spring fever
Well-Known Member
Touche'!!!
Useful misc boating, camping, fishing tips
- Thread starter TheBigGuy
- Start date
Prairie Locked
Well-Known Member
On a serious note, that was meant totally tongue in cheek. I wasn't intending to accuse you of actually doing that, so I apologize if it came across that way.
ChilliSpoons
Well-Known Member
spring fever
Well-Known Member
Oh I probably have on occasion-just my way of ending a pleasant bit of banter!! LOL
sly_karma
Crew Member
On a boat camping trip, I used the boast's 12V socket to power a small compressor to inflate an air mattress. It took over 10 minutes. When I unplugged, I found the compressor's plug was too hot to touch. I put it down to wire sized too small/long run from battery in stern to socket on dash. Occurred to me that my downriggers are wired with 10 AWG through 30A fuses. I made a short pigtail connector with a Scotty male plug, 2 ft of 10 AWG wire and a 12V socket on the other end. Compressor runs fine and no more near-fire scenarios.
TheBigGuy
Well-Known Member
That's a great idea. Also could be used in a disaster situation for an emergency bilge pump power socket. I used to carry a spare pump wired to a cigarette socket for that purpose. Better to not have to run it to the dash.
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sly_karma
Crew Member
I already have two pumps, one auto and one manual, but a high capacity emergency pump with a Scotty plug ready to go sounds like a good idea.
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
So what is the best way to capture the warm water out of a kicker ??? It would have to be flexible to handle the turning radius and redirect back into a well or bucket??? I think its a great idea if it can be done easily. How about a Merc Pro Kicker??? Suggestions ??
finaddict
Well-Known Member
I would think that if you had a piece of flexible surgical tubing attached to the pee hole spigot and from there you ran it to a bucket with a row of holes drilled along the top and mounted that on the outside of the transom, you would achieve the result you are looking for. The bucket would fill up to the holes and then just run warm water over the stern of your boat. It would constantly refresh the water and keep it at the same temp as the thermostat.
TheBigGuy
Well-Known Member
TheBigGuy
Well-Known Member
Sharpening fillet knives and hooks:
One of the most useful items on my boat is a small tungsten sharpener called "Speedy Sharp". Found it at CDN Tire 5 or 6 years ago. Made sure I bought another as it makes super fast work of sharpening knives or even the largest of hooks. Regularly $20, but on sale for 10 when I bought mine. They are the best sharpening tool I've yet to come across.
Another tip, don't throw out old high quality butcher knives that have been damaged. I found an old rusted piece of crap butcher knife that was originally 16" or so in terrible shape in my dads garage. It was rusted and the entire tip was busted off. The blade was originally probably 3 inches wide and had a huge handle. I saw it said "hand forged Soligen Steel" on the blade, so I figured I'd try to rejuvenate it. Soligen is world renowned for their blades, and this knife was an old one probably dating back 50 years or more when quality was king.
I ground the blade down on the grinder from a massive butcher knife to the size of a fillet knife. I spent hours and hours filing down and reshaping the blade. After that I reshaped the handle to more in keeping with the shape for a fillet knife. I have no idea why I felt like spending all the time and effort reworking that ugly broken rusted butcher knife, but am I ever glad I did. It is by far my best fillet knife out of. my many knives, and some of them were quite pricey.
It isn't much to look at, but because of the long thick blade it will cut through the biggest and nastiest of bottom fish with ease. The long blade is perfect for big Halibut, and it skins fish like no other knife I have. It takes an edge beautifully, and slices anything with ease. They just don't make metal like that anymore. The best investment of time I ever made reshaping that beat up old German butcher knife. Those guys sure knew how to make a knife back in the day.
One of the most useful items on my boat is a small tungsten sharpener called "Speedy Sharp". Found it at CDN Tire 5 or 6 years ago. Made sure I bought another as it makes super fast work of sharpening knives or even the largest of hooks. Regularly $20, but on sale for 10 when I bought mine. They are the best sharpening tool I've yet to come across.
Another tip, don't throw out old high quality butcher knives that have been damaged. I found an old rusted piece of crap butcher knife that was originally 16" or so in terrible shape in my dads garage. It was rusted and the entire tip was busted off. The blade was originally probably 3 inches wide and had a huge handle. I saw it said "hand forged Soligen Steel" on the blade, so I figured I'd try to rejuvenate it. Soligen is world renowned for their blades, and this knife was an old one probably dating back 50 years or more when quality was king.
I ground the blade down on the grinder from a massive butcher knife to the size of a fillet knife. I spent hours and hours filing down and reshaping the blade. After that I reshaped the handle to more in keeping with the shape for a fillet knife. I have no idea why I felt like spending all the time and effort reworking that ugly broken rusted butcher knife, but am I ever glad I did. It is by far my best fillet knife out of. my many knives, and some of them were quite pricey.
It isn't much to look at, but because of the long thick blade it will cut through the biggest and nastiest of bottom fish with ease. The long blade is perfect for big Halibut, and it skins fish like no other knife I have. It takes an edge beautifully, and slices anything with ease. They just don't make metal like that anymore. The best investment of time I ever made reshaping that beat up old German butcher knife. Those guys sure knew how to make a knife back in the day.
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Franko Manini
Well-Known Member
X2 on the Solingen steel. All my hunting knives are Solingen steel and they rock. I also have two older high carbon steel blades that I use for butchering game and fish. You have to keep them clean and dry (or lightly wipe them down with mineral oil) or they stain and rust easily. But they are a dream to sharpen.
That brings me to my tips...
Tip 1: get and use the Chef's Choice 120 - a great all around system that works quickly and doesn't chew up your blades unnecessarily (either that or learn to use a waterstone system to hand sharpen - but this takes time and is a larger initial investment). Chef's Choice makes WICKED powered sharpeners. A sharp knife is a safe knife and an effective tool. Working with dull knives is dangerous as we have a tendency to exert more force which can cause slips.
Tip 2 - Get and use a Kevlar glove - it helps you hang on to slippery fish or game and it has saved my fingers a couple times. I play guitar and piano and even a small cut on a finger tip makes me cringe. These simple gloves can save you from serious injury. I think mine came from Rapala and it has to be 10 years old. I soak it in the sink with a mild bleach solution after a long butchering session and that's all it needs for care.
Tip 3 - if you hate sharpening but want a truly surgical edge, but some Havalon knives. They come in various sizes and have replaceable blades. The blades, BTW, are made by the same company, using the same processes, as scalpels. I keep a Havalon knife in my fishing gear and one in my hunting pack. they are light, and they are super handy if you don't want to stop work and sharpen... or if you never want to sharpen a knife again!
That brings me to my tips...
Tip 1: get and use the Chef's Choice 120 - a great all around system that works quickly and doesn't chew up your blades unnecessarily (either that or learn to use a waterstone system to hand sharpen - but this takes time and is a larger initial investment). Chef's Choice makes WICKED powered sharpeners. A sharp knife is a safe knife and an effective tool. Working with dull knives is dangerous as we have a tendency to exert more force which can cause slips.
Tip 2 - Get and use a Kevlar glove - it helps you hang on to slippery fish or game and it has saved my fingers a couple times. I play guitar and piano and even a small cut on a finger tip makes me cringe. These simple gloves can save you from serious injury. I think mine came from Rapala and it has to be 10 years old. I soak it in the sink with a mild bleach solution after a long butchering session and that's all it needs for care.
Tip 3 - if you hate sharpening but want a truly surgical edge, but some Havalon knives. They come in various sizes and have replaceable blades. The blades, BTW, are made by the same company, using the same processes, as scalpels. I keep a Havalon knife in my fishing gear and one in my hunting pack. they are light, and they are super handy if you don't want to stop work and sharpen... or if you never want to sharpen a knife again!
tubber
Well-Known Member
When you catch a fish, and it is lying on deck, don't touch it during a hot bite. Or if you do touch it, wash the slime off your hands and dry them before you grab the rod no matter how hard it is pounding with a new fish. Lost my favourite set up overboard this year. Old school Shimano 4000 on a technium and the fish, lure, and flasher swam away. Dumb move.
TheBigGuy
Well-Known Member
Ouch
Evinrude etec owners have a new pisser hole attachment. Quick disconnect with pressure reducing so you don't over pressure your cooling system when you flush your motor. The brake flush also have quick disconnect as well as the ear muffs for the kicker. Makes the flushing just little quicker and easier.
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This flushing attachment looks just like the one I have had for my 2009 Etec since it was new. I'm not sure how you could overpressure your cooling system while flushing it. Do you have more information on this?