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    Boat preferences great South bay, NY

    I'm' sure this has been covered before, but I have a 17' Sunbird that runs fine, no problems. My wife has really bad knees, and when the bay gets choppy, she really takes a beating. We keep the boat in and around the Fire island inlet, and East islip regions. I'd like to move up 19 a 21 or 21'...
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    Correct octane?

    I would have done search on this, but well... I have a 1989 88HP johnson, I'm very careful got get the 50-1 mix in the gas, but what Octane should I be using? Does it matter? Thanks!
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    White gel coat restore?

    I have searched for info on this, and read alot, but have not seen what happens to me there.<br /><br />I have a mostly white 1988 Sunbird that probably hasn't been waxed in many years. I have tried 3M rubbing compound and a few others, but they all seem to turn the white gel coat a yellowish...
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    Final top coat paint tips?

    This past weekend, I painted the running "Stripes" on my old boat with interlux Top coat. I used a good brush, thinned the paint a bit and immediatly went over it with a foam brush. i did alot of prep work so the surface was perfect. (Mostly learned form here)<br /><br />Unfortunately the dust...
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    Transom repair

    I've got an 1988 Sunbird. pulled the motor off for some work, and noticed alot of damage on the transom. The top edge where the top fiberglass meets the back of the transom has a wide seam that looks likeit has ben filled with bondo. Is it OK to pull out all the loose pieces and fill w/bondo...
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    How do I know what steering cable to get?

    I have a 1988 Sunbird 17' with an 1989 88HP johnson motor. I've pretty much determined the steering cable is bad. It is not a hydraulic system. I guess rac & pinion? <br /><br />How do i know what cable to get for it? <br />Do all boats use Teleflex systems? Is mine?<br />I've looked for a...
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    Correct gap for spark test?

    I think I have a weak coil. I have a spark tester, and have researched this on the forum, but I am confused. I have seem posts with recommended gaps of 3/8" 7/16" and 1/2". What is the correct gap? Does it matter?<br /><br />I understand i am looking for a bright blue spark and a loud snap, I'm...
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    1989 88HP Johnson stalls when put in gear. Weak coil??

    The engine start fine, but when I put it in gear, it stalls. Not immediately, but soon. In my boat slip, I have to reverse/forward, reverse/forward a few time to get out. I can't get past a few times. Forward seems worse but reverse had it's share also. <br /><br />The motor was serviced in...
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    Cable Buddy? 1988 88HP Johnson hard steering

    I have a 1989 johnson 88HP that is hard to steer at the very end of the run, but only to the right. Turning to the left is fine. <br /><br />From advice given on another post, I cleaned the tilt tube as much as I could, and sprayed the ram? (Not sure if that is the correct name) with PB buster...
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    Tight steering

    I have a 17' 1988 Sunbird, with a 1989 88HP johnson. Steering has been fine until yesterday. Turning to the right is fine, Turning to the left is OK at first and then gets very tight. I really had to fight it to make a hard left. Speed does not matter, it's tight regardless. I do not have...
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    1989 88 Hp Johnson manual lift assist "dead"

    The "lift assist" cylinder on my 1989 88HP Johnson motor does not "assist" at all anymore. I can move it from full up to full down, but this is getting a bit tiresome. <br /><br />From other posts here I'm guessing that I need to change the cylinder. Am I correct?<br /><br />If I decided to put...
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    88HP johnson hard cold starting

    I have a 1989 88HP johnson. that I have to crank at least 5-10 times to get it started. It will kick over and stall 2-3 times during that period. once it starts its fine. Even later in the day it fires right up. this only seems to happen when it sits a few days.<br /><br />I have had the carbs...
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    No room for electronics!!

    I have a 1988 17' Sunbird, with a 1989 88HP johnson. The dashboard is very small and the angle of the windshield is steep.<br /><br />I would like to mount my GPS and fish finder somewhere I can see them, but short of replacing the windshield with something that stands up straighter, I can't see...
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    Electronics cabinet ? No space...

    I have a 17' 1988 Sunbird cuddy cabin. The space above the helm and below the wind shield is very limited. At most I have about 5" height. I would like to mount my GPS, and to get a fish finder, but have no room. The wind shield folds open in the center, and is my access to the boat when docked...
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    Marine Wire?

    I need to rewire my boat completely. There are (from past owners) cut wires, dead switches, about 10 connections to the battery Etc. <br /><br />Is there a difference between normal wire(Home Depot), and marine wire? If so is there a brand that is preferred?<br /><br />This will be my winter...
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    1988 Sunbird, Make my own storage?

    I have a 1988 Sunbird cuddy cabin. This boat has almost no storage. The seats in the cabin do not open up for storage. <br /><br />I was thinking of cutting a section of the top of the seats off at the back of the cabin and making my own. I would brace it internally, and hinge the tops.<br /><br...
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    1988 Sunbird make my own storage?

    I have a 1988 Sunbird cuddy cabin. This boat has almost no storage. The seats in the cabin do not open up for storage. <br /><br />I was thinking of cutting a section of the top of the seats off at the back of the cabin and making my own. I would brace it internally, and hinge the tops.<br /><br...
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    Is this prop correct?

    I have a 1988 Sunbird 17' cuddy cabin with a 1989 88HP Johnson. The Prop is stamped 13.25 x 17 (Aluminum) I would like to get a spare as this one looks heavily used. <br /><br />Is this this the correct size? I'm not looking to fly, (everything is too old for that anyway!) just to get from point...
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    Speedometer not working at all.

    I have a 1988 Sunbird cuddy cabin with a 1989 88HP Johnson. the speedometer is not working at all, tach works fine.<br /><br />Does anyone know if this might be a boat or a motor issue? The boat is new to me and I just put it in the water.<br /><br />Thanks!!
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    1989 88HP bogs down & stalls above 3000 RPM

    I have a 1989 88HP Johnson that runs fine at idle and low speed. When I give it gas, it runs great fow a few minutes, then it bogs down and stalls. If I play with the throttle when it starts to bog down, sometimes I can prevent it from stalling, but not all the time. It always starts right up...
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