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Lovely evening

You lucky boy Terry, another toy to play with. you'll soon need a bigger pram lol

To me, they knda look like family beach inflatables, not the sort of thing I'd want to be confined in during winter fishing trips. Or any other time actually. Terry.

Good point terry When we want to get a big one onboard in nice weather we soak the deck with sea water first to cool it down. same afterwards to clean up before the blood and slime cooks on

Try this one Colin Nice to see you and Bobbi out there yesterday teaching your Nephew how to fish

Thanks everyone for your input, all useful stuff. Brian and Dicky, I tried The Service Centre as I have used them in the past but, regretably, I didn't get farther than "we don't deal with Lowrance or Eagle". Despite asking for a bit of advice, I got the same response. I then tried Greeham Regis and they were helpful but the person I really needed to speak to was absent. Hey ho! Then, on Brians recommendation, I called Navico who are the Lowrance agents and asked to be put through to the Service Dept as I generally find engineers more knowledgeable that sales people. He talked me through my problem and advised, as I had suspected, that my unit is obsolete, Eagle are not made any more and I can't get a replacement GPS module. I could get a compatible unit which might work but no guarantees. Now I was able to make a decision, it's definitely a new toy! I decided on a Lowrance Hook Reveal, 9" and Navico obviously sell them but the engineer had a quick look on line and found that Force 4 have them at a discounted price with £100 off, bargain! I found this surprising as it is the latest bit of kit they do and the one recommended by the Navico engineer.and, again surprisingly, he had recommended NOT to go for the Triple Shot model which saved me about £60. Long story short, I am awaiting delivery. As usual the Club has come up trumps with advice and my problem is, hopefully, solved. I look forward to being able to see where I am going. Next challenge is transferring my marks, hopefully easy as they are both the same manufacturer. Terry.

Quote " I believe I would probably lose the plot " I think in the " Sales bumf " it says . . . . . . . " Impossible to Lose the Plot " Lowrance used to have downloadable simulators.

ohgreatone, i am no expert, but i am on my third boat now and have had some experience. I fully endorse the trailer comments. That boat looks like it needs a braked trailer. Every boat i have bought i have found needs renewal work on the hubs, wheels, bearings and suspension. fact of life for trailer boats. These days i just go straight to remove the engine cowling and put my hand on the block to see if it is warm. If it is, without reason, walk away. They are trying to mislead you. Ask if you can start it quickly. if you get any instructions more complicated than making sure the fuel is primed and adjusting the choke for the cold, walk away. Check all moving parts that are exposed for pitting or corrosion, lift the tilt mechanism all the way up and down a couple of times, listen for a sign that it is struggling. this gives hints to the state of the battery. look for leaks on the tilt cylinder. turn the steering to both extremes. Does it feel tight? might need new cables. Look for hammer marks on the joint connecting the steering cable to the cylinder. signifies someone left the steering rod exposed for a long period and it seazed up. But most importantly, check the throttle. does it easily shift in and out of gear. Does it move smoothly. it is not always easy, but try to find out about the construction method of the boat. If there is a lot of foam under the waterline, be wary. Even closed cell foam gets waterlogged. try to find out if it has been kept on the water. if possible, check to see if you can move the trailer by hand to check t see how manageable it will be for launching. Look for a three inch strap mark across the gunnels at the rear. For a boat that size you wouldnt really have want to have a 3 inch strap holding it down to the trailer, it could damage the structure of the boat by bending it. You want two straps, one at the bow pulling it down and toward the back of the trailer and one at the stern pulling down and forwards. the comments about the extras are also useful. all of those extra things you need add up. spare tire, fenders, lines, and most of all COVERS - add up to a small fortune on their own. take that into account.

The very same. That was similar feedback I got from Brian so, way to go. Terry.

If that is Navico in Romsey then they have been ace for me. I had what I thought was a problem, and to troubleshoot I popped my unit in to them. Even offered to go through to their workshop whilst they hooked it up to their system to check the unit. Can't remember the result outside of, it wasn't the unit as worked perfectly on their bench. R

For people who couldn't view it I've converted it but couldn't be bothered to rotate it. " Flipping i-phones" Jerry.mp4

I have fished the harbour since the fifties.In those days there were far less anglers fishing the harbour and you could catch the flounders all year except when they went out to sea to breed,You could catch them everywhere.An example was the blue lagoon at lilliput. From the entrance to the lagoon on the ebb tide you did not stop catching them until the ebb stopped.It has to be accepted that over the years with more and more taking up angling that the flounders have been fished out.Up until about three years ago you could catch a few flounders in Holes Bay,including some around the four pound mark but no more.They have got less and less over the last few years.I have good information that for the last couple of years pot baiters have hammered Holes Bay.Look out for a grey Poole canoe with two old timers in it.Not registered.They are the boys doing it. If it was not for the plaice and gilt head bream the harbour would not be worth fishing now. As we know trawlers are devastating the bay between Bournemouth and Boscombe Piers.There won't be much left there soon.The plaice will not reach the harbour. To sum up, the harbour is now overfished and in a minute there will be no fish left. It will take years to recover if it ever does. Just out of interest years ago you only caught flounders in the pound to pound and a half range.As the years went by you started to get bigger fish.In those days a four pounder was unheard of. Getting the odd bigger fish is not doubt because there were not so.many flounders and therefore more food for the odd flounders which were left.My opinion.

Yes; I'm one of a few that fish evenings from a boat in the harbour . I have had a few nice fish over past few years but caught just as much from the shore. Sorry to be negative but I feel sure it's never going to be what it was . All of us need to be happy with a fish or two on that odd occasion from the harbour . Those old favourite areas that were kept a little hush have also been very poor . Christchurch harbour is the same , a decent Flounder is now a rare prize along with loads of other harbour species .