Brian S

Thank you for the kind words Kyle, I really appreciate it. I've had the chance to meet several people from using the classifieds here, as well as trading advice/information with guys on a wide range of topics relating to fishing. In the past I've been a part of other forums for different hobbies and I can honestly say the folks on LOU are, by far, the best. Sent from my SM-G975U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Maybe palomar for the mono first and then figure 8 for the multi strand wire. Sent from my SM-G975U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I've used a simple figure 8 knot for this and a dab of glue. Sent from my SM-G975U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I.D. of all seastar hoses I think are the same but I'm not 100% certain. The ends of the seastar hoses(swivel nuts) should attach right to your baystar steering cylinder and the existing ORB fittings coming out of your baystar helm where the baystar tubing hooks up right now. You need to get the length right though when ordering because you can't shorten or lengthen them and they aren't cheap. I mounted the hydraulic pump, network backbone, and course computer under the driver console and the heading sensor/compass inside the in floor rod locker where I had additional space. The AP pump will have additional lines plumbed from your helm into it so that will be a factor in deciding where to mount it. Tons of great information on Seastar's website to read through on adding an AP to their system. If you plan on doing the hose retrofit and an AP yourself, I would recommend doing it all at once. Unhooking fittings and hoses makes a mess, plus you'll only have to bleed it once. When I did mine, I orginally converted the boat from cable steering to Baystar ( should have went straight to a Seastar kit). Then I upgraded the nylon tubing from the Baystar kit to Seastar hoses. Then I added an autopilot. And finally I moved the autopilot to a different boat. Yeah, I like playing in hydraulic oil......... Sent from my SM-G975U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I did it on my Lund. I did however upgrade the rigid plastic baystar hydraulic tubing with the seastar hoses. Easier to work with and actually according to teleflex seastar( who also makes baystar) the better hoses improve steering response even more. Anyway the baystar cylinder is just a bit smaller displacement but should work fine with most hydraulic autopilots. I ran the raymarine evo-100 with it. Worked awesome. Sent from my SM-G975U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

The prop on my 150 is a 3 blade, 13.5" (assuming I'm measuring correctly) and 19 pitch aluminum. It is almost certainly the original that the dealer or manufacturer selected for the boat ( I am the second owner). Sent from my SM-G975U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

My boat too has the Mercury 150 4s as the main motor. I have already installed a smartcraft tachometer to adjust rpm for trolling and I agree, it works very well. I ran this setup on my Lund in lieu of a kicker due to cost, space, weight on transom, and because I knew I would be sliding up in boat size. I am considering the kicker because I plan on keeping the Starcraft for a long time and I wonder if keeping 10-15 yrs worth of trolling hours off the main motor would be worth it. Combine that with the redundant safety of having an auxiliary engine and that is where I am at. I have 2 large batteries in the bow that must weigh 60lbs each for the electric trolling motor. Do you run an electric motor on yours and also have batteries up front? Thanks for the feedback. Brian Sent from my SM-G975U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Looking to add a kicker to my 16 fishmaster 196 that is already pre rigged for Mercury. Thinking a 9.9 pro kicker and was looking for opinions/ experiences. Anybody running a late model 9.9 pro kicker and if so what are your likes/dislikes? Some searches I did turned up complaints on the fuel system( carb, jets) fouling up with ethanol gas, but I only run the non ethanol anyway. Anybody have or heard of this? Sent from my SM-G975U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Depending on how big the mono is, I might also use an Albright knot. Sent from my SM-G975U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Uni to uni Sent from my SM-G975U using Lake Ontario United mobile app