Team_Dougherty

This question has been discussed many times. Some people think the more trolling motors you put on a boat the faster it will go. Others believe it is a waste of battery power to run more than one trolling motor at a time. The first group of people believes that more power the faster the boat will go. The second group believes a boat will only go so fast before the increase of power makes it plane. This is called hull speed. There is a formula that will tell you what that is for your boat. I am sure if you google it you can find it. Once this hull speed is reached, any more power applied to the boat only succeeds in pushing more water out of the way, giving the illusion of going faster. Unless a dramatic amount of power is applied the boat it will not lift out of the water and plane. The only way to tell your going faster with the other motor is to use a GPS to measure your speed. If using the other motor does not give a speed increase you are just wasting battery power. I think MinnKota states somewhere their motors and props are designed to push a boat to a max of 5 MPH. The more pounds of thrust you have a can push a bigger boat to 5 MPH. But, a smaller boat can not go beyond 5 MPH just because it has 100# thrust motor on it. Hope this helps. Paul

Skwerl, I would use nothing other than 3M 5200. You can find at walmart in the boating section. http://www3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/auto_marine_aero/marine/node_GSWWSBSW85be/root_GST1T4S9TCgv/vroot_GS4JK4Y166ge/gvel_QH8HT14PGTgl/theme_us_marine_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html 3M 4200 cures faster. http://www3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/auto_marine_aero/marine/node_GS46L96VMDbe/root_GST1T4S9TCgv/vroot_GS4JK4Y166ge/gvel_QH8HT14PGTgl/theme_us_marine_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html it is just not as strong. Paul

I have seen all of the above at one time or another at different boat ramps. I usually just sit back and enjoy the show. Now here is a site that will tell you how to disable those annoying DRLs (Day Time Running Lights) in most cars or trucks. http://lightsout.org/disable.html. If what you need is not here. Just Google DRL disable and your car or truck model. I am sure someone has already figured out how to do it for your vehicle. Paul

I had an old fiberglass boat that I painted with an inground pool paint that was given to me by my girlfriend at the time father. It was a rubbery kind of paint worked very well. You might want to try a pool place. Paul

1991 S10 Blazer Paul

I agree with Ben. I have a 73 Merc 9.8 that starts in three pulls after it sits a while. The first thing I would recommend is getting a carburetor rebuild kit. These can do wonders. The slightest air intrusion will cause a lean condition and hard starting. Rebuilding the carb is a simple job to do. Just do not do it on the dining room table. You can go here to order the kit and have it sent to your local dealer. Who may have it in stock already. http://www.mercurypartsexpress.com/PartsExpress/HomePage/homepage.asp They also have a diagram that will help you find out where all the little pieces go. The other thing I notice on my Merc is that the choke cable come out of adjustment once in a while and does not close the choke all the way when it is pulled out. You may want to check that out. Paul

Mariner

I had the same problem on my outboard at the end of last season. It turned out the fuel pump was bad. I rebuilt the carburetor and the fixed the problem. When I got the carburetor apart I could see that one of the check valves in the fuel pump section was bad. I do not know if your motor has the same kind of fuel pump mine has. But I would at that first. Paul

Here you go http://www.boat-ed.com/ok/handbook/register.htm Wow in OK you also need to register your motor Paul

Ditto for PA. If it has a motor it needs to be registerd. If you launch it at a state park you need a launch permit anyway. At that point you should just register it. Paul

This is a homemade boat I have seen around. I am sure it is very easy to build and is quite easy to move around. There is not a lot of storage though.

http://www.towtector.com/products.html

I have one, fortunately it fits both of my trolling motors, when I use in on my 16' V bottom's bow motor it is a lot quieter and less vibration than the stock prop. I can not detect any increase in speed with it. When I switch it to my 12' V bottom's transom mount motor, I use it on an electric motor only lake, it is a lot quieter and less vibration than the stock prop and I also notice an increase in acceleration and top end speed. I am not sure if it is imagined or real. Some day I will use my gps for further testing. The last time I was out the weather was not conducive for changing props out on the water. Plus the fish were biting who wants to test props at that time anyway. Paul

I put one of those in my boat. see here http://home.comcast.net/~team_dougherty/boat5.jpg it is on the left under the doel-fin. I did the same thing cut the hole, remove the foam. inserted the liner and hatch all is well. I am very happy with it. I just wish it was blue instead of white. The extra storage is helpful. I think it will work well for you. I do not think it will affect the strength of your boat at all. REMEMBER, MEASURE TWICE AND CUT ONCE You can make a hole bigger not smaller.

woody9409, Most of the stuff you need to do this job should be readily available at Lowes, Home Depot or an electrical supply house. You will need: stranded wire, at least 8 gauge, that is long enough to run from your motor to the back of your boat. Either butt splices or split bolt connectors. To connect your new wire to the wire already on your trolling motor. Ring terminal to connect your new wire to your battery. A fuse holder for the size wire you are buying and a fuse, 40 amp should be good for 8 gauge wire. If you go to say 6 gauge wire you can get a 50 amp fuse. Some kind of dielectric grease to put on your connections to prevent corrosion. Electrical tape to cover your connections. Plastic split loom to put your wires in so it looks neat and protects them. You will also need tools to make the connections. If you go to an electrical supply house and buy the stuff from them they may let you use one of their crimpers on site to make your connections. Paul Team Dougherty

Mid-MO, I use a doel-fin on my boat. I have used it with and without. With the dole-fin the hole shot is much better, it gets on plane faster and stays on plane at a slower speed. But it does knock a couple of MPH off of the top end. My boat has a live well on the left side and when it is filled with water the boat will lean that way when running with and without the dole-fin, unless I have my son sit on the right side. Why would anyone but a livewell on the side of the boat anyway? If I have three people on board someone has to sit up front and then the doel-fin does not make a difference. Becasue my boat is a tiller style, The doel-fin makes the biggest difference when I am by myself. Paul

G3, I hate to Bring and old topic back up top. But here goes. Here is another kind of mount. http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0000844010095a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&No=20&noImage=0&Ntt=transducer+&Ntk=Products&QueryText=transducer+&Ntx=matchall&N=4887&Nty=1 Paul

Sgt, Here are my suggestions, http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=883&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0002141013317a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&No=20&noImage=0&Ntt=cooler&Ntk=Products&QueryText=cooler&Ntx=matchall&N=4887&Nty=1 http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0002143010303a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=aerated&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=aerated&noImage=0 Paul

Minuteman, There is a boat for sale three or four spaces down from my boat at green lane in the trailer section. It is all under covers so I could not tell what it was. The boat for sale is in spot 140 something. Paul

Minuteman, EnigmaX Here you go you can fight over them ;D http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/boa/154115601.html http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/boa/154234588.html http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/boa/153070455.html http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/boa/152863135.html Paul

Remember just because it has an electric motor it is still a motor boat and must be registerd and all other things pertaining to a motor boat must be followed. Pennsylvania as some over zealous fish and boat wardens. this should help with the trailer http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/ Paul

I have a foot control on my boat, used to have a hand control, I will never go back to hand control. Having to stop reeling or not casting so you can chage boat direction is a pain. I much rather use my foot to do that. Paul

Yes I agree. That is why I listed baby wipes on my list. TP in a boat tends to get wet and messy. Baby Wipes are it a water tight plastic container and are more efficient at their job than TP. Plus they are great for hand washing after handeling fish before eating snacks and such. Paul

Whatnext, What do you consider reasonable? How about $299.99 and $10 shipping? If you think that is reasonable try this one. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=5002 Here is a picture of it under my boat. This is a great little trailer for what you are looking for. It is easy to assemble, just make sure you grease the bearings well. Paul

I had this exact thing happen to my mariner. Unfortunately it was in the middle of a two week vacation in Canada. Fortunately the marina I took it two had it fixed it two days. The symptoms where loud exhaust and water coming out of the cowling. I took the cowling off to investigate and the block was actually loose on its mounting. Check to see if this is true on yours. Note: My mariner was made by Yamaha. Paul