RatONaStick

What exactly do you think you are going to hurt in a standard trans by towing in OD?? Aside from the tooth count the OD gearset is no different than the rest of them. The only potential issue would be the clutch. As long as you do not try to tow in OD up a grade then this is a non issue, which is why I recommended to downshift when approaching any sort of grade. As far as fuel mileage, less throttle opening/rpms equals better fuel mileage in any vehicle. This is assuming you are traveling on flat ground and maintaining a constant speed. Ascending a grade is a different story, using OD could actually require more throttle to climb because of the lack of mechanical advantage. More rpms equal higher piston and rotating speeds which produces a higher rate of wear. Anything you can do to reduce rpms will reduce wear. Just think about it, if you drive an hour at 2000 rpms the engine will have rotated 120,000 times. At 4000rpms the engine would turn twice that, which is a significant difference. In the muscle/performance car world, where everybody wants low gears for acceleration, it has been found cars/engines with low gears will need to be rebuilt significantly sooner than a car with a standard ratio gear. All cars and transmissions are different. Some transmissions might have as little as a .90 OD ratio which would only drop the rpms a couple hundred rpms, while other might have as much as a .50 OD ratio which would reduce rpms up to 1500rpms. In some vehicles it may not be beneficial to tow in OD, in others it could be a significant difference in both fuel mileage and reducing wear.

On towing in 5th gear. I'm not disagreeing with the folks that recommended you not tow in 5th, in most situations that is good advice. But there are situations where you can use 5th gear when towing. A. You are towing on flat ground. B. You downshift when approaching any sort of grade. C. You don't lug the engine. D. You accelerate to the desired speed before shifting into 5th. I mention this because not only will it save on fuel costs, but it will also reduce wear on the engine by reducing rpms at cruising speeds. My tow/work vehicle is a 1987 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 5 speed with 269,000 miles. I use this truck to pull either of my boats and my fathers tandem axle car trailer to take junk cars to the scrap yard. I regularly use 5th gear when towing and have had absolutely zero problems, granted I do live on the coast where the land is flat.

If light has such a profound effect on when fish spawn how do you explain the fact that fish will spawn in December or January in a power plant lake that is heated? I fish a power plant lake here in NC regularly. This lake never gets below 60 to 65 and gets as hot as 115-120 degrees in the summer. The fish spawn when the temps go down, not up like they do in a normal lake.

At age 11 and saving money by doing odd jobs etc, I think it may be some time before he can afford boats like those. My suggestion would be to keep your eye out in your local paper, ad pak and auto/boat trader and find a nice used starter boat, something like a small jon boat etc. If you are wanting to get a good deal on a boat, try to find one right around this time of the year. Usually during the winter months, before and after the holidays you can find a lot of good deals. If you see a boat sitting in someones back yard collecting leaves, don't be afraid to knock on their door and ask if it's for sale. As to what boat you should save for and buy, the best boat out there is one you can afford.

Okay, due to a misunderstanding my first post was locked and deleted. After conversing with the moderator I have been given the go ahead to repost it. Some of you might remember this post about AnglingMasters. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1165638377 I've never won a thing in my life. Yesterday, which was my birthday, I won the $1000 Grand Giveaway at www.anglingmasters.com. If it weren't for seeing the post above I would have never known about AMI or won a thing, So I have to give thanks to Bass XL for posting. I figured that since I found about the place here I thought I would inform everyone about it so people here can have the same chance I did. All I did to win was to participate in the site. At the end of each week they hold a drawing to pick the winner. When you start a "Cabin" you automatically get one ballot. For every picture you add to your photo album and livewell you get a ballot. For every Fishing buddy you add you get a ballot. If you invite a friend to join you get five ballots. The more ballots you get the better chance you have of winning at the end of the week. I had been asked whether or not this was legit, and to be honest I had my doubts at first too. After doing some digging on the net and checking into the businesses etc everything seems to be legitimate. AMI has contracted a nationally known US based company to conduct the contest. This company has been around for some time, they have their own website and the address and phone numbers are legit. This company has held contests for household name brands such as Kellogg, Black and Decker and others. AMI themselves, while a new website has co-sponsored fishing tournaments with Fish'n Line magazine, one of which had a potential world record Brook Trout caught. The founder of AMI, Dave Abbott is mentioned in some articles on the net. I've spoken with Dave, he actively partcipates in the website and has numerous pictures of himself on the site. AMI is based out of Canada and Utah. Here are a couple links to check out http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/tow_release.php?ID=111114&session=%23%23%23session%23%23 http://www.thebizofknowledge.com/PressReleases/release10400.php This contest has been going on since September and none of the previous winners have cried scam or foul. As a matter of fact last weeks winner has commented on the site that he received his check. For those of you that haven't joined, go ahead and do so. This contest will be over in May. I would imagine this contest is a promotional tool to get people to join a new and growing site. Besides the chance to win some cash this site is a nice place to host all of those fishing pics. Anyway, now I can afford to buy some of the presents for my parents I couldn't afford before, albeit a little late. Plus I'll have some money for some new fishing toys. The Bait Monkey better watch out though, I pack a mean left hook. ;D

By the time you buy all that sand paper, compound, buffing pads and etc you probably could buy head light assemblies for two vehicles. ;D

Russ If those headlights are pitted real bad there isn't anything you can do with them except get a new pair of them. The stuff NEBassMan mentioned works good but will only remove the cloudy stains from the lenses. I never quite understood why Ford would use a plastic lens on their headlight assemblies. :-?

My condolences, Lamar Hunt was a good man and instrumental in the NFL as we know it today. A quote from Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney on the Death of Lamar Hunt "Lamar Hunt was one of the most influential owners in professional football over the past 40-plus years. He was instrumental in the formation of the American Football League and in the AFL-NFL merger, which helped the National Football League grow into America's passion. He had a vision that played an important role in the growth of the National Football League and always ran a first-class organization. His contributions to our league were recognized not only in his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but also in the naming of the Lamar Hunt Trophy which is presented annually to the AFC champion. Lamar's business savvy was rivaled only by his tremendous character. He was a wonderful person who truly cared about the NFL and all of its people. Our prayers go out to the entire Hunt family and the Kansas City Chiefs. Lamar will be missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him, but his contributions to our sport will never be forgotten." http://news.steelers.com/article/72779/

Nice site, I signed up using the name BassTracker.

My 87 TX-17 is 16'4" long and has a 72" beam. I've looked all over then net and there is absolutely no info out there on the older models and their specs. I believe that they are all the same until they went to the newer all welded hull at which point they widened the beam a bit. Unfortunately I have no idea when they went to the welded hull.

The QuadraBeam has 4 sonar beams. A narrow 20 degree center beam, a wide 60 degree center beam and 2 45 degree side beams(the beams overlap slightly). The 20 degree, 60 degree and the two 45 degree beams are all on seperate frequencies and have there own screens. Using the various screens to single out each beam I can determine where the structure is. I can also zoom in and freeze the screen, then I'll move the cursor right over the structure and mark it using the GPS so I know exactly where it is at all times. If you are interested in how these work go to www.humminbird.com and look at the manuals for the various units.

Those side imaging units are amazing, it's almost like being in the water looking at the structure. But you pay for it too, the 797 which just came out is around $1000, the 987 is something like $1800. Way out of my price range right now. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford one and move my 737 up to the bow.

The first time I saw Avid in those Sunglasses the first thing that went through my mind was. Take me out to the ball game Take me out with the crowd Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack I don't care if I never get back Take it home for us Avid. ;D

Nothing but simple math. Good thing too, If it weren't I'd still be trying to figure it out. ;D Thanks for the compliment.

In my experience it does make a difference, the wider the coverage the less water I have to cover looking for structure, etc. It's also helpful when following old creekbeds, It helps me stay on top of it by allowing me to see a wider area. With a narrower cone angle you have to do much more zig zagging to stay on top of it. Let's say you are on a 500ft wide lake that's a constant 5ft deep. With a 20 degree cone angle you would have to make 301 passes to scan the entire lake bottom. With a 90 degree beam you can scan the lake in 50 passes! According to Humminbord the wider cone angles excell in shallow water.

Earlier this year I bought the Humminbird 737 and have been extremely happy with it. My favorite feature is the Quadrabeam sonar that produces an extremely wide coverage area, which is very useful in shallow water. A standard 20 degree beam only sees 1/3 of the depth, so if you are in 5ft of water it only sees a little over 1.5ft of bottom. The DualBeam unit sees the bottom equal to the depth, so in 5ft of water it sees a 5ft area of the bottom. With the QuadraBeam it sees twice the depth, in 5ft of water you see a 10ft area of the bottom. This makes searching for structure much less time consuming. I also have the optional WideSide transducer which allows you to actually look directly to the sides to scan the water for schooling fish, look under potential cover like docks etc and scan the banks. The screen is 640x480 and very crisp and clear. It will take screen snapshots with the addition of a memory card, which I have. I also have the optional GPS receiver and it works great. The backlight is sort of like an Indiglo type light and is really nice at night, it's plenty bright but not so much it blinds you. The 737 is the only 700 series unit that comes standard with the QuadraBeam transducer. All of the 700 series are compatible with the QuadraBeam as well as the WideSide, Humminbird will exchange the DualBeam transducer for the QuadraBeam unit. I would have liked to step up to one of the color units, or even the new 797 or 987. Unfortunately those units are out of my price range. I have no experience with Lowrance units but I'm sure they make a fine product. From what I've seen no one but Humminbird makes a unit with as wide a coverage area, I could be wrong however. Hope this helps.

Adam Thanks, I meant to compliment you on your sweet Impala. Impressive performance for a 4400lb sled!! I actually have a 1967 Biscayne 2 door post car I'm in the process of restoring. I'll tell you, finding parts for this year Impala is tough as things just aren't readily available as they are for the mainstream muscle cars. The Biscayne has a mild 350, a th350 with a 2400 stall and 3.55 gears. Nothing special, just a big ol cruiser with A/C. Surprisingly the Chevelle does run on premium pump fuel. The ONLY reason it does it because it has a big ol 305 advertised duration camshaft that lowers the cranking compression. It's not really an optimal setup if you know what I mean, but it sure does sound good!! I'm able to run 38 degrees total timing with no pinging whatsoever, even in 100 degree heat. Any more compression or any less cam and it probably would detonate itself to death. I really like the understated look of your car, a real sleeper. By the time the person next to you realizes what's going on, your gone. ;D Brandon

I just can't hold it in any longer. This is a lie if I've ever seen one. #1 906 1969 Hurst olds 442s were produced. ALL of them came with a 455 cubic inch engine. If you take a close at the hood on the car in the picture you can just make out the 455 emblems. #2 Trw doesn't make 12.5:1 pistons for a 350 Olds. #3 Gm used Muncie 4 speed transmissions from 1964 to about 1973, It wasn't until 1974 or so they started using the Borg Warner Super T10. #4 The Edelbrock Torker, which is sometimes reffered to as the tarantula, is a SINGLE four barrel square flange intake. I know because I own one. #5 That picture was pirated from the website below and was taken at the AC Tumbleweeds car show in 2002. The AC Tumbleweed car show is held in Kansas, Catt lives in Louisiana by his own admission. http://www.ourks.com/02ac60.html Catt Care to explain why you are pirating pictures of other peoples cars off of websites and calling them your own??? This is something that really angers me. Why? People post pictures of their pride and joy only to have some jackleg liar swipe them and call them their own. Not only that but scam artists have been pirating pictures all over the net and "selling" these cars on Ebay, scamming honest people out of thousands of dollars. > *Edit* He lives in Texas not Louisiana, either way it ain't Kansas.

Here's one of my dream cars, 1967 Corvette coupe, 427 435hp, 4 speed with side pipes and tripower carbs(three dueces). This was my #1 dream car up until the new Z06 came out, I'm a performance oriented guy if you can't tell.

Thanks for the compliments. The bike is a bit uncomfortable to ride but that's what he wanted. On long rides your back, butt and arms start hurting. Plus the seat doesn't have much lip in the back, so when you twist the throttle wide open your butt tends to ride off the back of the seat and onto the rear fender. Kinda unnerving, you really have to put the death grip on the handle bars. If I ever build one It won't be as long or have as much rake in the front end. You have good taste for a guy your age, I'm kinda surprised you haven't been talking about some Honda or something. I wonder If my local Chevy dealer would take my soul in exchange for a new Z06? ;D

On some outboards the trim tab is made out of zinc and serves as a sacrificial anode to combat corrosion. If that's the case you won't want to remove it entirely. I have read where people grind the actual tab or "fin" off of it. Maybe it's possible Mercury or someone makes one that will replace the trim tab with a plain zinc anode.?.?. On my older Merc the trim tab is made of Zinc. I know some outboards don't even have trim tabs but I would imagine they have some sort of anode on it somewhere.

This is a 2001 pro 175 with the padded type hull, notice where the drain plugs are. This is a 17 footer with the standard hull. The pad type hull has less boat in the water while on plane for less drag. The only way to know for sure is to look at it.

LBH Not a problem, there's always next time. Thanks

Thanks, I had more pics of it including pics of the build up process but they got wiped out along with my car pics when my last computer crashed. My bro has a ton of pics, I have some regular photos of it but was too lazy to scan them. For a couple of guys who never built a bike, this thing went together fairly easy. That pic was taken on the first ride after running it in on the stand. He's made some changes since then, like the grips, the riser caps, he put some cable clamps on it to hold the cables, as well as a few other things. Man you don't want to know what he spent on that thing!!

I'm willing to bet you are using the speedometer for those mph figures. Put a gps on that boat and you'll find out it's nowhere near that fast. NJfishinGuy From what I've seen the difference between the older and newer 17 footer is the newer one is a bit wider and is welded. Otherwise they are the nearly the same hull design, a mod-v. The newer 17ft boat doesn't have the padded hull like the new 175, from what I've seen the 175 and up have the pad type hull. I have no idea what year they started the changes. The really early boats, like 83 and older were more like a Jon boat with a blunt bow. Mine is like the newer ones with a pointed bow.