took the plunge........

[shrimpman steve]

Well, everything checked out great with the 19 foot polar. Left it with a mechanic at lake hapatcong. He did a compression test, all 3 cylinders were at 100, which he said is good. changed the lower unit oil and did a pressure test, all checked out. impeller in good shape. Then he told me he "lake tested" it. ran well. All switches for bilge pumps and live wells worked. The only thing on the boat that did not check out was the tach. I feel that should be working so I don't over rev the engine, he is fixing it.

Now for more advice..........

what kind of oil should I use in the injector (90 HP saltwater merc)?

should I use stabil every time I put gas in?

what is the best way to flush the motor after using it in saltwater? When I put the muffs on there was not enough water circulating thru the motor to come out the coolant output port (or whatever you call it). Am I going to have to start the motor at home in a barrel?

Thanks for the help. I am as green as they come as far as boat maintenance


PS: Please leave in this forum for one day so I can get responses, then move to boating. PLEASE and Thanks

[Topeka Boy]

Congratulations with your new boat. Be careful and catch only your share of fish:D

[loosescrews]

Congrats on the pick-up. I've been using west marine oil on my Johnson 200 for about 12 yrs now. I run regularly to the bluefin grounds. wait till it goes on sale n buy a bunch. As for the stabil depends on how fast you are turning over your gas. I burn a lot and only stabilize when I know the boat is going to sit a while. You may need to use the double sided muffs to get enough water. Maybe check water pump is working properly. Good luck!

[shrimpman steve]

thanks screws.

I assume the water pump is fine, as the mechanic said it was pissing fine in the lake. Maybe I have the wrong rabbit ears? do they come in different sizes? do they wear out?

[Garone Custom Rods]

Congrats Steve.

[fishingmortgageman]

Where should I meet you for the maiden voyage and when?

[FASTEDDIE29]

Sometimes it takes 10-15 minutes for the water to circulate through the system. My buddies flush out there engines for about 30 minutes with freshwater. My mechanic told me not to use Stabil every time you fill up. GOOD LUCK!!!

[TDaly25]

Big congratulations and best of luck to you.

One other thing - If the boat has an existing name and you plan to change it MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THE APPROPRIATE STEPS AND GO THROUGH THE RENAMING RITUAL! This may sound hokey as heck but I renamed my boat without following the ritual and had a tremendous amount of expensive bad luck!

[makosnax]

If i knew you were serious i would have given you the west marine cleaning kit last night. Congrats and good luck. West marine sells a merc earmuff that has a rod going through the lower water pickup holes that allows it to tighten well on the lower unit. I use it on my merc 150 efi and highly recommend it.

[Art Berkman]

Mazel Tov !

[shrimpman steve]

1) I will look for those muffs that tighen up, thanks

2) don't think there is a name on the boat yet. If I bought it alone I would have named it "the shrimp box", but I am partners with dirty chimney man, so we decided on "the dirty shrimp":D. What is the renaming ritual.

mortgage man, don't call me, I'll call you:eek: JK! cant wait to have you on board.

LAB, thanks for the one day grace period!

[Gerry Zagorski]

Congrats on the Dirty Shrimp Steve...

I would add Stabil on every fill up especially if you purchase fuel on land since they all contain 10% ethanol. Some marinas on the water sell Valve Tech fuels and in that case you don't need to use Stabil.

As far as oil, find out what the other guy was using and stick with it. If he used "whatever" I would suggest using the least expensive TCW3 rated oil you can find.

[cool hand fluke]

First, Congrats Steve - owning a boat and finding fish is a VERY satisfying feeling.

I have a couple thoughts:

Purchase the best electronics you can afford- best thing I ever did boat wise was buy a new 10 inch color monitor, gps and fish finder. Seems pricey up front but pays dividends the more you use it to find those fluke structure/honey holes. Also makes it easier to repeat successful drifts

I also spend a little more to get the best oil - I don't take any chances in that area

Stabil - I've never used but I always buy my gas from marina and haven't had a problem

Best of luck! The more you fish, the "luckier" you will get! Al

[TDaly25]

Shrimpman,

FWIW, I think the name Dirty Shrimp rocks!

below is a link to instructions for carrying out the ritual. Again, it may sound hokey but If I had a chance to do it all over again I certainly would and without any shortcuts. In any event you can make it fun. Best of luck to you and Dirty Chimneyman!

http://boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/rename.htmh

[shrimpman steve]

OK guys....another question.

I am going to take the on line saftey coarse in the next day or two and take the test first chance during the week. Does anyone know if the y give you a temporary card, or do I have to wait for the hard copy in the mail. I would like to get on the water ASAP, but don't want take the chance of getting a ticket first time out.

Keep the input commin, it is all very useful to someone who is brand new at this!

[buckfin732]

When i took the class years ago they gave them out right at the class just have it laminated Office depot office max one of them does it

[hammer4reel]

DONT take the boat out without first purchasing either Boat US or Sea tow towing insurance. that is NUMBER 1 on the boat owners list.

Is your merc an optimax ???? if it is while expensive, use Optimax oil.
only use stabil if your going to let the boat sit for a long time.
only time I ever use it is during winter storage.

buy the biggest screen GPS you can fit on your boat, as you will find it much easier to find the areas that will hold those little blackfish you like to fish with shrimp for:eek:

best of luck with it !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NoLimit]

You might want to check the factory specs for compression.

Its good that they are evenly matched but most compressions tests I have done on like new cylinders are around 128

[TomKaye]

Congrats on the Dirty Shrimp Steve...

I would add Stabil on every fill up especially if you purchase fuel on land since they all contain 10% ethanol. Some marinas on the water sell Valve Tech fuels and in that case you don't need to use Stabil.

As far as oil, find out what the other guy was using and stick with it. If he used "whatever" I would suggest using the least expensive TCW3 rated oil you can find.


This ^^^^^^is excellent input. I used Star-tron rather than Sta-bil, and over-dosed at every fill-up, which was every time we came back, we topped off.
An ounce of prevention against potential ethanol damage , etc....etc......

TCW3 is TCW3 as far as i'm concerned. Never had an oil-related issue
( did have an ignition computer problem ) and ran Walmart or West Marine ( on sale ) in a 150hp 2-stroke Zuke for 14 years.
I sold it and it's now 15 years old. Still running fine as far as I know. Haven't heard from the new owner in a while.
The Boat U.S. or Sea Tow insurance, including highway towing, as someone stated, is mandatory. It's a cheap investment, and you never know.

Good luck, & Tight lines.
Tom.

[TomKaye]

DONT take the boat out without first purchasing either Boat US or Sea tow towing insurance. that is NUMBER 1 on the boat owners list.

Is your merc an optimax ???? if it is while expensive, use Optimax oil.
only use stabil if your going to let the boat sit for a long time.
only time I ever use it is during winter storage.

best of luck with it !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Forget what I said about the Suzuki. I'm sure Capt. Dan ran his Merc
more than I did a Zuke..............35-40 trips annually April--November for me.

Welcome to boat owership. A hole in the ocean into which you pour money.

I'm boatless right now, but ............;) ;)

[shrimpman steve]

engine is not an optimax-it just says saltwater on it. I will be getting seatow for sure, i have heard horror stories about towing prices!

A little birdy told me to call MM Insurance as well for poropery and liability.

the boat came with a little hummingbird fishfinder, i am sure it is crap. Will save up during the winter for a nice color unit.

cant wait to get this thing in the water, probably about two weeks.

[captain george angler]

Good luck Steve, I can only assume that you had no one at home to advise you. Anyway don't forget to follow Ron and enjoy the joys of boating. George Angler

[shrimpman steve]

Good luck Steve, I can only assume that you had no one at home to advise you. Anyway don't forget to follow Ron and enjoy the joys of boating. George Angler

I'm gonna come down at night and put homing beacons on the Angler and Fishermen:eek: :D

I cant say the Mrs. is ecstatic:eek:,

Thanks for the well wishes (everybody)

[codbuster]

Forget what I said about the Suzuki. I'm sure Capt. Dan ran his Merc
more than I did a Zuke..............35-40 trips annually April--November for me.

Welcome to boat owership. A hole in the ocean into which you pour money.

I'm boatless right now, but ............;) ;)
Ain't that the truth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MVP]

best of luck

[dory24]

good luck on the boat, i bought mine 3 months before my second kid was born when i could least afford it. yes big color screens do help but you have been on the water enough from the posts that i've read that you should know what you are looking at, big or little, color or grey scale. i still have the furuno grey that came with the boat and upgraded gps due to the old ones failure. just remember its a boat aka hole in the water, gas alone hurts. always leave wiggle room with funds just in case. your going to love and hate the feeling of being the one calling the shots, left or right, inshore or offshore, and thats with 2 or 3 peeps. just imagine what its like with 100 fares looking up at ya thinking that you know all the answers. your going to have a hoot, safety first and everything else comes in time :)

[wrktoomuch]

Good luck with your boat. West Marine TCW3 oil is on sale for 14.99 / gal. That's cheap. Stock up.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Some other stuff you should have on the boat. Some required, others not.

Required by Coast Guard
- A life vest for everyone on board. Kids under 13 must wear at all times
- If your boat does not have a horn then a signaling device like a whistle or one of those air horn cans
- A throwable cushion
- A BII fire extinguisher
- Flares and remember they have an expiration date on them

Not Required But Good to Have
- An anchor with 3 times the line of the deepest place you intend to anchor.
- Anchor chain at least 10 feet but the length of your boat is better. Makes it easier to set your anchor
- A Racor fuel filter/water separator. Collects any water in your fuel and allows you to drain the bowl.
- A big net :D

[MVP]

best of luck

[shrimpman steve]

Some other stuff you should have on the boat. Some required, others not.

Required by Coast Guard
- A life vest for everyone on board. Kids under 13 must wear at all times
- If your boat does not have a horn then a signaling device like a whistle or one of those air horn cans
- A throwable cushion
- A BII fire extinguisher
- Flares and remember they have an expiration date on them

Not Required But Good to Have
- An anchor with 3 times the line of the deepest place you intend to anchor.
- Anchor chain at least 10 feet but the length of your boat is better. Makes it easier to set your anchor
- A Racor fuel filter/water separator. Collects any water in your fuel and allows you to drain the bowl.
- A big net :D


Thanks for the info Gerry....I'm glad you can't sleep:)

I asked the mechanic today to change the fuel filter while it is up there. Should I call him monday and ask him to install the racor filter you mentioned? Is this something I can do myself?

PS Good luck tomorrow

[Gerry Zagorski]

Not sure how your fuel system is set up now, but you might already have one and this is what he changed.

If you don't have one, Racors are pretty easy to install yourself. You want the one for outboards with the clear plastic bowl on the bottom so when you see water in it it's easier to drain the bowl. Most boat stores sell them and the mounting hardware you'll need. Boats with splash wells in the stern usually mount them in the splash well... Makes it less messy to drain if you need to drain them since any spills will run out the splash well.

Might see you in the AM... We are running from South River boat club @ 5:30 so we might see you on the way out. You are leaving Seawaren at 6, right?

[shrimpman steve]

departing 6 am

[Detour66]

Best of luck !!

[fin_s_guy]

Good luck with her Steve. You'll get a good idea how much they cost to own on a smaller scale...but the feeling of zipping out to the grounds with high expectations is worth it!

You only live once. Make it a GOOD one!!