Way2slow

Well, if you REALLY want to do it right, do a complete and proper setup of the boat on the trailer, starting with setting the tongue weight to the recommended 10% - 15% of total tow weight. This is critical on any trailer for proper towing but something most seem to never do. To get the total tow weight a lot of truck stops have scales you can pay to use. With your normal fishing load in the boat and weigh it. Do this by parking it on the scales, disconnect from it and move the vehicle off to get the weight, or weigh the vehicle with boat, then weigh just the vehicle and subtract that from the vehicle and boat weight. It sounds like you have a smaller size boat so a set of bathroom scales will work just fine by placing them under the trailer jack. If your total rig weight was 800 pounds, you want 80 to 120 pounds on the scale. Now come the tricky part and hope you trailer is the proper size for the boat because you will need to move the wench stand with the front stop on it so you can move the boat forward or back on the trailer to get the proper tongue weight. "IF" the trailer is not properly sized, doing this may not be possible without repositioning stuff in the boat. You don't want to move the boat forward enough that it comes off the back roller or the motor hits the trailer with it down. You also don't want it too far back that the back roller is a couple of feet up from the transom. Once you have it positioned for the proper tongue weight, the set the rollers so they are providing the proper support. If the tailer does not allow proper positioning of the boat because it's the wrong size, then I would look at adding bunk boards.

Just for the heck of it, I looked at some of the cheaper 2,000 - 2,500 pound units. Harbor Freight and a similar one on Amazon doesn't give power requirements specs or line speed. One at Norther Tool is the only one I found that gave power and line speed but I figure those other cheap ones are going to be very similar. NT's was 280 watts so at 12VDC that's a little less than 25 amps. #10ga wire would easily handle that. The butt kicker is the speed. ONE FOOT PER MINUTE! Sure hope you are not in a hurry when loading the boat. I would not look at power it from the boat. It would only take one time forgetting to unplug it to probably screw some stuff up as the boat slides off the trailer. It just wouldn't take much to run one piece of #10 wire from the battery to the back. The frame back there would take care of the negative side. If you have the factory towing package it may already had a power port with #10 wire going to it. I would suspect if you wanted one with a faster line speed, you're gonna have to dig a lot deeper in your pocket than those in the $100 price range.

I have seen misaligned roller ruin hulls. If one is too high it can put a hook in the hull or a bow in them if too low. A hook slows a boat down, a bow cause one to be bad about wanting to porpoise. It's common to see the front or rear roller get worn out, causing the center to put too much pressure in the center of the hull. When the boat properly positioned on the trailer, should be sitting on the front and back rollers, then the center roller/rollers are adjusted so they are firmly against the hull put not pressing up on it. They just support the center to keep it from bowing down.

GaryH, I think you will find that 120 VAC outlet closer to 400 Watts than 400 amps. Huge difference between Watts and Amps. 400 Watts is only a little over 3 amps. Thats not going to run much of any kind of motor of any size. bn2fish, Even then, my concern would be messing around with 120VAC at a boat ramp with a trailer in the water. Old saying "S**t Happens" and even at 400 watts, that's enough to light your eyeballs up and could prove fatal if help is not close by because you are not going to turn loose of it if it gets you. After all, we would like for you to be able to stick around, and this not be you first and last post. They make 12VDC power winch's just for that purpose. I would go that option and not even consider something is 120VAC.

Another waste of time, why I rarely answer post anymore

First, have you done a compression test and what make, and model engine is it? A cold engine has a lot more compression than a warm engine. This would probably not be your only problem if it is low since you said it stalled and then started back up but could add to the problem. Another problem that causes one to not start or be hard to start after running it, letting it sit for a bit is a thing called heat soak. That's where all the gas evaporates out of the crankcase and requires a lot of priming/choking and cranking to get it started again. It may even bog and as you are starting off and need a little more priming/choke to get it up and going. However, this won't cause one to die once it is running down the lake. The cause I lean toward the most is the fuel pump but before getting into fuel related problems, you need to isolate if it's a fuel or ignition. There are a number of fuel related problems it could be as well as a number of possible ignitions related problems and you can spend a bunch of time and money chasing your tail on the wrong one until you isolate which one it is. Troubleshooting an ignition problem on the water is no fun since the plugs are at the back of the motor but it's something you need to do. You need a spark checker or some method of checking to see if the plugs have a strong blue spark when cranking (taking a plug out, putting the wire on it and grounding it against some metal on the block). Red or yellow sparks don't work. If it has a good blue spark on most of the cylinders, it's most likely not ignition. Even a bad cranking battery can cause the problem even though it's spinning the engine over. Another quick test to see if it's fuel, have a spray bottle of premixed gas, take the air silencer off and spray gas in carburetor and see if it fires. You can use starting fluid but DO NOT try to keep a two-stroke motor running with starting fluid. It washes all the oil out and the motor is running with no lubrication, NOT GOOD! Just a quick shot of it. If it starts quickly with a dose of fuel in the carbs, then you have a fuel delivery problem. There are a number of those, so if isolate if its fuel or ignition, post what you find and I can step you through troubleshooting the problem.

Thanks, I was looking at the later post and then went to the first one, failed to notice the date What the more current post sounds like is one of those gray, auto reset circuit breakers. Might want to try one of these Amazon.com: T Tocas 60A Amp Circuit Breaker with Manual Reset for Trolling Motor Fishing Boat Marine Automotive 12V - 72V DC Waterproof IP67 Protection | UL Certified : Automotive Another cause I've run into on a TM doing this was a bad bayonet connection on the control board. I would recommend placing a voltmeter across the TM's battery power connector and see what it's doing. If it's the circuit breaker, the battery voltage will be dropping out or way down. If it's not dropping, then the problem has to do with something internal in the foot control, head or maybe brushes.

This one should work just fine also. L76V - Champion Spark Plug ( #827M)

Depends on the motor ignition system on whether it will start without a battery or not. Some generate their own spark, some require a battery. If you unplug the main cable going to the engine while running and it doesn't shut off, it doesn't need external power to run. If you do that and it keep running, you can't turn it off with the key either, without reconnecting the harness, the key switch grounds out the ignition system to shut it off. On any properly operating motor, if the key switch is off, it can't be started by turning the motor over manually. The key switch is either supplying the voltage to the ignition system to make it run, or removing the ground that's keeping it from running. So, if it's in neutral, and the key switch is off, there's no way on god's green earth you can start a motor messing with the prop, even if it happens to be in gear, if the switch is off and working properly it can't start. I've been messing with them for over 60 years and have never and will never do anything but make sure the prop free spins in both directions (it's out of gear then) before taking the nut off. A Mercury will free spin in one direction even when in gear but will make a clicking sound doing it. The Evinrude/Johnsons will not free spin in either direction when in gear.

That’s probably one of those 1:10,000 failures so you would probably never find someone that has ever even heard of it. Hopefully it was discovered before it caused some serious colateral damage.

Hot foots came about when boats got fast enough to chine walk. On a fast boat, they are almost a must have. On a boat that only runs in the 50's, probably not so convenient unless you do a lot boating in areas heavily congested with other boat traffic, where you need are constantly modulating the throttle. Running at 70 - 80 mph I wouldn't want to be without one. Just cruising at 50 mph, they tend to be a little aggravating because you can't just sit back, relax and cruise. Having dual capability is great but having to decide on with or without a hot foot, it would depend on the conditions the boat was driven in. I like being able to sit back and relax when just cruising, for that I prefer the control handle. When going fast or in rough conditions, I prefer the hot foot.

In 1966 I was a senior in high school when I bought a brand new 14’ glass boat with a 65hp Mercury, mainly for water skiing. For four years before that, my primary fishing boat was a 17 ft canoe. I’ve probably bought and sold 100 boats since then but I still have that 17’, and spent a lot of time in it through the years. As for motors, thats going to depend on your mechanical skills/knowledge. Other than two 135BHP Mercury race motors, that 1966 Mercury was the only new motor I ever owned on a regular boat. I made bunches of money over the years buying those “used” boats and motors, fixing and selling them. The older carbureted motors are easy to fix. Owning one of the newer four stroke or fuel injected motors can be very expensive for most people if its not under warranty, so be careful buying one.

You are probably wanting to buy one at a bad time. The large corporations have pretty much monopolized the boat industry so now they have full control over pricing and have taken full advantage that. A 1436L Lowe that I bought new for less than $600 in 2005 is now selling for almost $3,000. Those that have realized that are taking full advantage of that selling their used jons. Then you add the huge increase in new outboard motor prices, good, older used motors are selling for premium prices, even the used parts for them are selling for ridiculous prices. So, if it were me, I would be constantly checking all available sources for a used boats of anything that met my needs, regardless of how it's rigged, and plan on buying it pieces at the time as items come available for a fair price. Granted, not the most convenient way, but probably the cheapest way. There is still a few popping up for a few hundred dollars by someone not aware of what the current market value. You might get lucky and find a boat, motor and trailer combination but you have to be ready to buy it immediately, they don't stay on the market long. I'm a prime example of that. A year ago, I considered my 1436 with 1978 9.9 Johnson or 1982 25hp Mercury, rigged with running lights and removable sets, and galvanized trailer to be worth about $1,600. I am giving strong consideration to selling it now and with a fairly new MG X3 TM, and Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 73sv I'm probably going to start off by asking $2,900. A lot more than I would have a year ago.

Your options are going to be very limited on TM's with 36" shaft. Two years ago, I had to settle on a X3 because that was the only motor available, I wanted a digital. And I mean the ONLY ONE, not just the only brand. My brother recently purchased a 36" shaft for his jon boat, and he had to get a Minn Kota because that was the only one to be had, and Cabela's only had one of those at the time. So, basically if you can find anyone that has a 36" shaft motor, that's probably going to be the one you have to settle on.

They look great but for me, I wouldn’t have them. Summer sun here in Georgia is going to make that black feel like you’re sitting down in a frying pan after you have been out of one for a while

I guess that explains the logic, at least it makes a lot more sense. Tires should be good on a 2021 trailer, but I would still be replacing the bearings. Four years not knowing how they've been serviced or how the looked the last time they were serviced. It's still going to be one miserable, tiring trip though. Yea, when you have to pay a double with that extra length it bites. I shipped a Chevy 2500HD from south Texas to middle GA and got hit with that but had no choice because it had a bad differential.

Not sure of the logic behind buying that old of a boat that far away, unless they are paying you to haul if off. The old saying goes, live and learn, and pretty sure you will be learning big time on this one. Your main concern, provided the trailer it not rusted out, is going to be tires, bearings and lights. You want to make sure the tires are fairly new, even if they still have good thread on them, dry rot is a major concern if they are more than a couple of years old. If I was going that far to get one, I would either take new ones with me or plan on having those replaced when I got there. Since you probably have no way of knowing what axle is under it, you won't have the option of taking new bearings also, so plan on buying and installing a new set when you get there. DO NOT trust the ones on the trailer to be good, you will be running an extreme risk of one failing on the trip home. Make sure you plan properly. The trip up there is going to be one long, hard day and (that's if you are young) and two days if you don't want to torture yourself. That's only if the weather is good to you, heading North, this time of the year is playing roulette with it. Plan on one day dealing with the tires, wheel bearings and lights. Plan on a minimum of two days for the trip back home. Even if you average 50 mph, and that's not very likely pulling a trailer, that's 16 hours travel time. Then you need to add one more day just for "When S**T happens" if you have to be back for work. On your trip home, stop after the first hour and feel the bearing hubs, make sure they are no more than just a mild warm and both are about the same. Stop one more time after about another hour and feel them again. After that it's a good idea to make a quick feel of them on your normal stops. The only other thing I can think of saying is "Good luck" with your trip, it's going to be long and hard.

Yea, I saw it was an extension cord but just couldn't resist pulling your chain.

Ha, Ha, my pontoon trailer came with one built in. If you consider yourself old at 67, I must be ancient. What's the yellow cord for, so when you can't get in with the steps, you can hook it to you an have someone winch you in?

Back in 1961 my first car was a 1948 Ford I bought for $10. Since I was only 14 and not allowed to drive into town so my canoe stayed on top of it 24/7 except when I was using it. (the great part of being a country boy). I was 18 when I got my first 4WD vehicle, a 1966 Ford Bronco. I have owned a 4WD vehicle ever since. The 66 Bronco got swapped out for a 73 Bronco. In 86 I also bought a 4WD Toyota pickup and traded that for a 93 4WD Toyota. As My boats got bigger, my Bronco was getting some miles on it so I ended up swapping the Bronco for a full size 4WD Chevy truck (still wish I had kept the Bronco). Today, I'm still driving the 93 Toyota, and using a 2500HD Chevy for towing. For my use, I have never seen any since in buying a 2WD truck. I drive in places I wouldn't try to walk. For many years I fished ponds, creeks and rivers there was no convenient access to so I might be driving through the woods and over small trees, across fields and bunches of other places a 2WD would never go. My canoe was a wide 17' aluminum cargo style, so it was a little heavier than comfortable to carry so it got drug through the woods a lot. I always kept the smaller truck because I was a big-time quail hunter and full-size trucks would not go where the smaller, lighter truck would. However, it only takes one 2800-pound bass boat pushing you through a red light on a wet, slick road to learn that smaller, lighter truck ain't worth a darn for towing your bass boat. So, if you ask me, a 4WD truck and a canoe are a great combination for getting in places off the beaten path to fish. I'm not a yak person, tried one, hated it and gave it away. If by yourself in a canoe, just turn it around and use it backwards, that equalizes the weight much better and keeps the nose from sticking up in the air.

I will run TM batteries until their performance starts interfering with my fishing. I also ran Trojan SC225's and it was very common get five years. We used to spend hours chasing schooling bass feeding on shad, spending a lot of time running the TM on high getting to where they would pop up again and it would be several years before I started noticing enough reduction in run time to replace them. However, TM batteries I don't have to be concerned out getting stranded or frying a charging system if they decide to go belly up, so I have no problems with getting my whole nickels worth out of those. Plus, the last 225's I bought were a little over $200 each (haven't check on what they are now if they even still make them) and you are always supposed to replace the set at the same time when connected in series or parallel. That gets out of the class of being cheap like a single cranking battery.

If you really want to get into how long a battery last in term of years, there are way too many variables that determine that with any degree of accuracy. First off, battery life is not measured in time, it's measured in cycle counts, how many times it can be discharged and charged. A major factor in that is going to be how the battery is made and what alloys were used. Cheap batteries have cheaply made plates, quality batteries have a much better and more alloy in them. The next is going to be how the battery is used and maintained. Cranking batteries are not designed to be discharged. Their plates are designed to give a high surge of current over a short period. Letting one discharge very much greatly reduces its cycle count. How the battery is maintained has a huge effect on how long the battery lives. A good maintainer is a must for batteries not regularly used, regular use is needed. Letting one sit for long durations on a maintainer is not that good for the battery. While it does need to be on a maintainer, they still need to be cycled regularly. A top-of-the-line maintainer will actually cycle the battery periodically. They say with age comes wisdom, well when it comes to batteries, I've learned they are too cheap for the grief and misery they can cause. I buy the biggest, top of the line batteries that will fit where I need it to do, but I don't care who's brand I buy, three years, maybe four is it's still testing near100%, is all I will run a cranking battery. They come out and go in the golf cart (it's a gas model) the welder or just a spare battery sitting around, but it' does not stay where I have to depend on it.

Where did you mount the trolling motor? I have a 24’ Bentley fishing model and the fence and gate as you call it, is behind the two pedestal fishing seat so you have an open deck up front. I mounted my two TM batteries in the back with the cranking battery. I installed blind nuts under the front deck and a quick connect so it only takes a minute to remove and install the TM when I don’t want it in the way. Mine came with a large live well up front. I use a 9” Garmin on a swivel mount up front with the Xducer on the TM so I see what’s under me and not 24’ behind me. I have a 7” that’s mounted on the console with the Xducer on the back for navigation.

I never run a cranking battery more than four years and usually replace them at three. They can cause too many problems when they get weak. Burned out charging systems are a common problem with a weak battery.

Not sure what M-Y your merc is but my 2006 90 have a very simple valve that just connects to the throttle linkage so you might want to see about checking that first. Also understand, if you are getting an alarm for no oil, if yours has the oil tank under the cowling they are bad about the sensors coming loose and causing the alarm, but still be oiling. So, if you are basing the no oil on the engine alarm, let me make a suggesting. Before running it again, premix your gas and oil at a 50:1 ratio in the gas tank. Make sure there is oil in the oil tank and with the motor trimmed down, mark the oil level with a marker. The next time you use it, it's going to smoke a lot more because if the oil injection is working, it's going to be double oiling the motor (not going to hurt anything) and when you are done for the day, check the oil level in the oil tank, it the oil is still at the mark you made on the tank, the oil injection is probably not working. If the oil level is below the mark you made on the tank, the oil injection is working, and you just have a bad sensor. If it's in the tank as mentioned, they can be glued back with a good grade of CA glue (super glue). You might want to do this for the next couple of trips, marking it each time just to make sure it's a faulty sensor. Just remember, premix the gas in the tank before you do anything else. It's a whole lot safer to double oil one while trouble shooting it than taking a chance on it really not be oiling.