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usmcpaul

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Everything posted by usmcpaul

  1. That is exactly what happened to me. I tried to force it. Trust me that wont happen again. Mark, I don't know where the river is and never even considered it. Probably would have made for a more enjoyable trip. I was all hell bent on fishing, I had a boat, saw the lake and the rest is history. Luckily, my buddy kept his cool and things worked out. One thing I learned was those planer boards really look cool jumping 3 feet out of the water, and the releases on them work very well. I am going to have to back them off cause I couldn't get them to release no matter what. I ended up reeling them in while they were diving, what a PITA.
  2. I am speaking of myself. Yesterday I wanted to take the boat out real bad and finally go fishing. So called a friend if mine and we headed out. It seemed like a nice enough day, and I checked the weather forecast. It called for some wind later in the day, but I wanted to go real bad, so I said "Ahh what the hell, it can't be that bad". (Famous last words). So we headed up to Lexinton. It was a little windy when we got there, a few white caps but nothing too bad I thought. Well we got out about 1/2 mile from the harbor and started setting lines, and then BAM! The wind went from 10-15mph to 35+ just that fast. I decide to pull lines about 3 minutes after I set the last one and we started heading in. I had my buddy driving while I was pulling the lines and he accidentally got the boat in a position where we were 90 degrees to the waves and we got hit by a big one. I thought for sure we were going over. It ripped the passenger seat out of the base and stuff was flying everywhere. I took over immediately and got us back on course straight into the wind and had him pulling the lines. It got so bad I nearly had him just cut the remaining line, but decided to have him pull the final one, while I drove. I must say I learned a lot from this experience, but WOW I have never been so concerned (not scared, because Marines don't get scared.... but if it was possible for a Marine to be scared, I would have been ). I am embarrassed about my utter lack of common sense yesterday, and hope this post will remind those other beginners out there to heed the weather forecasts, even if you think the weather man is full of it.
  3. I would inject the holes with fiberglass resin and cover each end with fiberglass cloth and smooth it out, it will hold forever, and look good.
  4. On second thought, If you are considering the Hi-Locks, just go with a SS nut and bolt, they both have about the same head protrusion and are a lot cheaper/easier. Sorry I got carried away.
  5. Frank, If there was a movie made about me, the famous line would be " Ahh, there's nothing like the smell of a freshly bucked rivet in the morning"
  6. Hey man, I was an aircraft mechanic for about 12 years and have replaced tens of thousands of rivets in my day. So here is my take on your situation. Replacing rivets is generally pretty straight forward, but there are a bunch of different rivets/variables to decide upon. Any local A@P mechanic (Aircraft Mechanic) will be able to hook you up, but if you are not close to an airport you will have to try and order them. Sure you can get them, but will they sell you just 6 or 7? If I were you I would go to a local airport and ask the mechanics for a few rivets, generally they are great guys and will be glad to give you a few, usually they will have a bunch laying in the bottom of their tool box. If not, PM me and I can get a few of the common alloys and sizes sent to me if you give me the correct size. ( I only have a few thousand of the smaller ones left) The other problem is what kind of rivet are you looking for? The "good" rivets are the solid type, which need to be "bucked" which is actually pretty easy with just an air hammer and pieced of heavy smooth steel generally called "bucking bars". However solid rivets come in a variety of different alloys, D and DD being the most common. I would personally use "ice-box" rivets because they are very soft at the beginning and EXTREMELY HARD when cured, but if you mess up, good luck getting them out. ....Edit ( "ice-box" rivets might be over kill, but still my first choice when going through wood, because they are so soft at the beginning) The second option is the "blind rivets" which will require a very expensive special gun, and they are actually very inferior to the solid type, but very easy to install, and only used when you cannot access the back of the rivet to buck it. (I do not know if they make an automotive type "pop rivet" that long) and I would not use one on my boat, but I am sort of a "rivet snob" Your biggest concern is going through 1" of wood. And the problem is that if the rivet starts to bend while you are bucking it, the wood will not "help keep it straight" and you will end up with a totally screwed up joint that will leak and not hold well at all. So the wood has to be hard, and the hole drilled to a close tolerance. If you want to go with the rivets, PM me, and I can explain it much better, but I rather suggest that you use some stainless steel screws and nuts, with some sealant instead. Or Hi-Lock Fasteners, which only require an allen wrench and box end wrench, but the final length (including compression) needs to be within about 1/8 inch. Sorry for the rant, I am sure I am over-thinking it, but that is my nature.
  7. Jim, I don't pretend to understand all of the above, however it makes me feel better to know a little something more. Thanks for taking the time to explain it. Nick thanks for the link, I will order one today when I get home.
  8. Thanks man. Next week I plan on getting the boat set up/rigged, and your help is greatly appreciated. So is there anything to the gain differences that are advertised? ( 3,6,9 db. gain) Or is that all marketing B.S.? For example I just Googled a site that advertised an antenna that said: * Powerful brass radiators * Soldered connections * Power directing ferrite choke bead * High gloss urethane finish * 316 stainless steel ferrule * 6dB gain The only thing I really understand is the welding/machining properties of 316 stainless steel, other than that, they may as well have told me that my "Flux capacitor is rated at 13,000 Jiga-watts" ( from "Back to the Future" circa 1986) Is there a "standard" or some type of placard/data card on my radio that states what I should look for when buying an antenna? P.S. I am not trying to put you on the spot, nor am I asking for a specific model number, but am I asking for some unbiased advice on the "general qualitys" to look for, just because I think your advice is better than the advice from some 19 year old, zit faced, high school kid, posing as an expert. LOL (no offense to 19 year old, zit faced, high school kids posing as experts)
  9. Mainiac, I am going to buy an antenna for my radio in the next few days or and I need some advice on what to get and you sound like the man to ask. I thought about PM'ing you, but figured it would make a nice informative thread to help clear up some things I have been reading about radios and antennas. Firstly I am not a radio'holic and have very little/no hands on experience with VHF radios. I am not name brand biased, as long as it works and I can afford it, I am good, so please lets not turn this into a manufacturer bashing thread. I am not trying to contact Martians, but would like the best performance I could reasonably get. With that being said, I already have a gently used, Uniden Oceanus that I want to install and my boat has a cracked Shakespeare 8 foot antenna that needs replacing with a stainless steel adjustable base that still looks good. I know there are a ton of variable when it comes to antennas, but I would like to narrow it down a bit. What are the most important things to consider when buying and mounting it? Currently the antenna base is located only about 3-4 feet from the radio and I have heard this is a no-no? Secondly, do I need to have my radio 'tuned' to the antenna. If so, who or how, would be able to do it well? As far as grounding, what should I do to make sure the radio and antenna are ground properly(i.e. ground directly to battery?) should I coil the antenna wire or cut and splice it to make a straight run to the radio? With a limited budget, I would like to make a correct, educated guess the first time. Thanks, Paul
  10. Lowrance customer sevice is not very highly rated right now, so if you do have a problem you may have a rough way to go. Search the net and see for yourself. I was going to get a Standard Horizon CP300 before I found a good deal on some used equipment. I found some very good reviews, but you will not find many reviews, at least not the number you would find with a Hummingbird or Lowrance. The entire setup would set you back about $1300.00, not too bad for an 8 inch screen, color unit. There was another fellow on this site, that was going to get one ( CP300) this spring, hopefully he will chime in and give us a report. I still want to get one, but will wait till next year
  11. Post a sketch of what you need and I will make it for you. A picture of the original would be very helpful also (top and bottom).
  12. If you don't mind Bob, I would like a copy also. PM sent. Thanks, Paul
  13. Great another East Sider...Welcome to the site! I hate to criticize you on your first post, but you went about the wife thing all wrong. You need to buy a motocross bike (YZ450F), spend tens of thousands of dollars on equipment, fees, parts and trailers, and then start riding MX tracks...Then after a broken collar bone, torn rotatory cuff, a few nights in the intensive care unit, 7 or 8 E.R. visits, 1 or 2 crushed disks in your back, a subdureal hemotoma, 3 or 4 broken ankles, 2 broken fingers, a broken wrist, a titanium plate and several pins and screws, and 5 or 6 months of physical rehab, crutches and pain killers.............. she will be begging you to buy a boat, and all the equipment/lures you want! Trust me... and let me know if I can be of further assistance..
  14. Yea, 94 would definitely be better from that area. I was thinking Muskegon,:crazy: sorry. But, it should still be about 4 hours or so, and you can just stay on 94 and it will take you right to Harrison.
  15. I live only a few minutes from Harrison Township and it is about a 4 hour drive from Grand Rapids, I have driven it a lot, just take 96 straight across to 696 and then 696 to 94 and then East. It's pretty much a straight shot and not too bad. Try not to hit 696 during rush hour (4:30 to 6:30) and you should be fine, if you do, expect another 30-50 minutes. As far as hotels go there are a few decent looking chains in the Utica area (20 min away from Harrison at the M-53 and M-59 crossroads and that area is packed with restaurants, pubs, bars, but not on the water), and of course the Casinos downtown ( about 30-40 minutes away,but pretty easy to get to, you would not have to drive through the ghetto, they are all right off the highway). I would Google some big name places and stay away from the little named "troll motels" there are a few that are pretty seedy looking. I am sure there are some nice places on the water, but I don't know of any, by name. I would imagine that if you looked in the Jefferson Beach/ Grosse Point area there are some nice places, with some night life and that area is on the water. If you find a place of interest, just post their address and I can give you a run down of the surrounding area.
  16. They rebuilt Ted's a few years after the original place burned down. They still have good food. Guys I tend to agree with the whole association thing, however I did sign the papers so that ship has sailed. I don't like the rules most of the time, but the up side is that I don't have to look at some guys "rusted out, p.o.s., 1973 Colemen, pop-up camper". It may be the greatest thing since sliced bread to him, but to me it's an eye sore, and I am sure he think the same about my lovely boat.
  17. I dont know if this will work, but in Motocross I used clear nail polish on the edge of my graphics to keep the edges from from lifting up. Maybe it would work for spoons...I dunno.
  18. I keep my boat at a Marina called Deckers Landing. I can not keep it at home for more than 48 hours because it will not fit into my garage. If I try to keep it outside longer than 48 hours, the Association Nazi comes by and starts to hassle me. What about the guys that keep thier boats slipped at a Marina? I was considering making some sort of anti-theft device so it would at least slow them down. For the most part my friend says the marina is pretty safe, but you never know.
  19. O.k. first off I did not search for this, but I was just sitting here and I wondered; Do you guys remove your downriggers from your boats after each trip and take them home with you, or do you just leave them on and hope that they don't get ripped off. Same question for electronics, baits and other valuables. I only had my boat for a few weeks before I shrink wrapped it and I removed everything each time, including rods and lures. It's kind of a p.i.t.a., and I eventually started leaving my Fish finder because its so old, no one would probably ever want it.
  20. Do you guys shrink wrap your boats, and if you do, when do you normally take it off? I am dying to cut into mine and get to work, but I don't want to open her up and then get a blizzard roll in. I have a ton of stuff to do and I am like a kid waiting for Santa on Christmas eve.
  21. You type faster than me so ....no chemicals... I have been using a Flap Disc called Jumbo Zirc made by Garryson for my angle grinder, and they work freak'n great. They last forever and I get them at my local welding shop for about 5-7 bucks each.
  22. I agree with Maniac, however, not all paint stripper is created equal. There are strippers out there that are for certain paints and will not touch other paints. Buy small quantity's of strippers until you find the right one. For example Lacquer stripper will not touch Epoxy Polymide paint, and vice-versa. I painted a car one time and had to buy two different strippers because the first one stripped off the 1st layer but would not touch the 2'nd layer. Maybe I ran into some weird situation, but I have been told this by others.
  23. Steve, I have a large aluminum bracket that is mounted to my transom from which I will be hanging the motor from, so it (the kicker) will not be mounted directly to the transom. Currently the bracket is not adjustable, however, you have given me an idea. Instead of lengthening the motor shaft, maybe I should modify the bracket to adjust the kicker lower in the water. I think it would be much easier to lengthen the motor shaft, but I have not found any place to buy the parts yet, although I have not looked super hard yet.
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