hotwheels

I am going with a 2 stroke. I was really leaning towards the merc, I have to do some more research. However, the Johnson has a warranty and the fact that it is new. Going to buy something in the spring after tax time.

I am in the market for a new or used 9.9 to 15HP 2 stroke short shaft tiller motor for my 14' boat. One of my local dealers has a left over new in the box 2005 / 2006 Johnson 9.9 2-stroke for $1699 including the fuel tank and a 2 year warranty. Is that a good price? The motor was made by Bombardier(white). How are Johnson motors from this era, good power/reliability? I also have a chance to get a low hours 1997 Mercury 9.9 for $900. I was leaning towards a Merc or Yamaha, but the Johnson is a nice motor. Any thoughts? Thanks HW

The Daiwa TDS rod is out. The handle is too long for me and I want a 7' heavy power rod with a fast (flexible) tip to enable me to cast and pitch, but now which one. I am looking at the Kistler MG magnum worm rod: It states that it is not a broomstick on the kistler website. DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS: Action:Fast Length: 7' Power: Heavy Lure weight: 1/4 - 1 oz. Line weight: 12 - 35 lb. Handle length: 10" Line guides: 8 plus the tip or The Kistler MG Jig and Toad Rod: DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS: Action: Fast Length: 7' Power: Heavy Lure weight: 1/4 - 1 1/2 oz. Line weight: 14 - 30 lb. Handle length: 10" Line guides: 9 plus the tip Which one would be better for my needs? I must say that where I fish in NEPA, the heaviest cover I fish is lilly pads and some laydowns, not super heavy slop. I also very rarely fish super heavy lures, but I would like a capability for 3/4oz c rigs and jigs, and frogs. But this rod will most likely be used for 1/4 to 3/8oz jigs with 14 to 15lb mono for now. Since the mag worm rod is not a broom stick and I am familiar with the MG APC MH power rod, would it be safe to say the Mag worm rod is a tad bit heavily powered than the APC, but "lighter" than the jig and toad? My 7' MH TDS has the tip, but it is way too parabolic for moving fish quickly out of cover.

Bass pro, which Kislter model do you use? I believe I found the rod...The Kistler MG H Magnum worm MgMWCRH70. I read on a few other forums that the power and action is inbetween a MH APC and the Heavy Jig and toad. Exactly what I am looking for: Enough tip to pitch and cast lures, but with a parabolic bend and stout 3/4 section to move fish out of cover. Thanks

I am in the market for a new jig rod. I have narrowed it down to the Kistler MG 7' H jig and toad rod, DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS: Action: Fast Length: 7' Power: Heavy Lure weight: 1/4 - 1 1/2 oz. Line weight: 14 - 30 lb. Handle length: 10" Line guides: 9 plus the tip or a Team Daiwa S 7'6" Heavy Action flipping stick. 3/8 to 1 1/2oz I would be using this rod for 1/4 to 3/4oz jigs, 3/4oz C-Rigs, 1/4 to 3/4oz T-Riged craws, 1/2oz foot ball jigs, and frogging. I pitch 90% more than I flip. I am looking at a rod that has a "softer" tip to facilitate pitching, but a heavy power butt section that comprises 3/4 of the rod. I have both the TDS 7' MH TDS worm/jig rod and the Kislter MG ACP 6'9" rods. I use the TDS for weightless plastics and 3/16oz finsesse jigs. It works great for those, but I need something more stiff. My only gripe with the 76 TDS rod is the super long handle, however, it does have a parabolic heavy action. I am leaning toward the Kistler jig and toad due to its listed action, lure specs, and handle that I would use for pitching. Does anyone have this rod, and does it have a parabolic action but with enough power to pull the fish from heavy cover, and can braded line be used? Thank you, HW

The bunks are as low as they can go, as they are resting on the frame. When we are at the lake in the parking lot, I have seen alot of trailers with 8" tires that are towing 14' boats like mine and even 16'ers with decks and all.

Hi, I have a 1977 Tee Nee trailer that was designed to hold up to a 17' speed boat with an I/O engine. I currently have a 14" V hull on the trailer. It has 4.80" X 12" 4 lug wheels and tires with a C Load rating. When we launch the boat, the trailer usually sits too high in the water to launch the boat. Sometimes it will not even float off the tailer. Would it be possible to change the 12" wheels to 4.80" X 8" four lug wheels, also with a C load rating. The four inch drop would really make a difference launching. Does this sound like a good idea, and are there any safety concerns by turning more RPM with a smaller tire carrying the same weight as the 12" tires, however, they have the same load rating. Thanks, HW

Hi, I am in the process of upgrading the engine for my 14' Sea nymph 14R. It has a max HP of 25. I am currently running a 1977 Chysler 7.5hp. I am looking at getting a new or slightly used engine (2000 and up) with a 15" short shaft. I am looking at engines from Mercury, Johnson / Evinrude, Yamaha, and Nissan. I am looking at tiller engines in the 9.9 to 15hp range, with the possibility of going with a 18 to 25hp. One of my concerns is with getting a two stroke or four stroke. I have heard that due to EPA regulations, all new engines will be 4's, and two strokes would be "grandfathered" in. Does anyone have opinions on two or four stroke engines, brand, maintenance, problems, manual elec. start. I have also heard you can take a 9.9 and add a 15hp carb and make it a 15hp? Thanks, HW

I remember posting about these awhile ago. Souther boats of Japan came out with a 370 model. A 12' V hull that is 60" wide, is rated for an 18HP motor, and weighs 300lbs. Comes with three storage compartments for the batery / gas tank in the rear, livewell, and tackle storage. It would be nice if it had a rod locker. It looks like a mini Ranger VS. http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.souther.org/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsouther%2Bboats%26hl%3Den%26ie%3DUTF-8 http://www.souther.org/news/SOUTHER370.pdf

I did this last year to my 1993 Sea Nymph 14R. The space between the front seat and bow is about 4'. I made a template out of carboard sheet, cut out the deck of 3/4" ply coated in epoxy. I also used SS deckscrews. Next I took a rope or a piece of tape and strung it from the seat to the front of the bow where the deck would rest. I then measured every 1" from the seat to the bow, and from the floor of the boat up to the piece of rope. I marked the rope and trensfered the distance and height measurements on paper. I then transfered the measurements onto the ply. The final part fits in between the centerline of the hull and provides vertical support. Since it fits inbetween the seat and is even with the top of it, the deck does not move. I then attached the center hull support to the center section under the deck. It is one solid piece. The bow on my boat is completely double rivited, I am not an engineer, but this is the strongest part of the boat. Plus I would rather have vertical support, that horrizontal support pushing out on the sides of the hull. Hope this helps.

I crawled under the rear of the truck to see if it had a plug in Harness, and what do ya know, it has a factory trailer harness tucked up underneath the bumper. It does not even look like it has been used, as the truck never had a tow ball on the bumper. Does that mean that it came with the towing pkg? I should have my OM by next week. One other problem I found was that the spare tire is 15" 140 series. The truck has 16" X 145 series tires all the way around. Have to see the dealer about that one.

Thanks for the Replies. I am towing a 1993 14' Sea Nymph (Lowe) Deep V 14R, 7.5 HP Chysler Engine, on a Tee Nee Trl. With the fully loaded boat motor and trailer, I would estimate it at 1200 lbs total. The 2002 has a 3.0 V6, 4WD, Auto trans with OD. In the past we had a 1988 Ranger 2WD with the 2.9 V6 Auto and it pulled the boat great, up hills too. Before I bought the 2002 Ranger, we had a 1997 Ford Ranger with a 3.0 V6, 2wd, Auto with od. Again, it pulled the boat, but not as good as the 88. My dad has a friends with a 2001 and 2004 with the same set up as our 2002, and it tows 14' boats just fine, and they have bumber hitches. I found that when towing, always tow with the OD off. I will look into the Aux cooler too. I went to walmart and searched online, but could only find harnesses for the 93 to 97 model Ranger. I am going to take a ride to Advance Auto Parts, Autozone, and Pep Boys tonight. FK

We just purchased a used 2002 Ford Ranger XLT, 3.0 V6, extended Cab, 4WD. It did not come with a frame mounted hitch, just a hole in the bumber for a standard ball. It also did not come with a wiring harness to plug the trailer lights into. We have a 4 pin on our trailer. I did a google search and could not find any info a trailer wiring tow harness for this make and model Ranger, or how to tell if it does have a towing package. It did not come with an owners manual--it will be in from the dealer later in the week. Does anyone else tow with this truck? Thanks

The citica 100 DSV is made in Japan. Look at the botom of the reel seat. I have seen this on the TT forum, where someone talked to a Shimano rep. and said that they are losing $ on the Citica. I don't own one, but I am interested in adding one. I like the Color better than the Curado too. I beleive the only difference is the non ported spool and a bushing instead of a bearing at the bottom of the driveshaft. I read that if you flush the grease our of the bearings and re lube with light oil it will cast further. It looks like a good value, and can be upgraded with 5.1 gears from the Calais and a Chonarch 50mg or Curado spool and Carbon drag washers from Smooth Drag. Now if you want to super tune one could add a Calais nutless handle or a Bassart Carbon Handle, and a Chronarch Ti Line guide.

I am in need of a crankbait reel. I have $100ish to spend, and I am mainly a daiwa fan. I am looking at the 5.1 ratio TD Advantage (New), 5.1 ratio TDX 105 PV or Pi (Used Ebay) I have a 7' M Binns Bros. Custom that I had a Mithcell spidermite Sm 300 with 4.5 ratio on it. I want to upgrade. I mainly fish Strike King Series 1 and 3. Zoom WEC Shallow, Rapala DT10's, Fat Free Fry, and 1/4 oz Lures. I have been looking at the TDA Advantage Mainly, how does it handle 1/4oz lures. Also, I have a TDX HSDF, Alphas 103, and Had a Scorpion. I am looking to expand my collection. Thanks