Al Wolbach

I always put the ears on and run the motor for a couple of minutes. It heats up fast and I use synthetic lube which helps with draining also

I watched the video again and I believe you are correct. Good catch..

I agree. Did you torque the spark plugs? Possibly over tighten....

Your location says Virginia and I did not think they were that far north. The cottonmouth that I have seen were much darker but that may vary from one area to another. Do you have additional pictures?

Just take them to the automotive section and exchange them. They have cameras on the door if proof was ever needed

A lot depends on water and weather conditions but I normally trim down and stay on the gas......Al

Try an auto parts store. Look for a glue to bond rubber to metal

There are kits available to modify nearly any trailer for a swing away tongue. I would not allow this to swing a boat decision on its own......Al

I would like to drive it.........Al

Use the cheaper ones. If you have a problem with noise change them.....

I would suggest going to Lowes/Hqome Depot or your local hardware and get new cable in the correct length. This will help eliminate problems in the long run. Splices tend to cause problems a few years down the road.

Thanks Guys my wife and I are taking some of the kids and grandkids to Myrtle Beach monday. Yeah, day after tomorrow, lol.

Jeez Boats that last statement is cold, lol.......Al

You ask about the test and I overlooked it, sorry. The test will vary from state to state but in Tennessee this is the law unless changed in the last year or so. If you take an approved safety course you do not have to take a written test and I'm sure a university course would qualify. If you have a drivers license you have, I believe, a year after getting a bike to take the test. Anyway a long time. After you take the written test you must schedule a road test and it may take 6 months to get the road test. The road test is really a bike inspection. The bike inspection took a few minutes, the road test was about 15 seconds, lol. Literally ride to the stop sign and back. I did not have a motorcycle endorsement on my license for decades until my insurance agent suggested I obtain one soon,lol. So I have had one for about 4 years now and no one has asked to see it. Again this is Tennessee law and you are in the wrong color state so it is probably much more complicated......Good Luck, Al

I started riding dirt bikes in the sixties and glad I did that first but you are starting the correct way. A motorcycle safety course is a must in my opinion. You will learn a lot of things that you may overlook if learning on your on. Pay attention to the blind spot training, this will prevent you from becoming a statistic. I have two Harleys now and ride about 5K-10K miles a year. It is rare to go on a ride that I don't have to take evasive action to prevent being in an accident. Most of the time motorist just don't see you, so be prepared to maneuver. Always be aware of your surroundings in order to safely evade a dog, cat, car or anything unexpected, because it will happen. You can't prevent it but you can prepare for it. loud mufflers save lives. This is offensive to some but the truth remains, they may hear you when they can't see you. This is especially true on multi lane roads. I will be 68 years old in a couple of months and ride better/safer now than any time in my life. I hope this doesn't sound like I'm preaching, I don't mean to, just want you to learn in that course. A decision to ride a motorcycle is a big one and should not be made without serious thought, but it's a blast, if done safely. Good luck and be safe........Al

I do not know of any outboard oils that have stabilizers in them since most are not premixed any more. Most oils for weed eaters, chain saws, etc do have stabilizers in them however. The cost of Stabil is cheap insurance to me compared to time/expense of repair or clean/rebuild. Why gamble to save a few dollars......Al

Good thing they don't run to far. He would have had a long paddle back. Great catch!! Of course they get bigger but you are missing the point. A 600lb fish in 50lb boat is a rare accomplishment.

Actually, I had a mechanic tell me to add a little oil to the gas for my 4 stroke yamaha outboard(pontoon boat) as an upper cylinder lubricant, although he did not recommend a certain amount, as I remember. I told him I run Seafoam and he said never mind to the oil Seafoam will do. Again that recommendation was for a 4 stroke.

My heart bleeds at little every Memorial Day...so many friends

What company makes them? I have had trouble with all brands I have tried except Acuvue. I still carry readers when I wear contacts. I spend more time looking for glasses than wearing them it seems. I'm due for an eye appointment now.....Al

You can repower with any outboard however you must change the controls. This is expensive and labor intensive. He probably did not want to change the engine because of the expense........AL

Ditto and take it to the lake and make sure the accessories work. Sure looks good..........Al

I am not an expert but I have read a lot on this issue, which are really two issues. 1. How fast does gas lose it's octane rating. I have read that gas starts losing it's octane in a week or two but that does not mean that it will not burn and after even a couple of months you may not notice the loss. There are to many variables to say for sure when gas should no longer be used. Engines are different, storage areas are different, boat tanks are different, even gas is different and on and on. If I leave gas in my weedeater a month it won't start until fresh gas is added. Do what works for you and gamble what you can afford to loose. My bass boat and pontoon boat both have engines that would cost $12k and $20k to replace. I use Seafoam and satbil out of self defense, simply I can not afford the loss/repair, down time etc., plus they have other benefits such as decarbon the cylinders. So, place your bets 2.Here's my take on the full or empty gas tanks for storage. The problem of gas breaking down can easily be taken care of by adding stabil, startron etc. The big problem as I understand it, is the introduction of water to ethanol gasoline and this can be prevented 2 ways that I can think off. Gas does not have water in it so the source of the water must be the air in the empty part of the tank. So condensation must be the cause of the water. A full tank has no air(or very little) so that is one fix to prevent water. An empty tank that is very well vented allows the air to stay the same temp inside and outside so therefor no condensation, no water, no 2 fixed. One problem with empty tanks is the vents do not always allow enough air to move freely to prevent condensation. So removing the fill caps is the only real fix for empty tanks exposed to temp changes. My advice is, if you have portable tanks take them indoors(garage, shed) and store empty with the fill caps removed. If you have built in tanks store them full with a stabilizer of your choice. I would also recommend adding a water separator(about $25) as cheap insurance. JMHO...........Al

It may be a little old school but maps will show all the humps and points. If you don't have a map, Bucks n' Bass in Dandridge is a good place to get one, may pick up a tip or two as well. Most of the good summer spots are community holes and have a steady rotation of boats in the 100-200 boat tournaments. So going out during a large tournament and see the areas being fished may help. There are about 10-12 spots near point 8 that almost aways have a boat camped on them, even during the weekdays. You can generally tell the tournament boats for the bluegill chasers. Swimbaits will win tournaments during the summer.

I can't tell you because I routinely get my but kicked in big tournaments but I have learned a few things. Nearly every bass fishermen on Douglas is a tournament fisherman and will not share info and if they do you probably don't want it, but you can try/research a few things. Humps near main river channel or large creek, swimbaits and deep crank baits on long points/humps and check the generating schedule at the dam to see when the water is moving in the lake. I have lived on Douglas for 15 years and still have not found a reliable source for fishing reports except friends and some of them are questionable, lol. Ignore the newspaper advise.......Al