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    Antifreeze circulation through engine

    All I've ever done to mine (Merc 4.3) is remove the blue plastic drain plugs (5, I believe), and that's it. No warm-up, nothing. (No need to warm it up if I'm not putting AF in, correct?). Never gets really cold for days on end here in north Georgia, so I've been safe. What else should I be doing?
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    Carb advice, please.

    So occasionally hitting the carb with carb cleaner isn't recommended? I figured that might keep the gunk down...
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    Carb advice, please.

    A little background...I've had my boat (1999 Bryant 182 Ltd, with a 4.3 Merc, A1G2) a few years now, and it's always run pretty "iffy". This year I had a guy put a new (remanufactured) carb on it, and it has run great ever since! Starts right up, no problems. What I want to know is, what can I...
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    Finally got my boat to full speed

    Ok, anyone have recommendations for props, like specific makes/models? Thanks!
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    Finally got my boat to full speed

    My thoughts as well. Thanks for the reply!
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    Finally got my boat to full speed

    Yes, had it trimmed up. It started making that weird noise (cavitation?), and that's when I trim down a tad. Yeah, I'm thinking a 19 pitch 3-blade *should* get me a few more m.p.h... maybe a stainless would perform even better? Thanks for the reply!
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    Finally got my boat to full speed

    Ok, so I've finally gotten my boat out in calm water, with just me and my dog. It's a 1999 Bryant 182 Limited with a 4.3 Merc. I have a 4-blade, 19 pitch prop on it (Turning Point, I think), and the boat topped out at 4500 r.p.m. and 40 m.p.h. Does this sound about right? I occasionally take a...
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    2bl vs 4bl

    Yeah, I wish Mercruiser had done the same with their 4.3 as Volvo did with their 5.7. I'd like to switch from my 2 barrel to 4, but finding an intake manifold is kinda hard. :-(
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    Replacing winch

    I'm ready to replace my old corroded winch. My question is: if my boat weighs 2500 lbs, is that the rating I need to get for a winch? And is this "2 speed" and "3:1", "4:1" stuff about? Any recommendations? It's for a Boatmate trailer that came with my '99 Bryant 182. Thanks!
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    Nav lights not working

    Update: got a guy to look at it for me. I had a broken wire to the stern light and as for the nav lights, it turned out to be a badly corroded connection on the inside - replaced that, and viola! I have lights! Thanks for all the replies!
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    Nav lights not working

    Well, I checked the fuse visually, then I switched the fuse to the "horn", and it worked. So I figured the fuse has to be good, right?
  12. T

    Nav lights not working

    Got around to checking the fuse...it's good, so the problem is something else. Unfortunately, checking the fuse is the extent of my mechanical/electrical abilities. :-(
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    Nav lights not working

    Ok, so it got dark on us while eating at a restaurant, and I got nothing when I tried to turn on the nav lights, but my horn works (in the same panel). How should I go about troubleshooting the problem? It's after midnight right now, so looking for pointers before I start on tomorrow. Thanks!
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    Backfire

    Ok, so I dropped my boat off at my mechanic's to have a remanufactured carb installed... He just called and said that he it had a hard time cranking up, and when it did, it backfired and blew out the intake gaskets. How does a backfire occur, specially that big of one? Ugh! Btw, it's a 4.3...
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    Towable recommendation

    Yeah, I'm thinking just a basic, two-person towable, and one of those rope ball things.
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    Towable recommendation

    Looking at getting a towable. Don't need anything real fancy - just a 2-person tube. I've also seen these little balloon-like things that folks tow between the boat and the towable (to keep the rope out of the water and minimize splashing, I believe?) Any recommendations for these items? Thanks!
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    Vortec or not?

    Thanks, bruceb58!
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    Vortec or not?

    I have a 1999 4.3 liter Mercruiser with a 2 bbl setup. Looking at 4 bbl setup from a 1995 Merc 4.3 LX. Will this work? I don't know when Merc started putting the Vortec heads on their engines (I assume it makes a differdnce). Thanks for any info/advice!
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    TKS carb as replacement

    Got a question: I'm about to purchase a remanufactured Metc 2 bbl carb for my 1999 Mercruiser 4.3L V6 (807764). Can i, instead, replace it with a later, TKS model (866141)? What else would I need, and is it even a worthwhile "upgrade"? Thanks! Tony
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    Ride quality

    I've been curious about something. Given the same basic hull design (best if it's the same model, like Glastron does with their runabouts), would the ride in an OB boat be worse than with an IB/OB, seeing as how it would weigh quite a bit less? I just instinctively think that a lighter boat...
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