Way2slow

First and foremost, understand there is a huge amount of truth in the old saying, the bigger the boat, the bigger the hole it makes in the water to throw money in. The cost of operating it and the cost of maintaining it all increasing significantly as the size of the boat or motor increases. Unless you happen to get one of the problem childs someone else is dumping, the cost of owning one is not that great. The biggest problem with that is it's not a gradual monthly expense, unless you happen to finance it. The problem is, with todays labor rates and parts cost, it's usually large chunks of money at one time unless you can do most of the maintenance yourself. There are routine things that should be done at least annually, at a minimum, and it's hard to take one to a shop for service for less than $500. Then if you have a breakdown, that can run from the $100's into the $1,000's of dollars. When you finance one is when it gets to be a burden to own. You are dumping money every month into it and it's sitting there most of the time doing nothing but decreasing in value about as much each month as you are paying for it. The cost of using one is what gets expensive. As the size of the boat increases, so does the size of the vehicle needed to tow it. When I got to my favorite lake, it's 95 miles one way. I generally make a two day trip and stay with in-laws but towing my 20' Javelin and gas in it and my 2500HD generally cost me around $100 for the trip. Then throw in the other expenses for food, drinks and tackle, that's can be another $50. So, $150 for a two day trip to catch a bunch of fish I'm going to throw back in as I catch them is average cost of each trip. However, I can take 14' jon with a small motor like the 9.9 or 25 and go to the river 10 miles from me, fish all day if I want, catch a mess of cat fish to eat and still not cost me $20.

Does this boat have built in fuel tank. If so, make sure the vent is open. I have seen them get a sag in the vent line that traps fuel. This works like a P-trap in a sink drain can keep the tank from getting air. Another problem I've seen a number of times is the anti siphon valve in the tank sticks and won't let fuel go through. This valve is usually a check ball built into the fuel line barb fitting that's screwed into the tank. To check it, just replace it with a standard barb fitting. If you happen to be using portable tanks, make sure you opened the vent on them. From there you should make sure the fuel lines are passing fuel freely. Replacing fuel pump may take care of your problem, what you describe is a classic problem caused by a bad fuel pump. I would not consider the carbs suspect since you can pump the bulb and make it run fine. This makes is sound more like a fuel delivery problem that's not getting fuel to the carbs. An ignition problem can make one surge from cutting in and out but pump the primer bulb usually doesn't make that problem go away.

I have the 5 on my jon boat TM and did my usually redneck engineering. Scuffed the bottom of the TM with some 60 grit. Used some duct tape and heavy paper to make me a pocket/mold about 3/4" deep to hold some body filler. Since I didn't want this to be a permanent mount I put a heavy coat of Johnson's paste wax on the transducer for a release agent. I put the body filler in my pocket and then pressed the transducer down in. If you don't trust the wax, you can place a piece of Saran Wrap on top of the body filler and then press the transducer in but I've never had anything stick to the wax. I use it as a release agent when glass bedding my rifle actions and a number of other things and nothing has ever struck to it. Then I use a couple heavy duty tie wraps around it to hold it in place and tie wrap the cable to the shaft going up, leaving enough of a loop at the at the joint for it to turn, I don't think I would use any other type of mount because of the size of the transducer. I've knocked off too many of even the small ones to trust a bolt on mount. I also use this method to mount any transducer on a TM because of the fact just about any other method gets them broken off. As for getting the body filler off the TM later, you can knock it off with a little work.

Number ONE, I've never been able to look at a wire/connection and tell if it's good or not. A good DVM is a must have to isolate the problem. Number TWO. When you have a good DVM, always work from a known good point to an unknown and always make voltage checks with the circuit under a load. So, I would recommend you follow the following procedure. Connect the DVM across the two lead post on the battery, Should read 12.6VDC or greater. Then turn the switch to the cranking position, still should be 12.6 or greater unless the starter engages and tries cranking the motor. Anything below 10.6VDC is probably not going to let it crank.. If it stays at battery voltage and does not drop, start chasing it to where you loose it. The next check is to move the positive test lead to the small terminal on the starter solenoid. There are usually two, but the one nearest the battery cable is the positive. Turn key to cranking position and see if you are getting battery voltage. If you get battery voltage, the key switch is good. Now put it on the other small terminal and try it again. If you get battery voltage again, that means you are not getting a ground. One of those small terminals has to be grounded for the solenoid to work and if both have battery voltage when trying to crank it, there is no ground. If one has battery voltage and one doesn't when trying to crank it, the solenoid should be energizing. Next step, If the voltage is dropping way down during the first test, leaving the meters negative cable on the negative battery post, connect the meters positive cable to the large terminal on the solenoid stud the battery cable connects to. You should be reading battery volts. Try cranking it with the key, the voltage should still hold battery voltage if the motors does not try to crank. If the voltages drops way down, you have a bad connection between in the cable between the battery and the solenoid. If it has battery voltage when trying to crank it, we need to check the ground cable. Connect the meters positive cable back to the lead post on the battery and make sure it's reading battery voltage. Now more the meters negative cable from the negative battery post to the engines aluminum block or starter housing. You should still have battery voltage. Now trying cranking the motor with the key switch. It should still hold battery voltage unless the motor tries to crank. If it drops way down, you have a bad cable/connection between the battery and when the ground connects onto the motor. To summarize, The first test was to ensure you are getting 12VDC to and through the key switch to the starter solenoid. If you are, there is nothing with the controls that would keep it from cranking. If you are not, the next text was to check battery connections. So, next you checked the positive cable to make sure it was making good connection. Then you checked the negative cable to make sure it was making good connection. One of these three checks should identify where you problem is. Now, if the battery cable connections test good, and the starter solenoid is not getting 12VDC when you try to crank it. Then you have a problem with the 12VDC lead going from the engine to the key switch or the key switch itself. This requires access to the back of the switch and a wiring diagram of the switch. Check the voltage between the battery negative and the battery terminal on the switch for battery voltage, you should have full battery voltage there. If not, find why you are not getting it there. If you are getting B+ to the battery terminal on the switch, turn switch on an make sure it's getting ignition voltage. Then try to crank checking the starter terminal and make sure it's sending B+ to solenoid.

That's the first time I've seen a double one. If you do a search for battery cable junction box images you will see bunches of different types and single ones. Personally, I would just use an Anderson SB-120 connector. If connecting the power cable of the TM, I either use the SB-50 because it's smaller, or the SB-120. The 120 is a bit over kill in most cases because there's not many TM's going to pull over 50 amps, however on a cable splice, I do the over kill and use the SB-120 because I generally run #4 cable from the battery to the TM and #6 is the largest you can put in an SB-50. Also, if you look at the Anderson's be aware you can order them for the size cable you will be using. When connecting the TM, I order one #6 and trim my battery cable down slightly to fit in it and one to fit the TM power cable, generally a #10. I crimp and solder these connectors.

There are only a couple chargers that use that technology. Pro Mariner uses it and since they make the BPS brand, it's also in the BPS chargers. However, it does not work as you described. I think you will find your eight amps charger, generally charges at full power (Bulk rate), four amps per bank into each battery until they reach 80% charge, then the charger starts reducing the current (Absorption rate) until the battery reaches charge, plus and additional amount for approximately 20 minutes of over charge. This is basically an equalization charge that is required for the battery to be fully charged. Then the charger goes into the Maintenance Mode, which is approximately 13.2V for flooded cells and 13.4-13.6 for AGM. Once a cell reaches approximately 90% charge, the charger will start shifting any available excess current from that bank to another bank if that battery is still below 80%. So, if you connected a battery discharged below 80% to one bank and fully charged battery to the other bank, then it would charge the discharged battery at eight amps until it reaches 80% charge. There is no reasonable sized charger that should charge any battery at full rate once the battery has reached 80% charge. Doing this would cause the battery to start over heating and damage the battery. Also, to properly charge a battery, the charger should be approximately 10% the batteries capacity, so if you are charging anything much larger than lawn and garden battery four amps is too small. Typical group 27 batteries are over 100Ah, and group 29's over 120Ah so you should use a 10-15 amps per bank to charge them. which means they should be charged with a 10-15 amp charger As for not charging the cranking battery, that's wrong. Modern motors with 60Amp charging systems have helped but generally speaking, unless you are doing more running than fishing, the power your electronics and pumps are pulling is more than the motors charging system has put back into the battery by the end of a full days fishing. Several studies have been done on tournament fishermen and their cranking batteries were only at 80% charge level at weigh-in.

If both cylinders are within 5%, there's probably nothing wrong with the motor. There are a couple of possible reasons for the 90psi, one is the gauge. I've seen more than compression gauge have the wrong or bad Schrader valve cause low readings. Also, not sure when OMC started dropping the compression to compensate for the removal of lead as an octane booster and the junky gas. I know in the early 70's 130psi was normal, and the mid to late 80's 100 psi was not uncommon in most motors but I've actually never dealt with a late 70's. Just in case there are those that try, DO NOT use anything other than the proper Schrader valve in a compression gauge. They use a one ounce max Schrader valve, which normally the ones I've seen have a white band. The typical tire Schrader valve is around 30 psi and have blue or black bands and if you try to use the wrong one, it WILL make the compression gauge read low, sometimes very low. This was one of life's many lessons I learned the hard way many years ago. The tool trucks usely have the valves for a compression gauge I should have mentioned also, if you do a leak down test, that removes the possible errors a compression gauge can have and is a lot more accurate way to analyze possible compression problems.

I would suggest someone read up on charger technology, I think they have a whole lot of miss information

The main numbers in all those specs is the RC number. The higher the RC number, the more run time you will get out of it. Just try to make sure both are rated the same. The standard load for rating is 25 amps, but some use 23 amps and I've seen a coupe that used 20 amps. CCA/MCA mean nothing to a trolling motor. Now, that has nothing to do with the quality of the battery, only that a new battery should be able to produce those numbers.

The quality of the battery or the manufacture has nothing to do with using a Farm/Commercial battery. It the fact the battery is being used to do something it's not designed for and will not have the RC of a quality deep cycle or provide the service life it should when being discharge much deeper than designed. They are basically a heavy duty cranking battery, not intended for deep cycle use. Yes, any battery can be used to run your TM, I've known a number of people who take the battery out of their vehicle when they get to a pond and use it for the TM, then put it back in to crank up and go home. Doing this shortens the life of the battery but the average persons lack of battery knowledge would never know this.

You have to figure in the terrain you will be towing in, how far you will tow and how fast you tow. Also how long you plan to keep the vehicle. I have a 2008 Hghlander 2WD with the factory towing package which provides an external cooler on the transmission, and where I live in middle GA, I would not use mine for towing a 2,500 pound load very many times, and definitely not very far or fast, and definitely not in overdrive. You definitely should look at installing a temp gauge in the transmission and external cooler if it does not have one, and never tow it under any conditions that will put the temps over 195 degrees. Temps any higher than this is baking all rubber seals in it and will greatly shorten it's life. Now, it's your vehicle and you can think it will do just fine, but in a year or two when you are told it going to cost you over $4,000 to replace the transmission you will wish you had rethought the idea.

Make sure you understand how most multi bank on board chargers are rated. You have to look at the amp rating per bank, many give the total capacity. Meaning that a two bank, eight amp charger is only four amps per bank. That means it would take it well over 12 hours to charge a 50% discharged, 100Ah battery because as a battery starts receiving a charge, the charger starts lowering the charge rate. You should be looking at a charger rated at 10-15 amps per bank if you want to properly charge your battery.

For TM use, I would avoid using the Farm batteries, they are more of a cranking battery than a deep cycle. The more a battery leans toward being designed for cranking, the lower the cycle count is going to be and the lower the reserve capacity (RC) is going to be. For TM use these are the two things you want most. You want the highest RC number you can find, and one designed to give you the max cycle count, which means avoiding the batteries with high CCA numbers. Actually, true Deep Cycle batteries usually won't even have a CCA/MCA on them. Understand though, at $100 each, you will not find a high capacity, true deep cycle battery. To see what I'm talking about, look at the Trojan SSC225. That's still one of the top deep cycle batteries available. Not the only one, but there are not many, and you will not find them in your price range. The reason being is the more a battery is designed for deep cycle use, the more lead in the plates. True deep cycle will have solid lead plates to provide more cycle counts, cranking batteries have porous plate to provide more surface area to provide more CCA and start breaking down when each time they are discharged. Then you have the lead alloy the batteries are made of, all are not the same. Better batteries have better plates. With all that said, if you want a $100 battery, stick with the Wal-Mart battery. While by no means the best and I don't usually buy them unless I'm wanting a cheaper battery for temporary use, they are still the best bang for the buck you are going to get in your price range. If you want the best, look at the Trojan SSC225, or one of the other major brand names like Deka, Interstate, Die Hard, etc designed only for deep cycle use.

You can't meet your goal on getting two AGM's big enough to be worth while for under $200, it would be difficult to do it for $300 and $400 would be more realistic. For $200, you need to go to your local Wally world. OOps, should have had my glasses on, I see you said NON AGM. Still for $200 you need to be looking at Wally world. Those batteries do pretty good for 18-24 months most of the time if you keep them maintained.

One would have to assume you have pulled the cover and verified the linkage is fully advancing and the you have looked in the throat of the carbs to verify they are fully opening. Also the timing is fully advancing and not stopping half way. Anything beyond the obvious mechanical problem is going to require some hands on trouble shooting by a very knowledgeable person, there are a list of potential problems. If this was not one of the first things you did, I would recommend you take it to a mechanic due to a total lack of motor knowledge.

Friends boat was a brand new, custom built Flats boat. He said the only thing that kept it from doing deeper was the motor was sitting on the bottom. He was going to use it on a fresh water lake for his first time to get everything checked out and setup before hauling it to the coast. As for flotation, they are only required to have enough to keep it floating with a certain amount of weight on them. That does not mean level and above water, it can be nose up, as long as the nose is above water.

If it's not running, when it goes in, no big deal if you get it back out purge the motor of all the water, start it up and run if for a while to finish getting any water out dry it out. Now, if it's running when it goes in, it's very possible it will bend or break a rod from hydro locking it. All you can purge everything and see how it turns over. A bent rod can cause one to lock up, a broken rod, you have to listen and feel for. Purge it, cross your fingers and start it and hope no strange knocks and noise come out of it. The thing you don't want to do it let it sit, not even over night. If you take it to a shop, make sure they can work on it immediately. If it's left to sit a day or two, before it's run, you can pretty much write it off as junk. A friend had a brand new Merc 150 submerged when he forgot to put the plug in the boat the very first time he launched it. He put the boat in and tied it to the dock, then took his truck to his camp site. A friend took him back to get the boat and when they got back, the top few inches of motor was all that was sticking out of water at the back. They got it out, took it to a shop within a few hours and the shop let it sit a week before the looked at it. It was already frozen up by then.

Before you get too wrapped around the axle about what you think is working, let me give you some suggestions on trouble shooting electrical problems. First, throw that test lite back in the tool box and get a voltmeter. Test lite will only tell you have a voltage, not how much. Second, never depend on the voltage reading you get from an open circuit, they will lie to you. Always do voltage checks with a load on the wire you are checking. A bad connection with no load can show full voltage, but as soon as you put a load on it, the voltage will drop to almost nothing. I once had a customer's equipment that was down for three days and he replace a $2,700 controller because of a blown fuse that was showing good voltage until you applied the drive load, then it dropped to almost nothing, and his maintenance guy was only checking it with no load. He was not a happy camper when I got there and in five minutes had it fixed. I told him to look on the bright side, at, least if the controller did go bad, he had a spare now. Third thing, always remember it takes to connections to make a circuit, the positive and the negative (ground, as some call it). I've seen tons of people check the voltage to something like a bulb that's not working and say it's good but never check for voltage on the negative side and continuity to battery negative. Also, remember most vehicles today use a diode interface block to connect four prong trailer wiring to the vehicles wiring. Those diode interface blocks can go bad and cause you all kinds of problems. I will also say, 80% of trailer light problems is caused by bad ground connections and people not connecting the white wire to the frame of the vehicle and the frame of the trailer.

I would doubt it's the TH Marine. About the only time those are used is when running a nose cone with low water pickup on a surfacing prop like a chopper. With that setup, the factory trim tab is completely out of the water and doing nothing. After reading his description of the problem again, might have been. If so, it's was probably totally not needed. If it was, he probably has some serious setup issues causing the problem. I have one lower unit set up like that but I've never had but one bass boat setup to run it. That was a 700 pound, 17' that was running almost 90mph.

If you have hydraulic steering, you might not even notice it. About the only time it comes into play is when the boat is up to speed and properly trimmed out, it's adjusted to trim out that little bit of right hand pull you sometimes feel on the steering wheel. With hydraulic steering you may never even feel it if it is there. Many times they are just back there riding along, doing nothing if the motor has been lifted to optimal height. It will not trim out the steering torque you get when the motor is not up on full plane and motor trimmed out to optimal. There is more hull drag than a full rudder back there can get rid of.

How much other stuff's in the boat? TM battery and Tm will slow you down a lot. How heavy is your boat? The motor is laboring to much to reach peak power. What condition is the prop in? Have you done a compression test? May be a little rich on the high speed jet.

There are bunches of outboard motor salvage yards if you do a search on the web and call or email that pic. However, they do get kinda proud of there covers sometimes.

To properly charge your battery, a charge rate of 10% of the rated capacity should be used. For the average TM battery that's approx. 10 amps. For two batteries in parallel, that would be 20 amps. For two in series, it would be 10 amps but would require a 24V charger or a two bank charger with 10 amps per bank @ 12V. To get this kind of power from a solar panel you are looking at 240 watts of solar panel or 120 watts and charge one battery at the time. I have seen 30-45 watt panels that can be used as a maintainer when storing the boat in places with no power but that would not be sufficient to charge a discharged battery. Anything less than that would pretty much be a waste. As for using the motors charging system, unless you are running one of the newer motors that has a 35-60 amp charging system buying something to use the motor would be a waste of money, unless you spent all day running the big motor. The smaller charging system will not put you enough free power to charge the TM batteries more than a very small amount. A small 800-1200 watt generator running a good charger would be your best bet, plus those small ones are usually very quite.

Personally, I like having a padding like carpet to help reduce the noise. Drop a lead weight on plywood or aluminum and it's like a gun shot, and sounds carries a long way in the water. While it won't eliminate it, carpet does help reduce it greatly.

Depending on the size difference in CC's, if your older Merc still has good compression and in good tune, it may have a better hole shot than the new motor but top end speed would probably be close to the same. As for size difference, that's improved technology. Back in 1980 a 350 chevy was a bad a** at 400hp, today, 600hp is nothing.