GLADES

Air or water cooled?

IMHO.. Clean the carbs and replace the water pump impeller before you fire the motor! The rest of the stuff is easy..

I have a 87 Ranger 373V with a 1984 150 Merc. The boat performs great and the top speed is 63 MPH Tourny loaded....not bad for a old Ranger. When fully trimmed out, the boat is a blast to drive. Mercury engines are extremely reliable if you keep them running cool ( replace your water pump impeller annually) and you pre-mix your gas with Quicksilver oil. Prop the motor so that the RPM's no higher than 5700-5800. Before you buy the boat, have a professional OB mechanic check the compression and overall health of the motor. As far as the boat and trailer, if you buy it, inspect your trailer bearings, and the boats plastic through the hull fittings for cracks and leaks. 3K sounds like a fair price if all is well.

The rougher the better is good to maybe 4-6 ft seas. I went out on the Fish City pride drift boat in 8-12 ft seas and that was not a good day at all

Used to dive a lot off of Pompano Beach and Ft Lauderdale with my brother. Some Ok reefs out there. We used to swim out from the beach. Still got my equipment, but I haven't been in a couple of years. My last dive was shallow off Ft Myers looking for prehistoric sharks teeth in the gulf. I found a few for the kids.

Were do you find this stuff...LMFAO !!

grilled wild salmon...or baked grouper fillet

public toilets - paper

The average temperatures in south florida are trending upward. Hopefully we have had our last cold front until next fall. I think as soon as we get some steady weather, the fishing will get hot. I think MAR - AUG will be excellent.

I would beat down who ever was responsible for over reacting.... LOL

Rapala DT6 in gold and black Trick worms in watermelon/red or junebug Skinny dippers in wat/red Horney or cane toads - white, black, green or wat/red Flyrod action - green or white poppers 10# leader

On some fords, the solenoid is part of the starter. On my 2002 Taurus, I had a similar problem and it was the starter. Very easy to replace.

The south Florida Monday forecast is for partly cloudy skies, light winds with highs near 70* Might be a good day for lake O

Ranger boats are very well made and you can still get some parts from the dealer. That really helps a lot when owning a older boat. You are going to have to learn how to do some of the regular maintenance and repairs yourself. Bilge pumps/ live well pumps wear out, through the hull fittings need to be replaced if they crack(you should check your fittings in the bilge), replacing gauges and minor electrical issues. Learning how to replace your outboard water pump housing and impeller is a good idea too. On a mercury OB, it is really pretty easy. I bought a older boat(87) and I have done all the things listed above. Don't forget about the trailer. Make sure the hubs/bearing/tires are in good condition and well greased.Knowing that I have personally inspected and replaced/serviced gives me piece of mind out on the water and on the road. Good luck with your boat and tight lines.

Nice job. A little more commentary and some southern rock background music would have been cool!

At the pier, they only sell frozen squid and very basic tackle for the tourists. In the ocean, I did not see any schools, but the guys fishing on the pier said they are around.

If anyone is interested.. I took my 2 yr old daughter for a walk along the pompano pier today. Checking the waters I saw lots of big snook hanging out in the shadows in about 10 ft of water.

Back in the day I had a couple of fights in the parking lots of clubs I frequented. usual stuff, a few punches thrown, some scrapes and bruises for everyone involved. The one that made me steer clear of altercations was when after leaving the parking lot, my side window of my car was shot out on I-95. I heard two pops, the other must have went over the roof of my car. My bar hopping days are definitely over.

LOL

Mike, I know how you feel. I had to put down my golden lab/beagle mix last summer. Lucy, at 12 yrs, was diagnosed with cancer and I did everything I could for her until she went blind and lost her strength. It still makes me feel sad. It is a tough deal. Try to remember all the good times. When I do, it makes me feel better.

It is a good buy if the motor is in good shape. I just sold a 1984 Pro-craft, and bought a 1987 Ranger 373V and I am really pleased that I did.Faster and better on gas than the Procraft. The storage and layout is better too.

The cold put a nice dent into the python population down here. The snakes are hunted, and there were news reports of lots of huge dead snakes. I don't think the genie can be put back into the bottle, but hopefully with continued hunting, the larger surviving snakes will be caught and killed.

Living in the area and fishing Dade, Broward, and Palm beach counties, I would say that these stats are generally correct based upon the amount of dead fish I have observed floating and dead below the water in various areas. I have not seen a official report though.

Congrats on the win. You can bet if you schedule a tourney at Okee-chop-ee, the wind will be gusting. When the wind is howling at the O, it really makes boat control and fishing tough in the chop. I have been there on those days, and I would have been skunked. To your credit, you and your partner pulled out the win. Hey, I was going to buy some skinny dippers at Outdoor world, but they do not seem to stock them there. Do you buy your plastics locally or online? Any advice on colors. The "Dirty Sanchez" looked like a south Florida color.