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    Crabbing Help for a Newbie

    I’m a newbie to crabbing and wanted to get a little insight from the experts here. I got a pot, harness, bait box, lead line, and buoy and dropped it in the “crab grounds” near several other pots. Three hours later I came back and I had “donated” my crab pot and gear to the Puget Sound. Tides...
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    Multiple Issues or Multiple Signs of the Same Issue?

    I’ve noticed a few issues recently with my 1989 SeaRay 220DA (5.7L w/ Mercruiser Alpha 1) and I’m wondering if they’re related… At cruising speed (~3200rpm), there is an occasional spike of about 100-200 rpms, sometimes it will stay “up” and sometimes it will come back. I’m still on the...
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    Stuck Throttle last season...cant duplicate on trailer

    Hi Everyone, I was having a few issues with an intermittent stuck throttle toward the end of last season and have that on my list of things to fix as I'm summerizing my boat. I made a small and very minor adjustment by tightening a screw on my throttle and now I cant seem to duplicate the issue...
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    Help! Stuck throttle on arrival into marina

    Was pulling into the marina tonight and noticed that my dead slow speed seemed to be a little faster than usual. When we were parking in the slip, reverse was okay but I kept getting stuck in forward. I tried a few times in the slip to see if it was a one time thing...it wasn't. I've got to...
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    No Wake vs. 5 mph Buoy and BAD Encounter w/ Sheriff

    Hi everyone, I got pulled over last night by a less than pleasant cop and was told that I was "Speeding in a no-wake zone." I didnt really get anywhere with the officer, but did end up with a few fresh scratches on my boat courtesy of his lack of courtesy. 1. What is the difference between a...
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    Best Tires for Towing

    Does anyone know of tires (for the truck, not the trailer) that are better for towing? Time for new tires and since I?ve only got 2WD, I?ve been able to use good tires as a ?poor man?s 4WD? on some of the steep and salty ramps here in Washington State. I had Goodyear Alenia?s which were great...
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    Need advice on fixing chipped gelcoat

    I've got a small chip in the gelcoat on the swim platform of my Sea Ray Express Cruiser and I'd like to get a better understanding of how to fix it before I start the job. 1. The chip size is about the diameter of a quarter 2. The only thing "compromised" is the white gelcoat, the fiberglass...
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    Replacing a bow rail?ever done it?

    My bow rails are on their last leg (and one of them is at the bottom of the lake) and I?d like to see if anyone has any pointers for replacing the rails on their boat. My boat is a SeaRay Sundancer 24 foot cabin cruiser and the rails go up about 1 foot from the bow. The vertical rails and the...
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    Lopez Island in San Juans, WA State

    Has anyone ever been to Lopez Island and/or the Lopez Islander Resort? If so, how protected is the Marina? I've stayed in the San Juans several times at Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor, but would like to get a good understanding of the marina there, how protected it is, and any other tidbits you...
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    Chevy Tahoe 5.3 engine Reduced Power & Stabilitrak Off

    Help! I was driving my 2007 Tahoe last week and the Stabilitrak shut Off and Engine Power reduced (I couldnt go faster than 30 mph). I cleaned the throttle body, checked the drive by wire plug at the throttle body, and did a tug test on the wires, thinking it was something related to the "drive...
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    Good website for auto parts online?

    Anyone have any recommendations? I was changing the plugs on my 2001 4Runner the other day and sheared the bolt that holds the ignition coil (direct coil on the 4Runner) to the valve cover. My attempt at using a reverse drill bit was...not successful and I'm trying to see if replacing the entire...
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    Starting problem 2003 VW Jetta - Thoughts?

    Im trying to figure out the reason why my wife's 2003 Jetta wont start..at first I thought it was the fuel pump, but when I cycle the ignition, I can hear the winding up of the pump, so I've ruled that out. I'm now moving toward the "spark" question and am going to replace the plugs/wires over...
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    Changed Spark Plugs, now its running rough

    I just got done changing the spark plugs on my 1968 Cadillac (which is a great deal easier than my boat), and now the engine is running rough. I changed only the plugs, which looked like the photo shown. The car ran fine before I changed the plugs, but its been awhile since I've done them so I...
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    What Actually Gets Replaced on a Lower Unit Rebuild?

    Can someone help me better understand what goes into a rebuild of the lower unit? It was rebuilt 4 seasons ago on my boat and I'm told that now is a good time to have it re-done. I've put 500+ hours on the boat since the last rebuild and haven't had any problems with the drive, which is an Alpha...
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    To Carb or Not to Carb on 5.7L in 1989 SeaRay

    Every year I do a "pre-summer" improvement on the boat and this year I'm leaning toward a rebuild of my carb. I've never done it before but I think its getting to be that time (500+ hours since the last rebuild), but I'd like to make sure I'm not fixing something that isnt broken. Here's the...
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    Best Marina and things to do in Victoria, BC

    Hello Fellow Boaters, I'm looking for a little advice on a good place to stay in Victoria, BC, can anyone provide any assistance? Looking to be in the "center of it all" but if there is an option that is a little quieter but still close to the city center, I'd probably jump for that. Any...
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    Advice for first overnight

    Whats the one thing that you cant live without on your overnight trip? Taking my 24" Sea Ray Cuddy out in Puget Sound for an overnight at one of the islands and would love to hear some opinions! Cheers
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    Memorial Day in the San Juans -- How to Plan Ahead?

    Hello boaters, I'm looking at places out in Puget Sound to take my boat for Memorial Day. As I'm sure is no surprise, everybody and their brother will be on the water that weekend. I've started looking at a few places in the San Juan Islands and many marinas are already full or nearly full...
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    Which Winch?

    Is there a formula for determining the winch weight based off of the weight of my boat or do I just use the weight of my boat? I've got a 4600 pound boat and the winches on the iboats website only go to 3200 lbs. Is there something other than the weight of the boat that I use to determine winch...
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    Sunk Boat - Lessons Learned

    Last weekend was Seafair here in Seattle, which basically is a large airshow/hydroboat races that always draws huge crowds of boats. On our way home, I was approaching the north end of the lake and saw what appeared to be a bunch of debris in the water. After a second glance I saw a guy in the...
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