Way2slow

It's basically just a Mercury Tilt/Trim pump. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+add+fluid+to+mercury+trim+pump&&view=detail&mid=D06C876CE0B5A1278F71D06C876CE0B5A1278F71&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dhow%20to%20add%20fluid%20to%20mercury%20trim%20pump%26%26FORM%3DVDVVXX

Make sure the trailer has 14" wheels so they will fit over the brakes and then just upgrade the trailer to disc brakes. It's not that expensive to add surge brakes. The main thing is having 14" wheels and the right size tongue to mount the master cylinder assembly to start with. Just don't try to save a dollar and buy drum brakes, total waste of time and money, and require a lot of routine maintenance, keeping them adjusted and working. I've been pushed through one intersection by 3,100-pound boat rig behind a Toyota 4WD pickup trying to make a panic stop, and it's not something I would care to go through again

Two things about this setup that concerns me. If you are getting a vibration, you have a serious problem and I would not be running it until the problem is fixed, like maybe the hub adapter is not properly installed in the prop or the porp shaft got bent in shipping. Even if it cavitates, there should be absolutely no vibration. The other concern is the prop pitch. A 23" pitch prop on a 115 is a whole lot of prop, unless that's a 60+ mph boat. With you and a light load, you would want the motor to be turning right at manufacture's max recommended rpm. If it's not, it's going to be a dog coming out of the hole with two people, tank of gas, gear and full livewell. Looking at your picture, the motor might actually already be a little too high. It looks like the anti-cavitation plate is up from the bottom of the transom a couple of inches already. So precede with caution and monitor the water pressure gauge if you try raising it more.

It's not my boat so I shouldn't care, so I deleted what I posted. I will say, if you've thought about upgrading to a larger TM, all you need to do is upgrade the wiring on what you have and you will think you have a new TM twice the size. That's how much performance loss you have with what you have. Also, Minnkota recommends a 60 amp breaker,

A short usually vaporizes the fuse. A melted fuse is from more current than it's rated for. However, the only fuses I've dealt with large enough to handle that kind of a load are sand filled ceramic housings and you can't see the element to know if it melted or vaporized.

It probably melted simply because it was most likely too small. That motor can draw 50 amps on max and should be on a 60 amp circuit breaker, not a fuse. I can't say I've ever seen a 60 amp inline fuse, it would need 6ga wire going to it.

If you know how to use a voltmeter, you could have saved yourself a few hundred dollars. Using a voltmeter, just follow the cable back toward the battery, every place there is a connection, check both sides of the connection. If both sides have the voltage drop, follow it on back to the next connection, again check both sides. Keep following it back to the battery. A prime culprit for this are crimped on connectors and dirty connections. Also, remember it takes two wires to make a circuit. I don't know how many times I've seen people think it has good voltage, but forget it also has to have good connections on the negative leads also, so make sure you troubleshoot the negative cable. If the voltage going to a circuit is dropping, most likely the power source is the problem, not the circuit, unless there is a major short and that usually causes tripped breakers, blow fuses or smoke.

Never change a spark plug in a hot aluminum head and "ALWAYS" put anti-seize on the threads

The DFI Evinrudes are subject to plug fouling if idled or run at very low RPM much from the sot created at idle. If not indexed, the ground tip creates a shield and lets it build up on the plug and causing it to carbon foul. By the way, it's not exactly free. You either have to have different thickness seal rings or extra spark plugs you can switch around until you get enough plugs indexed properly.

I index spark plugs in just about everything. Any motor that has a spark plug will run better if they are indexed.

They are not just for "night use". Most states require them to be on a certain time before sunrise and sunset, which is really not very dark. Also for low light conditions and fog. So, if you don't have them, what that does is keeps you from getting on the water early and requires you to be off the water at sunset, and they go by the daily posted sunrise and sunset times, not actually sunrise and sunset, which there is a huge difference in time. You don't have to have them on a boat during the day when there is clear visibility, and they are not going to give you ticket if the boat does not have them, look at all they kayak's and canoe's that don't have them. They will however nail you in a heartbeat if you don't have some turned on when the law requires them to be turned on. I used to keep those portable battery powered one for my canoe and jon boat so if I did want to be out before sunrise and after sunset time or when it might get foggy. Also, the red/green don't have to be on the side of the boat. On the bow and visible at 180 degree angle is all you need for the average boat. After they get over a certain length that changes. The white light has to be at least a certain height and seen at 360 degrees for a mile or two, what ever law states.

I seriously doubt there was such a thing when it was new, much less now. I've probably dealt with a100 used boats over the years (since 1965) and I've never seen one that came manuals. The wiring should be done by someone knowledgeable, and they will just run them to and from where they need to go. Hopefully in a professional, neat looking way.

Is that make, year and model a good motor Yes. Is it going to be reliable, my crystal ball is not working anymore. Depends on how much it has been used and was maintained. I would recommend having someone that's good with outboard motors go with you to check it out and do a compression check. When I buy a used outboard, I don't put one in use until I have serviced it, changed the gear oil and install a new water pump.

Totally agree, if you can't paddle from one side of the boat, without have to cross over, then you need to learn how to paddle. No telling how many miles I've paddle a boat and never switch sides. Wouldn't want to try it now, but I used to sit in the bottom with my legs under a cross brace and could barrel roll a canoe with a paddle just like in a kayak. I was referring to when easing along fishing, even a small breeze will make it want to swing around if there is not weight in the front. Mine is a wider, flat bottom cargo canoe, so it really has nothing to stabilize it. Of course now, you probably couldn't pay me to get into a canoe it's been so long since I've used it. Primarily just keep it around and a keep sake from those "good old days".

My canoe is an old 17' Gruman aluminum. If the weight balance is too far off, it constantly wants to turn around on you. One thing I do that helps counteract is to sit backwards in it. It's not the most comfortable way but it works. The front seat is closer to the middle so if you turn around and use the front seat for the back seat, that goes a long way toward balancing the weight in the boat. Not super comfortable but works.

Just don't use a high pressure washer, it will leave lines in it where it packs it down so hard, it won't come back up. Been there, done that several times. Even thinking I will hold it far enough off to prevent it, it either doesn't clean it, or still leaves those funky looking lines in it. Mine is a 4gpm 3600psi pressure washer and it will wreck carpet. It will clean the crap out of it, but you are not going to be pleased with the way your carpet looks when done. Going back over it with a heave scrub brush will help, but it won't fix it.

There is an adjustment period and learning phase, but you will love the comfort and mobility inside the boat. I too know of a number of guides that use pontoons, so don't think for a minute they are only good for anchored and fishing with a bobber. I've had nothing but bass boats as my primary boat since 1973. I could water ski behind them and other than bass fishing, that was my water activity. I've had a canoe since 1962 and a number of jon boats that took care of small water and any other fishing needs. Last year, I finally sold my last bass boat, a 20ft Javelin 20DC with a 225 on it and bought a 24ft Bently pontoon. The wife and family love it. Before my wife would never want to go out in the boat, now she wants to go all time. Mine is the fishing model with 2 pedestal seats on the front in a small area outside the enclosed area. Some short falls I've found with mine: That fishing area on the front is way too short and makes it very difficult to operate the TM sitting down. I have a bad back, so I have to sit most of the time. I'm actually going to build and extension for the foot pedal so it can extend out over the edge. Contrary to what's said about needed a big TM, mine weighs about 4,500 pounds and a 60lb TM moves it just fine. I'm actually considering going to a 55lb so I can go to a one 12V battery because of the weight in the ass-end. With the stereo, lighting and other stuff, you end up having in one, I run a massive dual purpose AGM cranking battery. Then there are two more group 27 AGM trolling motor batteries, and a 10amp per bank, three bank onboard charger. That all adds up to almost 300 pounds sitting back there. Add a small inverter generator I will put back there if we are going night fishing, that's a lot of weight. If anchor fishing, my granddaughter's husband likes to go catfishing at night and that back anchor is a pain. Power anchors, at least on the rear would be nice. I've added them but have not used them to give an evaluation on how well that idea works out. If you don't live on the water and have to tow it, it's like driving a semi. Takes a full-size pickup and with that long trailer, that's almost 50ft, 8ft wide you have to deal with on the road and through town.

Don't waste the gas. My hands don't let me do that stuff any more. I have a motor I started on seven years ago and it's almost finished but 15 minutes with a die grinder and my hands hurt for two days.

The costal water guys have been bragging about them for several years. They just haven't made it to the bass boat world yet.

I was not insinuating it's a Yamaha, only the external appearance is very similar to that of a Yamaha. I'm quite sure, other than the fact they are both outboard motors they are very different under the outer shell.

Yep, looks like the borrowed the design of the Yamaha VMax to me and just put their decals on it.

If you haven't cleaned and checked the cables, it might be a wasted trip to the battery dealer.

I've said it before and will say it a again. It's a very easy problem to diagnose with a DVM/Multimeter. You can't look at wires and see what the electrons are doing inside one, but a multimeter will show you, and you can buy one for less than an hours labor a shop is going to charge you. However, just pitching guesses at it, sounds like a bad connection on a cable or a bad battery.

It's a lot cheaper fishing a small area off the bank for 10 hours and getting skunked than fishing a 77,000-acre lake you've fished for 50 years and know like the back of your hand, burning 30-40 gallons of gas in a boat that has good electronics and getting skunked. They both suck but as the old saying goes "s*** happens".

You might have to/want to, turn it off to unplug the transducer. Mine will shut down if a transducer is not connected. If they are different type transducers, you may have to go in setup and change transducer type. Mine are the new model Echomap UHD 93SV and 73SV so they may be different, and I could be wrong about it, like I said, I've never tried it in actual use, and it's been a few months since I had them at the desk learning them.