I’d love to hear about your trip. How long did it take? Did you go overnight? How was the water conditions? Did you go beyond Benicia? Any interest sights? Etc etc.
36 year old boat been sitting for the last 6 years. I would be concerned with a lot more than if the engine is powerful enough. You need to do a thorough inspection of the hull and interior. I’m not sure there is no wood in the hull but I would definitely verify that. Even if no wood you may...
The first thing you have to look at always is the loaded weight of what you are towing and the tow capacity of the tow vehicle. The dry weight of your boat is as far as I can tell close to 3000 lbs. Add 1000 lbs for the trailer. Then add for equipment you’ll have in the boat and a full tank of...
Wouldn’t even try to suggest a boat that fits all your wants/needs. Since you mentioned Ranger Tugs I’ll just say they are a top of the line awesome boat. Everything about them is top quality and the company stands behind their boats. If there’s a problem they take care of it. I can’t say enough...
Your boat is ok for the trip. The winds are just not real predictable from one day to the next. Some days the winds scarcely let up but most days it’s fairly calm mornings. The winds generally get going around 1 pm and increase over the next 8 to 10 hours. The same applies not only around Rio...
I know the area well, been boating the delta for 50+ years and many trips to San Pablo Bay and SF Bay. I’m not clear exactly what you information you are looking for but I’ll try to give you what I can. Answers to a couple questions would be helpful. What size and make of boat? Is this a day...
Here in Northern California 108f yesterday, cooled down to 102f today. High 90’s and low 100’s forecast the next 10 days. We have about zero humidity here so the heat is tolerable. You’ll find me either in the pool or in the air conditioning.
I’d run from that deal. If the guy is not telling the truth about the year then I doubt the hours are truthful. If you can afford it you are way way better off with a new engine.
You should be fine in your boat. Still it can get pretty rough around Rio vista in the afternoon so just exercise a little caution. I know the bay around Martinez can get rough too in the windy afternoons. Some days it’s calm around there but summertime is when the worst winds seem to happen...
The Garmin 8612xsb is an awesome unit. As far as I know you can plot routes. You should be able to put in all the waypoints you want between Martinez and Sacramento. You can do so even with cheaper less sophisticated units. Read your instruction manual. It should contain all the information you...
I make it a point not to use other people’s stuff. The exception is I may use small inexpensive things like hand tools, a camping item, and things like that. Things that if they break I can easily and cheaply replace. I can’t remember the last time I used or borrowed from someone.
The worst time...
If you can’t quickly determine the problem then you should take it to a mechanic. Engine warning alarms are usually serious and if not heeded can be catastrophic.
No matter what you should replace the impeller more often than 3 years. Even if the boat isn’t run and just sits you need to replace the impeller. I replace mine every other year.
If the beeping is from the engine running hot, then you’d want to replace the impeller which would probably be the cause of running hot. Replace the impeller and the see if it still beeps? When was the impeller last replaced?
A couple questions- what boat and motor is it? How long have you had the boat? Did it just suddenly or recently start doing this? Suggest you clean the area thoroughly and then run the boat in neutral while observing the engine compartment to see if you can determine where it’s coming from.
If you just want to keep crud, airborne debris, leaves etc. out temporarily just get a large blue plastic tarp and tie it down. When you decide on which boat you are going to keep then get a custom made cover made of sunbrella or something similar.
Cheap generic covers are just that - cheap...
Synthetic oil vs. regular oil is an ongoing daily discussion/argument across dozens or hundreds of websites. There is no single correct answer. Rather than over think this and argue back and forth, the best approach is to simply follow the recommendations in the owners manual. Just follow the...
It really absolutely makes no difference what the 15 year old boat cost new. Zero, nada, zilch difference.
But for what it’s worth I bought a brand new Alumaweld with a 115 hp merc ob in 2004 (or maybe it was 2005) for $28,000 as I remember. Yours would have been a little more since it was...
