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  1. J

    Loose Ground Wire

    I was getting shocks from the motor on the last outing and on closer inspection I found the ground wire (at bottom) had come loose. I also noticed a second wire from the CD module (the one on the right in the picture) that was loose. I seem to remember that this has never been attached to...
  2. J

    Tohatsu M40C shift linkage

    I was out on the water yesterday when the pin in my M40C's shift linkage sheared off. I was able to repair the link with a piece of stainless cable so it wasn't a big deal and we continued our dive day without too much delay. Now that I'm getting ready to make a permanent repair, I'm wondering...
  3. J

    Tohatsu M40C issues - possibly carb related

    My M40C has been acting up for the last couple of outings. Here's a summary of what happens. Motor starts and runs fine when cold. When the motor is hot/warm, it won't fire. Open the choke, motor fires and then dies. Close the choke, motor fires and then runs roughly. If you put the motor in...
  4. J

    Salt deposit between engine block and lower unit

    On my M40C, I have noticed a little bit of salt build up on the joint between the engine block and the lower unit. There doesn't appear to be any leak around the head gasket. Is this something to worry about or is this normal/acceptable? Thanks.
  5. J

    Power management on open inflatable

    I have a 15' inflatable with tiller steering (no center console). I'm running a fishfinder/GPS and a fixed VHF radio (both mounted on the transom). Up until now, I've wired these units directly to the battery with inline fuses and wrapped the wiring together with electrical tape. It's pretty...
  6. J

    Portable water heater

    I figure some of you might be interested in this design for a self-contained water heater that you can use on a boat. I copied this from one I saw online so I can't take credit for it but it's too good not to share. It's based on the Eccotemp L5 propane water heater. If you already have a...
  7. J

    Towables

    My kids want to get a towable they can ride on behind my 15' Avon SIB. I'm not sure what size of towable to get or even if it's a good idea to put extra stress on the transom. Any advice? My kids have found a large used (2-3 person) towable for $100. My boat has a 40HP motor and runs about 25...
  8. J

    Montgomery Ward Sea Kings

    I just came across these on the LA area CL and thought they might be of interest to someone who's looking to repower a vintage boat with authentic period motors: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/boa/2374659422.html I have no affiliation with the seller and don't know whether it's a good...
  9. J

    Avon Transom Repair

    The strip of hypalon at the bottom of my boat's transom has been coming undone. When I repaired it last year, I used penetrating epoxy to reinforce the transom in a few areas where it was starting to delaminate and then glued the hypalon back in place with 2 part Bostik. I recently noticed that...
  10. J

    Lake Powell camping

    My 14-year-old son and I are planning our first boat camping trip to Lake Powell at the middle of next month and would appreciate any recommendations that would make it more enjoyable. We will launch our 15' Avon inflatable from Wahweap and spend 2, 3 or perhaps 4 nights camping on shore as we...
  11. J

    Why is it so hard to tune my Tohatsu M40C?

    I bought a rebuilt M40C from a Tohatsu dealer a year ago. It took about five return visits and a new carb to get the thing running smoothly. After that it's been running flawlessly for about 80-100 hours. Last week I took the motor to a different Tohatsu dealer for its annual tune-up (plugs...
  12. J

    Greasing steering/tilt on Tohatsu M40C

    I just noticed the zerk fittings on the leg of my M40C. How much grease should be added and how often? TIA, Jon
  13. J

    Wrong size seals?

    I took the hubs off my trailer yesterday and found that there was water and grit in the grease around the bearings. I have Bearing Buddies on the outside of the hubs and they were well packed with grease so I think the water/grit must have come in from the inside seals, which I replaced last...
  14. J

    Fixed VHF & Antenna, No Console

    I occasionally take my 15' Avon across to Catalina (25 miles each way) and though I think I'm pretty well covered for emergency communications (6 watt handheld VHF, SPOT, handheld EPIRB and a cell phone) I'm considering adding a fixed 25 watt VHF and antenna to provide greater range. My boat is...
  15. J

    Beating the heat

    I have to store my Hypalon boat outside and temps can exceed 100 degrees. I'm trying to find ways to keep the boat as cool as possible as the mercury rises in the summer. I've treated the boat with 303 and I have a rigid cover made from 1" foam insulation panels (as well as a fabric cover)...
  16. J

    Trim tips

    I have an Avon 4.6M SuperSport with an aluminum floor and a Tohatsu M40C. After six months of headaches, I FINALLY got the motor running properly and took it out for its first long-range outing last weekend. The problem I'm having is with the trim. The boat gets up on plane and runs for about...
  17. J

    Wooden transom repair/refinishing

    I searched the archives and couldn't find an answer that fit my question, though I can't believe it hasn't been asked before ... I have an Avon inflatable and when I was cleaning it out after a trip this weekend, I noticed some very minor spots of rot in the transom (dark brown spots next to...
  18. J

    Cleaning Avon B-7 Valves

    I have slow leaks on some if not all of the B-7 valves in my boat. They're not leaking badly enough to warrant a rebuild yet but I'm wondering if it's worth taking them apart, cleaning and putting them back together. The instructions for taking out the diaphragm seem fiddly (turning the valve...
  19. J

    Tohatsu 40C Headaches

    Back in December I down put a deposit on a 40C that a shop was rebuilding. Between the holidays and delays in getting parts, it took almost two months for them to complete the rebuild. No worries ... conditions weren't good for boating. On the first outing the motor ran fine for a while but...
  20. J

    Adjusting idle on Tohatsu M40C

    I recently bought a rebuilt 40C and it's started to idle a little low and stall out. The mechanic offered to adjust but rather than drive 100+ miles round trip, I'd rather do it myself. He gave me general directions on what to do (turn screw 1/16" clockwise) and even though I have the service...
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