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  1. wrvond

    1974 Sea Ray SRV 220 CC (Nerdin Bros)

    On your canvas- the two large rectangles are your Bimini tops you can raise them individually or zip them together to form one large top. They are normally stowed by collapsing the bows, wrapping the canvas around the bows, then covering with a (usually) matching fabric boot with zipper to...
  2. wrvond

    Why a pickup?

    ​Quite frankly, I doubt any SUV has significantly more weight over the rear axle than my truck has. However, at 20 feet long bumper to bumper, it tows much nicer than anything else I've ever owned - including a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4. ​As a rule, a truck is going to have more payload...
  3. wrvond

    Fuel stabilizers

    Getting ready to winterize and was surprised at all the flavors of Stabil on the market these days. This led me to do some research and I have determined that Stabil is really nothing more than light refined petroleum (lighter fluid or naptha if you will). So then I came across another product...
  4. wrvond

    Bottom paint removal, is it possible?

    Wellcraft170's thread on bottom paint removal got me wondering: My boat was marina kept for years and has ablative bottom paint. It's now a trailer boat and will likely remain so as long as I am alive. I thought about removing the bottom paint, but thought it would leave the gel coat rough. ​Can...
  5. wrvond

    Rats!

    My office is within walking distance of the Levee and I walk down there at least once a day (gotta stay healthy!). I think I spotted one of those vermin recently. Some guy was about to walk down the gangplank to where a couple boats were tied up, he saw me at the last minute and suddenly did an...
  6. wrvond

    Rats!

    Both my boats are trailered, and I have never stayed tied up anywhere for any appreciable length of time. But next week I will be moored for four days and nights at a city dock. It has occurred to me that I have never seen anybody using rat guards on the boats that tie up there. I will have at...
  7. wrvond

    Broken transom tie down straps

    Both my tie down straps broke today. Started shopping for new ones and discovered the old ones were grossly under rated and that most straps are. My boat weighs 6100 pound dry, and I have no idea what the trailer weighs. So what should transom tie down straps be rated at for this application...
  8. wrvond

    Footwear and falls

    I'm with ya!
  9. wrvond

    Replacement VHF antenna needed

    On the way home today something reached out and broke my antenna in two places. It is a Shakespeare 5206-C, which doesn't appear to be available. It looks to me like the 5206-N is the current model. Is this correct? Is there a better choice to go with the Standard GX2340S OMNI 25 watt VHF/FM...
  10. wrvond

    Recertification Update Program

    Browsing eBay for a factory service manual and came across a 1995 Mercruiser Stern Drives Inboards Recertification Update Program Manual. What information would I find in this manual?
  11. wrvond

    Outdrive swap

    I have a 7.4L with Bravo I outdrive. I'm toying with the idea of swapping to a Bravo III. Not too concerned with the Bravo III corrosion bugaboo, so is there anything keeping this from being a straight swap? How much of the outdrive would have to be changed? All up to the gimbal ring? More...
  12. wrvond

    Cracks in gel coat

    2002 Tahoe Q3 18 foot bow rider with Mercruiser 3.0 Alpha 1 The other day I noticed a crack running between the bilge drain hole and the oil drain hole. The crack continues from the oil drain hole to port a foot or more. The crack(s) appear to be limited to the gel coat. My questions: Does this...
  13. wrvond

    Are new engines a bad thing?

    Shopping for an express cruiser, and came across a 2002 280 Chaparral Signature powered by two Volvo 4.3L engines that were replaced in 2013. Is it a bad thing or a good thing when a boat no longer has the original engines?
  14. wrvond

    Poop disposal

    On boats with holding tanks, is the only option to go to a marina and vacuum the tank out? If I get an express cruiser that is kept on a trailer, is there any way to flush the black water tank using a gravity drain? To be clear, it is my understanding the marine head comes in two varieties: the...
  15. wrvond

    Looking at express cruisers (I think)

    We looked at a used 1999 Sea Ray Sundancer 270 yesterday, as well as some newer boats in this class. Do all these boats have an aft berth? With just the two of us, this seems like a real waste of space. At first I thought we could leave the V berth with the table set up and sleep in the aft...
  16. wrvond

    Boat pulls hard to the left- it's not the trim tab or trim fin. Looking for help...

    The gimbal ring is mounted to the outside of the transom. Your out drive "hangs" from it from two points (port and stbd.) and the gimbal itself is mounted top and bottom. This is what allows the out drive to turn left and right and move up and down. Stand behind the boat and have a helper...
  17. wrvond

    After all these years, suddenly I have questions!

    Hi, I have a 2002 Tracker Tahoe Q3 18 foot I/O bow rider with Mercruiser 3.0 and Alpha I out drive I bought new. It had some initial problems back then, such as inop fuel gauge, inop bilge pump, some kind of broken/missing line through the transom - this allowed the water to enter the engine...
  18. wrvond

    Trailer wheel options

    Hi all, I do not have a spare for my trailer. I have been toying with the idea of putting wheels on the trailer that match my Jeep. The advantage would be that I would only have to carry one spare that would be shared by both trailer and Jeep. Not to mention I think it would look good! :) All I...
  19. wrvond

    Introduction

    Hi, I own a 2002 Q3 that I bought new. The boat had several issues, including dropping a rod through the oil pan, but all was fixed under warranty and it has run well for the past three seasons. We travel up and down the Kanawha River and the Ohio River. I have all the original manuals for the...
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