High Bidder

Fished at Mexico 2 weeks ago. 3 out of nine fish had lampreys attached. I was amazed that they wouldn't let go after being thrown in the cooler. I had to cut them in half until they released. 2 of the lampreys were about 12" long and the other about 18". I also was amazed at the number of lampreys. Most of the bigger salmon had lamprey marks. High Bidder

What HB unit do you have? I installed a B60 and using it for the first time last weekend in Mexico Bay was not impressed. My 778C HD unit of course does not have the 50kHz setting so I can only use it on 200. But it showed a lot of clutter between 60 and 80 ft when I was in 150 ft. of water or less. In deeper water the screen was clear, showing only the occasional fish marks. I tried adjusting sensitivity and everything else I could think of and it didn't change. In the local lake it worked fine although it did mark a lot of fish which wasn't totally believeable. But it didn't have the screen clutter. I hate to upgrade my unit as I would have to totally rearrange my dash setup to use a larger FF unit. High Bidder

I changed from 13" bias to 14" radials last year. What a difference. It tows much better. With the 13" bias tires, I kept having the cords separate and was buying a new tire every 600 mile trip. I had to build new fenders for my trailer out of metal to give clearance for the 14" tires. Which is also better because they won't fly apart if or when I ever have another tire blow out like the plastic fenders. As for the brand tire. I really don't have enough miles on mine to recommend any specific brand. I still have (3) 13" bias tires and four wheels if your interested in a great deal. High Bidder

Thanks, I just wanted to be sure they weren't getting too hot. I appreciate your response. High Bidder

I got my boat out today(1993 5.0 OMC IO) and installed my spare outdrive to test it. It ran great after I changed the outdrive water pump housing.( lesson learned, when installing a new impeller also use a new housing). The risers were cold until the thermostat opened and then they got pretty warm, too hot to keep your hand on it. How hot should they get? Last year I borrowed an infared heat gauge they registered about 170 degrees. Is that about correct? I had replaced one riser that ran hotter last year and removed and cleaned the other one. The engine temp stayed between 165 and 160 degrees so the T stat is working. Thanks High Bidder

A broken pad or the rivets holding the lining rusted away is definitely a possibility as mentioned above. Or the wheel cylinder rusted and when it expanded to brake, it stuck there. Newer type brakes free wheel in reverse so you can back up without the brakes locking. I had both of these thing happen already. I now remove the rubber dust cover on the wheel cylinder and grease the housing before I store it for the winter. High Bidder

I have a Simrad unit with a linear drive on my IO. It is a great system but its rather expensive to buy a new linear drive unit. I was lucky and found a unit that a guy bought and never used and got it for 1/3 the cost of a new one. I would have went with a Sport Pilot if they weren't recalled when I wanted one. Also the Simrad AP14 was no longer available either. So I opted for the Simrad 2401 system. Waves don't seem to affect its steering effectiveness as much as wind. If there is a crosswind it takes awhile until the computer system "learns" how to compensate for it. If you're in heavy traffic it may not learn fast enough. Also to connect it to you GPS unit you have to make your own adapter cable. High Bidder

Thank you Yankee, Now that I have a reasonable chance of it working I will install a b20. I should have known better than to expect a service rep to provide a answer to a technical question. Hey, at least they spoke english. High Bidder

Got a reply from Humminbird today. All they said was that they wouldn't recommend using another company's transducer(Airmar b20) because they want you to buy theirs. (Exact words). Not a word if the 50/200 Airmar transducer would work on my 778c. Their advice was that I should make a level spot on the outside of the hull and use their transducer which doesn't have a tilted element. I guess I expected better from Humminbird. It seems, just like Lowrance, they have people answering technical questions that just look up information in the manuals. Or they really didn't want to tell me if the Airmar would work and try to force me to buy theirs. Either way this is probably the last Humminbird I'll buy. High Bidder

I checked my manual and I don't see an option for selecting 50/200 on the 778 unit. It must be only on the 800 and up series units. I guess I'm stuck with a poorly functioning transducer. I don't have the space for a larger unit. Sometimes I regret selling my Lowrance 337 and replacing it with this Humminbird. With the Lowrance I could search for fish when on plane speed. The Humminbird still holds bottom but it doesn't mark any fish. Thanks for the replies. High Bidder

I would like to put a thru hull transducer on my boat but it seems that the only one I can find with a tilted element are the 50/200 kHz. My Humminbird 778c HD now has a 83/200 kHz transom mount transducer. My question is will the airmar b20 with a 12 degree tilt work on my unit? The plastic thru hull that Humminbird sells does not specify if it has a tilted element. I would prefer the brass transducer if possible. High Bidder

One thing also to consider is that you have to use the same make and model of prop to achieve the 400 RPM change for a 17p vs a 19p prop. If you use a different brand of prop the rpms could vary as much as 1200 rpms. I speak from experience. High Bidder

Thanks for the replies. I was sure hoping I could just use a higher pitch prop. Last year I changed from a 19 pitch prop to a 18 pitch because I was 400 RPMs below the recommended WOT. Hopefully the 19 pitch prop will work on this other outdrive and give me close to the right RPMs and still a good trolling speed. Thanks again High Bidder

I picked up a spare OMC Cobra outdrive that was off a 4.3 V6. It has a gear ratio of 21:19. My boat has 5.0 Ford engine and has a ratio of 21:18. Can I just use a prop with a greater pitch to give me the same max RPMs and about the same top end? I am not really concerned with top speed but doo want to maintain the correct WOT RPMs. High Bidder

This spring I am going to convert a trailer to disc brakes. I noticed when I received the brake kits that it doesn't indicate which position to mount the calipers. The bracket can be bolted on in various positions. What I need to know is what position is best. Caliper towards the front, rear or top. There are two bleeders on each caliper to make them universal for right or left side. I found plenty of information on the actuator conversion and bypass solenoid but nothing on caliper position. Thank you High Bidder

Recreational trailers are exempt from the DOT requirement here in PA. But any truck over 10K is required to have a DOT no. and a combination license if pulling a commercial trailer. ie. skid loader, mini trackhoe etc. I only know of trucks with a GVWR of 12,500# getting fines in NY for not having a DOT no. High Bidder

I would recommend a sonar/ GPS combo just because it is easier to install system upgrades. The sonar only units do not have a SD slot and you have to buy a special computer cable for upgrade downloads. The cost is about the same if you add the cost of the download cable. I bought a Humminbird 778 plus download cables plus adapter for USB port and ended up with more expense than just getting the 788 combo unit. High Bidder

I felt like a failure when I had to read the instructions to assemble my grandson's new bicycle. I just didn't notice that some of the bolts were left handed. I think the Chinese do that to remind us who is in control. Luckily my wife didn't see me resort to the instructions. I still have some of my pride. High Bidder

I installed the AP24 on my I/O boat two years ago. It has performed very well even in 4 footers. It has to be connected to your GPS to access all the functions and I had to build a cable by using a simrad cable and splice it to a Lowrance cable. I also had to install a NMEA 2000 system to connect all the devices. It was relatively easy to install. In my case it works better than the AP14 because it is connected directly to the outdrive unit with a linear drive and not the cable steering. If you have hydraulic steering it probably wouldn't make a diiference. High Bidder

I find it amazing that some people ignore or rather choose to ignore the "toxic" chemicals they use all the time. As fisherman, we power our boats with toxic chemicals which are directly exhausted into the lake. We bottom paint our boats with toxic chemicals which are designed to wear off into the lake. We lose tons of toxic lead items in the lake every year. We lose tons of plastic lures every year. But not many of us would like to go back to a rowboat with just a hook and worms. Mostly the real concern with gas wells is that some people are going to make money on the natural gas wells and those that chose not to buy land are going to get nothing. If the government figures out how to take most of the money from the wells the concern about fracking will disapear. High Bidder

I prefer separate units, but I made the mistake of buying a Humminbird fishfinder only. Since the fishfinder does not have a SD slot I had to buy a special unit to download the updates and also an adapter cable to connect it to the USB ports that newer computers use. I could have saved money by buying the fishfinder/ GPS unit which has the SD slot. High Bidder

I am watching this thread with anticipation. Next weekend I am coming up to Henderson for a two week fishing vacation. I appreciate the reports and soon hope to hear that a few salmon are being caught. High Bidder

I seem to be having a difficult time finding plug wires for my 93 OMC Ford 5.0. The wires are different from automotive wires at the distributor cap end so I have to go with marine wires. I ordered a set of Sierra wires but the spark plug end is on a 90 degree bend and hits the manifold before seating on the plug properly. The wires that are on it now have a 45 degree bend at the spark plug end. Does anyone know where to find the correct wires? I know OMC didn't use the Ford engine that long which is why parts are a little harder to find. High Bidder

I am refering to the mounting base plate for the rigger not the swivel. The bolt didn't fall out when the rigger was attached, but I remove the rigger for the 300 mile trip to and from the Lake. After arriving home I noticed the bolt just barely hanging on. It is just inconvenient to store the bolt elsewhere on the boat. Other than that I liked the new rigger. It is alot quieter than the older models. High Bidder

I noticed today that I almost lost the bolt that secures the downrigger to the base(new Model). Apparently there is a retaining washer on the bolt that came off and the bolt was barely hanging on the base. I was lucky it didn't fall out as I had the base turned so the bolt was outward. So this is just a word of advice. Keep your base turned so the retaining bolt(with knob handle) is facing the inside of your boat so if it falls out it will land in the boat. I now stocked extra SS bolts in case I lose one. I also am going to machine a small groove in the bolt and install a spring clip. High Bidder