GLADES

I never said anything about adding flotation to the inside of the boat. I want to add flotation to the outside of the boat. Thanks for the reply's.

I want to add flotation at the stern, specifically around the jack plate, outside of the boat. I am only looking for a few more inches of transom free board. Right now the bow sticks up like a checkmate speed boat, I doubt that by raising the stern a few inches(lowering the bow) will matter as far as the wind.

I tried a 19P prop on my merc 150 when I had it mounted to 17' procraft fish and ski. I punched the gas up to wide open throttle(awesome hole shot). After a few seconds, I glanced down at the tach and my eyeballs almost popped out of head. I was turning 6800 rpm! I backed down to 5800 rpm's immediately. The motor was smooth, powerful and sounded pretty cool. Needless to say, I switched to a 23P for that boat.

I have a 1987 Ranger 373 with a 87 150 Mercury Black Max mounted on a 6" jack plate. With a little bit of chop on the water, 1/2 tank of gas, 1 full live well, 300 lb driver, tackle suitcase, she will run 62-63 mph on the GPS (65 on the speedo) into the wind using a 22P Michigan wheel 4 blade prop at 6000 rpm. With the same set up, and 2 people, she will run 57-58

Other than bolting on jon boat pods, is there another method of adding some flotation to the stern of a 87 18' Ranger 373? I do not want to affect the boat performance. The hull is powered with a 2.0 mercury 150HP mounted on a 6" jack plate. The hull is rated for 175 HP. I have had boat wakes come over the stern. The boat sits low in the water at the stern while at idle speed or when seated in driving position while stopped. From what I have seen in pictures, this vintage of Ranger rides low in back so it is not my boat specifically. The boat layout has the twin 12 gallon gas tanks and 3 batteries located just in front of the transom. The driver seats are also located 3-4 feet in front of the transom. Any good ideas?

The Miami Heat will be tough to beat this year. They might drop a few games early in the season, but as soon as they get on a roll, they will probably be the best team in the league. The fans that hate Lebron need to get over it. There was not going to be any scenario leaving the Cav's that would have made them happy.

I can tell you that the mid-afternoon bite is non-existent. I have been skunked on my last two trips to Lox and the Miami canal off of alligator alley. Lox can be that way sometimes. The Miami canal is was very disappointing. I can usually bag a few chunks from there. Nothing but garfish tangling my line in the branches this time. Generally, IMHO would say 6AM - 9AM, or night fishing is the best bet right now.

There is money to be made if you run your own HVAC company, hiring others to do the work once you are established. Working for someone else will pay the bills, but there are a lot of unemployed HVAC guys, electricians, and trades guys out there competing for the jobs. In south Florida where I live, the work involves a lot time spent in hot cramped attics, so you need to be in good shape. It is hot, hard work. You probably should stick to college and study another subject that you are passionate about. I worked in the business for a year following hurricane Andrew in 1992. Some others might have differing opinions.

You find a Mexican Muslim terrorist and I will mail you a crisp one dollar bill. My thought (very unlikely) was that the extremist might be running some of the drug cartels on some level. They need money for their agendas and the Mexican drug economy is ripe considering how corrupt and feeble the Mexican government is. It is a conspiracy theory, but why the be headings? To me that puts a extremist stamp on their activities. I will not be going to Mexico to find an example for you. Keep your dollar in your pocket.

They should have a good test next week in Miami. The Fins are healthy now. Should be a good game.

Chicken soup is good. 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice with honey - drink it with a spoon work surprising well.

BB, I have been sick for a week too. The chest congestion will not go away. Constant coughing and rattling chest. Yesterday, tired of coughing(ribs are beginning to hurt) I stopped at a pharmacy and picked up some Robo DM.I never take any medicines. I took 2 teaspoons and for the next six hours I had some kind of bad reaction to the medicine. My heart was beating like crazy and I shivering like I was freezing cold. I almost went to the emergency room. Makes me want to think twice about all those over the counter meds. I got an appointment with the doctor today. From now on, I am going to the doctor and get the shot and be done with it.

With a 19 pitch prop, that is not bad. If you want a little more speed, you might want to try a 21P tempest plus. It will give you a couple more mph, and reduce you WOT to 5700. If you are concerned about speed, try to keep your boat as light as possible...1/2 tank of gas, skinnier friends...remove the tackle suitcases..etc.

I would get the E-Tec

With all the beheading, there might be a middle east extremists involved on some level. The situation in Mexico is out of control.

Congrats to you and Hawk. I have had the pleasure to fish with a few of the guys here on BR and it was great. Generally, I always suspect boat ramps hold some nice fish. The fish are released there after tournys and I am sure some stick around the area. I have never fished Lake Osbourne, I should give it a try one of these days.

In my merc 150, I always use 87-89 octane.

I went to the gym to workout and dropped off my daughter off at the kids club. That kids club is a breeding zone for flu-all the kids looked sick, lot of coughing. Needless to say the whole family has been sick since that visit.

Hopefully there will not be more than 1 layer of glue to remove. I refurbished a Ranger and the glue was a real pain...must have been 3 layers. Just do the best you can. It will look great once the new carpet is installed.

Hopefully Moss can help knock off the Jets. Adrian Peterson should have a good day. The Vikes are due for a big win and the Jets a big loss.

They are not scary but I usually enjoy Rocky Horror and Young Frankenstein during the Halloween TV season

Make sure you are not carrying around a lot of unnecessary weight. Extra anchors, tackle and junk will slow your boat down. How is the hull? Is the boat stored uncovered outside? If so, your hull could be water logged...extra weight...slower speed.

Some well armed SEALS posing as bass fisherman might be a way to deter them. After their butts have been flamed a few times, the bandits may not want to play anymore.

Nice chunky bass. Nothing like a Florida sunset. I am sure you are glad to be back in your boat. I might be heading out there Sunday morning...

What would the bass typically do, head out of the slop into the open water or head further into the weeds? The water temperatures are probably cooler too. What affect will that have there at the lake?