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My experience was mostly with lighter boats and trailers when I lived out west. Mostly no more than 5000 total weight. So you may well be right. I've only pulled my Grady with a 3/4 ton diesel tricked out to haul a 3000+ lb slide-in camper (airbags, adjustable shock, Bigwig anti-sway bar). I...

Too little tongue weight causes the trailer to sway as described above. It's the most common cause of trailer instability. You hear some suggestions that the tongue weight should be "a minimum of 7% of the total load". In my experience, that is incorrect. It needs to be between 10% to 15% of...

Yep. They prevent surge brakes from working. Also, most anti-sway bars need to be detached in order to maneuver when backing up.

I re-wired my 1986 Seafarer twice during the 5 years I owned it. The wiring was really that bad! Without heat shrink connectors or tinned wire, things would start to fail after only 2 years. It was not as bad a job to do as with a modern boat. As I recall, all the wiring runs through conduit...

I didn't find much difference in rough water handling between the 208 and 226. I went with the larger boat because of the extra cockpit space. I went through a large tanker wake with a 208 and found it did fine. It was powered by a 200 hp Yamaha which had plenty of torque to keep the boat...

Before I purchased my 226 in 2010 I did a number of test rides on 226s, 228, and 208s. I did a pretty detailed analysis of the handling and running characteristics of each hull. 1. The low-speed handling properties both in forward and reverse are poor with all 3 hulls. This is a consequence...

My 1975 204C Overnighter needed a transom after 7 years. 3 in the water and 4 kept high and dry. The stringers were not sealed properly, but I epoxyed them myself before any problems started. The wiring was primitive and needed to be replaced every few years. The build quality of the later...

I use GE silicon in order to allow for easier removal of deck plates for inspection or electronics installation. I run 60 lb test mono fishing line along the bottom of the opening before adding the silicon. Leaving a short tag end of line at one corner really makes removal of the old sealer a...

You can rejuvenate an old brittle wiper blade with #400 wet/dry sandpaper. Then clean it with soapy water to wash away the grit.

I once had the filter bowl crack during a rare freeze in Florida a few years ago. So I remove the bowl and filter when the temps are forecast to drop below freezing. It never stays cold long enough to need to drain the water tank or use antifreeze.

There are a lot of products that do a good job of preventing corrosion. Corrosion X is the only one I've used that will actually remove corrosion from surfaces.

The condition you describe is typical of a poppet valve that is stuck in the open position, which is how they usually fail. This is a pressure relief valve that is normally closed at idle speeds when water pressure is low. As water pressure increases with rpm, the valve opens and lets water...

Is your prop ventilating at 5000 rpm? You should be able to hear this if it is occurring. The only way that you could lose speed when you increase rpm is if the prop slips either because it is entraining air or the hub slips. It is highly unlikely that a hub would begin to slip over 4500 rpm...

I haven't used them myself, but several friends have. They have a good reputation locally. They can save you a lot of money.

You can use it on any transom to raise the engine. But it is a fixed extension, not an adjustable jack plate that the OP is asking about.

Chuck, those pieces are for extending a pre-existing jack plate. Like if you are going from a prop to a jet outboard. When you shop, remember to check the weight and hp limits of each unit. Not all manual jack plates will hold a 250 hp motor.

I put a 4" manual jack plate on my 226 when I re-powered with a Honda 250. I am very happy with the modification. I increased my fuel efficiency by at least 10% by tweaking the engine height. Hydraulic is of little use on an offshore boat. I got mine from Bob's Machine shop. They are very...

20' and under are the only ones that float level. All the others will turn over if flooded in any kind of sea.

It's not TCW-3 certified and the product description specifically states that it is not intended to be used for TCW-3 applications: Mfg. Name : MERCURY / QUICKSILVER Mfg. PN : 92-858037Q01 SKU : 710-92-858037Q01 Product Description This new synthetic blend oil was developed specifically for...

Putting a new engine on a classic boat is almost like having a new boat. Particularly if you are going from a corroded 2-stroke to a new 4-stroke. Outboards don't last forever and your's is 36 years old. The fact that it still runs is amazing. I blew up 2 engines over 11 years on my old 204C...