Misty IV

It's a ride for you, but I've had my mounts done by Fish Wish Taxidermy in Pulaski. Maggie Rathje is the owner and can be reached at 315-298-4588. I've been extremely impressed with her work and turn-a-round time. My first was a 33lb King back in 1997. It still looks as good as the day I picked it up. http://fishwishco.com/

Borderline, lots of great info there. Thanks. I am fairly sure my warranty has expired. The previous owner of the boat had to replace the engine and outdrive after failing to winterize the boat. I bought the boat with 10 hours on the new drivetrain 4 years ago. So, yeah, I'm probably out of that warranty claim liability now. After thinking about it, extending the OCI on the engine is probably not a good idea in a trolling application as you mentioned. I try to use my kicker as much as possible, but there are some days the main engine has to do all the work for 6-8 hours at a time. I know that is hard on a gas engine. Will running straight 30W have any effects on the engine for those days I just want to go for a long ride and the engine is at 3000rpm for an hour or so? Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to do this right. I am very an*l when it comes to maintenance on my boat (and truck) and want my investment to last a long time. Thanks again for all the input & help.

My owner's manual calls for the MerCruiser spec 25W-40 oil. Ironically, Mercury Marine is the only 25W-40 out there. I'd like to run a synthetic oil in my engine, with the amount of hours it is running and trolling on the water. Other name brand oil manufacturers offer 20W-50 & 15W-40 in synthetic. I understand the differences in the numbers (been a motor head since I was 10 years old or so). In a marine application, will running a 15W make any difference than a 25W, other than the thickness of the oil when it is cold? I read somewhere in the MerCruiser manual that if an engine failure occurs due to a non-Mercury spec oil, the warranty will be voided. What does everyone else run in their MerCruiser engines these days? My engine is the 4.3L V-6.

I agree 100%. I've never left them on the boat just for that reason. I had a friend years ago felt he'd leave them on the boat, despite my telling him to remove them for the winter. When he took the cover off in the spring, all of his displays were cracked or destroyed. Ended up buying new everything. He learned his lesson the hard way.

Thanks for the replies and input. I feel better about leaving them in the boat now. Starting the winterization process this weekend Is it spring yet????

I added (2) electric downriggers to the boat this year. I'm also running out of room to store all the boat's gear inside the house. I have always stored my (2) manual riggers inside the house over the winter. I was thinking of storing all (4) downriggers in the cabin over the winter to free up some room in the house. Does anyone see a problem with this, especially with the electrics? The boat sits outside under a huge cover with the Damp-Rid containers spread out throughout the boat. We don't get terribly cold in my section of PA, but it has been known to drop into the sub-zeros overnight with highs in the single digits. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

What happened? We had a lot of upsets here in PA. What happened for the upstate I need to be worried about?

I tried that, but it didn't work very well for me. Some friends say it works great, but I couldn't get it to work well at all. Even had those friends try to get it to work and they couldn't. Have no clue why. I got the oil pan drain kit from West Marine over the weekend and hope to install it this weekend when I start to winterize the boat.

Ok, one other thought. About 2 years ago, I had something similar to this. I called Moor directly and spoke to their customer service & tech support line. First thing the tech asked me is what body of water I fish in. When I told him Lake Ontario, he knew exactly what was wrong. It seems Lake O has a higher mineral content than the other Great Lakes and those minerals attach themselves to the sensor pick-up on the probe. It is a relatively easy fix. You need to remove the paddle wheel from the probe. Once that is out, you will see the sensor. Clean it with a mineral cleaner (nothing harsh) and that should help. The tech guy said because of this mineral content, I may have to do this every 2 years or so. Give that a whirl and let us know if it works.

My initial thoughts, too. I had a similar issue this season. Replaced the battery and all was fine again.

Thanks for the quick replies!!

It is a major PITA to drain the oil on my 4.3L V-6. There is very little room between the bottom of the oil pan and the hull. I have tried the device that sucks the oil out of the dipstick tube, but it didn't work very well. I read about a device that replaces the oil drain plug in the oil pan with a petcock and a rubber hose. Essentially, you feed the rubber hose out of the bilge drain in the transom to a bucket or other oil collecting device and open the petcock, allowing the oil to drain out. When the oil is done draining, you simply close the petcock, and refill with new oil. The hose coils up in the bilge until you need it again. I cannot find this part in any MerCruiser part book or on the website. Does anyone know what I am referring to and can give me the part number? Thanks much!

Says pretty much right there. Time to vote these people out!!!

It's getting to the point we're going to have to put a fuel/water seperator inline for our kickers now, too. This is rediculous. Can anyone comment on how the E15 will work in a 2-stroke application? My kicker is a 1971 Johnson which runs like a dream right now, and I'm worried the newer fuels will end that. What effect will the alcohol have on the 2-stroke oil? Will it break it down any and we'll have to "double-oil" or should it be okay?

Happy Birthday, Rod!

Have a nice winter, Glen. I'm headed up next weekend to tow the boat home for the winter. If anything, hoping to run her one last time on the lake, weather permitting. May just burn off some fuel rather than troll. See you in the spring!

That's nuts!!! Never seen anything like that. I don't hunt, so have nothing to compare that to, but what do you think that bear weighed? Some pretty serious rope there!

Happy Birthday, Bill! Hope the recovery is going well and you're 100% in no time.

Ok, I was wondering. There are (2) hardtop Islanders around the Mexico Point launch. One is actually moored at Salmon Country, while the other is trailered and is at a house not far from the launch itself. If I had a choice, I'd definitely go with the hardtop next time over my soft top. But, for now, I love my Islander the way she is.

FRIDAY SOUTH WINDS 10 TO 20 KNOTS BECOMING WEST AND INCREASING TO 30 KNOTS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...THEN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY. WAVES 2 FEET OR LESS BUILDING TO 8 TO 11 FEET. SATURDAY WEST WINDS TO 30 KNOTS BECOMING NORTHEAST AND DIMINISHING TO 5 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WAVES 8 TO 11 FEET SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FEET. SUNDAY EAST WINDS 5 TO 15 KNOTS DIMINISHING TO LESS THAN 10 KNOTS. WAVES 2 FEET OR LESS. WINDS AND WAVES HIGHER IN AND NEAR THUNDERSTORMS.

Big Dave, where do you launch out of to get on the lake? Or do you keep yours in the water somewhere?

Oh, yes, I know your boat. The (2) American flags is a nice touch. Where did you get your arch/launcher from? I've been pondering doing the same to mine. Misty, I had the 2" tubing delivered from Pacemaker, in Utica, made the components here, in our machine shop, and I am not the best tig welder, so I had a local guy glue it togather for me. I also used 2 large threaded knobs,(tube inside tube) so I can take it down, very easily, if need be. Sweet. It's definitely a nice set-up. The guy I have had up a lot this year for the derbies & tourneys saw your boat a few times and commented on it. He likes the Islanders a lot now.

Shoot. Wish I had heard you better. Think it's time for an external speaker for the radio.

My neighbor let me try a product he uses on his fiberglass Fountain. I tried it on my Islander and it takes that brown scum right off. It's called Sno-Bol. It's a toilet bowl cleaner, of all things. Wipe it on, let it sit about a minute, then wipe it off. Doesn't seem to remove the paint either.