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If I'm looking for a motor on CL or FB, I'm only looking at the overall condition. I assume it needs a w/p, plugs, and a carb cleaning. Every motor does, even one I ran last fall. Gas today is pure crap and there's no way I'd trust any carb, or anyone else's rebuild to not lean out and kill the...

Good older motors can be scarce here. In an area where most motors live their life in saltwater, combined with owners who do nothing to clean or keep them from turning to a corroded mess, and new owners buying cheap used boats and motors who burn up their first few motors not knowing any better...

I had to look that one up on a map. For those interested its near Reading, PA I noticed something earlier today about CL and FB, I was at buddies place and mentioned a car that was for sale to him, when he tried to find it, it wouldn't show up in his searches, yet the same search on my...

I never considered anything I may leave behind when I'm gone a burden, if they have any common sense, its all worth money. Anyone who says otherwise is having the wool pulled over their eyes. When I'm gone, they're gonna need a huge crew to sort through it all. Old cars, old trucks, boats...

Long before I bought my 36AT for my Starcraft back in the early 90's, I had rigged a transom mount motor to a piece of 2x6 bolted to some angle aluminum on the front deck of my old Grumman. Knowing that I was too big and heavy to sit up there and drive the boat, I rigged up an arm that clamped...

If a 'thermo event' is a concern with a particular battery then I'd make sure I have a fire extingquiser onboard that's capable of handling it, or a way to quick disconnect it and throw it overboard. I've seen some lithium ion fires in cars, if it were to happen in a boat, I could picture it...

I put all my batteries in a box, regardless of the type of battery I don't care to risk getting any electrolyte on my aluminum hull. My one boat came factory with a raised aluminum platform with two battery trays, each with plastic threaded rods to secure the batteries with. In theory it was...

This is likely higher then reality in later generations. I read somewhere that later baby boomers and Gen X are showing a growing trend of dying young. I can attest to this as I've lost many friends in recent years who passed in their 40's and 50's, mostly of cancer or strokes. With most in...

That's pretty much why I have my Mirrocraft, its simple, can be manhandled if need be, and can be towed with anything. I downsized in a way from a twin console Starcraft, of which I had many over the years, but they weigh just enough that if I got one stuck, I can't lift it and get it unstuck...

I have two Mercury 40hp motors, one is from 1981, the other from 1971, both have recoil and electric start and both will start on the recoil but it takes a strong grip to hold onto the rope. They pull start easier than my 35hp Johnson but they still have a fair amount of compression to overcome.

I used to ice fish every Jan/Feb when I was in PA, but the lake there stopped freezing over enough to go out on over 20 years ago. Where I'm at now, there hasn't been any good ice since the early 80's or so. Also, as I get older, the more I hate the cold. I tend to go further south when it gets...

About 12 years ago I had a 1999 196 Super fisherman that needed a transom, and some other work as well. It had belonged to a buddy who had inherited it from his brother. I had bought it for its motor, but ended up deciding to keep the boat and do the repairs. The transom was rotted in three...

I've found with several boats I've owned that the ticket to gaining speed is simply either reducing weight and drag or increasing hp. If your going to gain speed, you have to get on plane. On my first 16ft V hull, an earlier Mirrocraft, I ran a 1967 Johnson 6hp, while I never checked the speed...

I had an older, but new the time, 9.8hp Mercury and a 1978 Mirrocraft 16ft Lake Fisherman. It was a tiller only boat, no console, a simple wood floor in the middle, two plastic fold down seats atop 6" pedestals, two group 24 deep cycle batteries, a 3hp transom mount trolling motor, a 24 qt...

If your worried about the 10 lb of compression, I can tell you I ran an OMC V4 for ten years with one hole down about 40 psi. It ran fine, idled fine, never gave me a bit of trouble. I junked the boat due to rot, then hung the motor on a stand after a full season. I decided to retest the...

A few years ago someone gave me a way too long Riptide motor. He got it from some auction for a couple bucks. It ran fine but unless I wanted to use it standing up it was too tall. I removed the control head, then took a piece of 1/2" CPVC and ran it down over the wires where the cut was going...

I had one like that

Years ago I used to do the expensive boat cover thing every few years. They all either got ruined by wind, tree dirt, or mildew. They'd be okay for the first summer then get damaged in someway over the winter, and I'd spend the next season trying to get a few more months out of the old cover. I...

Gluvit is not meant to be a final coating, its a sealer meant to seep into hidden crevices and around loose rivets and such. It has zero UV resistance. When used it must be painted over for protection. Flexible coatings rarely get deep into the hard to find leaks and pin holes like Gluvit does...

If the paint is that hard to remove, I'd leave it. Aluminum can be hard to get paint to stick to. Fix what needs fixing, feather out the rest and repaint it. give the inside a coat of Gluvit as insurance and some fresh paint over top of it and you'll be old and gray before it needs your...