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  1. Captain Caveman

    Bildge pump removal

    Agreed. Leave the old bilge bottom as-is. Don't disturb screws that are possibly going through the hull. Just set the new one down in the bottom, or if desired as cyclops222 said, a blob of RTV/silicone/etc will hold it in place enough. Mine just sits free on the bottom. The hoses are stout...
  2. Captain Caveman

    TRANSOM ISSUES!!!!

    I'd say that step one is to figure out how the transom wood got wet again. You don't want to have that happen a second time, after you've done all of this work to fix it a second time.
  3. Captain Caveman

    Nosing down

    If you haven't trimmed the motor back then this is absolutely your main (and easiest) problem. 50hp is a lot of power for only a 14ft boat, so you need to ensure that you've got the setup right. Modern motors have power tilt/trim but the older motors have manually adjustable pins. As you add...
  4. Captain Caveman

    Slip/moored boat what do you do with your trailer?

    I could see that for maybe a small boat with a 25hp or less. It's not hard to unscrew a small outboard from the transom and then make a few hundred $. That said, I've never seen people doing that here in Minneapolis. Then again, you can't leave a boat trailer on the street in Mpls unless it's...
  5. Captain Caveman

    Is it normal for trailer tires to wear unevenling?

    Also have to respond to this incorrect information. The sidewall max is for cold inflation. Reducing it by 5psi is not necessary and is actually an underinflation issue. The tire people know what they are doing. They understand that the psi rises in the tire when spinning. For trailers, inflate...
  6. Captain Caveman

    Is it normal for trailer tires to wear unevenling?

    Revived an old thread because the brain trust here missed out on a key source for tire wear on trailers - incorrect load weight. I didn't realize until many years after buying my boat that the boat dealer put my 16.5' boat on a trailer designed for heavier boats. Therefore the positive camber...
  7. Captain Caveman

    Wakeboat bans

    It seems as though the classic American "Turtle" is what is needed here. A submersible, a hand drill mounted straight up, and a barrel of explosives tied to it with a count-down pocket watch is all that is needed....!
  8. Captain Caveman

    Tonneau Cover

    I have had Truxedo and am on my second Access roll-up tonneau. They work great. They keep things relatively clean unless you consistently drive on dusty roads. When I load an ATV or snowmobile into the bed, I just roll up the tonneau and snap the strap around it. You get full access to your bed...
  9. Captain Caveman

    Strange boat disease strikes.

    Alumacraft and Lunds aluminum boats also hold together well
  10. Captain Caveman

    First launch of our boat

    Glad that you figured it out. You said that this is a new-to-you boat so am assuming it is not actually a new boat. Some of these things are just to be expected. When my motor is trimmed all the way in/down, I can feel a slight shimmy in my boat. Any time that I come off of plane, I trim in...
  11. Captain Caveman

    Slip/moored boat what do you do with your trailer?

    Two more ideas for you to consider and one second-the-motion: 1. If your current storage is $100/mo that is pretty good. However, for retrieving your trailer twice per year I would consider looking out in the boonies for cheaper storage. Anything near a lake or city is going to be more...
  12. Captain Caveman

    For those of us who tow our boat, do you inspect it ?

    My boat is trailered everywhere that it goes. After dropping the boat into the lake and parking my truck/trailer, I usually do a quick visual inspection of the trailer. I will often spin the rollers, move anything that is supposed to pivot, etc. I've spotted bolts getting ready to come loose.
  13. Captain Caveman

    Wakeboat bans

    I was fishing with buddies in a small lake last night. We were on a slow drift, letting the wind push us. A wakeboard boat went by at slow speed within about 50ft. Luckily my 16ft boat was pointed towards theirs. We rocked a lot. They smiled and waved like they were doing us a favor. 30min...
  14. Captain Caveman

    Raising outboard higher

    Many years ago I had a long shaft '79 Evinrude on a mid-80s Fisher boat. The plate was a few inches below the hull. Since it was a clamp on, I really couldn't really go higher as jimmbo noted. However, I bought a piece of 2x2 aluminum tube along with two scraps of flat aluminum, had my buddy...
  15. Captain Caveman

    Boats from work.

    That baby has got back... Does your shop have a Wall of Shame? A place for all of the destroyed parts or crazy things that you've pulled out of boats? In my cabin, I've got a few blown up pistons, broken tie rods, and other things from my ATVs and boats that happened upon misfortune!
  16. Captain Caveman

    Critters in My Boat

    I use the stinkiest, cheapest dryer sheets that I can find. At the least, they smell better than mothballs. They somewhat work but won't stop a determined rodent. Don't use poisons unless they are instant like the antifreeze. Otherwise some eagle, red-tailed hawk, owl, or other beneficial...
  17. Captain Caveman

    Keel guard length

    You will make mistakes and damage it, but Murphy's Law says that whatever preventative measurers you install will not be protect from the mistakes that you actually make. You will likely hit a submerged rock, bang into a dock, forget to put in the boat plug, etc. I've never had a keel guard...
  18. Captain Caveman

    towing - engine in neutral?

    That is not an accurate statement. Many lakes have concrete ramps, but the concrete has to end at some point. This is especially the case on northern lakes where ice and freezing/thawing make longer/deeper launches impractical. Lake bottoms after the launches end can be rock, gravel, sand...
  19. Captain Caveman

    towing - engine in neutral?

    Sounds good in theory, but most people I've seen never do it. Additionally, your boat is already at an angle so even with tilting your prop is horizontal at best but usually still pointed down at an angle. The prop wash does most of the damage to the ramp bottom, not the propeller itself.
  20. Captain Caveman

    towing - engine in neutral?

    To me this is the bigger issue: #1 - powering onto trailer is harmful to the boat landing #2 - if your motor doesn't have a safety mechanism to prevent starting in gear, the boat could lurch when you start it. Solutions: #1 - don't power load. Use the winch or back further in. #2 - part of your...
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