Bozeman Bob

Tiara is 1' longer and 1' wider ,weighs a 4- 600 lbs more and from what I can tell has more deadrise than the Pen. So it should run a lot better in slop. Need more info on the Pen , engine or engines ? Inboard or I/O ? The engines are a lot further apart than a twin engine Pen , you can actually work on the inner facing parts of the engine ,plugs, manifolds ,alternator ect. My opnion, the Tiara is a much better built boat ,from hardware and overall design to the layup of there glass. www.yachtsurvey.com has a write up on the 27 open ,might be worth reading. I assume [ from trying to decipher your post ] that you currently own the Pen.

Wouldn't worry about 3 or even 6 ". If they take a measurement its going to be at the stern. Most ,not all , boats are a bit wider where the bow area ends . They then taper back as you get to the stern. Ask the seller what it measures at the stern.

Probably take you 10-15 years to recoup your investment on a kicker. The 350 is going to burn 1-1/2 GPH at troll . The kicker 1 GPH maybe a bit less , Depends on how much you get out , and you have a new engine which in theory should be trouble free . Between the radio, cell and Tow USA [ insurance for that is around 150 per year ] or whatever may be in your area I would lean that way. Or I would buy a older 2 stroke and put it on for emergency's and not bother with remote controls , you can buy a tiller extension and store a 3 gallon gas tank in the bilge if need be. I would also rather listen to the 350 idling along than a kicker running at 1/2 throttle going in and out of the water all day long ,but that could be a matter of personal preference. This is just food for thought and if you really want a kicker have at it !

If you have a hynautic steering system ,yes you can hook up to a I/O. If you have a power steering pump ,like on a car it won't work. Try turning the wheel on your car with the motor off ,same thing on boat. Unless you idle the big motor which would be self defeating. Are you trying to save gas ? keep hours down on the 260 or concerned about trolling speed.?

Yes they are bow heavy , Kicker is going to set you back a bit $ , decent 10-15 hp 4 stroke - separate controls ,fuel line gets teed into main fuel line and hooked up to a autopilot. Since its a inboard you cannot connect to a outdrive so your only choice is autopilot . Probably have to get in touch with Taylor for glass and hatches are usually Bomar which can be found on EBay along with rubber window molding. Boat companies outsource pretty much everything but the hull ,so google or ebay/Amazon will be your best bet for locating specific parts. 99% of boats do not have a actual owners manual so boating forums are your best resource for specific info , Iboats and the hulltruth.com are decent sites. Lastly I would have it surveyed and let them know that's your biggest concern. At the very least triple check the transom and the stringers for rot. They are known for that , dock neighbor has a 25 and after be bought it discovered the stringers were internally falling apart , So tapping and listening for a dull dud sound or removing some screws or driliing into a few spots and taking a small pick to remove the shavings to see if there mush is going to tell you a lot. Maybe see of anyone has a moisture meter that would also work without drilling holes.

In a lot/most cases you cannot just grab the prop with your hands and try to spin it to see if it's spun. It might take a prybar or 2x4 to get it to move , so I wouldn't trust what the "mechanic " came up with unless he did that which it sounds like he didn't.

Op stated he was under way when " it slipped out of gear " . Once a mercruiser out drive is engaged it will not slip out of gear due to the design of the gear box. The exception might be if you hit a object at planning speed and even that is doubtful. I do wonder how the mechanic ruled out a spun prop with the boat being in the water , unless he could see the drive shaft not moving while the engine was running.

The coupler is made out of aluminum with a rubber doughnut [ to help cushion the shock of F/R engagement ] between the outer housing and the inner splined coupler. That will let go before the steel drive shaft.If the drive shaft has not been aligned or checked that may also add to the splines being semi worn to begin with. Couplers can be found at NAPA along with online for 100-to 150. New gimbal bearing [ while you have the outdrive off to remove the coupler , ] might be needed as well. If that starts to go it allows play in the drive shaft which then tears up the coupler. It may be a DYI job if you can get to the back of the engine where its connected to usually the flex plate. I have done it while not removing the engine on a inline 6 mercruiser , not sure what you have for a engine as you never mentioned that, probably one of the more important things to do when posting about drive line issues. You can fire her up in the water and if the drive shaft is not moving that means the coupler is shot as the FNR is in the lower unit ( bullet ) and the drive shaft is always moving to turn your impeller which might explain the hard starting as it probably was running hot with no water being pumped through it.

Pretty sure that you would drill a hole at each end of the crack to keep it from spreading. (There is no reason in my book to remove the floor.) I would then have them bend a peice of metal to conform to your bottom where the crack is and then weld it on. Not going to affect your performance and would be the quickest, easiest way to fix it.

I am guessing that you replaced the distributor cap ,not the whole distributor. Was it timed if you swapped the whole thing out ? Usually the fuel pump is good or bad . When was the last time the plugs were changed or looked at ? After checking them I would pull the carb and have that rebuilt , sounds like the float or passageways could be messed up. Local car repair shop /marina / can do it ,or check out the net for carbs rebuilt [ depending on how much down time you can deal with in the middle of the season. ] Or buy a new one ,probably around 350-400 depending on where you buy it from.

Depends on time of year and water temps among other variables. Saw a big name Charter boat out of Olcott fishing west of Wilson Saturday. In April, May and early June I see boats that are out of Oak Orchard docked in Wilson. 1st stop for them is usually the Bar. IMHO anywhere from the Bar to Olcott and from 15 ft to 550 ft can be productive during the whole season. During the fall run Olcott has a ton of boats patrolling out front that are going after the staging Kings. Don't see that out of Wilson. Sometimes it's just a personal preference where you have caught them.before ,so you stay in your comfort zone and return to that area.

I would suggest you buy 2 of the 22" . They will steady your boat while in the ditch like you wouldn't believe . If using just one and taking waves on wind on the port side ,set up the bag on the port side ,it will have a natural tendency to push the bow into the waves and make it easier to steer . I also recommend the G2 Bags ,they are IMHO the best ones out there and are bullet proof . Just bought my second set from them ,different size than the first ones and I will use both sets at different times based on lake conditions .You email in what you want , takes a day for them to get back to you and they ship immediately from Pa. So you get them in a day or two.. I have no affiliation with them ,just saying you will not be disappointed . G2 outfitters.com I believe is there web site.

I know most ducers need water to keep help keep them.cool. So my uneducated guess would be , yes as long as you keep anything hooked up to said ducers turned off while on plane. Hopefully your not forgetful. If all your worried about is the paddle wheel I would run it until it fell off , or just remove the wheel and be done with it. Then put it where the manual tells you to place it.It's pretty useless to begin with as you have GPS giving you more accurate info .

Yes you can. The fiberglass is just a outside shell for the transmitting/receiving cable that runs inside the length of it.

No way would I pay 5,000 for a transom repair. You could buy another boat for that kind of money . . I am guessing that 500 to a max of 1,000 would be the going price for the repair your looking at. 500, for a basic plate over and 1,000 to knock out rivets and weld her back up. This would be based on you taking engine and anything else on the transom off so they have a clean slate to work with.