surfer

I think I have a different take on this. The sudden quit you describe is characteristic of spark quitting whereas overheat usually start running rough, sputter, or something semi-sudden. If the engine is not running then the hose is not going to push water through the water pump. Unless you have some other indication that there was an overheat problem I would focus on your spark problem and not worry about the water flow. As soon as you get the spark problem fixed I would double check water flow with the engine running.

Just had a thought about the thermometer comment. If you do this make sure not to use a mercury thermometer. Mercury is poisonous to the environment should the thermometer break open accidentally.

So far I only have Matt's Ultimate Blue Gill, 7" MS Slammer, and other similar sized Rapala baits. I haven't run out of line and I have landed an 8# so I didn't think a bigger spool would make much difference? Please let me know if i am overlooking somthing.

Glad to hear I am not alone on the spinning gear. I have that exact rod with a Tierra 2500 and 50#braid for swim baiting. I had and Acadia rod before that and the redbone is a huge step up in comfort. It was a tough decision between the redbone or a tidemaster, but the price tags sorted it out for me. Ps. It is usually more beneficial to ask opinions before buying. Now that you have it and are using it you need to give us a review.

+1 And for the memory comments. I prefer 8 ft of memory affecting my cast than 50 ft of memory affecting my cast.

I tried a ply wood deck on top of a 12x36 aluminum john. Very tippy and I have above average balance. Maiden voyage was all I ever did with it and then stripped it back down and did a traditional crappie boat set up of a ply wood floor and pedestal seats much more comfortable, but you loose some of the vision advantage that the higher stance gives you. A heavier, wider, longer, or better ballasted boat could behave better. At one point I considered an old airboat hull for the full deck idea. They are extra wide. It would require a trailer though and would not fit in the back of a truck. CGH, What is the length x width of your boat and how is the stability?

Any time you can. Right now the schoolies are doing there thing on Conway. But there are usually a few boats watching for them and it sucks when 2 or more boats try to fly up on them. Looks like a game of chicken between boats. I don't know alligator. Only been there once, but plan on changing that when time allows.

Did Turkey Lake start renting boats again? A few months back they weren't. But there are 4 or 5 docks at Turkey Lake that are still good fishing.

yes

x2 I shattered my reverse gear with a stainless prop. The prop held up fine, but the whole lower unit had to be replaced to fix the reverse gear (cheaper than the gear and labor). An aluminum prop would have been torn up, but saved the gears.

14 degrees. brrrr. Watch out for icebergs.

That is some good advice. I sank a half an orange tree in the wrong spot. Took me about 5 hours, 15 cinderblocks and 15ft of chain. Not a d**n thing hangs out there. I later realized that is because it is in the middle of a virtual desert. Sure it's an oasis for passerbys, but its no bass city. Nothing caught yet. Now I gota figure out how to move the thing. The only good news is I now know where to move it to. From 20 ft deep with no weeds to 15 ft deep on the edge of a forest of weeds. It about a 200 yard move. I am not looking forward to that.

If the problem is just getting down the sea wall then I would recommend mounting a couple of 6" PVC pipes to the sea wall to slide the boat down. PVC is much slicker than wood. I live in Orlando and with all our small lakes this is pretty standard for jet skies and jon boats. I have even seen winches mounted to the top of the sea wall in conjunction with the PVC and the boat/ ski left on the PVC as a semi permanent parking spot.

thanks. i check and it was cheaper than i anticipated. under $200 for a bare minimum policy.

Agreed. Although knowing what the presure should be is better. The 10% rule is very effective at noticing problems. The chance of all cyclinders having the same amount of damage is nil. Usually one cylinder gets damaged at a time. It will stick out like a sore thumb in a comparison compression test. If one cylinder has 10% lower compression or worse it is usually representative of a scared cylinder wall, broken piston ring, blown head gasket, or other similar damage. There is never an easy fix.

I am looking for cheap boat insurance. I am not planning on ever using it (knock on wood); I only need it to get on to a private lake. Does anyone have some recommendations for an insurance company that can sell me a bare minimum policy? I am in Orlando, Fl. if that makes a difference.

http://www.marathonboat.com/index.asp

http://www.gatorbass.com/index.htm This guy fishes with my neighbor fairly often. I can only say I have met him and he seams a nice guy.

x2

I have one of the cheap $120 handhelds. it hasn't any maps, but it will gets me back to within 30ft of my unerwater targets prety sucsesfully. Water resistant and generaly ruged enough. I have droped it on the boat floor many times. All in All I think I got my moneys worth.

I have no opinion of which one is better, but I would like to see the poll results. I have only used Minkota so am unqualified to vote. In order to see the results I am skewing the pole by one vote arbitrarily towards Motor Guide. Reguards Surfer Modified 3 minutes later wow, i guess my one vote didnt help.

That sucks. I am considering another pair too. I might take longer to consider after reading this.

I am in the market for a 55lb thrust, variable speed, transom mount, salt water trolling motor. From what I can tell Motor Guide and Min Kota have equivalent prices for this particular set of attributes. About $485. Does anyone know where to get a cheaper price for a similar trolling motor?

Change the foot oil and look for metal shavings or chips in the oil or sticking to the plug. I am suspicious of the gears being damaged when you hit the stump. Stainless steel prop?

Hydrofoil is cheaper than a new prop. But it could be the prop.