airshot

Any time I have forgotten to do something critical is when I have other people with me. Typically go alone and know my routine quite well, never an issue when alone. But when I have guests, then I get off track. Often find myself talking to my self to stay in the routine. Like most everything now a days, got to be someone elses fault...lol...

That has been recomended since corn fuel came out, but most folks don't follow instructions so they have issues. In some areas non E fuels don't get sold often enough so that gas goes stale in the ground tank. Watch where you buy your fuels, no matter what you use !! Yes sir, the forums are filled with complaints about folks buying cheap knock offs that don't work. Just cleaning rarely works well,vif your gonna take it apart then get a quality rebuild kit and do it right. Or follow the guide lines on E fuel usage and storage and you won't need to rebuild or replace..

A friend of mine had a small plaque made that attaches to his winch in plain sight...among other things it says " check drain plug" ...when he backs his boat toward the ramp and gets out to release his safety chain, the plaque is right in his face and brite colored, can't miss it !!

If pure gas causes no issues, why was "gumout" ever invented ?? Your money, your choice, best of luck to you.

Have saw that often when folks buy from stations that don't monitor there storage tanks. Your fuel didn't get that vad in one year without being some what bad when you bought it. Due to health issues my Islander did not get run for three years. Half tank of fuel had been treated with stabil when last filled, new owner pumped the old fuel out at my home before purchase, gas was just starting to deteriorate after 3 years. Neighbors old cars set for 1-2 years with fuel in there tanks, not filled, we have often sucked out a small amount to test, never saw anything that bad in the past 20 years. According to a friend that works at the local refinery, stations are terrible at maintaining supply. I have saw samples they have taken from underground tanks...looks as bad as your samples. Like most everything else, stations don't want to spend money on maintenence like they should. There are a number of odd name cheap stations that no one buys from, and those that due, often have issues.

I just use stabil or seafoam and don't worry about it. Before E fuels, we all used "gumout" to do the same thing. Never had a fuel issue in all these years ! My neighbor collects old cars, 60's thru 70's, most are performance vehicles, Camaro, Dodge Daytona, 440 six pack etc..etc.. Uses nothing but E10 and a stabilizer, been this way for the twenty plus years I have known him. Cars do not get driven in bad weather or winter. Many have gas left in their tanks for two years as he has over a dozen collectable cars. Each one starts right up and never a fuel issue. Your money...you can buy all the fancy fuels you want, but simple additives that are cheap will easily prevent all the issues people seem to have. My mechanic even claims when folks bring there vehicles with fuel issues, they don't use any type stabilizer and the have a tank full of water and crud from buying at cheap gas stations to save a nickle.

Now a days people get slapped on the hands and pay a fine for assault, stabbings and even shootings and put back on rhe street in a few days because the jails are full or overcrowded....what ever woukd we do with all the PFD violations ?? The "rights" people would have a hayday tying up courts !! It might sound cruel but, I say let them go...mabey we can weed out enough fools to strengthen the population ....look at all the traffic laws and we still have way to many accidents to even count... Now we are building cars and trucks with so called safety devices to protect the people that don't know how to drive, nor will they ever learn, so why bother, thin out the herd might not be such a bad idea.....

Been saying this for years, ALL gasoline can degrade over time. Fuel additives have been around since gasoline was created or shortly after.

"It only happens to other people". seems to be todays motto.....

Got some things to try during this winter down time. Thanks for all the responses, gues some food ole fashion grunt work is what it is gonna take !! After a day on the lake and cleaning fish for an hour or two, can't say I would be thrilled to be cleaning rods on top of that........wishfull thinking there might be a quick and simple solution !!

Yes....a leaky rain suit and a wet rod is not a fun experience !!

Thanks, wasn't sure if soaking the rod would hurt anything.

I know this is a vass fishing forum but wanted to ask about cleaning your fishing rods in hopes some of the experts may point me in the right direction. I live near Lake Erie and fish for walleye and yellow perch as the family loves to eat them. Our most popular vait is lake erie shinner minnows, they have very small, very shiney scales. And yes, they stick to everything, from fingers to my fishing rods. Once dried they are like glued on to the point where you almost need a scraper to get them off. Is there a product I can put on my rods to get the scales off easier ?? With boring winter here, thought I might clean up my rods and reels and get all the little scales off. Some areas are so thick you can't tell the color of the rod. Tried just soap (dish detergent) and water with a soft brush but made little progress with lots of scrubbing. These also cover the cork handles so....woukd soaking them be a bad idea ? Any help would be well appreciated, thanks and Merry Christmas to all.

In my area, non E fuel is one dollar a gallon more, I can buy fuel stabilizer for much less that does the same thing. But to each his own, all how you want to spend your money.

Unless it is properly treated when stored as mentioned by fuel mfgrs. !!! Have had the same exact issues with my fuel long before E fuels ever came out. The name " gumout" should come to mind to those of us around before E fuels came out. More recent studies have shown that the E fuels are not being stored properly at the stations, filters are not changed as they should be. In my county we have inspections and those findings are made public so we now where or wherenot to buy our fuels. Due to health issues, my Islander sat for three years with 10 gallons of E fuel..but it was treated before storage. Pumped out the old gas rather than taking a chance, added new fuel to the tank and the engine fired right up and still runs well to this day....on E fuel.... Sorry for your hassles and fuel issues, but E gas needs to be handled properly over long term just like non E fuels....look more carefully where you purchase your fuel as that might be a bigger cause to your problem.

When I was a young lad, my relatives had a small cottage on the Portage river, which we visited regularly. At age 12 I had my first boat, an old wood rowboat. At 13, I moved to aluminum boats, at age 73 now, still have aluminum boats, never been without a boat in all these years, but the type of boat has changed many times !!

What....only one pic ?? We want more !!

Without pics...it isn't true !!

If the boat was maintained properly they are good boats. Tracker's are built for the market, to get mire people on the water, good buy for the buck spent... Neighbor has owned one for many years with no real issues. Some replaced decking and carpet and some wiring upgrades but expected on a 1989 boat. Aluminum boats are much easier to work on than a fiberglass boat !!

The real issue is....we don't know what life holds for us! Will our lifestyles change, will we be moving to another part of the country ? No one can tell their future, so.....to say this is the boat, kayak or canoe that I really want...no one knows. Have owned boats for over 60 yrs, each one was " the perfect boat" only to change after a few years as life changed. Jon boats, canoes, tinnies, 22' cruiser back to 16' side console and numerous boats in between. Most all started as the best one.....at that time !!

All true, but man us never satisfied with what he has, always wanting more !!! I totally understand the airplane money hole...but they are so much darn fun !! Kinda like boats !!

Being on a tight budget and boating do not go well together, ask anyone wirh a boat !!

After all these posts about props, hopefully you can see why there is not just " a prop" that can be recomended....way to many variables to consider. You don't seem to concerned about finding the correct prop, so as suggested, just find anything that fits and go fishing.

Remove the prop and you will probably find the numbers on the hub. The reason your damage is so severe is due to the SS prop, while alum props break more easy, they spare the shaft and lower gear case. As far as the proper pitch, you need the max rpm at wot on your previous prop, then adjust pitch according to what your rpm was in relation to max rpm your motor is rated for. If you don't have that, then it is all a guess....before you do anything, the lower unit needs rebuilt or you won't get very far with a bent shaft.

Better to use plywood than a 2x6, much stronger !! With a good coat of paint ir other sealer it will last for many, many years... If your worried about only having 3 bolts, just increase the dia of the 3 bolts to gain vack the strength of not having the fourth bolt.