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    Looking for a good mobile mechanic in SF Bay Area, CA

    Hi all, Hope this is the right place to put this :) I have had an amazing mechanic for 10 years, but he is unfortunately retiring. I've heard such horror stories about marine mechanics... people overcharging hours, skimming off the top on parts, doing a bad job, the list goes on. I prefer to...
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    Switching from trailering to storing in a saltwater slip... what is a "must do" to protect bravo3?

    I run a b3 on a trailer. Switching to a salt slip. I've heard nightmares about b3s in the water as far as corrosion. I hope they're overblown but just in case I want to do EVERYTHING possible to reduce corrosion. Trying to build a comprehensive list of all the things that I must, must do that...
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    Tracking down and repairing leak in aluminum hull (starcraft islander)

    Hello all, I have an old starcraft islander 22 and it has a pretty bad leak. I had it out for about 2 hours the other day and when I pulled it in and pulled the plug it drained for probably a solid 10 minutes. I don't know how much water was in there but I'd guess at least 50 gallons, if not...
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    Replacing/Repairing 1968 StarCraft Islander Bow Hatch/Hinges

    Hello, I have a 1968 Starcraft Islander and the bow hatch is kind of messed up. It's a little dented and dinged up and the hinges are in bad bad shape. I'd like to replace the whole thing (hatch and hinges) but I don't know where to get a new hatch. Does anyone have a source for finding these...
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    old (unsure of year) Honda BF75 (7.5hp) outboard won't throttle in neutral or reverse

    Hello, I have an old Honda BF75 (7.5hp) Honda Outboard. It starts up great, run great, shift great, but will not rev up at all (throttle seems locked) when in neutral or in reverse. Is there something I'm doing wrong here, or is this normal? Any suggestions on what I should be looking for as...
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    hooking up 4stroke kicker to existing fuel tank (starcraft islander)

    hello, I'm adding a kicker to my starcraft with a built in fuel tank and an I/O. My kicker is a 4 stroke with a pull start/tiller operated, so all it really needs is gas. I've read a bunch about how to hook up fuel to a kicker, but I just want to clarify a few things. 1) I read that you...
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    Old Honda 7.5HP (BF75) fuel line - buy NoS or replace connector?

    Hi everyone, I have a very old honda BF75 (the 7.5 HP, not the 75hp) and my fuel line connectors finally bit the dust. I was looking for a new line and everyone seems to be saying that they just don't make those old Honda fittings anymore and recommended changing the connectors on the actual...
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    I cannot find the right U bolts (1/2 x 4 x 3.5) anywhere

    Hi everyone, I absolutely CANNOT find U bolts for a 4x3 (4" tall, 3" wide) trailer frame. Looking for 1/2" hot dipped galvanized bolts. After some digging, I found u bolts that go vertically (that is, they are 3" wide and 4+ inches long) but I can't find any that let me bolt things on to the...
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    TON of questions about Starcraft Islander (22' - 1968) upgrades, modifications, etc. :)

    Hello, everyone! I have a 22 foot Islander from 1968, and it's going to be in dry storage for a few weeks while they're ripping up the road in front of my local marina. I figure I can use this time to make some strategic modifications :) For reference, I'm pretty mechanically-inclined, have...
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    Anyone use synthetic nylon winch cable? Or anything besides steel?

    Hello, I have steel cable on my winch, but it's getting old and I'm starting to get a little nervous about it. I imagine that having a steel cable under tons of pressure exploding in your face is pretty painful, so I'm thinking about replacing it. I could just get steel again, but as I am...
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    testing water pump mercruiser pre-alpha

    Hello, I have an old mercruiser prealpha and I'm booting it back up after winter storage. I want to test the water pump but I can't find clear directions in my manual. My outdrive is a prealpha and my motor is an old (60's) GM 165. How can I test to see if water pump is working? I was hoping...
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    Question about anchoring while ocean kayaking

    Hello, Apologies if this is the wrong place to post this, but I didn't see a dedicated kayaking sub-forum, and most of the kayaking questions that come up in a search are in this "Boat Topics and Questions" section... happy to have this moved if there's a better place! My question is about...
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    testing old Mercruiser 165HP starter

    Hello, I was given an old starter from an old mercruiser 165HP, i think it's GM made. I want to see if it works, but I don't know how to test it. It was given to me without the solenoid, so all it has is the plunger thing so I can't just jump the solenoid. Please see photos. Is there some way...
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    Looking for outboard tune-up person or shop in SF Bay Area (CA, USA)

    Hello, I am looking for someone to do a tune-up on some small (2hp and 4hp) outboards, but I don't even know where to start looking. I've called a few of the marine mechanics around the SF Bay Area (California), but they've all said that they don't do small tuneups, just larger service. Can...
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    Complete novice wondering about what to look for in a boat (offshore California)

    Hello there! I am a novice boater (i.e. basically zero knowledge) wondering what to look for in a boat that can go ~8 miles off the coast of Central California. This is a bit of an odd situation, so before I put my foot in my mouth and make it look like I am being totally unsafe, maybe I should...
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