Shortwave Sportfishing wrote:

The service manager and head mechanic at my dealership went out with
me today to kill the last couple of bugs in the electrical system.

Turns out that the Ranger had some corrosion behind the console (which
was my fault actually - when I installed the VHF, I neglected to
reseal the instrument bezel with silicone.

I hate it when that happens.
Silicone isn't the best caulk for that anyway, one of the
poly-hexa-glop types would last longer in that environment.
I know there are "marine" silicones but they all degrade
significantly with temp & UV & corrosive marine air.



To tell you the truth, I was a little hesitant about switching from
the 20" to a 25" shaft on a mechanical jack plate to fine tune the
lower units relationship with the hull, but it proved it's worth today
in relatively heavy weather (for the Ranger that is - 2 to 4 footers
with the occasional 5) in Niantic Bay.

With the old engine, a 20" FICHT, I could never get the bow lift I
needed even with a 4 blade 23p prop. Invariable, the bow would ship
water even if the wave period was short. I could never get the boat
to run at some kind of plane because it would pound, fall out of synch
with the waves, prop would cavitate, etc.

Now, I can run head on and quartering - no cavitation, boat stays on
plane, no pounding and, considering the conditions, very dry ride. In
a following sea, I can lift the engine a little with the trim keeping
the stern higher - it's amazing how much power when applied to a four
blade prop is available to you.


So, instead of looking for the source of the increased
weight, you just went with more horsepower?

DSK