6 or 10% of the boats value every year. I know VA and CA are some of those states. But has you can see if you play your cards right you can save a few bucks.

These will probably be a better and safer bet. http://www.plasticpontoon.com/ There are also many companies that sell just pontoons. Do a google search. Paul

here you go http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsessionid=5OMJ2XFWCDFW2CWQNWRSCOQK0BW0IIWE?id=0013371010567a&type=product&cmCat=froogle&cm_ven=data_feed&cm_cat=froogle&cm_pla=0250209&cm_ite=0013371010567a&_requestid=74966

The first thing you should do is check to see if the prop is damaged. Second see if there is line ore something tangled around the shaft behind the prop. Then you should check to see if the shaft is bent. Most electric motor vibration problems come from damaged prop.

I have had good luck with 409. Fantastic works as well.

That is dielectric grease. Dielectric grease is a silicone based lubricant that DOES NOT conduct electricity. I have seen it in a spray can like I posted above and I have seen it as thick as Vaseline. The reason you put it in your spark plug boot is to allow easier remove from the spark plug wire later on. There are many good uses for it. Spray your auto battery terminals with it. use it on all light bulb bases before you install a light bulb. How many time have you broken a bulb base off in a socket in your house. It is great stuff.

You can also buy those same tachs here. www.tinytach.com. They are very helpful when you call/email asking for help in choosing the correct one. Paul

Yes it will. Dielectric grease will keep any exposed electrical conductor from corroding. You should also coat your tail light bulb bases before you put them in the sockets. Here is the di-electric grease I use. http://www.crcindustries.com/ei/content/prod_detail.aspx?PN=03082-8&S=Y

I have a cover that is specifically made to cover the ends of the connector. I think I got it at walmart or similar store. You could just use an old car end connector. In either case just apply some dielectric grease to the pins and hole put the cover or old car end on and your good to go. Your connections will stay nice and clean. Reapply grease every 6 months.

Dump it in your car, truck or what ever you drive. If your vehicle has a 20 gallon tank wait to you are almost empty dump in your 5 gallons of 2 cycle gas and put 15 of fresh in there the amout of oil in there is very little. I would not pay to get rid of $10.00 in fuel. Your vehicle will never know the difference.

I have an older model fishin buddy II. I have used it for a few years. It has serverd me well. I am looking to upgrade to the Fishin Buddy 4200 because of the higher resolution screen. Paul

Wow Walmart sells boats. Is that a regional thing?

True

www.craigslist.org Chose state and closest city.

A length of chain at the end of a rope is an acceptable way of slowing drift due to current. It is not "hillbilly" in any way.

Can your order the boat with out a motor? When I bought my crestliner I just got boat and trailer. I already had a motor for it. Also, do you need a console? I have a 16' tiller for the reason you stated a console takes up to much room. Paul

is this the thread? http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1145106683

I would not worry about losing 1 or 2 MPH of top end speed by waxing the hull of my boat. The benefits of having less of a scum line and it being easier to clean what little there is when there is one of the benefits of having a nicely waxed hull.

I have had mice problems in the past. Fortunately it was just nest building and poop. It was easy to clean and no damage to anything in the boat. I found that moth balls spread around where the mice can get is seems to keep them away. Paul

In my case Live_2_Fish is correct. My home owners insurance coverd me for damages to other's boats or people. My boat is 25HP. I chose to purchase regular boat insurance to cover my boat incase of sinking, damage or theft. Just check your policy to see if you are coverd for liability. Paul

something like this

If the oil is not TCW-3 do not use it in your outboard. Do not use oil for air cooled engines in your outboard.