Mikey B

Thanks for the birthday wishes. Sorry about the late reply been in Devon all week. Tight lines Mikey B

Hi All, Hope everyone is ok . I have an issue with my Simrad RS20S VHF (5 years old) The LED screen no longer displays anything, although it does light up after a while. The set no loner scans my saved channels but does receive calls form the coast guard etc. I have checked all the wiring so that can be eliminated, and both batteries are good. Is it worth getting it repaired or should I just bin it ? I have tried to contact Greenham Regis but looks like they are no longer trading. Mikey B

Hi Guy's , Please see below a response from the International Tech dept' From: "Yacht, Uk" <iyp.uk@akzonobel.com> Subject: RE: Anti fouling plastic transducers HI Michael Thank you for your email. It's not recommended to use conventional antifouling on plastic transducers as the solvents will attack the plastic housing. There are other products in the market that are silicone or water based specifically made for use on transducers but not in our range. Kind regards John I'll use one recommended for transducers. Trilux 33 did not work as well as it should on the motor so I will be using an alternative product. A bit more homework required. With regards to the motor it's on its maximum lift as the engine cover will foul the bulkhead. The service engineer has set as high as he can. Tight Lines Mikey B

Hi Brian, thanks for the feed back. The Motor will not tilt any higher so about 6" or so remain in the water. It's currently antifouled with Trilux 33 which does not appear to work as well as the hull antifouling. I've contacted International's technical dept for advice and will post any advice I receive. Mikey B

Hi all, The lower unit on my Suzuki outboard has a section (skeg) that does not clear the water when tilted up fully. The skeg is currently antifouled as is the pump assembly and bracket but the antifouling does not appear to be working as well as the hull antifouling (International Micron 300) The international Micron 300 on the hull is in perfect condition so can I use it on the section of the lower leg, pump and bracket etc? Also the white Motor Mounting pad on the transom also fouls up badly so can I antifoul this as well? Can I use Micron 300 on the transducer? Any Advice would be appreciated.

Very Sad Day, I have fond memories of fishing on club charter boats with Dave. RIP Dave Condolences to Jackie and family Mikey B

Thanks Brian, Should I need it I'll send you a PM. Many Thanks Mikey B

Hi All, Thanks for the feed back. I going to try and remove the PTT assembly prior to treating with Trilux 33. It would be much better than truing to paint it in position. The Suzuki manual states you have to remove the R/H engine support. If that proves to be so I will struggle as I do not have a hoist to support the engine. I'll update you later Mikey B

Hi All, Now that I have retired and have all this time on my hands I have a few jobs to get on with. My new Suzuki DF150AP PTT unit was covered in barnacles and as you can see is not treated in any way. I removed the anode prior to its replacement . Obviously worked due to the amount it was eaten away. The PTT unit has no corrosion at all. I think it's impossible to remove the PTT unit without removing the engine supports. Not something I'm going to tackle. Do you think I should treat this with Trilux 33 or a similar anti-fouling. in order to stop the barnacles? The water line is between the green line and the cylinder end caps and so permanently under water when at rest. Any recommendations would be appreciated Mikey B

Hi Guys, Hope you are all well. Thanks for the Birthday wishes. I've also now retired so a lot of changes for me. Mikey B

Hi Andy, I'm afraid you will need to trace the Positive cable back from the House fuse box to the House battery Positive terminal. You should come to the House Battery Isolator. Anything between and its wired incorrectly. Then straight to the positive terminal. Mikey B

Hi Andy, I think the combined switch should be in the off position? The combine switch effectively joins both batteries together. The house isolator should be between the positive and the house fuse box. With this turned off the house fuse box should be dead (No Power) Turn the combine switch off and see what happens. Mikey B

Hi Andy, The Pink wire goes directly to the positive post on the house battery only. The Black Negative wire from the house battery goes to the common Negative connections. All the battery negatives wire must be connected together. The battery positive isolator switch must be on the load side only. Between the battery Positive terminal and the house fuse box. The motor will charge both batteries at the same time. You can always give Suzuki UK Marine Technical Dept a call for further advice. Mikey B

Hi , The latest Suzuki DF 150/350 range will indeed charge two batteries at the same time with two separated outputs from the motor. The house supply from the motor will be a pink 6mm cable with a ring terminal which should go straight to the house battery positive connection. I have purchased the kit from Suzuki in order to set mine up for a two battery set up. Check the motor main fuse box. The 40amp fuse should be moved from A to B to enable the second charging system. To avoid damage to the charging system no isolator is to be fitted in the pink cable. Hope this helps Mikey B

My Cap Camarat 6.5 CC the Delta anchor is 7KG I'm a fair weather fisherman and don't venture out too far now. Not really serious fishing any more its more about going out with the family and enjoying the day out. Not had an issue so far time will tell. Mikey B

Hi All, Photos of the modified bow roller for my Cap Camarat. I made cardboard templates first to copy the profiles to the 316 stainless steel. I used all the existing fixing holes in the original roller so I can remove it if I wish. Rollers are 86mmx49mm for the large one at the front. The other two are 68mmx49mm. Front one moves up and down to allow the delta anchor to jam against the lower edge. No anchor movement at all when at sea. 316 Stainless is very hard to work by had so it took a considerable time to cut and profile with a hacksaw and various files. Bow plate was gain a cardboard template and all cut and polished by hand. Polishing was with progressively finer wet and dry paper starting with 400 grit and finishing with 3000 grit. This was by far the hardest to achieve the finish required and took hours. I'm pleased with the end result and it stopped the anchor hitting the bow when its retrieved. Mikey B

Hi All, I tried to fit one similar on my Cap Camarat I could not get the screw undone so sent it back. Turns out screws are locked in with a type of lock tight. Made my own extension pieces and a Bow plate from 3mm 316 Stainless Steel. Nylon rollers of varying widths and diameters are available from Sea screw I'll send some photos when I get down to the boat. Mikey B

Hi Rob, I was advised to park it up with with breaks off to avoid this issue. It will be interesting to see if they are seized in any way as they have never been in any water from new. Just standing for months. Take care Mikey B

Hi Lads, Good point. I have thought of putting paving slabs under the stands. Mikey B

Hi lads, Thanks for the response. I may just up the pressures slightly as axle stands will probably wreck the tarmac. Who knows how long it could be standing with the current situation lets hope we can get out soon Take care out and about Mikey B

Hi all, Hope you and your families are all keeping safe and well. My new boat has now been on it's trailer for nearly seven months without being moved. With over two tons standing on four radial tyres. My question is should I rotate the wheels to avoid tyres flat spots? I do vaguely remember my late father saying tyres can develop flat spots if not moved for a long time. Is this true of the radial tyres we use today. Mikey B

Interesting but I don't think it will catch on. It would be a nightmare fo repair if damaged. Most of the Big Outboard manufacturers are now selling duo prop type motors. Contra rotating props are very efficient. Admittedly only on the very large motors but I feel it will not be long before we see duo props on smaller models. In the future maybe even two speed gearboxes. I changed to a stainless steel prop on the old Orkney and the performance and fuel efficiency gain was dramatic. Mikey B

Hi all, Started looking at new outboard motors for our new boat and was wondering if any members are running a Suzuki DF150. The choice is bewildering when you look into all the hype on the internet. I like the chain cam arrangement the Suzuki as opposed to the Yamaha belt drive setup. Any low down on the Suzuki service agents etc in Poole would be appreciated. Mikey B

I would use a set of Easy Out screws see below Bolt Extractor Set 5 Pieces _ Specialist Drill Bits & Accessories _ Screwfix.com.html Carefully drill out the existing screw using plenty of oil. Increase the dill size to almost the thread size. If the existing screw has been hardened you may need to use Cobalt drills. Wind in the extractor anticlockwise carefully with a Tap Wrench and the old screw should wind out. Failing that its an oversized hole and a re tap of the tread. Try AllFix for a 10mm Stainless Steel machine screw or a grub screw if it's a tight fit on the transom. Fiber washer behind the machine screw head should seal it ok. With patience it should be as good as new. Good luck Mikey B