Long Mike

I don't know squat about Sprint boats, but I do know that bilge pumps are located near the lowest point of the boat. This is almost always near the stern. My speculation is that the pump picked up a piece of debris that locked the pump up and caused it to burn out. Find the pump and replace it. Bilge pumps are prone to failure, so I would be very surprised If it wasn't readily accessible.

Thanks Garnet. I noticed this on the maiden voyage last Sunday when we hit 50 ft. of water. I was disappointed to find that the flasher didn't work when the boat was at speed. Is there something I'm doing wrong?

I know exactly how you feel. I've had my 1990 Bass Tracker 17' for about three weeks. Congratulations!

Burley, thanks for the suggestion to contact Muddy, but I prefer to drive my boat on plane. I know that he has perfected the bow-high maneuver, but his hole shot sucks - and besides, I would much rather see where I am going. ;D As for the fuel economy issue, here is my theory. Let's say I want to cruise at 30 mph. I will get the boat up to that speed using my GPS (I don't trust the 17 year-old speedo on the console) Then I plan on adjusting the trim and/or the throttle so that the tach shows the least RPMs for the speed I want to maintain. Fewer RPMs at a given speed = Fuel Economy.

This is just speculation on my part, but it could be that you are really ugly. On the Lake Fork trip Glenn told me he set up the site so that it will reject the Avatars of ugly people.

Cajun, I have the following gauges: 1. Tach 2. Voltmeter 3. Fuel Gauge (installed today) 4. Water Pressure (replacement installed today) 5. Speedometer (pretty much useless because I'll use my GPS if I want speed) As for tilt/trim, I'm too new as a boat owner to gain anything meaningful from its display. At this point in my learning curve, all I am interested in is whether or not the motor is up or down. As opportunity permits, I plan on experimenting with the tilt, so as to maximize fuel efficiency.

G3, d**n, I thought I had a bad day. Man you were snakebit right from the get-go.

Sorry guys, no thumbs sgrews on my antique tanks. Anyway, it's a moot point. I'm replacing them with a permanent tank as soon as I can find one that fits under the deck. Thanks for the education everyone.

Gentlemen, I am shocked, SHOCKED, that you would introduce the images of young voluptuous women to this site. Bear in mind that we are Bass fishermen, and that to be a good Bass fisherman your mind must be wholly concentrated on the fact that a nice looking bush should be considered as structure only.

I hear ya Muddy. You and I have fished together, so you know very well that a $150 rod and a $75 reel are my absolute upper limits. If I win the lottery, then I might spring for one of those $300 Loomis rods, but I don't play the lottery, so my chances of winning are pretty slim. BTW, sine you are an experienced boater, I am having a problem with the trolling motor on my new boat. It seem that the faster I want to go the more to the right it turns - and when I try to slow down the boat turns to the left. Can you offer any assistance to a new boat owner like me?

Not my cup of tea, but have a ball and a safe trip.

Ballistik, thanks for the heads up. Would you recommend that I run the boat with the fill cap set at a quarter-turn to the left so the pressure stays equalized, or is that a one time only thing that you mentioned.

What JigMan said.

Very nice job. I couldn't figure out how you steered it until I looked at further pictures.

Great info! Thanks guys! In the daylight I was able to trace the tube from the water pressure gauge back to the motor. It Y's into a tube coming from the engine block and a tube leading to the Pee Hole. Thanks to Al's explanation it now make perfect sense to me. Also, thanks to Burley and Cajun1977, I now understand the importance of the meter. I think I'll replace it and find another place to install my fuel gauge.

OK, I guess I'm playing Twenty Questions. I found a white tube that runs to the Pee Hole on the motor, but it doesn't directly connect with the pressure meter or the pitot tube. What, if any, useful information does that gauge provide. What do I do if the pressure reads 50 lbs or alternatively, if it reads 5 lbs. Does any boater pay any attention to it at all? If so, why or why not? I know I'm being a pest, but please bear with me. This is my first time on the water with a real boat and I am woefully ignorant. I have no owners manuals. I have no knowledge of outboard engines. If any of you do not want to take the time to answer my questions, could you, at the very least, point me to a web site?

Catt, you made my day. Thanks!

Burley tell me more ... PLEASE.

I have a water pressure gauge on my lately purchased 1990 Bass Tracker that seems to be connected to nothing more than a small rubber hose, which is, in turn, connected to a white plastic "pitot tube" device at the stern. Can anyone tell me what this instrument is/was used for? It seems to be prety much useles to me, but then, I'm ignorant.

Thanks for the input guys. I replaced the bulb today and was able to pressure it up. I also installed an in-line fuel filter. I gave serious thought to Cart7's comment about the 17 year old gas tanks. I have decided to replace the tanks with a permanently installed 12 gal tank and install a fuel filler neck near the stern decking. Also, the new tank will allow me to install a gas gauge in the console. I will install it in place of the water pressure gauge, which is not working. I figure the conversion will cost about $250, but everyone knows I'm stinkin rich, right?

Russ, what a great Brown Nosing routine that was! If you employ that technique at UPS, I have no doubt that you will go far up the Corporate Ladder. I would speculate that, with your glib technique, you could eventually reach the level of Assistant Manager. ;D ;D ;D

Thanks for correcting me Ronnie. I guess my brain is getting as shakey as my hands. ;D

Avid, I lived in Great Yarmouth, England back in those days. That's where my youngest daughter was born. I lived overseas for eleven years, so I know how important sucker, sorry, I meant to say soccer, is to everyone in the world outside of the good ole U.S. of A. I guess I got sick of sucker, er, soccer after all those years, having no opportunity to watch any other sport until I came home on vacation each year. On a side note, I am firmly of the opinion that REAL football overseas is called Rugby. Now, THAT is a kick azz and take names game!

it took me forever to get it started and then keep it running. When I got it started it would run great until I throttled back to idle. Then, I had to fight to get it started again. I finally discovered that if I squeezed the bulb at the gas tank until it got firm again, I could get the boat started. I've never owned a gasoline powered boat before, and this was my maiden voyage with her, so I am writing this with total ignorance as to what my problem might be. That said, I have two questions about my 1990 Bass Tracker with 60 hp two-stroke engine. First, when you squeeze the bulb on the gas line until it is firm, shouldn't it remain that way throughout the day? Secondly, do gas tanks normally seep gasoline from around the hose attachment on the tank before the fuel hose is attached? I've got a sneaking suspicion that I need to junk every piece of fuel related equipment below the motor, including the tanks, but I'll await the input of those in the know.

I used to enjoy it until I got out of high school. Once I got to college I started to hunt much lovlier game and continued to do so until I got married. Oh, how I miss the hunt!