snapperd1

After falling in the lake one time to many on cold spring and fall days I got myself an inexpensive pair of hip boats. No more walking the plank for me. TD

ZigZag is his creen name on the forum his real info is -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Craig Toerien hippotackle@yahoo.com I am placing an order today for 100 blades from him. Tom D.

Looks good you may want to resmoke the mold. Mine are nearly black when i start pouring them. I find it makes the pouring easier. I resmoke each mold before I start using it for the day. Good luck, Tom D.

Guys i got some sample blades from ZigZag the other week. I caught a 5 pounder this past weekend on a bait I made with one of his blades very nice blades. I will be ordering some very soon. Tom D.

I do the same as jig man never leave the pot empty. TD

Check out delmart molds he has a senko type kit and I have seen on his forums many recipes for senkos. TD

The easiest way to remove the boat from the trailer is to lower the trailer tung to the ground. Place supports under the rear of the boat(cynderblocks work well). Once the rear is supported raise the bow as high as you can get it. Now support the front from the sides. Start to remove the trailer from under the boat. Support the boat as you continue to remove the trailer. It is accutually easier to do then to describe. Good Luck, TD

The short answer is cut them off. I have used a Dremel tool with cut off wheel in the past. The bad news is the best way to install the new one is going to reguire you to remove the guides as well. Most handles are slid down the rod from the top not pushed on from the bottom. Good luck, TD

Not hard to get the boat off the trailer, but a little more information may be helpful. What type of boat, what type of trailer, what are you looking to do to the trailer? how big is your boat. Let us know and we can make some suggestions. TD

You could always go to Cabelas and order one of their cheap rod kits. I have built several of them and they ended up being quite nice also the whole kit won't cost you more then 40 or 50 bills. Good luck it is fun, TD

For electric only the Alum would be the best it is lighter and should be easier to work on. You won't need as much motor to push it around the lake, and you won't need as much truck to pull it to the lake. Good Luck, TD

Do like justfishn said forget the can and get the muffs. In the can the engine may not be getting enough water to cool it. You don't want to destroy the engine by over heating it. The muffs force the water up into the cooling system. Which ever method you use make certain the engine is spitting out the pee hole on the back. You don't want to put the engine in gear out of the water anyway. TD

You should be able to remove the bolt at the bottom of the motor control box and turn the head around. Do it slowly so the wires don't bind. Tom D.

Guys, the bow is the front the stern is the rear and the transom is where the engines are mounted. An enclosed gas tank will need to be vented. Also don't forget the fire extiguisher. You may want to take a trip to a Bass Pro shop if you have one near by and look at how their boats are layed out just to get some ideas. If not try searching the web for examples. We have built boat with decks running the entire legnth of the boat and had no stability issues, but these were for electric only lakes. Good Luck, Tom D.

Don't think your answer is going to be that simple. The plywood under the deck is probably gone bad. You will have to remove the glass replace the wood and then reglass. Check this guy out he does this for a living. http://www.jimmysmarineservice.com/ Good Luck, Tom D.

Basscatcher, I think it has more to do with the speed you pour the lead. If you go to slow it will not make a complete pour. It takes a while to get use to pouring but you will get it. You can always melt the lead off of the ones that don't turn out right. Tom D.

The key is to get the mold hot. I warm mine on the melting pot while the lead is melting, then I pour two or three sets without hooks. Once they come out complete I add hooks and pour away. You have to be careful how you pour. If you go to slow you will get partial pours to fast and you make a mess with the lead. Good luck, Tom D.

It seems to me that if they went out looking for tuna it should have been stated up front that the captain was going to keep the fish. Otherwise the fish belongs to the charter. According to the NMFS each permit is allowed on fish over 73" per year. Now inorder to sell the fish a commercial license would be needed and the angler would be out of luck. He would find himself in a world of trouble trying to sell the fish on his own. I don't think it would be wise to try and freeze that much tuna. The only reguirement for bluefin that is different then yellow fin is that they need to be tagged before they are removed from the boat. And of course the different bag limits. I try to get out on the ocean at least once a year and tuna are the primary targets. TD

In an earlier post someone mentioned modifing a Ray motor to go faster. I was wondering what these modification are? Thanks, TD

Might want to try some 3M 5200 it will take several days to setup but it should be perminent when dry. TD

If you have not fixed it yet be certain to tie the bow eye down to the trailer so that it does not bounce up and down on you while you drive it to the lake. Also make sure you are using something other then the trailer strap to hold the front of the boat to the trailer. You probable had the boat tight at the ramp and it slid backwards as you drove home. Wet bunks are very slippery. Good Luck TD

You may have luck finding welding cable. That is what I used when building my system. In MD we have a place called Grainger that sells it by the foot. They may have a web site. Good Luck, TD

If you are looking for electric only check out the RAY electric motors probably one of the best bangs for the bucks. TD

I run 2 50 lb minn kotas on my 16 foot grumman bass boat, but i power them off of 4 6 volt golfcart batteries. I have the batteries hooked together in series to make two 12 volt batteries and then have them hooked together in parrellel to make on 12 volt. I have plenty of power for the two motors. TD

Tinkerr, I have built and rebuilt several of these motors for my boat. You have to be carefull when swithing motors that the outpot shaft and couplers you have are the same size, or you will be out trying to find the correct size. Where in MD are you I have the lower unit off of an 80 hp merc you can have if you want to come get it. I was going to try and mount my motor to it but found the motor housing had split due to water intrusion and freezing. I found a good deal on a pair of minn kotas that I use now. The best thing is i can talk to the person in the boat with me while I am running. The golf cart motor are nice but unless you want to buy a RAY motor you are not going to find them very efficient. Do a google search for Ray electric motor they have good info on their site. TD