Outboard Maintanence

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Captain Gordo

This is going to vary as there are salt water folks, freshwater folks, frequent boaters, casual boaters, and “once in a blue moon” boaters. Then there is that last group that we usually see at the end of a tow line. The “do nothing” boaters .

When my buddy Mike bought a used pontoon boat, he readily admitted he knew nothing about maintaining it. I appreciated his honesty and was glad to spend time with him, teaching him the ways that were taught to me. I recommended he flush is Yamaha 200 after each use . I use SALTAWAY products to flush the outboard, CORROSION X to lightly spray on the engine, and YAMALUBE for his engine oil. He comes in from the day, and religiously flushes the motor. Overkill? Not really. Preventive maintenance? Most definitely. He’s a stickler for keeping his pontoon cover on when not in use as he has no boathouse. His boat ought to last him several years.

Taking care of your toys with this kind of routine maintenance will give you years of enjoyment, keep the costly repair bills to a minimum, and allow you extra scratch for ….well…uh..NEW TOYS!

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Battery Chargers

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Captain Gordo

You can’t “git ‘er done” if you can’t git ‘em started. Whether portable, built in, trickle chargers or the high power ‘super starters” the day comes to all of us when we’ll count on ‘em to get us down the road or out on the water.

When it comes to the life of the battery, the price usually reflects the longevity. You can choose from 12, 24, 36, or 48 mo. units, but with  proper maintenance , you can get a little  more service out of them. I’m a big fan of trickle chargers, especially for the atvs and motorcycles, and jet skis as well. But as always, be sure to match your charger to the voltage on the battery. Take care not to over or under charge any battery. Charging times are usually indicated on the chargers themselves.

When “winterizing” your boats or other craft, you can remove the battery for storage, charging it once you’re ready to put it to use. For onboard chargers, simply plugging the charger in at the end of your day will get you going, worry free, the next day. As I mentioned in an earlier article, the use of solar panels, like the ones Mike mounted on his  bimini top, work really well to keep the batteries topped off on his pontoon boat. I’ve used these on every sailboat I’ve ever owned and swear by them. Working in conjunction with my wind generator, I don’t worry about my battery banks that much.

I urge you to shop the market as there are some great relatively inexpensive charging units out there.

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Search and Recovery Boats

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Captain Gordo

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in the past few years as a member of Texas Equusearch. We are a volunteer organization that works hand in hand with various law enforcement agencies in an effort to find missing people all over the country, and outside the U.S. as well.

From the Natalie Holloway search down in Aruba, to the Callie Anthony search in Florida, we often find ourselves conducting “water searches”, where search boats equipped with towable sonar array, jet skis, and kayaks are deployed in an effort to locate and retrieve bodies. The maintenance of our vehicles ( ATVs, Trucks, and Jeeps) as well as our watercraft are given the highest priority, as is the safety of the searchers themselves. There is no “winterizing” our boats as we’re out there somewhere with them all year round.

We make extensive use of various boat covers, jet ski covers, etc in an effort to protect our machinery as best as possible. We don’t stop there. In a few river searches last summer, where temperatures were above the 100 degree mark every day, our bimini tops, and T tops come in handy as the only protection from the sun on  those dawn to dusk days out there. I’d like to begin a series that shares some of the tried and tested maintenance practices we use in the preservation of all of our equipment. Lord knows we know a thing or two about keeping’ our stuff running, as the last thing we need are breakdowns. Please check us out on the web. Several states have volunteers in the Texas Equusearch program, but as 8000 people go missing each day ( that’s right, 8000), we could always use more members.

If you would like some answers on a particular question regarding maintenance, I urge you to write in and I’ll get the best answers we have for you. Thanks

 

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Let There Be Light(s)

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Captain Gordo

It used to be an early morning, daytime, or sundown type of thing, but some folks have extended their love of fishing to a 24 hr. affair. A great deal of us here in Omega Bay have underwater fishing lights right off our docks. We make good use of them too, as free flying shrimp with a few shot weights on your line, and dragging them through the lights has had great results. But sometimes, that’s just not enough.

Good neighbor Mike (the guy with the pontoon party barge) has upped the game a little. And in a most effective way. He mounted two solar panels on a removable frame on his bimini top, with a strand of rope lights around the frame. It’s wired to an extra 12volt battery in his cockpit console. In addition, he has a photo cell activated underwater light with about 30 or so ft. of cord that he lightly slings over the side for his underwater fishing adventures. Works pretty darn well, as the rope light on the bimini gives plenty of light, enabling you to see what you’re doing on the boat.

I’ve only been out on a few of his nocturnal expeditions, but they’ve all resulted in some pretty decent catches. We must resemble a cruise ship out there in the night as we’re lit up to beat the band. Another plus? He’s already halfway set up for our Christmas Boat Parade. And the solar panels work like a charm.

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The Absolute Bestest Thing Ever!

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Captain Gordo

Ok fine, I’m trying to help a buddy shop for, and decide upon, a brand new outboard for his refurbished Mako. And here’s what I found. By accident, of course. A brand new outboard BLENDER used as a Margarita machine!!! Oh yes, THERE IS A GOD.

Sure, I’m happy about how we brought all his stainless steel back to showroom. And I’m equally happy about all the new boat covers (after all, I’m in the business), and I’m thrilled to death that compounding and waxing the hull turned out so well. But when I saw this new blender, all else fell by the wayside. Ya just gotta see this thing if you haven’t already. It’s the greatest invention since the hula hoop.

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Shopping For Outboards

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Captain Gordo

Going shopping for a new outboard for my friend’s restored Mako. What an ordeal! There’s a ton of new motors out there on the market, with more power, less weight , fuel efficiency and more. Of course the first thing he set his eyes on was the new 350 hp V-8 from Yamaha. This is one monster motor, and though the transom on the Mako looks like it could handle it, it seems like a little overkill to me. But that brought up a question that could do us all some good. Where can you go to test ride these babies?

I’ve helped him replace the cloth on his bimini and console covers, restored his stainless all over the boat, now it’s time for some giddy up! The Yamaha 200 and 250s are the overwhelming motor of choice in my canal community. They run like scalded dogs, and appear to be pretty low maintenance engines. Evinrude E-techs are getting quite a bit of rave reviews as well. My best shot at helping him choose his new powerplant may well be YOU. So if you’ve the time, shoot me a note saying which ones you’ve had the most experience with. Thanks.

Posted in Bimini Tops, Console Covers, Maintenance Tips | 1 Comment

Less is More-The New Trend?

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Captain Gordo

A month or so ago, I wrote about the growing popularity of kayaks, especially the versions that are specifically rigged for fishing. I’m an avid sailor, so the “purist” side of me caved and I bought one. Mine is pretty spartan compared to others I’ve seen with every gadget imaginable. GPS, fish finder, trolling motor, biminis, and even added pontoons ( enabling you to stand and fish), as well as a mast / sail application. Oh yeah, I forgot about the “hands free” foot pedal deal that I’ve seen in a few.

Yesterday I talked about the Craig Cat I saw out in the marshes, then spent the better part of the day researching them. They come in three versions, gas outboard, electric, and a new “hybrid”. They, like the kayaks, can be equipped with everything imaginable, and boast a special fishing version as well. The stuff you can put on these things is pretty impressive. All of them appear to come with either a bimini, or t-top that can be equipped with rod holders. A live bait well is no problem as there’s space for an extra battery. Running lights, stereo, and the works, makes these things more and more attractive. They have a trailer made especially for ‘em and two different types of boat covers.

This got me to thinking that in the last 10 years, we’ve seen an onslaught of smaller, alternative water craft that has something for every water sport out there. The technology that’s gone into them is impressive, case in point, the evolution of the kayaks, surf skis, paddle wheelers , electric boats and more. And all this at a fraction of the cost of our bay boats, sailboats, and cruisers. As the cost of fuel is an issue that won’t be going away any time soon, I can’t wait to see what they’ll come out with next.

 

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U F O ?

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Captain Gordo

It was a kayak fishing day for me and I took to the flats back inside our Texas Everglades off Galveston bay. I passed Henry, sleeping underneath his bimini as usual, line in the water, conserving his energy for a cage match with a speckled trout or monster redfish.

I had the marsh to myself, or so I thought. I heard laughing in the distance and could barely make out the blue console cover and rod holders of another “something” out there. I wondered what other kind of boat could’ve made it this far in without grounding. It was about 10 minutes before I found out, and it left a definite impression. You don’t have much of a vantage point from a kayak, but your ears still work just fine. I heard and outboard crank up, and a second later, this contraption, the likes of which I’d never seen before came shooting right past me. If what I thought I saw is actually what I saw, I WANT ONE, and I want it NOW!

It’s called a CRAIG CAT, and it looks like a cross between a swamp boat and a catamaran. It has seating for two, that swivel for fishing, and a whole lot of other stuff that looked a bit blurry as they shot by me. It’s got a scaled down t-top with the stainless rod holders, and seems to be the perfect choice for getting to and fishing the shallows far faster than me paddling my kayak. I won’t be getting rid of my kayak anytime soon, but a new toy wouldn’t hurt either. Take a look at these things and tell me what you think.

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