Al Wolbach

There is such a lake in or near Summerville, South Carolina. I read or saw a program about it a few years ago but I didn't retain any details. I suggest an internet search. That area is very nice and only 10-15 miles from Santee-Cooper.................Al

The Coast Guard Auxiliary teaches classes in my area. They really go out of their way to assist anyone that wants to attend. They charge a small fee to cover cost but will try to help save money by allowing a family to attend for the cost of an individual if you are willing to share a book. Most insurance companies offer a discount for attending.................Al PS- The " rules of the road " that govern navigation on bodies of water can be very complicated, not brain surgery but not kindergarten class either.

Night fishing in Tennessee is common during the summer months but this type of lighting is against the law due to blinding other boaters. White light kills night vision and causes short term vision loss. While these type lights make your navigation safer it very well may endanger another boater. Please be careful with the use of these type lights.......................Al

Amsoil- HP Injector is what I run in my Yamaha. Recommended for fuel injected engines........Al

I have run Amsoil in my 1998 225 V-Max for at least 10 years without a problem. I also run Amsoil lower unit lube. Good products.....................Al

I have stayed at Buckhead Ridge Marina a dozen times or more and it is really a retirement camp/fish camp. Very quiet, clean, reasonable and on the rim canal directly across from the locks to the lake. It is only a couple of miles from Okee-tanee also. It is very hard to get reservations since people renew their reservations each year but a very nice place to stay. Here is the disclaimer: I have not stayed there in about 5 years but if I was going to the "Big O" that's where I would stay. You should be able to find their website by searching Buckhead Ridge Marina. It is on the north end of the lake about 10 minutes from the city of Okeechobee................Al

And I rarely use anything except EWG including jig hooks...........Al

I would suggest you have it load tested at your local auto parts store or Wal-Mart after charging. That should answer your questions....................Al

If you want the 20hp go for it. My son has a 25hp on a 1448 and it runs good. He uses it primarily for trout fishing and must run up stream in heavy current. It is not too much motor for this boat. However, if you want to save some money the 15hp should run pretty good. BTW- Keep the metal tank, they are becoming hard to find...................Al

This normally indicates a weak battery. If the charger lights are red it is charging. You may want to check the water levels if the cells are not sealed.............Al BTW- You can not check amperage with the charger leads connected the battery, only voltage.

I fish mostly stained water........Hot Mouse...........Al

I would be willing to bet that if you kept your gas tank full, not empty, and use Stabil this problem would fix itself..........Al

As far as I can tell, that feature is exclusive to Dexter axles. Other than my Trailstar trailer, mine and dad's camper and dad's dual-axle trailer all have Dexter EZ-Lube axles. My old boat trailer had the system as well. My 1998 Champion tandem axle trailer came with UFP axles and they have the same lube system you are talking about. Zerk fittings screw into the end of the axle. Works great for the inner bearing. I burnt up the outer bearing. The only way the outer bearing gets grease is when the hub is full to force it to the bearing. This is the same time the seal blows from the pressure of being full. No win situation.... I took the axle to the UFP plant since they are in Tennessee to have a new spindle welded on as a replacement. The employees were great, axle repaired and I was back on the road in less than an hour. They recommended that I remove the zerk fittings from the axles and install bearing buddies. They said the hole in the axle would allow grease to the inner bearing, as the BB pressurizes, and the BB would provide grease to the outer bearing. This way you are pushing grease to both bearings at the same time. Makes sense to me, but I still repack annually.But, I did the year they burnt up also. One note- if you fill the hub totally with grease you will eventually blow the seals so you need to empty the hubs when you repack the bearings...........I'm still not sure of the best method, but repack often............Al

Dink- If you want to remove that old transducer place a block of wood against it and hit it with a hammer. Should come loose easily allowing you to place your new transducer in a known good spot............Can't answer Hummingbird questions...................Al

I have had good service with boats.net...........Al

Favorite color: Hot Mouse...................Al

I still have a few hundred original and I too love the grape jelly smell. Are the new ones offered in grape color and smell like grape jelly?..........................Al

Wayne is correct. I recommend you order epoxy from Lowrance or Hummingbird and do the job correctly with an epoxy you know is right for the job. The transducer should be there for years, why not take the time to install it correctly.............Al You may find some epoxy at a local bass boat dealer for a few dollars.........

I prefer floro for jigs and worms. When fishing around grass I like braid(not very often). Floro is dense enough to transmit more feel to your rod, over mono or copoly.................Al

You may be reeling to fast...................Al

One possible problem not mentioned is a built in temp probe. If your transducer has a built in temp sensor and you mount it to shoot through the hull it will read the bilge temp not the water temp. On one unit I installed I had to order a different transducer from Lowrance with an external temp probe in order to read the actual water temp. Wayne is right. The puck type are easier than the torpedo type to install....................Al

I have used epoxy to mount several transducers without ever flooding the hull. Make sure to locate a flat level area on the hull bottom as near the transom as possible. This will allow the unit to work while running on the pad. After selecting a location lightly sand the hull and transducer with about 60 grit paper to allow the epoxy to adhere. Wipe down the sanded area with rag wet with acetone to remove any oily substances and allow to dry. Mix the epoxy( I use a popsicle stick) and spread it over the transducer bottom. Push the transducer to the hull with a twist to remove any air bubbles. Place a weight on the transducer to hold in place for 24 hours and you are done. I would say the two most important steps are selecting the location and making sure there is no air in the epoxy. On the location make sure it is the very bottom of the boat and the other side of the hull is as smooth as possible(no chines). Mix the epoxy trying to be as smooth as possible, but mix entirely while trying not to allow any bubbles. And be sure to twist the transducer, as it comes in contact with the hull, during installation and push down hard. This sounds a like it may be hard to do but it is very easy. Location, location, location. If you are not sure you want to tackle this a dealer will install it fairly cheap. Let them do the epoxy work and you do the rest.............Al

In the spring, if you like Bandits and the water is heavily stained but short of creamy coffee muddy try "Madcow". I'm not joking.......Al

I installed a Marine VHF radio in my Bass Boat because I fish lake Okeechobee and Santee-Cooper Lakes. A group of us fish these lakes each year and all have radios installed so we can communicate. These lakes are not where you want to spend the night if you have a problem. For local lakes and most inland waters VHF radios are not necessary. However a NOAA weather radio from Wal-Mart would be nice(and cheap) as they receive weather updates...................Al

Wayne, I stand corrected. You are correct, Amsoil is not certified. The following addresses the same issue. Copy and pasted........ I'm not going to get into the usual argument about TCW3 certification. i will just stick to the same statements I say over and over. 1) I was always told that NO true 100% synthetic can ever be certified. One of the certifications ingrediants is a petroleum product. So if a bottle says its synthetic, and its also certified, then its not 100% 2) Some people on here bow down to XD100 oil as the best thing that can be put on slice bread. Last I check, not certified, its synthetic. and from what I was told, double the price per gal of Amsoil 3) Amsoil does to much testing and R&D to be stuck in a certification. Once you pay the 25k or whatever it cost to be certified, they are stuck in that formula. If Amsoil test a newer or better base oil, and wanna use it, then they void that certification and have to re-apply. (and pay 25k) 4) Have you ever taken a look at the TC-W3 list. i guarantee their are oils on the list that ARE certified, that you would never put in your motor, even if it was given to you free, no matter how old your motor was. But why not, Its CERTIFIED... (sarcasm) 5) TCW3 certification used testing on a 70 Hp engine before DFI, Oil injection or anything else and has come down with serious critisism recently. But I can understand people worrying about warranty's on new motors that cost what they do. But do you really see you shop taking oil to lab to test it? Sorry so long..... If you need anything else, IM me. I will send you a data sheet on it if you want to read it on your own time. Thanks to all the other guys on here for the high regards