laker1

I realize that this post is about your second amendment. And that some of you are concerned about this being under attack. As a Canadian I note that we have a similar situation ongoing due to the same circumstances, too much gun play due to drugs. In our country the party in power is now suggesting confication is the answer. This process is to be enacted at the local municipal level at their "enlightened "discretion. Ultimately anyone who owns a firearm who likes the great outdoors such as fishermen and hunters or likes to target shoot is at risk. As a Canadian I would like to say God Bless America.Your country like no other has kept us all free from global war. Your generousity as a nation is well known. And on a more personal level , Thank You America for that destroyer captain in WWII who pulled my Dad and the rest of the crew off from HMCS Skeena. The Skeena a Canadian destroyer had its back broken on a reef in Iceland due to an Atlantic storm. The American captain placed his destroyer RIGHT next to the Skeena and rescued the whole crew. THANK YOU AMERICA ! jim

I have a 8 hp Honda long shaft with 6 amp alterator to charge cranking battery. The long shaft gives you great control while trolling compared to short shaft. Using a 17 ft Lund. The Honda has an aftermarket tiller extension which works well. The trolling speed can be adjusted to reduce speed minutely to your taste / conditions. I like a trolling engine that starts easilly.

I realize that this topic " Boat Leaks" is concerned with caulking and sealant . However I would like to share my experience. We almost lost our boat due to aerator failure. The aerator being plastic developed a small crack which shattered over time (years) underneath the rubber piping. I suspect the pipe was over tightened at the factory and vibration from daily boat use did the rest. We just caught it in time! You can never fully trust plastic. Hope you all have a great New Year!

Sharing a memory from this year. Its late September and Bob Holden and I are fishing in Canadian Esox's Musky Tournament. Bob is an accomplished multi species angler. Fishing has been poor with rain and fog in the morning and bluebird sky in the afternoon. Its now late in the day and we have only time for one more troll at Forest Island. We released our lures. I let out a Live Target Sucker and Bob let out a white Jake made by Drifter Tackle. Suddenly my line went skyward followed by Bob's. We looked up and there was an eagle overhead with our cranks, one on each talon. It was frantic! What to do? We reeled it in to the back of the boat. Bob then put his leather gloves on and I found a paddle. At the boat the eagles wings beat like hammers across the stern. I placed the the blade of the paddle between Bob and that great beak. Upside down the bird began to relax. Bob carefully removed the cranks and released the bird. Released the eagle half swam and half flew to Forest Island. There it rested a bit and then flew up on to the highest tree where it perched in disgust. We continued our troll. Wish we had a camera. jim

Congratulations Aspiring, You have joined a select group of fishermen! Your trophies look great but nothing beats your son's smile. Amazing what a little confidence and determination will do! There will be more and they will be keep getting bigger. Again well done.

Try using a River Run Manta or a Drifter Tackle Hellhound glide bait. Both have a Great sub surface walk the dog action and are easy to operate with a stiff wire leader. Some guys tweek their cranks with scent or a small dash of sparkle nail polish. But the most important thing is confidence! You should expect to get bit and you will! I expect that we will soon see a picture of your trophy.

A Supernatural Big Bait either a Headlock or a Mattlock because they both wander left and right like a fleeing baitfish on a troll. Natural finish silver or gold in walleye or cisco. Simply amazing cranks !

Here in Ontario we usually have a rodent problem ; otters , skunks or whatever else seeking a winter home in a closed boat away from the cold. My response has always been to use mothballs and great quanities of Mr. Clean placed inside in a container (s) when one of our boats is stored outside. Inside , I also spread it all over the dock when boats are stored in our boathouse. Varmints do not like the smell of soap! Dryer sheets are sometimes included also.

The fuse advice is great ! I put one into my Lund after I found smoke coming out of my transom. The accessary wires had rubbed against the internal transom. The dash fuses did not blow as they were intended to. Instead wire in seeking a common ground burned its way to the sending unit on top of the internal fuel tank. I had turned off the ignition just in time. Now I have a fuse block connecting all my wire with individual fuses just before the battery and the battery itself is only connected with two leads.

If you could Roughrider a little more detail please. I assume your batteries are in series. So if the first is charged to 90% then the charge automatically flows to the second. Have I got it ? You don't need four battery leads from the solar panel.

Interesting topic. I would like to contribute after noting that there has been already a similar concern raised about sound and vibration. Over time, I have been lowly modifying my boat with this in mind. I have pool noodles in seat pedestals and have used them to surround my batteries. I have remounted my internal battery charger on a foam rubber base. I intend to remount my rigger and other equipment on to a rubber base. I have used pipe wrap to partially cover my rigger boom. I note in Florida anglers wrap a cut tennis ball around their rigger line believing that this cuts down on unnecessary vibration/sound. My kicker 's transom is covered with a rubber mat. I have found after exploring with a magnet the odd loose bolt or pop rivet/ piece of wire rolling around on top of the aluminum under my sub floor. In addition I have tested and tightened a few screws and bolts when I found them loose. Has it made a difference? I can only say that while it has been hard to measure ; I feel more confident after doing it.