Adam F

Pete, I'd personally get it down to the people that (are supposed to) know... My 50hp Mariner had a very similar problem but was intermitant, and after a few months of DIY checks and guesses at the problem it went bang - result, 6k lighter = new engine, your's would be alot more.... Just another thought, surely at that age it is still under warrenty?

Just had an email from Craig at Burnham in preparation for our trip in a few weeks: Hi Adam Just to let you know our recent competition fished on Sunday showed that there are a few big Thornbacks showing up to 12lb some hefty congers to 24lb abd the bass are also around with fish to 7lb see pics. Hopefully they will all still be in residence when you visit us. Hope the fishing is as good in your neck of the woods. All the best I'll put full details on here shortly.

In an effort to de-clutter before the house move, I have: 1 x 2kg bottle anchor, chain and warp 1 x 2kg bottle anchor and chain 1 x 3kg bottle anchor and chain 1 x 5kg danforth anchor and chain 1 x 15" Orange Buoy (suitable for Alderney ring system) 1 x 24" white and blue fender 4 x 12" white fenders Offers invited, esp if it helps out someone who is new to boating - I dont need them and they are in the way. Collection from Verwood prefered, although I may be able to arrange delivery or bring them to a club meet.

Anyone got about 2/3' of outboard fuel line laying around? I bought some from the chandlers today but as well as being very expensive it looks like it is meant to pump crude oil from the north sea - twin walled, re-inforced etc... what I need is the flexible thin grey rubber hose. Ta

Yes Terry - absolutely. (BTW I did mean US and not UK) Seemingly very simple situations end up hugely complicated - too many chiefs and all that....

I'm for it if we could achive fisheries like they do in the UK or Australia, however I doubt we will / can / would..... I'm against it in the case (likey) that it would create jobs for the boys, endless paperwork and bureacracy....

The large commercial ships will be monitoring Ch16 and also the commercial channels - so a call on the VHF along the lines of: ' The container vessel at position 001 52 151 002 03 111 this is xxx xxx ' should be sufficiant to get the boat's attention - this is certianly how I have heard it doen in the past.

Gord's best fish..

In an effort to enjoy the good weather as much as posible Gord and I headed out for a short eve session from Mudeford last night. The conditions were bliss - oily flat, warm spring sunshine - but only a small neap tide... Out at the mark saw Tomo and his lovely boat Just Perfik anchored nearby (Sorry didnt pop over chaps - were keen to get fishing!) Fishing was slow on the flood, but as the ebb slowly swung into action the TS groundbait mix started to work and a steady stream of bites started with plenty of rod wretching bream smashes Light spinning rods were the order of the day and I forgot just how hard these little scrappers fight - always a welcome reminder of the spring. Ended up with over a dozen fish with the best going 3lb 9oz, all bar returned bar 3 males taken for the pot. Average size was good, with not a single fish under 2lb. A final nice surprise was the 2lb lobster which took a liking to my bream rig on the last cast of the day! Fianlly, on the way back to the run, I noticed a familar boat about 1/4 mile south also heading in - I said to Gord that I reckoned it was a Faeton 630 like the one sold from under me at Christmas....anyway the closer it gets I realise it is a 630 and is identical to the one I almost bought. We get the boat back on the trailer and as we drive away notice that it's moored alongside the quay - so pop over to have a look - well blow me down it's the same boat!! ' Marnia' - the Faeton 630 Sport I almost bought from Plymouth - ended up in my home port!! A few piccies - as you can see conditions were terrible...

I actually agree in principle with the licence concept - still somewhat dubious of how they will push it through if they can't even make a decision on the bass mesh size... Fianlly, I hate to put a negative thread on a positive subject, but if you look through the above website their are thousands of petitions for everything!! I just wonder how serious these are taken - surely goverment doesnt work through each one individually... the pesimist in me tells me it is N.10's way of pacifying the public....

Coddy, Why do you need to pay harbour dues?? You dont moor in the harbour do you? When you pay your fee for launching at Baiter it covers, car parking, launching and harbour dues. Adam

Sunday's a no go for me - wedding planning getting in the way... Sat's a goer though and I'll be out all day - probably East...

Good work Al! Put us in the shade - may have to plan a 'proper' attack later in the week....

A good sign spring is here!

Rach wanted a trip in the new boat today so a plan was hatched. However an early low tide meant a normal 6am for me, but early for Rach start to get out of the run before LW. We just made it, although the new channel is much better with at least 4' even 45 mins from dead low. Out on the 'hole' we were first on the mark - perfik! However in the freezing mist we heard engines getting closer and within 2 mins a boat from Keyhaven turned up bang on my numbers whilst I sorted out my anchor... We just got the hook in when Aquafresh zoomed in and settled in... Fishing was brisk to start with plenty of bites, but few bream.... a bag of chum increased bites and a flurry of small huss made a welcome change. Just before the ebb died the bream switched on with the best being a brace going 3lb 3oz - not massive but very welcome! As the flood started the sun came out - lovely! - but the fishign stayed slow, a smattering of mixed species kept us interested until we headed in at 2pm to stoke up the BBQ and enjoy the bream. A good trip in all and rach didnt feel sick once in 5 hours which is a record, and means she now wants to come more....

Where are you based? I would suggest Bournemouth Battery Centre - I guess you'll need an 85 Amp Hour Leisure battery, they are doing them for about 45 squid. http://www.bournemouthbatterycentre.co.uk/

Andy / Paul, Enticer has a 50l tank but it is not built in, Gordon can 'see' how much he has left. He took 50l plus a 25l jerry can. My tank is 90l and I took 20l spare so we had plenty of fuel. Both boats have a similar power to weight ratio and both cruised at 20/22 knots and 3500rpm no problem on the flat sea. Charlie, The fish were taken from outside club waters 28 miles SW of the Bill.

28 miles off... flat calm!

With the perfect weather forecast, the plan was to give OotB a run out mid channel for some crash diving pollock. An early start meant crawling out of the pit at the ungodly hour of 5am.. a uneventful tow down to Weymouth saw us readying OotB under a blood red sun with a rising temp... all looked good! Rounding the Bill at 8am, we pointed SW and cruising at a steady 22 knots anticipation was high. The first wreck on the edge of the shipping channel was hard to find but threw up my brothers first ever pollock which bought a HUGE smile to his face. We had a few more and the best of the day at 12lb but the fishing was a little sparce. We then moved again to some 'dodgy' numbers but soon found the wreck and fishing started in earnist. Long story short, we filled the new Icey Tek box with pollock, had a glorious day in the warm srping sunshine and gave the new boat a good working over. The final surprise was the fuel consumption. Enticer returned a remarkable 55l for an 80 mile round trip. I was unsure with OotB, as the gauge showed empty on the ay home and bounced alot, but on fueling her up on the way home, she took 58 litres...only 3 more than Enticer but 1/2 as heavy again and 2x the HP - the new Honda seems very frugal!! A thoroughly enjoyable day!

Used the Icey Tek for the first time today....WOW!! I put a 5lb box of squid in in last night and it was solid this morning, plus the inside of the box was icey.... I put a litre of squash in their on the way out this morning and it was icey slush when we arrived at the mark.... The 56L box took 12 pollock to 12lb, before we had to fillet them down - most of the fish had began to 'stiffen' where they were so cold. After filleting, we managed another 4 fish on top. Easy to wash, no scrubbing, just the deck wash - A1 recommended.

Duncan - Ill drop you a few via PM - ring me if you need more. I'm just the process of moving my marks to my new plotter. Adam

Nice piccy...

Paul, You have a few options. Bob F has a pretty good knowledge of these and the cross sections they throw out. An old topic here: http://www.pbsbac.co.uk/forums/index.php?s...ic=347&hl=radar For our small boats, a tube type reflector is a good option, fairly small, easy to fix out of the way etc. - http://www.jimmygreen.co.uk/chandlery_prod...lector_tube.htm The bigger dome type units I think have a better reflection, but are more suited to wheelhouse boats or yacht masts. - http://www.jimmygreen.co.uk/chandlery_prod...tor_echomax.htm Finally the best option is a SeaMe unit which electronically ampliflies the signal - but not cheap!! http://www.sea-me.co.uk/ I'll be interested in what you choose as I am considering one also...

Good point - I think that Icey Tek's comment applies to using the cool box in general, where keeping the internal temprature down is critical....such as keeping the beer cool! In our circumstances draining the water would be the best option to keep fish tip top.