Is Your Boat Ready For The Season?

[Trent]

If so, can we take yours..... cuz mine's not.

Steve and I spent the entire 3 day weekend working on my "Big Red Sled", trying to get it ready to do some fishing! I should have done all of this months ago...

Steve pulled the Holley 4B carb off and I took it in to be rebuilt...




I took the starter motor off and we confirmed it was dead... got a new starter arriving today, along with new plugs, wires, cap & rotter. Changed the filter and oil in both the motors and the lower unit of the kicker.

Steve put on the new Smart Tabs and trolling motor bracket yesterday....





... and I've been busy buffing and polishing aluminum... looking for that blinding mirror finish... but mainly trying to prevent saltwater damage.

Some day soon, we'll have "Clifford The Big Red Sled" back together and ready to shed some blood.... hopefully next weekend!

[Amx]

Not mine. Have to vacuum it out, organize the rods and tackle, give up and put all the tackle back in. Then go fishing.

[Toni]

Maybe I will try to get mine out tomorrow...Maybe.

Trent, I will go with you this weekend and try to help you get blood! I will even bring the mallet for the starter...did that starter get grease?

[Rich McVey]

Yea well... Just filled my cooling jacket with mud and silt on Sunday.

I have 1.5 weeks to have it fixed for Vacation.

[bcalvert]

Mine is still in pieces in the garage

[BentRod]

Mine is not so much ready for the season as seasoned and ready. 12' aluminum that sits upside down out next to the garage all winter. I had to replace some of the rivets up front in Feb, so I could take my dad out on the lake. Other than that, put'er in the back of the truck and let the wind blow the spiders and leaves out on the way down the road....Every year I hope to have time to clean it up in preparation for the season, but usually can't find the time. The rivets were necessary for the trip though. I just know one of these trips I'm gonna look up from tying my lure on to see a terrified mouse staring up at me from the middle seat thinking something like "What the heck did you do to my house!?"[scared]

[Trent]

Maybe I will try to get mine out tomorrow...Maybe.

Trent, I will go with you this weekend and try to help you get blood! I will even bring the mallet for the starter...did that starter get grease?

The first thing I tried with the starter was cleaning all the electrical contacts and spraying protective grease on 'em..... didn't help. So I took the starter completely off and we hooked a couple jumper cables to it directly from a battery...... nothing! It's dead! And I just bought that one August 31st, 2010!!!

[Coastfishin]

Mine will be ready in a couple of hours, if it quits raining!

[BentRod]

Maybe I will try to get mine out tomorrow...Maybe.

Trent, I will go with you this weekend and try to help you get blood! I will even bring the mallet for the starter...did that starter get grease?

The first thing I tried with the starter was cleaning all the electrical contacts and spraying protective grease on 'em..... didn't help. So I took the starter completely off and we hooked a couple jumper cables to it directly from a battery...... nothing! It's dead! And I just bought that one August 31st, 2010!!!

Trent, this may sound strange, but may be what Toni was refering to, did you try tapping around the casing of the starter with a hammer? We used to have to do this on old jeep starters due to a little rust on the inside binding things up.. A few taps around the outside would break the mechanism free.

[Trent]

Maybe I will try to get mine out tomorrow...Maybe.

Trent, I will go with you this weekend and try to help you get blood! I will even bring the mallet for the starter...did that starter get grease?

The first thing I tried with the starter was cleaning all the electrical contacts and spraying protective grease on 'em..... didn't help. So I took the starter completely off and we hooked a couple jumper cables to it directly from a battery...... nothing! It's dead! And I just bought that one August 31st, 2010!!!

Trent, this may sound strange, but may be what Toni was refering to, did you try tapping around the casing of the starter with a hammer? We used to have to do this on old jeep starters due to a little rust on the inside binding things up.. A few taps around the outside would break the mechanism free.

LOL!!! That doesn't sound strange at all.... cuz that's exactly what I had to do the last time I took Toni fishing! She stood there and laughed at me as I beat on the "new" starter motor with my rubber mallet until it finally started. I think Toni even took a picture of me pounding the starter and swearing at it..... LOL! It got us out on the big C and back again, but that was it's last trip.

[sickbayer]

i have led lights and wash down pump then im good to go...

[BentRod]

The first thing I tried with the starter was cleaning all the electrical contacts and spraying protective grease on 'em..... didn't help. So I took the starter completely off and we hooked a couple jumper cables to it directly from a battery...... nothing! It's dead! And I just bought that one August 31st, 2010!!!

Trent, this may sound strange, but may be what Toni was refering to, did you try tapping around the casing of the starter with a hammer? We used to have to do this on old jeep starters due to a little rust on the inside binding things up.. A few taps around the outside would break the mechanism free.

LOL!!! That doesn't sound strange at all.... cuz that's exactly what I had to do the last time I took Toni fishing! She stood there and laughed at me as I beat on the "new" starter motor with my rubber mallet until it finally started. I think Toni even took a picture of me pounding the starter and swearing at it..... LOL! It got us out on the big C and back again, but that was it's last trip.

It was probably the swearing and not the mallet that got it going!

[Amx]

Trent, this may sound strange, but may be what Toni was refering to, did you try tapping around the casing of the starter with a hammer? We used to have to do this on old jeep starters due to a little rust on the inside binding things up.. A few taps around the outside would break the mechanism free.

LOL!!! That doesn't sound strange at all.... cuz that's exactly what I had to do the last time I took Toni fishing! She stood there and laughed at me as I beat on the "new" starter motor with my rubber mallet until it finally started. I think Toni even took a picture of me pounding the starter and swearing at it..... LOL! It got us out on the big C and back again, but that was it's last trip.

It was probably the swearing and not the mallet that got it going!

Mallets NEVER work without the swearing.

[MarkFromSea]

I'm due to replace the sender in the fuel tank, but it can wait...... It's time to get the boat wet by something other than rain!

[Trent]

Before Jim the Carb Guru....



After Jim the Carb Guru....



I think we're gonna see a little better performance from Clifford.... especially since Jim said the secondary was completely frozen and the Holley has been only functioning as a two barrel for quite some time!

[Toni]

The first thing I tried with the starter was cleaning all the electrical contacts and spraying protective grease on 'em..... didn't help. So I took the starter completely off and we hooked a couple jumper cables to it directly from a battery...... nothing! It's dead! And I just bought that one August 31st, 2010!!!

Trent, this may sound strange, but may be what Toni was refering to, did you try tapping around the casing of the starter with a hammer? We used to have to do this on old jeep starters due to a little rust on the inside binding things up.. A few taps around the outside would break the mechanism free.

LOL!!! That doesn't sound strange at all.... cuz that's exactly what I had to do the last time I took Toni fishing! She stood there and laughed at me as I beat on the "new" starter motor with my rubber mallet until it finally started. I think Toni even took a picture of me pounding the starter and swearing at it..... LOL! It got us out on the big C and back again, but that was it's last trip.

Exactly!! I was teasing him about this new starter. I did get a picture of his back side on my phone but I deleted it. Wasn't very good.... [lol]

['OL GREY DOG]

LOLOLOL @ "not very good"

[Trent]

Trust me.... a picture from the front side wouldn't be any better! LOL!!!

[Bodofish]

Mines ready to go year round. Pull the cover back turn on the heater for a few hours and hitcher up...

[FishingFool]

Just about.

Finished mounting my new water seperator and running new fuel lines recently.

Today, finished running all my new power cables for the new front trolling motor and installing new circuit breaker. Trimmed the power cables for my fish finders too so there's less wire clutter.

Installed my little bumper holders. Looks like they will work great, since they are so small and low profile.

Now I just need mount my new bow trolling motor and put gas in and I'll be good to go. :batman: