Afishionado

Well if the winds forcast are going to be actual then it's gonna be a hairy ride back with up to a F9 W straight up your bum. I guess the best course of action if one really wanted to travel would be to find a 6hr 'window' with the tide flooding up Channel. But wind against tide in a 7,8,or 9 Mad Mike

Shal we form a Tohatsu owners splinter group? Mad Mike

I think it also be the lack of 'Auto Helms' that would be a limiting factor. 85 sea miles at an average of 15mph makes it a six and a half hour slog. Mad Mike

Quote...... rainex from halfords It beggers up Perspex mind! Only to be used on glass. And I have a spare Marine wiper motor If someone wants to buy one. Mad Mike

I'm sorry but there is nowt to blame but the'self lad You must get your priorities right Mad Mike Rockly Park boat yard have launch and storage facilities at

There you go

Fish finger (called so because he's a battered husband?) says... However I found that when doing around 25knots with the engine trimmed slightly she has a tendancy to lean to one side slightly What is sometimes overlooked it the 'torque' affect of a prop as it revolves. Say if you had a 14" prop rotating clockwise (viewed from the rear) there are two other forces that will affect the boat as well as the thrust forward. First the actual twisting motion of the prop will affect the boat which will try to twist the other way. (Newton.. Every action has an equal and oposite reaction). The next force to affect the steering and list of the boat is the paddle wheel affect of the prop's rotation. So once again taking the example of a clockwise rotating prop, this will try to 'walk the stearn to the right if viewed from astern) when this happens the bow of the boat drifts of to the left when under power. Some outdrives and most O/B's have small trim tabs just aft of the prop that can be adjusted to compensate for torque and paddle wheel. Paddle wheel affect also affect slow speed manouvering. Say your just approaching a pontoon, gently angled in to arrive smoothly. A tiny touch of reverse to take the way off and WHOOPS out goes the stern because the slowly rotating reversed prop spin created more paddle wheel than thrust. Mind you if you know which way the stern will swing when slowly reversing you can use it to great advantage by aproaching a pontoon or quay so that a touch of reverse will swing the stern in just as the bow arrives 2" from the quay side. And there you are stationary 6" from the side. VERY IMPRESSIVE Mad Mike

Well she's gone, Afishionado I mean. I put her up for sale on Boats and Outboards on Sunday and by golly sold her 36 hours later. So now, not only am I waiting with ill concealed impatience for the new (as yet un-named) boat, but I have got no boat to tinker with either. It looks like I am gonna have to start refurbishing my rods and servicing the reels. Now all I have to do is keep my 'this is where I put the boat' bit on the drive. What with Carols car, my sons car , his girlfriends car (practically lives here), and grandsons car (he's stationed at Bovington and drives a tank in the week, calls it The Company car). Any way I am not gonna let the beggers have it! Mad Mike

A first class report, well done. Light tackle fishing is great fun isn't it. Mad Mike

And are you going to tell it?

Paul, that's what's worrying me too! Mad Mike

This sounds really silly I know, but I am like a kid waiting for Christmas day. Why all the fuss? Well as I have told you I have a new boat coming at the begining of June. So far I have spent hours on ebay waiting to pounce on delectable goodies to fit to her. An age on 'Ask Jeeves' scouring all known sources of information on the Sea hog Samurai. Yet nothing satisfies my desires to get her hear so that I can spend a few hours gloating. So the question is guys ...... How did/do you cope with the anticipation which grows greater by the day? Mad Mike

Paul tells us.....Actually, I got electrocuted by lightning Ah! That explains a lot I believe that a boat not anchored is safer than an one anchored as there is no direct contact through the chain/warp to earth. Deeper water is safer than shallow as the likely hood of the static charge rising to meet the electrical potential of the storm is greatly diminished. Whatever you do do not be aground in an area of mud flats. Mad Mike

For god sake don't let them know if it's you!! First they pop round with the "Got any spare hooks Mr", then they'll be after your bait "You don't mind letting me have you ragworm do you ol' pal". Worst of all one sunny holiday week end the boat will be missing and there'll be a note in the letter box saying some ones Uncle Burt got bail and he's borrowed the boat 'cos he is trying for France on the run! Mad Mike

Sam says.....all in all a nice day out with nice bacon sandwiches Sam anything, absolutely anything, is always better with bacon sarnies*. Remember that my lad and you will go far Mad Mike

Hi Mick, boat dealer I know just past S'oton has just phoned me about an immaculate Alaska. He was looking for one for me but I have since bought. Any way It's a white hulled one but Shetland made not Sea Hog. Full cokpit extentions and s/s frame. Nearly new brake back Snipe trailer and a 15 hp 2 year old four stroke honda. The engine is on the small side as the boat has only been used on the Thames (I think). I would work on selling the 15 and buying a bigger O/B at some point. Asking is

Dan, on the side of the boss of you prop you should find the size stamped sort of like.... 17 X 9 Volvo. This will give you the information to look for when looking for a second hand one. Check e-bay daily Check Boats and Outboards web site Also look at the search engine 'Ask Jeeves' ( http://web.ask.co.uk/ ) and type propeller repairs in the search box then click UK ONLY and off you go. There are loads of companies so shop for the best deal. Mad Mike

I am bound to attract some flack here but .................... 99% of Poole brokers are so far up their own ar5e that you will be wasting your time. Quotes given whilst looking for a new boat up to

Action urged on sea level threat Studland Bay was one of the areas named as affected by erosion Hundreds of miles of coastline could be affected by erosion over the next century and planning must start now to deal with it, the National Trust said. Research from the Trust showed that 378 miles (605kms) of coastline could be affected by rising sea levels. It said building sea defences would be "unaffordable and counter-productive" in some cases. It said it would be better to adapt to coastal changes in those areas, rather than trying to stop them. Erosion is a fact of life and shouldn't necessarily be viewed as a bad thing Tim Collins English Nature Sea levels are predicted to rise by just under three feet (90cm) over the next 75 years, the report said. The Trust said 126 of its sites, covering more than 4,000 hectares, were already at risk of flooding. Another 33 could be affected over the coming decades, according to the Shifting Shores report. It named Studland in Dorset, Porlock in Somerset and Formby Sands in Lancashire as being affected by erosion of flooding. Tony Burton, the trust's director of policy, said: "Over the next few decades extensive coastal change, especially flooding and erosion caused by sea level rise and more frequent storms, appears inevitable. "The UK cannot ignore the issue and all sectors must plan how to adapt to a future of advancing seas." 'Hold the line' The report said there was currently no mechanism for people to learn if their homes or businesses were at risk of coastal erosion. It said decision-making on the issue needed to be made simpler, as with 30 agencies involved in coastal management "achieving coherent and accountable solutions is difficult". It said greenhouse gas emissions had to be cut to address the problem, but also recommended "moving with the forces of nature" in some areas. "A universal 'hold the line' approach through ever-increasing sea defences is unaffordable and in many cases, counter-productive, creating greater problems for communities and the environment elsewhere," the report said. Tim Collins, head of coastal conservation at English Nature, said it was important to recognise that erosion was not always harmful. He said the Seven Sisters in Sussex would be covered in grass were it not for the effects of erosion. "Erosion is a fact of life and shouldn't necessarily be viewed as a bad thing," he said.

Hi Simon, I find your comments about Kyack/cyak/kyact/ ??? canoe fishing facinating. I would like to hear more, not that wild horses would persuade me to try it. You must have to be very organised on the boat? There are a couple of very effective methods that I think would suit kiyack(?) little narrow boat fishing in and around Poole harbour. PM me so I don't take web space up here if you want to know more. Mad Mike

I went out to buy a GPS, but I got lost on the way Mad Mike

I recognised a kindred spirit. Minds from the far side like ours need no introduction we will almost always think the same thing Earthman, and you humans will soon learn to bow to .............. Opps sorry that's not happning 'till next year. Just forget it, I never said a thing Mad Mike

"And when shall we three meet again?" To the sound of thunder and a flash of lightning Shakespears Macbeth Mad Mike

Doing my Mrs Mopps act may I sugest that once the area is clean leaving a saucer of vinegar there overnight tends to cut through the fishy pong and soak up the smell. Mad Mike