On Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:58:49 -0400, "JimH" ask wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:43:50 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

Nothing wrong with that if you use the motor a lot, overkill for
others. Operating time is a better guage, probably somewhere around
300 to 400 hours unless you run a lot in shallow water.


Install a water pressue gauge. They you get a real time indication of
impeller and water delivery system performance. You really can't tell
much from the "pee" stream. 3 PSI looks pretty much like 17 PSI. 3
will not provide enough water to cool your engine.
I bet one of the most over replaced item on an outboard is the
impeller. Bonita Boat Center (fat Cappy) tried to tell me I needed one
every 100 hours ... but they were the same ones who couldn't fix the
"known problem" on big foot mercs that caused overheating. They sold
me TWO impellers within the first 300 hours of running. I still have
the second one in my box of spare parts. The next time I swap out an
impeller that will be the one I use. It is pristine. I have 1700 hours
on the last one they installed. My water pressure is still doing fine
but I am going to swap the impeller the next time I get up on the
trailer. I will post pictures of the old one if you want.
BTW is there anything BUT shallow water? Not around here ;-)

You can run in clear shallow water with rock or clay bottom and never have a
problem. I run in shallow sandy water when heading to the beach, which is
normally every weekend during the summer.

YMMV, but I will stick to my schedule of every 2 years. Heck, I am even
changing out the boots this Fall.

Wearing suspenders and a belt? Maybe. But I want to make sure that what
happened to me last year will not happen to me again.


When you're in water shallow enough to kick up sand, why not jump out and
pull the boat in? You shouldn't have any problems standing in 2 feet of
water!

On Mon, 17 Sep 2007 22:48:38 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:26:44 -0500, John H.
wrote:

When you're in water shallow enough to kick up sand, why not jump out and
pull the boat in? You shouldn't have any problems standing in 2 feet of
water!

If I got out and walked everytime I was in 2 feet of water I wouldn't
need an engine ;-)

http://esteroriverheights.com/ftp/wh...stick_mean.jpg

Note: zoom in and how far you can still see birds walking around. You
could walk to Mound Key (on the right) and never get your knees wet.
This is 3 feet at high tide, noted on the stick in the top picture.

Jim was talking about running through sand to get to his favorite beach. If
the water was that shallow, I'd get out and pull the boat rather than fill
up the water pump with sand.

But, I'm very weird. And, in the minds of many, an asshole.

On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:14:09 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:04:04 -0500, John H.
wrote:

Jim was talking about running through sand to get to his favorite beach. If
the water was that shallow, I'd get out and pull the boat rather than fill
up the water pump with sand.


I think this "fill the water pump with sand" is a bit over hyped.
Certainly if you are stuck and grinding your way out, you are pumping
a lot of sand but if you are underway in shallow water the sand is
going out behind you.
Backing down is worse than going forward because that puts your water
pickup behind the prop.
You should still not be running with your prop in the dirt, simply
because it tears up the grass but if you can jack your motor up you
can run pretty shallow without hurting anything.
18" of water is plenty for me to go withouit leaving a mud trail in my
wake.

Ah - but I can think of one situation - sand on the ramp.

We have several launch ramps in the area what are sand traps because
of the water flow. If you have a drive on trailer, that can be a
problem.

Admittedly not much of one, but still.

wrote:

You should still not be running with your prop in the dirt, simply
because it tears up the grass but if you can jack your motor up you
can run pretty shallow without hurting anything.
18" of water is plenty for me to go withouit leaving a mud trail in my
wake.


Well, it kinda depends on the boat and motor rig, eh?

On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:14:09 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:04:04 -0500, John H.
wrote:

Jim was talking about running through sand to get to his favorite beach. If
the water was that shallow, I'd get out and pull the boat rather than fill
up the water pump with sand.


I think this "fill the water pump with sand" is a bit over hyped.
Certainly if you are stuck and grinding your way out, you are pumping
a lot of sand but if you are underway in shallow water the sand is
going out behind you.
Backing down is worse than going forward because that puts your water
pickup behind the prop.
You should still not be running with your prop in the dirt, simply
because it tears up the grass but if you can jack your motor up you
can run pretty shallow without hurting anything.
18" of water is plenty for me to go withouit leaving a mud trail in my
wake.

JimH was talking about all the sand he had to go through. I just don't do
it. If I'm in two feet of water at my beach, I get out, grab a rope and
pull the boat in. Why take the chance of hitting something that doesn't
show up on the depth/fish finder?

On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:24:49 -0500, John H.
wrote:

JimH was talking about all the sand he had to go through. I just don't do
it. If I'm in two feet of water at my beach, I get out, grab a rope and
pull the boat in. Why take the chance of hitting something that doesn't
show up on the depth/fish finder?

I could be wrong on this but I understood his situation to be more
complicated, something like a 2 ft sand bar followed by 6 ft of deep
water before he got to the beach. If he's in SWFL there's a lot of
skinny water to be negotiated at times.

On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 21:10:51 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:24:49 -0500, John H.
wrote:

JimH was talking about all the sand he had to go through. I just don't do
it. If I'm in two feet of water at my beach, I get out, grab a rope and
pull the boat in. Why take the chance of hitting something that doesn't
show up on the depth/fish finder?

I could be wrong on this but I understood his situation to be more
complicated, something like a 2 ft sand bar followed by 6 ft of deep
water before he got to the beach. If he's in SWFL there's a lot of
skinny water to be negotiated at times.

Sounds like a good place for some 'poling'!

On Thu, 20 Sep 2007 13:05:23 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:37:24 -0500, John H.
wrote:

I could be wrong on this but I understood his situation to be more
complicated, something like a 2 ft sand bar followed by 6 ft of deep
water before he got to the beach. If he's in SWFL there's a lot of
skinny water to be negotiated at times.

Sounds like a good place for some 'poling'!


If you really want to run the back bays here you need a skinny water
boat.
If you are waiting for 3 feet of water you might be poling for a
couple miles. The channel may not be 2 feet between #28 and #30 going
into the Estero River. It wasn't when I took the pictures above. That
is a typical low tide, It gets lower.

Naw, it's just a small sand bar. Full bore through it. Sand be damned,
that's what I say. Shiver me timbers.

On Mon, 17 Sep 2007 22:48:38 -0400, wrote:


If I got out and walked everytime I was in 2 feet of water I wouldn't
need an engine ;-)

http://esteroriverheights.com/ftp/wh...stick_mean.jpg

Note: zoom in and how far you can still see birds walking around. You
could walk to Mound Key (on the right) and never get your knees wet.
This is 3 feet at high tide, noted on the stick in the top picture.

================

I assume those are Roseate Spoonbills mixed in with the Ibis?