Al Wolbach

Good job,TD. I learned something too................Al

It may help to clean the connections if they are rusted or corroded..............Al

I was given a spool last year to try and have been quite pleased with it. The only thing I have used it for is spinnerbaits and buzzbaits so I can not give you a detailed report, but for this use it has been very good. LBH has tried this line as well, maybe he can provide a more detailed report.....................Al

Small dings combined with hot summer months could account for 5 MPH. Small dings can make a big difference in performance and I recommend you take it to a prop repair shop. They can return your prop to very near origional condition for normally less than $100. But don't forget the hot air of summer will also reduce the power of your outboard because of less oxygen in the air. The two combined could account for the mph loss.................Al PS- Some prop repair shops in my area will provide a loaner prop while they repair yours.

done

I run a Mercury Tempest Plus on a 225 Yamaha. Several years ago(about 5 yrs) I noticed what I thought were stress cracks in the hub of my prop.(none were 4 inches long). I removed the prop and took it to a local prop repair shop. They told me it was from the manufacturing process and I had nothing to worry about. I am still running that prop without incident.....................Al PS- If you have a repair shop available you may want to have it inspected.

Tennessee has numerous large lakes with good bass fishing. East Tennessee probably has the largest collection of lakes in a relatively small area. There are at least half a dozen large lakes within 30-45 minutes of the Knoxville area. I live on one of the smaller lakes (Douglas Lake), I don't remember the acreage but it has 555 miles of shoreline................Al

Yes, you need a deep cycle. Check this out..............Al http://www.marine-electronics.net/techarticle/battery_faq/b_faq.htm#3

I'm not wanting to start a conflict, but all ATF's are not even compatiable with each other and the recommended fluid for his application is readily available at almost any marine dealer.....Al

I suggest you stop by any marine dealer and pick up some Mercury tilt and trim fluid. I would be afraid that ATF may not be compatiable with the seals.......................Al

I had a similar problem after I bought my Champion. My dealer shipped back my trolling motor and loaned me one until mine was repaired....................I would get back to your dealer.............Al

There certainly is some truth to this, but a lot depends on your manager. I have cut back to 1 day a week from about 35 hours. After a store opens management must explain to the corp headquaters if the turnover is to high. But they do not mind one bit if someone quits. I am told that is the way of retail sales. This is my first and last experience in that field.......................Al

I ordered a three bank Dual Pro charger with my boat 10 years ago and it still works good. Never had a problem with it.............Al

I work at BPS one day a week. I'm retired from the Navy and the post office and thought it may be fun. This is my first job in retail and it seems as though all I do is pick up after customers. It isn't a bad place to work except the pay is low and the hours are long, etc. In my case the discounts are the reason I continue work there. If you have specific questions let me know...........Al

I was channel surfing today and watched a TV show named ShipShape TV and thought of this thread. They restored a faded gelcoat on a boat that was in pretty bad shape and it looked very good when completed. They stated this product will last 2-3 years. Who knows, but I wrote down their web address if you are still interested........Al http://www.poliglow-int.com/

I can't speak for Gander Mountain but at BPS reels are removed from the origional box to build some combos. If the combo is made using a high end reel such as a Curado or Revo it is a first quality reel. There just isn't room to store empty boxes so the boxes are discarded...............Al

Here is a link to OEM seats for high end bassboats. They aren't cheap. http://www.deanstop.com/oem.htm

Betcha 10 bucks they didn't need life jackets to cross the Rio Grande either.........................Al

Ditto

I'm not an expert in this field by any stretch but I would suggest you contact a boat repair shop to see about having the gelcoat reapplied. It may not be as expensive as you might think. A friend of mine had this done several years ago but I don't remember the details. His boat looks like new.........................Al

I remember reading many years ago that the pro's prefered black bottoms but have not heard this in years. Every fish that comes to mind has a white bottom and I have always thought they were camo'ed pretty well.......................Al

P-line CX is their best for spinning but still has a lot of memory for me. Yo-Zuri Ultra Soft comes highly recommended but is difficult to find in my area and I hate to pay shipping cost for line. Suffix Elite I have used on spinning reels and it has very little memory and is very strong. You may want to give it a try............Al

If mixed properly, 1 year...................Al

You may want to check into Douglas Lake in E. Tn. About 1 hour from NC and 2 hours from Va. Also 20 minutes from Gatlinburg ........................Al