Bozeman Bob

Glad you didn't take it the wrong way ! I heard through the grapevine that one Pro team got DQ'd and another got by on the skin of there teeth as there were questions about there storage of fish as well.

Nice report . To the best of my knowledge the Pro's are not allowed to cull there fish ,so whatever they catch that is legal in size goes in the box . Many of the Pro's were in by 9-10 am because of limiting out so quickly.That may be a reason why you landed the biggest fish vs the Pro's not having the option of culling there catch. Please don't take this the wrong way ,you did a fantastic job out there ,just wanted people to know there are different rules for each division. Maybe next year fish the Pro division and see how you fair against them straight up. Again nice report and congrats on the big fish !

Have never seen that before, at any rate if it was designed that way I would leave it alone.

To the best of my knowledge the "over fill " line is on the front of the carb and goes back to the fuel pump ,not the valve cover. Why would they have raw fuel possibly being dumped into the valve train ? Most Mercruisers have a hose on each valve cover that goes to the spark arrestor air filter. Any oil-residue that is generated by the engine that ends up in the valves covers is pushed and drawn towards the carb where it gets burnt , in theory with the gas. Not aware of any vacuum lines that would be attached to a valve cover , if anything there would be pressure not vacuum associated with the valve covers. So if its a 4 banger and only has one valve cover then leave it there. Doesn't hurt to clean the metal "air cleaner ' maybe wash out with old gas or carb cleaner , then wash-soak in a old bucket with dishwashing detergent.

I would not worry about your putting it where it is in the picture. I would say 99% of fires on a boat are started by fumes [ and a errant spark ] .Fumes will drop to the lowest point in a hull , your bilge ,not in the area you want to put the tank.. That's why your blower duct hoses are set up to suck air and fumes from the bottom of the hull , not mid point or higher. If your bus bar and batteries are properly set up and all connections are doubled check I would not give it a second thought.

I took someone to small claims court ,he never showed up, I won the case . Here is the good part ,I was told to find out where he works ,good luck with that , then give info to Sheriffs dept , they collect it in small payments over many months , then I had to drive downtown to collect the monies from the Sheriffs Dept. It was a few hundred dollars , I never bothered and it cost me the small claims fee as well. Had to do it in the village he lived in as stated above. There is no guarantee that he will pay the judgment even if you win the case.Sometimes your better off cutting your losses and moving on. If the block and everything else is good it may be cheaper [ in the long run ] and easier to buy some manifolds off Craigslist or ebay. Good luck

Never ,got stopped at customs and didn't have a passport.

It would be the 4.3 GM block with a Mercruiser outdrive. Or just text Roy as suggested.

May want to replace the Fish finder with a combo unit. The one in the picture looks slightly dated. VH radio ,riggers ,rod holders and or tracks ,Fishhawk, updated safety gear ,2nd battery and selector switch ,new impeller and outdrive gear oil , thermostat , are all possible items that you may want to look into. Or none of the above and just use what you feel comfortable with.

Salmon banger ? Out with jumper and back to back seat or seats,can't tell from the picture.. Pair of captains on swivel bases. Sound insulation on the engine box.Carbed engine ,you may be able to get it down to trolling speed without putting a plate on the outdrive. Whatever you paid for it is going to be at the very least matched or doubled by what you put into setting it up. I know this from first hand knowledge by doing it to a couple boats in the last few years. Good luck with a barn quality find !

Hmmm , I thought I read someplace that it takes a year for a "drop " of water to move from one end of Erie to the other. I would think if they opened up the dams as much as they can on the St Larry that they could keep the levels somewhat under control. Not going to lose any sleep over it , just deal with it when the time comes.