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    Another Float Switch/bilge question---

    Well, just picked up my boat (89 Baja 4.3 I/O) from storage. Charged up the battery and checked all the electronics--neither the bilge pump or the float switch are working. Everything else is OK. The light on my bilge switch at the dash comes on, so I'm assuming I'm getting power at that point...
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    Grounded Boat....HOW bad is it?

    Ok so here's the story- My Wife's family has an exchange student staying with them from Spain, and they wanted to take her out on my boat for an evening cruise. So I go out with them attempting to be a good host. Well things took a turn for the worst when the depth went from 9ft to under 3ft...
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    Party foul to float in the middle of the lake?

    Alright, so last night my wife and another couple go out for little dinner cruise. So the way the lake is set up, there's a breakwall maybe a half mile out from the shore. We start floating in the middle of breakwall and the shore, rather than near the shore or breakwall so we have some time to...
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    How long can I keep the Nav lights on without draining the battery

    Ok, so I have a cranking marine battery(one of those diehard's from Sears). CCA is 665 and battery was brand-new this season. A lot of my time on the water is spent just floating and listening to tunes. How long can I leave my nav lights on without chancing a dead battery? An hour? Couple...
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    NYS Boating Laws- Alcohol

    I keep searching Google and come up with contradicting laws/regulations. NYS DMV website states that in 1999 a zero-tolerance law was passed for vessel operators. Which tells me I can't have a single beer when operating the boat. On the NYS parks, recreation website, it states that operators...
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    Docking Solo at the marina.....harder than it looks

    So I went out on the lake today for my first solo ride....it was amazing, until I had to dock the boat in my slip. Earlier in the morning, I practiced docking a bunch of times...and the current kept pulling my boat towards my neighbor in the slip. There's very little room for error, literally...
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    Baby steps

    Ok, so I'm new to boating and finally finished the spring tune-up and have the boat sitting in the slip(wet).....I have been out a couple of times, but since the boat is new to me, I am still not 100% comfortable going far from shore. I really want to get accustom to the new boat and build some...
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    Newly installed Float Switch Drained my Battery!! HELP

    So over the weekend, I installed a new float switch along with a 3 way toggle switch at the dash. It was working fine, and I thought everything was wired correctly. So I left the switch on Auto, like it would be when I leave it sitting in the marina. I checked last night and the battery was...
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    First boat and need some advice from your bilge pump experts!

    So I'm turning my bilge pump into an automatic for when I'm away from the marina. As per a previous iboat post, I've bought a Rule float switch and a 3 way toggle switch(on/off/auto). So I have to install this within the next couple weeks and aside from any directions that come with the...
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    Custom canvas and Bilge question

    Have been boating all my life, but finally pulled the trigger and bought my own in the fall. 1989 Baja 190 Islander 4.3L merc. It will be used mainly for lounging and listening to some Jimmy and early morning fishing trips. Couple questions and I would appreciate any opinions: 1) I have an...
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    Fishfinder not working

    Recently purchased a new boat in the fall and it came with a Hummingbird Fishfinder and a separate depthfinder. The depthfinder works perfectly fine. The fishfinder will turn on for a split second and then turn off. The fact that it does turn on, tells me it's getting some sort of power from the...
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    New to the forum-Need some advice on keeping boat dry at slip

    I'm a new boat owner, with little experience....so I need some help! I bought the boat last fall(19ft Baja open bow)....and used it maybe a couple times before I winterized it. The first problem I noticed is that the boat doesn't have an automatic bilge pump. I have a pump, but not automatic...
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