Traveler2586

An older couple is driving down the road when they get stopped by a trooper. The man asks why and the trooper informs him that he was doing 60 in a 45. I don't know how, the man replies. I had the cruise control set at 45. 'OH Harry, the wife interjects, You know this car doesn't have cruise control" Harry shoots her a look as the trooper continues; And I noticed you weren't wearing your seat belt. Well, I undid it to get my wallet out of my pocket. 'Oh Harry, the wife interrupts him again, You know you never wear your seat belt." Harry turns to her and says; Will you PLEASE shut the F up!!! At which point the trooper bends down and looks across to the woman and asks if her husband is always that belligerent to which she replies: Oh no officer..................ONLY WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING

Thanks for the info guys. The problem starts as I come up on plain to about 30-35 mph; at WOT it's very erratic and not a solid bottom lock. FYI, I don't go WOT very much any more due to my back problems. I've sent Keelguard an email with photos and they were very responsive, in fact I received a call from them today. It appears the rear edge of the new guard is coming off and there is a small gap (1/8-1/4") between the guard and the hull. Roger told me that is enough to cause cavitation and how to correct the problem in detail. So I'm off to West Marine for some marine epoxy and it's back to the marine body shop for the fix. Wish me luck.

Anyone had any problems? I just had a KeelGuard installed on my 2003 Ranger and now I'm loosing bottom lock on my sonar when I come up on plain. Never had this problem before. I'm thinking the KeelGuard is creating cavitation bubbles; but the KeelGuard ends six feet in front of the transducer. Any suggestions?

Now that's a wrap!!

In all my years, I can tell you that has Never crossed my mind - not even once.......

I think I may have worked for Frank when I was young.

UPS just delivered my HDS-7 combo and Ram D-111U-C mount !!! Now,,,, if I only had my boat Man, this Ram mount could hold up my truck!!! It's way too big and has to go back; the HDS-7 mounting bracket is lost on top of this mount and only two holes match up.

Thanks Ben, this is one option for the LSS-2 I'm considering. Do I need to worry about the LSS-2 being perfectly horizontal? Also, how do you use the skimmer transducer while you on plane?

Has anyone used Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Original on the mildew spots?

Sam, here is something you can share at your next meeting. I can work on the engine myself, but know not to as I have learned over the years that a boat is no place to be cheap; at best you could find yourself stranded adrift, or in the case of my 30’ cabin cruiser - sinking. You need the expertise of a certified mechanic to protect your arse where it counts. With that in mind the first thing I did when I got my 2003 Ranger 185 VS was to take it to a certified Mercury mechanic. I had the engine tested, serviced, the boat hull toughly inspected, and both were river tested for performance ( I told the mechanic to take it out and have fun ). The report was very good; they told me the previous owner obviously took very good care of the boat and the engine really didn’t need servicing. I vowed to do the same to protect my investment; and an important part of protecting my investment is my boat insurance. Case in point: My latest adventure of hitting a shoal July 10th is still ongoing and the cost so far is: On water towing $743.45; my cost $0.00 thanks to my BoatUS towing insurance. Lower unit and prop replacement $3,372.40, plus Hull repairs $1,341.00. My cost $500.00 thanks to my boat insurance. Without proper insurance I would have waited for a passing boater and prayed they would tow me two hours to my ramp (ha) and be out of pocket $5,456.85. I also carry a tow rope and a set of jumper cables for safety. I use them both every season to help other anglers who find themselves on the short end of the stick.

Look into the subject of using bleach or bleach containing products on upholstery. I was told by a friend that he destroyed his seats by using a bleach containing product to clean mildew off them; the stitching rotted and the seat panels fell apart. Hopefully someone here can add something to the above.

Ya, I hit the shoal July 10th. It was at the Ranger dealer for a month, home for a weekend, and now in the body shop. Hopefully, it will be home this weekend. I've missed some of the best fishing time in these parts.

Forgive me if this topic is a repeat. I've searched Forums as best I can and came up short, so if you know of a good topic on this subject please post a link for me. I've just purchased the Lowrance HDS-7 Gen 2 with Structure Scan and I'm planning my installation. I'll be using my boat (when i get it back) on the Potomac River which has, from time-to-time, a lot of flotsam or other things to hit. I don't want to install the LSS2 transducer where it can be hit and damaged. So my question is "where do you believe is the best location for the Trans on the rear of my "Step Back" Ranger? I don't have a jack plate, my Mercury 150 EFI is mounted directly to the transom. Here are some options from the installation manuals. Here is another option.... I just don't have a good understanding of the bubble turbulence in the transom area at low speeds on the Ranger.

There once was a religious young woman who went to Confession. Upon entering the confessional, she said, 'Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.' The priest said, 'Confess your sins and be forgiven.' The young woman said, 'Last night my boyfriend made mad passionate love to me seven times.' The priest thought long and hard and then said, 'Squeeze seven lemons into a glass and then drink the juice.' The young woman asked, 'Will this cleanse me of my sins?' The priest said, 'No, but it will wipe that smile off of your face.'

Which means the virus will spread faster? If the Snakehead picked up the virus from the Bass, will other fish pick it up from the Bass or Snakehead as well?

David, the fisherman, had driven by the lake many times and had seen some other anglers about, so he decided to give his luck a try. On his first day of fishing he had no luck at all but noticed that another fisherman near him that was scooping in one after another. He had to know The Secret. "Excuse me sir, but would you mind telling me what sort of bait you are using?" he asked. The other man looked around a bit embarrassed. "Well, I am a surgeon, and quite by accident I found that human tonsil works very well." David thanked the man, thought about what sort of bait to try next time, and left. The next day, David returned to the lake, tried a different bait and still had no luck. Just as the day before, there was yet a different man reeling in fish after fish. "Excuse me," asked David, "but could you suggest a bait that I could try?" "Well, I can, but I am not sure it will do you any good. I am using a bit of human appendix." "Hmm," thought David. It seemed that the fish in this lake would require a little more effort than normal. He left, willing to give the lake one more try. On the third day, David still had no luck. As was usual, there was yet another man near him bringing in fish left and right. David wanted to confirm what he already knew. "Excuse me sir, but are you a doctor?" "No, I am a Rabbi." replied the man.

One recent Sunday, a young boy arrived to his Sunday school class late. His teacher knew that the boy was usually very prompt and asked him if anything was wrong. The boy replied no, that he was going to go fishing, but that his dad told him that he needed to go to church instead. The teacher was very impressed and asked the boy if his father had explained to him why it was more important to go to church rather than to go fishing. To which the boy replied, "Yes, ma'am, he did. My dad said that he didn't have enough bait for both of us.

My wife and I will never forget 9/11, the images are still burned into our memory. I was with my wife in the pre-op ward of the local hospital, she was being prepped for surgery; they had a news show on the TV so we could take our minds off the surgery; at some point we saw the first disjointed reports and video as they were given to the newscaster; no one, newscaster or viewer, could believe what they were seeing. Everyone in the pre-op area was glued to the TV’s watching the event unfold. When my wife was taken into the OR they had a radio on so the surgeons could keep up with the news. I still can not begin to fathom the horror brought to so many families that day. Nor can I believe the events taking place on the Mall in DC today.

When in drive the engine is under some load from the trans; when was the last time you had your plugs, plug wires, distributer cap, etc. serviced?

X2, I'm usually not around for the launch, but I'm there for the retrieval. The things I've seen!!!!!!! Most recently, a lone boater pulls his rig up the ramp and his winch is not locked in, his boat ends up half on & half off the end of the trailer, scraping concrete, before he's stopped by other spectators. I've started asking questions around my area about the state of the Potomac and Tournament pressure, I'll let you know what I find out.

Safe My Drowning Wife Standing at the edge of the lake, a man saw a woman flailing about in the deep water. Unable to swim, the man screamed for help. A trout fisherman ran up. The man said, "My wife is drowning and I can't swim. Please save her. I'll give you a hundred dollars." The fisherman dove into the water. In ten powerful strokes, he reached the woman, put his arm around her, and swam back to shore. Depositing her at the feet of the man, the fisherman said, "Okay, where's my hundred dollars?" The man said, "Look, when I saw her going down for the third time, I thought it was my wife. But this is my mother-in-law." The fisherman reached into his pocket and said, "Just my luck. How much do I owe you?

"If the fish won't come to me I'll go to them" You think this is where the "Hook N' Look" TV show came from????

Whats insane is I've seen Smallwood State Park's Sweden Point Marina, my home ramp, with two and a half of its three parking lots full and up to three tournaments, two big name and one local club, going at one time; and this is just one launch point. On the same day I saw the parking lots full at Slavens ramp and Marshall Hall. Then throw in the weekend boaters, small and large boats, the PWC, water skiers, and it's hard to find a spot to fish.