Way2slow

It's pretty well know there are few manufactors in the US, I think it's down to four now and yes, Johnson Batteries are the mega manufactor. Please, however, don't use this as a basis for saying all the batteries they make are the same. The are way too many variables they can use to produce batteries that affect the quality. I think you will find East Penn Manufactoring are well known for making one of the best batteries in the country and are one of the major producers of OEM batteries for an awfull lot of companies. They also make batteries for some of the auto parts stores, Bass Pro Shops and the list goes on. Trojan is still the standard for industrial quality batteries and the go to battery for long, hard use and max run time.

Ipod and headphones

If you want 3/4 of a battery at twice to three times the price, get an Optima. 160minutes reserve from a Optima compared to 200 - 225 from many flooded cell batteries, even the $70 walley world ones, I think I would stick with a flooded cell. Then, you figure the special charger requirements for the AGM's, $150 or more for one that's going to get the max life from the AGM Optima, plus the Optima is one of the worst of the AGM's (they just do a fantastic job markiting them), I will pass. Deka makes a very good flooded cell battery and I would take their AGM any day over the Optima. If you want max run time and a good battery, Trojan 225's are very hard to beat. The big WallyWorld batties give you a lot of capacity for a reasonable price, they just have an average life of about two years or so. Nothing really wrong with the Interstate, DieHard or any of the other name brands, many have gotten very good service from them

There is true meaning to the term, the bigger the boat, the bigger the hole it makes in the water to throw money in. Get the biggest boat you can afford. That extra deck room is a huge plus, and the ride is usually better, but that's depends on the boat. I worked my way up through the full gamut of boats and after a few years of using my 20' I would have a hard time going back to a smaller boat.

Something like this is what you're looking for but you migth want to shop around for pricing http://www.marinefoam.com/polyurethanefoam.html?gclid=CJ3Oo5Gk5p8CFQqF7QodN0XEHA&lcode=AB203 As for the cans of stuff from Home Depot, I'm not sure they are closed cell or not. As mentioned, if not closed cell it will assorb water and hold it like a sponge, for a long time. It's very hard, if not almost impossible to get dried out after it assorbs it. As for Thomson's Water Seal. I've never and would never use something like that. If it's a boat I care enough about to put the time and money in to restore/fix it up, I'm going to do it right. Doing it right means glassing the floor. Now if it's a jon that I'm just putting a floor in to cut down noise, Thomson's might be OK but that's something that can easily be replaced when it starts to rot or get soft.

Motor weight has nothing to do with the horse power unless you are going to a physically larger motor. In most modern V-6 motors, they only use a few powerheads for the whole spectrum. In the 3.0 Johnson for instance, the 200hp, 225 hp, 225HO and 250 hp are basically the same motor. They just used a smaller carburator on the 200's than the 225's (even some 200's came with 225 carbs, making the 225's with 200 decals). They opend the 225's exhaust port and changed it's timing to make the 250 and they just changed the decals and lower unit on the 250 to make the 225HO. Mercury does basically the same thing with the 2.5s. Evinrude 3.3 DFI's they just change the computer programming and use different lower units. You can take any 200hp 2.5 Merc or 200hp, 3.0 OMC fishing motor and get 300+ hp from them and not change the weight, other than make them lighter if you want. Just take the know how and a little money. If you don't have the know how, it just takes a whole lot of money. If you want, you can even adapt a 3.3 block that has be modified to put out well over 400hp (closer to 500 hp) to fit on top of a 200 midsection, all the numbers will say it's a 200 and it will still weigh the same as a 200. Trust me, this kind of stuff is done all the time. The guys fishing B.A.S.S. Elite's and those level tournaments can't afford to take the chance on running modified motors, but at lower level stuff, bunches do it.

You should use a closed cell flotation foam. It comes as a two part chemical you mix and pour into the cavity. You can get different bouyance level based on density. Just be very care, the stuff expands as much as 10:1 and it don't mind busting out the floor if you put too much in a confined space. You also only have about 10 seconds from the time you finish mixing to get it poured into you access holes. Do your homework on it before using it. I use an electric drill and a small paint mixer. The better it's mixed and the hotter it is, the better it expands. I also make me a bunch of paper funnels because you're only going to get one pour through each. It's better to mix two or three times to fill an area than to try and mix once and put too much. I also bore 1" holes about a foot apart in each area to pour into. I cover the whole area with fiber glass matt when done but you could probably just pour some resin over them.

As for the cheating aspect, if I was in your shoes, I would have a hard time considering that cheating. First off, you are going to be running one of slower boats and way back in the pack to start with. It's not like your'e going to be blasting off and beating everybody to the first hole. Second, a whopping 15 hp ain't gonna make a hill of beans. You can rest assured, there are some whole lot faster boats than yours, that are way more over powered than your hull. There are a whole lot of the 3.0L 200hp Johnnyrudes on 200 - 225 hp hules putting out 250+ hp. A friend of mine has been running a 200 I built for his 94 201 five years ago that's making over 300hp and pushing his boat 78mph with 2 people and tourny load. He's is just one of many I know like this so don't let your little boat and motor work on your conscience because of the "cheating" bit. No telling how my 2.5, 200 mercs that are putting out a whole lot more than 200hp running around in those local tourney's. Now, if I was trying to get into nationally sanctioned tourny's I would not risk the penalties, but local club tourny's are mostly just a bunch of guys getting out and having a good time on the lake. Yes, they have rules about overpowered boats and they are going to have to say no if you ask because of those rules but I've never seen a local tourny that strickly inforced that rule. Matter of fact, other club members bragg about how fast my friends 201 is. I have another friend that has a 20' Shaddow thats runs 96 mph and one that has a Bullet running 93 with over powered motors fishing their local tourny's. They are the talk of their clubs because of how fast their boats are and it's very obvious they are running massive more hp than the 225 on the decals to be able to run that fast.

First you need to find out if it's fuel or ignition. Use a spark checker on one of the plugs and make sure it's still firing when it dies. You can also use a good timing light. If it continues to fire as it's dying, then it's fuel. Could be sucking air in a fuel line. Pump the fuel bulb up tight and hold pressure on it, see if you have any leaks. Trying running it and keep pumping the fuel bulb to see if that will keep it running. Another check to see if it's getting fuel, when it dies, don't mess with anything and take one of the plugs out of the carb fuel bowl. If only a very small amount of fuel drains out, it's not pumping fuel or the needles are sticking closed. If firing, Check for leaks that would let it suck air. Make sure nothing is restricting the fuel line, from the tank pickup to the carbs. Make sure fuel pump is pumping If all that's good, clean the carbs and set the float level. If it's flooding out from too much fuel, clean carbs, replace needle/seats and set float level.

If you're concerned, check with other members, most local club tournaments don't check motor hp rating against hull rating, it's kinda like don't ask, don't tell. If you ask, they are going to say no. Also, check your state laws. Some states will fine you if you're over powered, most don't have laws against over powering.

Xantrex Truecharge 2 are good chargers. Their 10 or 15 amp would probably do most anything you need. Please note though, these are good chargers designed to get max life from a battery, not your cheap WalMart crap so they are not going to be cheap. You will not buy "GOOD" 10 amp or larger charger for less than $100 and will be closer to $150 and up.

Optima's are AGM batteries. Very few people that buy AGM's really understand the difference between AGM's and flooded cell batteries. The reason for recommending low amperage on those is not because it's necessarily the best for the battery, it's because of what general public uses to charge them with. AGM batteries are a lot more sensitive to charging conditions and over 14.6 volts will damage the battery. The mast majority of standard chargers are designed for flooded cell batteries and can reach voltages of over 16 volts when charging at 10 amps or higher. By limiting the charge to much lower currents, it keeps the voltage down closer to what's safe for the battery. While the cheaper SMART chargers that have AGM specific functions are much better than the old hot boxes, they still are not the best. Good AGM chargers are Expensive. Actually good battery chargers that are BEST suited for deep cycle batteries are expensive. That's why your 10 and 15 amp per bank onboards are so expensive. It's not because they a built for onboard use, it's because they are high quality chargers. If you bought a similar quality 10 - 15 amp home charger, you could easily have to pay $200 or more so for just One Bank. Price some commercial quality 10 - 20 amp chargers. These are built to charge batteries so you get max battery life. Not so they can be sold cheap and do an ok job of charging batteries.

The reason they sell those small chargers is because they can sell them "cheap" and that's what the average consumer wants. If they only marketed what was best for the battery, they would have to close their doors because they would be too expensive for most. They could care less that's it's not the ideal charger and the consumer is not going to get max life from his battery with one. The average person can use a 4 - 5 amp charger and it will work great for them. They go fishing, use their TM a little, come back and have days for their battery to recharge before needing it again. They get a couple of years or so from their batteries and they are happy. However, I seriously doubt you will never find a pro or avid angler that uses they equipment a lot, with one of those little dinky chargers on board. You will not find a manufactor or anyone else (other than the unknowing) that does not recommend a charge rate of at least 10% of the batteries capacity and believe it or not there is a reason for that. As for most all battery chargers today being Smart Chargers, "dream on Alice, your in wonderland now".

This is straight off Trojan's web site for recommended chargers. A properly sized charger takes into account battery capacity and the time interval between charges. In applications where cycling is infrequent, such as weekend RV users, or infrequent or seasonal trolling motor usage, a charger with an output current rating between 10 and 13% of the battery's rated 20-hour capacity will suffice. In applications where battery recharge must be accomplished within 8 to 10 hours, a three stage, automatic charger, rated at 20% of the battery capacity, may be required. Example: A good charging rate for a battery with a 20-hr capacity of 225 amp-hr is about 22 to 29 amps. You can of course go slightly higher or lower depending on what is available on the market. This is the end of a paste from Trojan's Batteries like to be charged in a certain way, especially when they have been deeply discharged. This type of charging is called 3 step regulated charging. Please note that only special SMART CHARGERS using computer technology can perform 3 step charging techniques. You don't find these types of chargers in parts stores and Wal-Marts. The first step is bulk charging where up to 80% of the battery energy capacity is replaced by the charger at the maximum voltage and current amp rating of the charger. When the battery voltage reaches 14.4 volts this begins the absorption charge step. This is where the voltage is held at a constant 14.4 volts and the current (amps) declines until the battery is 98% charged. Next comes the Float Step. This is a regulated voltage of not more than 13.4 volts and usually less than 1 amp of current. This in time will bring the battery to 100% charged or close to it. The float charge will not boil or heat batteries but will maintain the batteries at 100% readiness and prevent cycling during long term inactivity. Some Gel Cell and AGM batteries may require special settings or chargers. As for brands of chargers, all I've used for the last 10 years have been ProMariners. I currently have two PT 300's, one I've been running pretty much 24/7 for almost five years. If I'm still around another 10 years, I will probably still be running PM's, unless someone comes out with one I feel is better, but that ain't happened yet. If you really knew your batteries and charger technology, you would most likely be running them also. Now, as for what type charger to buy. You buy the one that people stomp around and scream the loudest about. After all, that's what they bought so it has to absolutely be the best of the best of all battery chargers ever built. As for BPS and Cabela's using a charger made by ProMariner. If they were really that bad, do you think those companies would have continued to use them for name brand? You fail to realize, they probably sell a 100 times more of those than all other brands combined and I don't care how good a products is, it's going to have bad ones. They could have a 2% return rate on those and still have a hellava lot more complaints that they would have with a 20% return rated on other brands.

I'm not sure my trailer would hold my boat with all my tackle if I tried to store it all in it. Even if it would, there would be no room left for me. The next problem would be the potential for rusted hooks. If the boat is outside, the storage compartments get extremely humid (even with a cover on it) and if you leave your tackle in them, you may end up with a lot off rusted stuff. I just use the thin plastic organizers and carry what I'm going to be fishing with. After all, the season and conditions are going to dictate what you will be throwing so you don't need everything. If I'm going to a strange area I've never fished and feel I need to take some extra stuff, I just leave it in the truck until I get a feel for things. Then I will get out what I might think I need a get rid of what I'm not going to use. Now, when it comes to soft plastic, they pretty much stay in there all the time. I plugged of my second live-well since I don't use it and it's full of plastics.

Wire.

First, you will need to post a model number. Not all even have circuit boards but if it runs when out of the water, but not in, it could just be a loose.

I know a number of people that would totally disagree with you. I know a guy in norther Cal that ran eight of them, two each on four boats, commercially in salt water for five years and over 1,800 hours with only a few minor failures and no majors. He liked them so much he traded for eight more Rudes in 2,004 and just last year traded for eight Etec's. Evinrudes is all he will put on the back of his boats. This is a very common story for commercially run fichts. Like I said earlier, the biggest downfall to a ficht is they can't handle old gas so they give your average boater problems. Come right down to it, there probably have been no more fichts blown than there have been the Opti-Pops (Opti-Max's). The next major problem with all DFI motors, when they do break, very few dealers really know how to fix them and they tend to break again shortly afterwards because they never fixed the root cause of the problem.

That boat will be very weight sensitive so be carefull how much extra you add. The next thing is adding a deck. Before you spend a bunch of time and money adding one, rig something temporarily to use as something so you can stand up there with the boat in the water. I would wait until the water was warm and make sure it's only a couple of feet deep when you try it. Oh! and wear a bathing suit.

Stick to posting what you know and not what you think you know and your advise will "usually" be well taken.

Actually, the ficht is a very good engine, provided it has had a recently updated ECM. This is not the same as the Dealer updates. There is only one of those and that was required by the Coast Guard to keep the injectors from leaking gas a blowing the thing up. Since the introduction of the ficht, there have been approx 50 upgrades to the ECM but these are not done by the dealers. The only way to get them is to send them off to a place like DFI and pay dearly for them, have a dealer get it rebuilt (again, they just have a company like DFI to upgrade it) or buy a new ECM from the dealer, VERY, VERY, expensive. The next problem with the the early DFI motor, fichts and Rams, they can't handle old gas. Bad gas will make one pop a piston in a heartbeat. When I don't use mine regularly, I run about a quart of fresh gas with a heavy mix of SeaFoam through mine every month, either running it in the water tank or on the hose. I disconnect the hose at the primer bulb and connect another hose from a little one gallon container of fresh gas with SeaFoam. Note, doing this alway keep a clean set of spark plugs that have been properly indexed. After a number of runs on the hose, they get carboned up and may misfire at the lake. I just change plugs before I go and clean the set in the motor for next time. I also pump all the gas out of my tank as soon as I return from the lake. Before my dad died, none of this was a problem, I usually took him fishing every other weekend, pretty much year round, so all this crap was not necessary. If you don't use the boat at least every two months or if you are not willing to do this, I would suggest not getting a ficht. You let is sit through winter, or for long periods, you greatly increase the chance of blowing the motor.

There is no way on gods green earth your going to get a good ficht powerhead for $1,000 - $1,500, maybe three times that. A remanufactored powerhead is going to so $3,000 or so. This is only the bare head. If your's in blown, there was a reason for that. A bad injector or ECM etc. If the motor has been sitting for long, all six injectors will need to be rebuilt and it would most likely need the ECM updated. For this work, you're looking at another couple of $K. Let me just say something and not trying to be ugly, but if you don't know what you're doing you had better walk away from a ficht. Actually, don't walk, RUN. If you're anywhere near GA, I have boat I will make you a deal on. I'm sure my wife and son would scream and holler but since my dad died (my main fishing partner), I haven't had the desire to fish. The boat is a 1999 Javelin Renegade 20 Dual Console with a 225 Ficht. This motor runs great, has less than 200 hours. The ECM was shipped to DFI Technologies and completely upgraded with all the latest and greatest updates (Approx $1,000 update). Great fishing platform with plenty of deck space and runs in the 70's. I would consider $7,000 for it.

I started towing my first boat trailer in 1965 and have had at least one, and usually two or three ever since. Don't have a clue how many miles I've towed trailers, but have made numbers of trips from GA to AZ. I've never had a bearing failure. The first thing I do anytime I get a used boat with a trailer is, pull all hubs and check/replace and pack bearings and replace inner seals and check spindles for seal grove on trailer. I also replace the water pump and rebuild carbs on motor, provided it's carbs. As mentioned before, I pack wheel bearings every spring and replace seals. Oh, and for what those NAPA bearings costs, I can do a whole axle and still have money in my pocket. Like I said also, some of the inner seals on 3500 pound axle's can be hard to come up with. NAPA is the 7/11 of auto parts. If they carry it, and they carry a lot of parts others don't, and you can get it pretty quick but you will pay dearly for it.

Most good, deep cycle batteries will have approx 12.8 VDC at full charge, after sitting 24 hours. The low side it 12.6VDC. Anything lower than this and the battery is getting ready for the recycle center.

Sounds like the battery was not charged at the end of each fishing trip and allowed to sit discharged until they got ready to go again, then threw it on a charger the night before. A very common practice that totally destroys a battery. I would just get me a new battery when you're ready to start fishing again. Just be sure this one is charged as soon as you get home from fishing and charged every four to six weeks when not being used. It will give you several years of good service if you do.