borderline 350

Dear FF & Other Experts,

A high quality video screen type fish finder 50, 108 or 200 hz. is actually measuring the difference in DENSITY of a target. A large fish with a full stomach will mark differently, then a small fish with an empty stomach. A 300 LB. Atlantic Tuna will leave a very small mark on a good quality unit! (but have a dense red core) NO UNIT can detect the THERMOCLINE. The actual static line seen are small organisms in the water column drifting about because of water current etc. Every good fisherman knows to look for bait pods in the thermocline and look for activity (streakers) around the bait pods. This technique usually brings excellent results. And now enter the WHIZ kids with Computer enhanced graphics built into "Attractively priced Fish Finders" and small schools of minnows now become fish shaped!! I wouldn't buy any mfg's units until I could see it in operation. If you can't mark your downrigger weights 100 ft. down.(at slow speed) your missing a lot of other important data like small bait pods!! Active streaking small marks (thru your riggers)also tell you great info!! Commercial fishermen go to special schools put on by the equipment manufacturers in order to learn how to operate the units and READ THEM. The commercial guys can detect species, weight, and how full the net drag bag is several hundred feet from the boat (several $$$$$ cost!). If you can properly set your unit and find bait and fish, you will dramatically increase your fishing fun!

Respectfully Submitted, Jet Boat Bill (on the way back to Webster, NY)

Dear Dukhnter 8,

I would not believe THAT in a heart beat (POSITIVE ON DEER HUNTING!). The NRA stated two years ago that the Aud. Society spent 90+ MILLION DOLLARS in one year for efforts on GUN CONTROL and anti-hunting legislation in the United States. They (AS)personally got the NYS DEC to use HUNTING (METHODS) as the LAST approved OPTION in Cormorant Control. In order to control corm's, you must apply for a speciaL PERMIT!! .......I just ran across the local President of The local Audobon Society here in SW Florida, while we were on the Ding Darling FW Refuge, HE AND HIS WIFE tried to tell me that the Cormorants only eat little fish etc. My wife had to keep us apart otherwise I was about to lose my TEMPER!! And,yes the former coach of the Buffalo Bills (Mr Levy) donated One million dollars to PETA a few years ago. Read something other then the canned media stuff and then cross check for the truth. The AS is another organization that has well healed contributors and uses their power for their interests.

Jet Boat Bill in SW Florida, air temp 68F, sea water temp 61 F. COLD!!!

Dear A & M,

WWF, Green Peace,Friends of Earth, PETA, Cousteu Society, & The Audobon Society are no friends of Fisherman, Hunters or any of my friends and peers. These are PRESERVATIONIST GROUPS not CONSERVATION Groups. I was warned 30 years ago of PRESERVATIONIST GROUPS such as WWF, etc. Everything I was told about them was very accurate and disturbing. Starting with EX DEC commissioner Peter Berle who stopped salmon fishing because of ENVIRONMENTAL FEARS! I haven't forgotten about Peter Berle and neither should you! I believe the Audobon Society rewarded him well for his stand against Hunters and Fishermen. History will teach you well if you take the time to live it!!!! I will now try to calm DOWN!!!!

Jet Boat Bill Tuesday March 9th!!! 3:30 PM

Dear SFARM,

The HIN number is located where you said! I owned a 79 Searay 24 Hardtop and the molded in HIN was just under the rub rail, close to the stern eye loop. Use caution if the number has been removed or modified, Letters and numbers are about 3/8 inch height. Beware!! Lots of stolen boats around!

Respectfully submitted,

Jet Boat Bill Sunday 8:00 PM

Dear Motoman,

Yes!!!, EFI with an ECM (Electronic Control Module) does everything you say but with a very high end maint. cost to the long term owner. Rebuilding carbs or purchasing outrite has distinct price points considerably below an EFI fuel pump! Other problems with the ability of an ECM to withstand low voltage situations(common in BOAT Operation) or static charge build up in storm conditions can really wreck havoc with boat operation/control! I see enough electronic problems with the current marine electronic ignition systems to tax any good mechanic's patience. I love the new electronics age, but why complicate the fuel delivery system! EFI has been forced upon us by the EPA in order to meet smog/emissions requirements. The final cost of EFI/ECM is born by the owner/operator. ..........I believe its the right approach for cars with their constant RPM/load changes, but the constant RPM and heavy load conditions in boat operation do not demand complicated fuel management systems.

Jet Boat Bill........from Sanibel Temperature 73F.

Dear Vince P.,

Switching to EFI has some expensive equipment involved. The ONLY gains you will achieve is better starting! No increase in power or better fuel consumption. The engine mfg's have had to switch to EFI in order to meet EPA smog requirements. Practically every 8.1 big block I have seen has the injection taken off within 12 months due to the cost of replacing injector parts! Lots of these units around (8.1 Mercruiser) If I stumble across any Vortec 5.7 unit take offs, I will give you a jingle. You must have a laptop with the EFI units in order to properly diagnose and set fuel parameters. Mercruiser will not sell anyone the program unless you are a MERCRUISER BONA_FIDE DEALER. The sensors and small parts are GOLD plated! That means you have to have a Mercruiser dealer hook up his diagonostics!!$$$$$ I was going to do it in 1998 when I still had connections at GM Powertrain. About 3500 then, I opted for a new carburetor with a custom Edelbrock Intake manifold. Numerous engine power tests have been conducted on all types of engines.....CARBS still are used! They even have intakes for the new GEN III small block chevy for carbs!

In 1998 I could have bought complete EFI marine 5.7 SBC Vortecs for $8,200 at the end of the model year. Almost did it until I checked out the calibration/Computer cost! I still don't believe its worth the expense in my humble opinion!

Jet Boat Bill...Webster, NY (from Sanibel Island...temp is 78 F!!!!)

Dear gill-T,

The location of the deepest part of the S.B. gap was an excellent spot in the 1980's (during July & August) when wind conditions and high water temps on the US side put the bait in the top 100 ft. of water. We used to run there from Braddocks or Roch. Harbor since the actual gap is located closer to the US side. Also fished the Canadian side of the S.B. Ridge but finding bait was a problem. Lots of current over there, but very time consuming finding bait pods. The best spot on the Canadian side was Mulcaster Patch...about 15 miles SE of Cobourg...8 miles offshore... water depth 15 ft. The shoal is about 10 to 15 acres in size and dropped off rapidly to 175 to 250 ft. around it. Brought 10 Chinook to the weigh in station one day (fishing two rods, Old Canadian Rules) in Port Hope, Late July, 1990. BUT recent summer trips to the S.B gap have not been very productive for me or a few friends. The current cost of fuel & expenses leaves this quests to the few who have the loot to spend $400 a day for fuel. I now fish the WEST end of the lake, since the Chinook & Rainbows seem to like the area and blowoffs are seldom!!

Sincerely, Jet Boat Bill

Dear Fishbone,

This lake in eastern Ontario is "a Canadian Shield Lake" This means lots of rock bottom and many "pinnacle" hard bumps for your lower unit. By all means get a chart of the lake showing shoals and rocks! Caution, Canadian Charts are very PRICEY $$$$$! Ask and seek for the LAKE CHART long before you go! Black flies in this area die off when ever the temp. gets to 60F for a couple days then the mosquitos start! Bring the best repellent you can find with you!! Taking Vitamin B12 in large doses before you get there can lessen the effect of bug bites especially black fly bites!! Research the web on B12 for your own protection!! Take spare parts and tackle with you. Availibilty & Prices are very high in the north Country! Enjoy the fishing and the outdoor experience. Ontario has much to offer for the outdoorsman!

Respectfully submitted,

Jet Boat Bill 23' Aluminum Jet Boat (Stanley)

(Built in Ontario, Canada)

(Outfitted in NYS/USA)

Dear Trolling 82,

The Oswegatchie...Redfield, NY...Tug Hill Plateau...Circa 1954. Got 24 inches of SNOW in one night while Partridge Hunting in the Happy Valley State Area IN OCTOBER!! Got out of their in a hurry @ mid-night otherwise, we would have been their all winter! Really got to understand LAKE EFFECT weather first hand before "formal education". I do wonder about towns (Barnes Corners) that want to advertise that "we got 96 inches of snow in one 24 hour period" The snowmobile crowd really likes that area. More power to them! I can pass on major snow events and would prefer to being a little further SOUTH during such "whiteouts"!!

Respectfully submitted,

Jet Boat Bill

Dear Triple D,

Immersing an outdrive during WINTER (32 & below) requires draining and winterizing as Ray K. explained and IMMEDIATELY after removal from the water! There are areas in the drive unit that hold puddles of water. Sometimes these areas get plugged and won't self drain. These outdrive units are VERY expensive to replace or repair. You are GAMBLING BIG TIME with this idea. I fix one or two every spring and the customers are very unhappy with the parts cost! Even had one that busted the gimbal housing. It isn't worth the gamble.

Respectfully submitted, Jet Boat Bill

Dear Vince P.

Well stated and accurate!

Jet Boat Bill

Dear Troy,

Gasoline is going to be with us for a very long time. It took 100 years to get to where we are now. I have seen the price go from .50 to 1.00 a gallon around 1975. I got out of a big boat in 1993....27 ft with twin V-8,s (2.00 a gallon then). As the fuel price goes up....usage goes down on on any motorized vehicle. $4.00/gallon prices will certainly reduce motor/boat operation for the struggling masses. $5.00/gallon will cripple the US economy and your pleasure in operating your boat. Alternative fuel sources will not be cost effective or cheap. Your ability to economize fuel consumption in your boat will be foremost if you are an active boater. Electric batteries for the "green cars" run from $6,000 to 10,000 dollars every five years. They have their place in the big city and would die instantly without government subsidies. Gasoline will always be with us.....but will you have the income to pay for it? I still have a 23 ft. boat that I can use almost anywhere and it is on a trailer in my back yard because that's what I can afford on a limited retirement income. Don't worry about the availilibilty!! Worry about the price and whether or not you will be able to pay for it!!!!

Respectfully submitted, Jet Boat Bill

Dear KS22,

Congrats on calling in a Bald Eagle! They are a magnificent bird and a mature 3 year old (with the white head) is a large bird. Saw one on Lake Road in Pultneyville, NY last winter... Wingspan was awesum!! The restocking of these birds in Montezuma Federal Wildlife Refuge has been very successfull. They also migrate along the south shore of Lake Ontario in the spring.

Respectfully submitted, Jet Boat Bill

Dear WoodsChurch,

Know your equipment (Mag 10's), start with the basics. Are both rigger counters set at zero with the weight at the water surface. Are both weights the same (in color & weight?)? The Cannon mechanical counters are extremely accurate. I have checked them to 200 ft. and they are within 6 inches checked against a steel surveyors tape. The first two years of the LCD window counters (on Cannon's) was a disaster!! They were off 20 ft. PLUS when the counter read 100 ft.!!!They were driven by a magnet in the wheel and sensed by a "Hall probe switch" in the rigger. The point is to know where your rigs are and they should be identical. ....Anytime one rigger doesn't catch fish...when the catching is good.....tells you to get thinking!! Run identical lures and leads off the NON-PRODUCTIVE ONE! Or move the productive rod and lures to the other rigger! Stick to basics. Speed is very critical as Ray K stated. Lure size is next and running the correct color/pattern is the most frustrating. BE sure you are running the correct lures with the hooks phased properly. Running 15 lb. test fluorocarbon leaders will definitely increase your success. BUT you must use the correct knot or you will experience expensive break-offs! Run good quality small ball bearing swivels in front of spoons. Use Coastlok type snaps. Getting the correct action is paramount to catching fish. Speed variations due to wind, waves, drift and currents are common on Lake Ontario. These all effect the action of the lure or Spoon. In closing, go where the fish are and try to pick days that the weather will be kind to your boat and well being. Respectfully submitted, Jet Boat Bill

Dear KS22,

You own a fine weapon (S.S. Ruger). It will function well if the ammunition is manufactured or reloaded properly as previous posters have stated. Cheap China mfg. ammo will jam and perform poorly. Clean the weapon after each use. Different types of powder cause noticeable changes in performance and fouling! Read and understand some of the info on various websites about the firearm. Most complaints about operation can be traced back to the ammo used. Crimped ammo is mandatory in any semi-automatic rifle. ......History......This S.S. rifle was almost canceled by Ruger in the early 1980,s Ruger placed a one month Ad in a large boating magazine.ONE MONTH! The demand went crazy and I couldn't get one any where in the US. A fine rifle made by a USA gun manufacturer.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jet Boat Bill

To all concerned firearms owners,

This Blair Holt thing died in committee early (2009)last year. (IRS TAX Form Change) It keeps popping up on various websites such as TrapShooters.Com. Just understand that their are people out there that want your guns taken away. Mayor Bloomberg and his Mayors Association are the current people to watch according to the latest NRA "watch list" His friends are the worst and smartest. One guy is a former ATF agent and is writing really nasty proposals that will make any weapons/firearms owner cringe! Watch every politician!! They have lost contact with the average American. Vote everyone of them OUT!!

Respectfully submitted,

Jet Boat Bill

That is a very good question. I remember the day that the hurricane wiped out the "Sand Bar" at Sodus Bay all the way to the east side.(Lake Bluff)..1953. And I drove both a 57 Chev 270 HP and later converted it to a 283/283 F.I.(1959) And I remember the day in 1970 when the DEC set trap nets at the mouth of Sandy Creek and came up with 22# SALMON? Who would ever think that a whole new fishery would emerge from planting a few fingerlings! And the only Captains (....Fishing Guide in 1954) on Lake Ontario were up at the "St. Lawrence River" catching a lot of Muskies and telling "big fish tales".

Time marches On!

Jet Boat Bill

Dear Andy,

I have a call into Mike Gustin, avid fisherman (Eye Guy on the VHF radio) and excellent pilot, (also a Captain!) at his office (Webster Eye Care) here in Webster, NY (585-265-3710. I should have an answer for you today. Also check with one of the Charter Boat associations or Captains in your area....Syracuse. Please take note that color perception is extremely important for navigation. Red buoys & lights, Green lights, white lights etc. all tell a story in marginal weather conditions. The USCG takes every item on your application and closely examines it, right down to your birth certificate info. Many hurdles to jump thru! Every Captain I know takes great pride in getting this document.

Sincerely,

Jet Boat Bill (Ex-Capain!)

Dear Big Easy,

Yes!! "Worm Proof Boxes" will stand up to the plastizers used in rubber worms. I have seen"USDA Food grade" polyethylene sheet goods outgas at room temperature cause negative chemical reactions with polycarbonate!

Sincerely,

Jet Boat Bill

Dear J..2 and Big Easy.

The list of solvents (above) for polycarbonate includes several found in our "new gasoline". This is a possible source of the problem. But be aware that "plastizers" in the carpet may also be the source of the chemical attack, especially when exposed to direct sun light and heat (outgassing!) and in direct contact with the rigger case. Who made your boat carpet? Who was the manufacturer? And what country did the fiber come from??

I would lean towards the gasoline vapor exposure, but do not rule out the carpet fiber!

Respectfully submitted,

Jet Boat Bill......former Materials Engineer and Failure Analysis Specialist in......plastics!

Dear TTFlyer,

Braddocks Bay is a unique body of water. The channel and lack of water depth over the sand bar are a real navigational problem unless you plan ahead and MOTHER Nature is not blowing from the NE!! Conventional propellor or I/O boats are at a distinct DISADVANTAGE. A 26 Penn Yann Tunnel Drive will extend your "Boating Season" unless their is a North to NE wind. A PY tunnel will draw about 15 inchs of water under thrust in gear at low speeds. (OWNED ONE and docked in Braddocks!) Got out in late July and August when we had a dry summer. Bumped bottom and the the boat would almost come to a stop the last 100 ft. of sandbar!!! IN APRIL!!! The "sand bar" is as hard as a concrete floor! You can walk across the channel in hip boots and the bottom feels like a paved road!! The DEC knows the type of sand there and lists it as a "Unique Estuary" and can identify the sand due to its unique properties. Hit bottom with a prop blade and it will bend/deform the blade. The sand will destroy water pump impellors YEARLY! Due to the sharp corners on the grains of sand!!. I went out of there two years ago with my present 23' Jet Drive boat (DRAWS 11 inches!!) and bumped bottom for at least a 100' of sand bar!! If the wind is North to NE, you will HIT bottom hard with your hull!! Fiberglass doesn't do well on Impacts!! My 1/4 inch thick aluminum bottom on my boat will take a lifetime of skidding across sand bars!.

Also this sand bar grows in length and shallows rapidly during long periods of NE winds. Think this past September!! I do love this port and bay, it produces some of the best early fishing and is the closest harbor to the great structure off of Braddock Point. Boating out of Braddocks is a real challenge! Especially when the wind switches to the NE while your out!

Respectfully submitted,

Jet Boat Bill

DEar FT,

It sure sounds like you have a small air leak in the intake line coming from the tank to the pump. I HAVE NEVER SEEN a primer bulb installed on any OEM Mercruiser 6 cylinder Inboard or I/O. Remove the primer bulb and replace the line with 3/8 inch ID marine rated fuel hose. Be sure and pull the fuel supply elbow out of the Searay tank and check the pickup pipe for obstructions CAREFULLY! I have seen the plastic push on pick up pipes cause some frustraing fuel supply problems. Replace with an aluminum pick up pipe with a 45 angle on the end for maximum reliability. I have seen partial blockages in the pickup pipe which a new $100 dollar fuel pump couldn't beat! If there is a check valve fitting in the elbow on top of the fuel tank, BE sure there is no crud stuck on the check ball! Another source of inadequate fuel flow. I have installed 90 degree turn type shutoff valves instead of check valves. You must have a check valve or shutoff valve to meet USCG tankage requirements.

Respectfully submitted,

Jet Boat Bill

Dear Boatino,

Another piece of advice....You only have 28 days from DATE OF SALE to pay the NYS Sales TAX!!!! The NYS DMV is where you pay it and do not lose the receipt! THE NYS Sales Tax Department will audit the info after 90 days and send you a bill and fines & interest if you missed the time limit of 28 Days!! Been there, done that!

Sincerely,

Jet Boat Bill (any purchase over $500 out of State)

Dear Boatowner,

Only boats under 20 ft. will have a capacity plate. Federal Law & BIA requires one. You should establish the exact model and contact Bayliner or a Bayliner dealer. If the boat is 19 ft xx inches, it will have a capacity plate. If more than 20 ft. as stated by the manufacturer, I do not believe you will find a capacity plate. I believe this boat is shy of 20 ft. BUT the only source accepted is the MANUFACTURER, Bayliner.

Good luck with your quest!

Sincerely,

Jet Boat Bill

Dear SS,

What year is this boat? My old 86 270 Searay Amberjack with dual stations had one switch in the lower station that switched the starting controls to the upper station. Switch handle up....upper station starting. Switch down, lower station starting controls. These dual station boats do have quite a complicated harness.

I would get a voltmeter and check the voltage at the positive (+)coil terminal on each engine...when each ignition key is turned to the ON position. You should see 12.0 volts or more at the + coil terminal. If not, start checking wire terminations and wire runs for damage or corrosion, especially on the back of the ignition switches. All this assumes you have Mercruiser Thunderbolt IV or V ignition distributors and modules. This can be very time consuming!! Trouble shooting dual stations and correcting an electrical problem ranks you up with the GURU'S!

Does this have electric shift motors? I have also seen the neutral shift switches act up from age and corrosion. Let us know some more details please.

Respectfully submitted,

Jet Boat Bill