Pensacola Fishing Forum / General Discussion / Boat Repair - Questions, Answers and Suggestions

Rhino lining a 10' john boat

Firedawg — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:31:43 GMT

I was given a 10' aluminum john boat that has a few leaky rivets, and was wondering if I got that do-it-yourself rhino lining at walmart if that would fix the leaky rivet problem?

Need pull start for 35 hp Johnson

Breeze Fabricators — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:08:32 GMT

Anyone know a good place to look for used parts for this motor.

stupid trim question! But I need help

jspooney — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:54:55 GMT

I know this should be simple...but how do I hook up the wires for my tilt and trim? Replaced the throttle control and this one has the t/t on the control. 3 wires...red, blue and green. I "rigged" the t/t with a 3-way switch before but want to do it right this time. I have a 90 hp evinrude...'87 model. For the 'rigged" version I ran a hot and common to the 3-way switch and then the green and blue but reversed the order for up or down. Is it as simple as connecting the green and blue respectively, and then the red to the positive terminal on the battery?

Another trim question????

Rodznreelz — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:17:03 GMT

I have a 01' Evinrude 250. When trimming the motor down (before it gets to the two pistons), the motor is bouncing. I talked to Jack Wills about it and he said to tighten up the nut where the streering tube slides through (where the engine and transom brackets connect). I tightened it up, but it is still bouncing?

Does anyone have any ideas?

Could it be the seals in the trim pump or the nylon busings where the trim piston connects to the motor?

Thanks in advance, Ryan

Lower Unit, Clutch Problem

leo75 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:48:01 GMT

Hello all,

I have rebuilt the lower unit because of a broken drive shaft. After reinstalling everything, I can’t seem to get it to go into the forward gear. If I disassemble propeller shaft part and put pressure on the clutch, pushing it forward, then it goes though all the gears with no problem. I noticed the clutch, just with the propeller shaft out, rest in the natural positions. I can seem to find anything pushing it forward, to engage the forward gear.

Is there something meant to be pushing the clutch forward? Is the clutch meant to be resting in the natural position?

Your help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Donnie

:banghead

Fishtailing Trailer

weatherman — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:21:02 GMT

My trailer fish tails at about 60ish mph. What do I do to fix it?

What grit sandpaper for fiberglass hull?-prior to primer

Kodiak_Man — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:54:36 GMT

I'm sanding down my hull and will be painting the entire thing. I was wondering what grit of sandpaper I shoud use just before priming? I used 80 grit on the transom and it just doesn't look smooth enough. So before I go screwing up the rest of the boat, what do ya'll suggest?

Thanks!:usaflag

Motor question

Georgiaboy — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:35:54 GMT

My motor (optimax) started running hot this weekend after running at cruising speed for about 5 minutes. I shut it down, started it later, and same thing. Let it cool back off and idled in. Motor was pumping water out pee-hole at good rate. Any thoughts?

Parts fer a 2002 Tohatsu

overNunder — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:35:19 GMT

Hey guys, had a mishap a couple of weeks ago fishing the little lagoon, and took my motor for a swim. Anyway, the guy that tore it down for me said its not worth putting the money into to getting going again, so if any of yall or anybody you know might need some bits and pieces let me know. I'd feel better if i could get some kind of change for something.

Scupper advise

SCUBA Junkie — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:46:41 GMT

I am presently using the plastic flap type scupper on my boat. I find these don't always seal well due to debris, and they tend to allow as much water in as out. I've seen the floating ball type scuppers, and I want some opinions on their effectiveness. They appear to have a more positive seal, and look as if they would work well. Thanks in advance for your input.

Washdown/baitwell pump question

bullet175 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:10:36 GMT

My boat has what I think is an odd setup for the washdown pump. The pump is providing water for the baitwell as well as the washdown from a single sea strainer. There is a T in the plumbing on the outlet side of the pump, one side goes to washdown, one to baitwell.

Seems to me with this setup the washdown pump will be working overtime keeping bait alive (there is a history of washdown breakers throwing alot) and when you need to washdown there will be a loss of potential pressure at the hose because some water is diverted to the baitwell.

Is this a common setup?

I also find it odd that I have separate baitwell and washdown switches on the dash and the baitwell switch goes to nothing.

I think I should probably install a dedicated baitwell pump but would I need to add another sea strainer under the hull (cringe)......or would it be OK to T off the existing intake hose coming off the sea strainer.

GPS Internal or External Antenae?

Shiner — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:04:24 GMT

I'm needing a new GPS unit for my boat. I'm needing to know if the internal or external antenae makes a difference. I have a boat with a T-Top, but that shouldn't keep the internal from working, right? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Drilling holes in my boat....

weatherman — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:49:34 GMT

I have to change out a vent, and guess what? There is no access to the back side. Someone had already put access to the other vents on the other side. Waxed the boat Saturday and bammo, vent pops off, corroded like a mad man. So, I have ordered another vent, pick it up today. I am also going to add an access hatch, due to the fact I have to put one in to change the vent.

So the questions are.... Do I need to pre drill holes for the screws for the hatch? Guessing yes here so I dont crack the fiberglass. Question 2.... What do I use to drill out the big access hole?

Thanks in advance.

Boat Graphics

Billable — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:34:04 GMT

Who does a good job on boat names and graphics in Pensacola?

Oil Bath Caps

OrangeFish — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:41:46 GMT

I have a Oil Bath Lubrication system on a 2006 EZ Loader trailer and and need to replace one of the clear caps. I have been unable to locate any locally, does anyone know who would carry these?

Boat Painting/ T Top

Jarhead — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:13:14 GMT

Can anyone recommend a place to have my boat painted in South Alabama. Mobile, Baldwin County or near. I also need a custom T top made..

Thanks in advance.
:usaflag:usaflag:usaflag:usaflag:usaflag:usaflag:usaflag:usaflag:usaflag:usaflag:usaflag:usaflag

Lowrance LCG 3000

Red Fly — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:43:31 GMT

During our wait for the Blue Angel air show a few weeks back we got stuck in the storm that hit. A lightning strike near my boat took out my GPS. The unit would try to lock in but would not. Based on this I made the assumption that my external receiver the LCG3000 had been knocked out.

I received my replacement last Friday and noticed on the bottom it is labled "ESD Protected". This was not on my original receiver. From what I can tell this has been a problem with these external GPS receivers. The unit works fine now, but I just want to share this bit of information with the group.

Boat Junk Yard

weatherman — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:09:05 GMT

Crazy question.... Does a boat junk yard exist anywhere, looking for a place to get some parts cheap.

WTB Starboard

wirebiter — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:19:11 GMT

I have looked for starboard at the places I know and it is EXPENSIVE! I am wanting to make a door for the cabin on my boat. If any one has some idea of a good place to get some it would be appreciated. Thanks for the help.

Another starter story......

weatherman — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:34:51 GMT

Anyone how many cranking amps I need for a 225hp 1994 Johnson? Starter doesnt engage, pulled it apart, seems to function properly. Wondering if I am not getting enough of battery to the starter to engage the flywheel. Just put in a new Optima Blue top, figured that would be enough. Its charged up too. Thanks ahead of time.

patching gelcoat without painting

Sniper Spear-It — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:09:24 GMT

anyone know what product to use to patch gel coat preferrably without having to paint after. i have a 96 trophy

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Jeff

Need some electronics work??? I can help

jsaddiction — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:57:52 GMT

Hello all,

As a couple of you already know I am pretty good at electronics. I am in the USCG and have been for more than 6 years. :usaflag Almost all of that time has been spent working on various electronics. I can troubleshoot systems and Install them. I have an FCC license with shipboard RADAR systems. I also am a Certified Electronics Tech. I have all the test equipment necessary to troubleshoot many (but not all) systems. If you need help diagnosing a problem then I am your man. The cost will be by job depending on size of boat and complexity of job. There is one catch however that I MUST tell you. I am not by any means licensed or insured and I will assume no responsibilities for any malfunctions or other problems that may arise from my work. I don't want to scare you away with that comment but I am just a back yard tech.

On my last trip out on the water I noticed my chart plotter has started to go on the fritz and I have a couple of models I am drooling over and Christmas is around the corner so I am interested in giving a hand to those who need it. Because I am not licensed all prices and jobs will be negotiable (not free) but affordable for those (like myself) who can not afford professional installers.

If you need a hand with something even if it isn't really electronics shoot me a PM or call me.

HELP!!!! Tilt/Trim Problem?

Rodznreelz — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:19:18 GMT

I have a 2001 Evinrude 250 FICHT. Yesterday on the way to the boat ramp, apparently the trim button on the motor stuck on the way to the boat ramp. When we got there, the pump was hot has hell. From then on, the trim worked intermittently. After doing a little digging, I found that one of the poles on the trim relay was burned. My plan is to replace the relay, but how can I test the condition of the pump?

Garmin GPS 172C Locked up

sledpeddler — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:26:06 GMT

While loading waypoints into my Garmin 172C, it froze up. I countlessly re-booted, and only one screen is accessible, the map screen. It will not allow me to navigate through, or to, any other page. Any ideas? How bout some reset mode? Maybe a button is stuck in contact position? I'm desperate! Help!

Motor Help - Outboard knocking

BamaJohn — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:50:16 GMT

One of my 60hp Johnson motors was run with too little oil in the gas. It shut itself off and after cooling down and getting proper fuel/oil mix it will run but has a "knock" that sounds to me like it is coming from one cylinder.

It has been sitting a while longer now and my question is should I put it back in the water and see what she will do or take it to a mechanic before doing further damage?

We're on Dauphin Island the 2nd day of our vacation and would obviously love to use the boat for the next two weeks. Any mechanic recommendations for this area or other general ideas would be most appreciated.

Bama John

installing a remote oil filter

opus68 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:21:47 GMT

My mercury 4.3L I/O engine has its oil filter mounted on the bottom, in the rear of the engine compartment. This makes it really hard to get to when changing the filter. I'd like to install a remote oil filter mount so I can relocate the filter to a better location. What are the considerations? Should I take this opportunity to install a larger filter? How about an oil cooler? Any advice on where to find the parts?

Thanks

Key Marine??

dockmaster — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:32:17 GMT

Anyone had any work done at Key Marine on Bauer Road?? My 2002 Merc is running on like 3 cylinders (wont run over 1200rpm and 4 beeps every 2 min)
after my poppet valve diaphragm broke and flodded my cowling. I think something got wet. Also, Do you need a special computer to get the engine hours print out from the motor ECU or does a DBR scan deal work?
I'd guess I'd prefer an authorized Merc dealer....

Rock on

BillD

Tach not working

PompNewbie — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:54:09 GMT

Ok we swapped motors on our 19' skiff both motors are johnson 70HP one is a 70ES the new one is a 70EL cranks up runs like a top but tach dosent work...worked fine on old motor.

I checked the wires on the back of the tach and I have Pwr and Gnd but no signal from the motor...

any help would be very appreciated.

Mike

1991 225 Johnson

Capt. AHO — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:12:45 GMT

1991 225 Evinrude/Johnson. Have rebuilt powerhead, new rings, pistions, bored 20 over. Rebuilt all carbs. New spark plug wires, coils all have same resitantce. I can not get over 2000 rpm with back pressure aka in the water. Out of the water no problems. In water no rpms over 2000. The compression is great on all six, new batteries. Anybody have any problems like this. :banghead

side imaging hummingbird fishfinders

legalhookin — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:57:11 GMT

anyone personally tried one, they look cool and would appear to be very usefull if it works like they said it does. dont ever fish supper deep only been 120' so far. the pictures they always show are in shallow water for my standards and would be very disappointing if it would not work well in the 100' range.

Billy's Outboards

dabutcher — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 12:03:47 GMT

A few weeks ago I took my outboard to Billy's Outboards to have some scheduled maintnenee and have a new water pump installed. I was told that it would take a week to 10 days for the job to be done but instead it took 3 weeks. I heard every excuse from "they sent the wrong parts" to "we had to go out and buy oil". Finally I got the call that my boat was ready and after paying for the work I did not even get the courtousey of someone to help me put my trailer on the truck. A few days after getting my boat back I noticed that the cowling which was a breeze to take on and off the day before I took it to Billy's was now very difficult to take off and almost impossible to get back on. I'm sure that the cowling was left off the motor for a few days and the seal was left to bake in the sun. My motor also now has a huge oil leak. Can't say for sure if Billy is responsible for the leak but given the poor service I received and the feeling that I was getting the runaround from this guy nothing would surprise me. Needless to say Billy's Outboards will no longer be getting my business.

Looking for a Block off Plate..

wld1985 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:59:27 GMT

94 waver runner with the 700 motor or 701 really... Looking for the oil Block off plate.. Anyone have one in stock? Crankcase and Oil Block Off Kit looks like that..

Raymarine C120 Display Screen

Reel Rowdy — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:23:22 GMT

My C120 display has scratches all over it that appear to be in anti reflective coating i.e. they are not in the glass screen itself. I have always been very careful when cleaning, only use a soft damp clean cloth to wipe it down after use. I keep the cover on it when it is not in use and it is never exposed to direct sun. Has anyone else seen this on their machine and is there a solution for it? May a new coating or something?

Oil Leak in outboard motor

dabutcher — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:02:58 GMT

I have a 2003 Suzuki 140 4 stroke and I've kept up with the maintence and have never had a problem until today. Took the boat out this morning fished a couple of hours and as I was driving the boat back onto the trailer my motor alarm sounds and I see oil in the water around my trailer. When I get home I check the engine oil and none shows up on my stick. After adding 3 quarts I finally get some oil to show on the stick but I do not see any leaks up top. I put the water to the motor and crank her up and oil starts to pour out of the lower unit. This is probably a problem that is beyond my mechanical ability. Any ideas on what could be causing the oil leak and recommendations on a good outboard mechanic.

Thanks

Raymarine C80 bottom machine

BradRM — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:02:01 GMT

Wanted to see if anyone has experienced any similar problems. Went to power up the machine yesterday and it would not turn on, almost like it is an electrical issue however i checked the fuses and power supply. The machine is less than 2 years old and it worked fine the weekend before.

Battery question

FishVan — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:52:20 GMT

Several months ago when gas prices rose above $3.00/gallon I decided to invest some money in my 1995 16' Cape Horn and discontinue looking for a bigger boat.

I purchased and installed the following:

Dual AM/FM radio, two speakers.

Humminbird side immaging sonar unit with GPS (797 i think)

Second battery

Battery switch

A few weeks ago when I had not run the boat at for at least three weeks or so, both batteries were close to dead and I ultimatly needed to jump start the motor (1996 75 Yamaha)

Seems really odd since after use when I turn the battery switch to off both batteries should be completely disconnected from all electronics.

Now, it has not happened everytime. So my guess is running the radio and sonar unit at the same time while idling causes a net drain on the batteries. The other guess I have is there is a short somewhere. However, unless it is in the switch, that seems an unlikely cause sinse the switch is supposed to isolate both batteries when turned to the off position. I have not broke out the meter...but I'm fairly certain I installed the wiring correctly. I work with electonics all the time...though not on boats.

Has anyone seen these switches fail right-out-of-the box? Or, have any experience on what kind of current draw this ammount of electronics should pull compared to the alternator on the motor?

Was thinking of trying deep cycle batteries, but hate to spend money I don't need to. My original battery is three years old and I never had a lick of problems with the electronics until I did all this work.

Thanks for reading and hanging in there for this lengthy explination.

Cape Horn Tempress Hatches - Paintable?

Go Deep — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:45:58 GMT

I have a 2002 24 CH Offshore with the Tempress slam hatches. The problem is the sun has demolished the finish on the hatches and you get fiberglass splinters whenever you brush against them. Has anyone painted the hatches, if so, what did you use? I've replaced two of the hatches with new, but ~ $180 for both is outrageous.

Thanks

prop question

floater — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:53:15 GMT

i am looking for a prop for my 92 evinrude 200 model #ve200txene it has a 14 1/2 x19, it is on a 82 21 foot mako center console at wot i am getting 5000 rpm and 30 miles an hour i have to replace it due to hitting something offshore and bending one of the plades really bad, i really dont know how the prop pitch adds/reduces speed /rpm, also if any one has one for sale let me know what you have and how much you are asking for it,also it is a 15 spline shaft thanks kris

96 bayliner trophy

Sniper Spear-It — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:06:58 GMT

with a 98 merc 115 offshore. I have a bad warning horn. does anyone know what that part number is or where i could go to purchase one. I have checked online and can't find it. i have looked in a merc parts catalog to no avail.

The horn is the one under the console. I have narrowed it down to that horn after checking or replacing the rest.

Any help on finding that part would be greatly appreciated

Jeff

new to me outboard

fishingwanz — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:38:39 GMT

I just put on a 96 225 Evinrude replacing a 94 200 johnson. The motor seems to do well at speed and idle but between 4.5 to 6.5 knots there is a lot of vibration. I changed the wires and plugs but no change. According to the previous owner it sat for about 4 weeks and I had it for 2 before I actually got it in the water. Thanks for any ideas, I would like to get it out of the bayou, but would rather not do any damage.